The Grand Crossover RP - Pathway to Origin [IC/PG-13/Moved to NCM for Finale]

[Reinforce]

Darcy

Pathway of Truth: E1

 

Walking out into the sunlight, Darcy wandered through the forests, watching as the fairies flew around her. 

 

"I suppose you're of some significance to this pathway then?"

 

The fairies smiled, as they starting asking questions.

 

Ending Location: E3

 

---

 

Ayame

Pathway of Truth: A11

 

Drawing on the skills she'd learnt from her battle, with a moment of concentration wings sprouted out of her back, a few unsteady flaps bringing the girl up into the air as she adapted to their presence. Gaining confidence, she started to fly forwards, making her way through the skies without looking around, paying more attention to her new-found ability to fly than the world being destroyed below her. As she flew near a cloud, it changed shape, lashing out at her in a strange caricature of her. A reflex action had her skin hardening, confusing her to realise that the demonic instincts she'd always suppressed before now were there and active, protecting her from dangers and probably helping out with her flight as well.

 

Allowing even that thought to die down, Ayame just flew for a while, enjoying being able to fly unaided, even while dodging around the clouds that continued to try and harass her. As she noticed the stairway approaching, she flew straight up it, not bothering to land until she reached the top, wings retracting and vanishing as she did. Walking the last few steps towards it, the words once again appeared in her mind, just like they had in the previous pathway.

 

‘Are you content with your present self’?

 

"Of course not, to be content with my present self would be to stagnate, and I'd prefer to keep moving forward."

 

Before her, the last barrier vanished and she could lay her hand onto the crystal, feeling it sucking her in to return her to the White Room, with one doorway remaining. Death.

 

Ending Location: The White Room

 

---

 

Chandra

Pathway of Truth: C11

 

Jace appeared on the platform, just across from where Chandra was standing. Easily noticeable was the change in hair colour, along with the silver rings now around his ankles and wrists, but even more prominent to her was the red mark right across the left cheek of his face.

 

"Wow, looks like you managed to piss off even your inner self."

 

Smirking across at the other planeswalker, Chandra walked over, clapping him on the shoulder lightly with her left hand.

 

"You look a bit more comfortable with yourself than before anyway, so you'll be alright. We should get going anyway, these paths won't clear themselves."

 

Gesturing with her right hand, a Phoenix appeared next to the platform. Chandra walked forward to hop onto it's back, before turning around to offer Jace her hand.

 

Ending Location: C11

[Merci]

 

Turn back time,

and let a story be told.

Not of a man who sought to live forever,

But of a girl who, once upon a time sought only to die in peace

 

 

---

 

~ ????? ~

Ancient Egypt, Early Dynastic Period

 

Within the outer regions of Memphis, the wind blew gently, under the darkness of midnight. There was a certain quietness all throughout the kingdom, but what it meant, if anything, no one could tell.

 

Several centuries ago, in order to defend itself from invaders, the kingdom had taken to constructing forts along the shoreline of the Nile River, some of which also happened to be directly to the kingdom via secret passages, in order to facilitate the royals’ escape should it come under attack. One of them happened to be abandoned, beginning to fall out of use, not only due to the lack of invaders on the other side of that area, but also due to the rumor that it was haunted by the souls of those killed within after some mysterious force attacked a decade ago. Hence, rarely anyone, even the guards assigned to patrol it, were fond of hanging there, and for years it had been mostly left alone. Empty, especially during midnight.

 

However, it was precisely due to this fact that two individuals, neither royals nor proper magicians, thought to make use of it.

 

The whole point of sneaking out this late was so that they wouldn’t end up getting caught by anyone. Being barely visible under the cover of darkness, sneaking out of their rooms and heading towards the hidden underground tunnel had been child’s play, especially considering that the only thing that contained them in the first place were easily-cut manacles. Really, to emphasize just how easy it was, they hadn’t even been bothering with stealth this time around.

 

A young girl in a ragged tunic dress, with beautiful but messy silver hair, was frowning with her arms failing about as she was…being dragged across the sands covering the fort floor by her feet, a determined redhead with crab-shaped hair refusing to let go of her. Going on about their business as though it were natural, neither of them seemed to care about their surroundings too much, and for anyone observing, it must’ve been quite the bizarre sight.

 

“You’re really not giving up, are you.” The former girl muttered with a bored tone, dully staring up at an opening that revealed the night sky. There was a vast array of bright stars as far as she could see, accompanied by a full moon. Even on this side, there were vast, mysterious things, it seemed.

 

“H… hey, this is the second time I have had to drag you along, and… by the gods, I hope it’ll be the last... Is it really that hard… to walk... on… your own?” Came a heaved response, in-between deep breaths. Even with such opposition, the latter girl stubbornly refused to give up. “How are you even…doing this?! Shouldn’t your back be… be sore by now, or something?! Instead of lying there, you can at least get up!”

 

“Hm.” She shut her eyes, apparently having to think deeply about it.

 

One would think that, in a situation such as this, they’d both be taking great care to contain their voices and hide their positions, but the fort was always so abandoned each time they came here they’d since gotten used to its emptiness and silence. The high amount of carelessness here involved pretty much made any attempt at stealth futile. If the guards had just a tiny bit more of backbone to do their jobs, then they surely wouldn’t have made it anywhere near this far. Even if they were far from the city right now and there was no one in sight, it was still a ridiculous risk that they ought to be paying more attention to.

 

Very much aware of this fact, the girl responsible for all this was somewhat displeased with her friend’s attitude, even if she was just as careless too most of the time. “Well?”

 

“Hmmmmm.”

 

“Weeeeeeelllllllllll?”

 

“Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.”

 

“WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLL?!?!?!??”

 

“Nyeh. Don’t wanna.” Pener said bluntly

 

She made sure to display her dislike at having been dragged all the way here when she had SPECIFICALLY said that she wanted to sleep in tonight. Just this once, forget about the other side. It wasn’t like the realm would collapse into oblivion if they were to skip their routine once or twice, and really, they were under no obligation to visit in the first place.

 

“Seriously? Seriously?”

 

The other girl’s eyebrow in annoyance at that response and promptly dropped the leg, hanging her head low with a darkening expression, almost like she was on the breaking point here.

 

What was she doing? Was she pissed? Well, it  would only be natural for her to be pissed, but it wasn’t like it would be such a big deal… Then, all of a sudden, she dramatically stomped over towards a ray of moonshine seeping from a gap in the ceiling, showering herself with it as she started to talk ominously, lowering her tone for an ominous effect.

 

“I SEE, so that is the fate that you have chosen. Truly, from the moment we first met, it was inevitable that we would come to a standstill such as this. No, in fact, on the eve of the mass alignment of stars in the solar nexus, perhaps it was fated to have come about at this very moment. Who knows, perhaps the Original Sacred Guardians themselves had foretold of such a MOMENTOUS MOMENT long, long ago… And if that were so, even if we are compatriots bonded by a shared fate, then this is how it must be, such has been decided since the beginning of time...”

 

“N- nyeh? Whaaaat’s with the weird voice?” Pener could only stare up at her with a confused expression, herself nonchalantly lying down on the floor.

 

“It means that you have left me with. No. Other. CHOICE!”

 

Taking a deep breath, the girl stood straight, held her arms out in front of her, and concentrated all her energy into one point in front of her. The air began to shimmer and vibrate, a crimson aura being projected all around her, the very darkness itself moving in accordance with her will and morphing into shades of crimson and vermillion as though to acknowledge her strength of mind. This was the power that belonged to her and her alone.

 

Pener’s eyes widened as she realized just what she was about to do, but it was too late as a shadowy figure proceeded to materialize right below her, pushing her up into the air. “N- n- n- n- NYYYEEEEEEEEHHHHHH?!”

 

Then, an instant later, she found herself lying – very uncomfortably – on the back of a massive dark dragon, with hard, bony scales that blended in with the night, terrifyingly large wings, and glowing red eyes like those of a starved demon.

 

Its figure was so imposing that it might as well have been the Bringer of the End itself in physical form, a monster lacking any semblance or understanding of emotion, whose sole purpose was to reap chaos and destruction, murdering countless innocents in its wake across the sky and gobbling up countless innocent children every time it swooped down, igniting the planes of Egypt alongside the rest of the world with reckless abandon as though to defiantly rebel against every known god in the universe and drown everything in utter chaos! And as it did so, staining the earth with lots and lots of gruesome blood, it would most likely be screaming terrifying things along the lines of ‘ROOAAARRRRRR! DIE, DIE, ROAR! DIIIIIEEEEEEE, PUNY HUMANS, ROAR! YOUR LIVES ARE ALL FORFEIT TO ME NOW, ROAR! ROAR, ROAR, ROAR, ROOAAAAARRRRRRR!’… At least, that was what went on in the young slave’s mind whenever she saw it.

 

And yet, instead of doing any of those things, it was just sitting there, obediently waiting for its orders like an overly passive cat.

 

“Uhhh, do you really think you should be using the Black Dragon here, of all places…?” she pointed out, flabbergasted that she'd actually gone and done it.

 

Even if they were within a practically-abandoned fort, with so few guards around whatsoever, there was always a chance that they could get caught. And, if they were, chances were that they’d automatically be assumed as trying to cross the river to escape, and hence have to face execution. There wouldn’t be many places to run, so it wasn’t exactly the prettiest possibility. However, even with the threat of death, the only thing she felt was minor annoyance at being literally dragged along against her wishes.

 

Pener tried to climb down, but it was futile. Not only was her body stiff and her back indeed quite sore, but every time she had the chance to roll off, the dragon would just shake itself a little and throw her back on top, not leaving her any room for escape.

 

“You know, I have a saying. 'If I can do it, then why not'?”

 

On the other hand, the girl responsible for it was just standing there with a smug, satisfied grin.

 

Her personality was just as ridiculous as that crab-shaped hair of hers. But it wasn’t a bad thing, not in the slightest.

 

To possess a Ka as strong as that, a ferocious dragon deadly enough to take down entire armies if it so wished, was a solid testament to the strength of her soul. Even under terrible working conditions and with most of her rights and life stripped away, she remained confident, always seeing meaning in things, always finding a new way, always looking towards the future. How long ago had it been since they first met? How long ago had it been since she stomped into her life without so much as a hello? Never letting her past mistakes drag her down, working with what she had without complaint to achieve her objective…

 

Really, in her own honest opinion, someone as bright, open-minded, and intelligent as this girl—didn’t deserve to be a lowly slave, and definitely didn’t deserve to be held back so much by those around her. Just being in her presence made Pener aware of the differences between them.

 

And also aware of her own worthlessness.

 

Shaking the thought away, she said, “Fine, fine, I get it! Lesson learned! Walking: Very good, yes! Now, could you please put me down… Isha?”

 

“With pleasure.” Isha replied with a smirk.

 

Then, snapping her fingers, the dark dragon dispersed into thin air just like that, and sheabruptly hit the sand. “Ahahaha… AAHAHAHAH!” As the one responsible burst out into laughter, Pener let out a long, annoyed groan of complaint, before getting up and wiping off the sand from her face. Really, she should’ve been expecting it, since being tricked like this was becoming a daily occurrence, but well, it wasn’t like she could do anything about it even if she wanted to.

 

Upon getting up, she let out a yawn whilst stretching her limbs, feeling seriously stiff, her back and ankle feeling especially sore. She also had to consider that her apparently unique hair was covered in sand, though at this point, getting them out may be a lost cause. “Nyeehhh… So, are we going or not...” Her voice faltered as she watched Isha stagger a little. “You okay?”

 

“Of course, of course. Just a little tired,” the lighter-skinned girl waved it off.

 

“Really?” Pener tilted her head in mock-concern. “You look like you just dug out all the organs from the corpse of a recently-deceased close friend with your own hands, and thought to bite their heart on a whim, only to realize what you’ve just done in horror and disgust.”

 

“Wow. Thank you for the encouragement.” Despite the overly specific, dark statement, she chuckled, even though it admittedly made her feel a little nauseous.

 

The one advantage that her accomplice had over her was that the former could somehow treat bloody and gruesome things like it was nothing, whereas she was always queasy about them, and on occasion this fact about her would be poked at it like this.

 

The duo walked onwards through the fort. Within this particular location, there was a secret entrance that they had discovered not too long ago, something presumably only they knew about. They came across it by accident just like the underground tunnel leading to the fort, and after some reflection, it seemed as though that they’d been extremely lucky the first time around. As for what lay beyond, even for someone who didn’t care much about anything, she had to admit that what awaited them was beyond wildest dreams, being both extraordinarily terrifying and unbelievably breathtaking. It was, after all, a path leading another dimension entirely.

 

“The Pharaoh’s Sacred Guardians make it look ridiculously easy, but then again, they have those DiaDhanks and the Millennium Items to help channel their powers, along with all those stone tablets to embody the actual spirit, whereas all I have is my willpower, which...doesn’t really amount to much. But seriously, I’m fine.” Isha continued on. She had a habit of making up theories about the world. “Still, it’s much easier on the other side, but here, where mystical creatures aren’t meant to exist in the first place, I suppose it takes a lot more effort to maintain their form. In fact, I overheard from my master Set – you know, the stern one, who bosses everyone else around and acts like he’s the Pharaoh’s husband – talking about it, saying that they consume life force, draining our Ba in order to materialize.”

 

“Oh? If that’s the case, then you took a pretty big risk. I wonder how many years you lost over that.” Pener remarked.

 

“Urrrgghhh, let's not talk about our lifespan right now. I just wanted to see if our training was making it any easier. Besides, we had to try it sooner or later…though, yeah, I’ll admit it turned out to not be such a good idea. At this rate, unless you fancy us dying young, we really will have to steal DiaDhanks from somewhere. It’s not we have much of a choice, so, I mean, I don’t wish to disrespect anyone by raiding their tombs, but if it’s in the name of righteousness and justice, then perhaps they’ll forgive us?”

 

“Key word ‘perhaps’. Or perhaps they’ll haunt us as malignant spirits for the rest of our lives, making our freedom both miserable and worthless. Hurray?”

 

“Thank you, Pener, for being OH SO ENCOURAGING. Whenever I feel down, your optimism will be always there to brighten my mood. Every single time.” Isha responded dryly.

 

“Why, you’re welcome.”

 

Before they could continue the conversation, the two careless slaves suddenly stopped as a section of the floor below them clattered somewhat. It didn’t even need to be said that this was the secret entrance they’d been seeking, and the duo gave each other a glance, before nodding silently.

 

Of course, if it could make such noise, it wasn’t much of a secret. Chances were that it had originally been a lot less noticeable, but years of rain seeping through the ceiling, eroding the floor, may have made the panel more apparent. Or at least that was Isha’s amateur theory on the matter, and there may be some other factors in play here. Luckily, thus far, the soldiers who patrolled the area hadn’t noticed it, and even if they had, they wouldn't have thought anything was suspicious. If anything, those royal magicians back at home certainly weren’t aware that their precious little secret was so blatant and accessible.

 

The two girls knelt close to the thick stone slate and heaved it up with their combined strength, revealing a ladder underneath. Pener went first, climbing downwards, quickly followed by her accomplice who could only bear to hold it up for a few seconds on her own, before letting it slam shut above her head.

 

As soon as it did, their visions were enshrouded entirely in darkness, though the thick air, the boiling heat in such a confined space, and the sensation of the stone ladder reassured them that they were still in reality. Gradually, they climbed down one step at a time, in a careful manner, since it should be obvious to them both that there was no guarantee the ladder would last forever.

 

If it collapsed at this height, then they could very well die from the fall. And, even if they survived, getting back out would be no easy task, even with the powers of their respective Ka. This, along with the fact that they couldn’t see anything like this was somewhat worrisome, so they stayed cautious the whole way down. Also, the further down they went, the more a strange, roaring yet gentle sound made itself apparent, like water swirling around, but neither of the two paid it any heed.

 

“So, what will we do this time? Training or exploration? It's your turn to decide, Pener.” Isha said.

 

“Nyeh, why me…?” The girl in question muttered, just as her feet touched solid ground. “Well, um. I don’t know, a bit of both or something?”

 

“Oho? So you think you have the energy for both now, eh?” Isha asked playfully, jumping off after her.

 

“Actually, you know what, I changed my mi—”

 

“Too late. Bit of both it is!”

 

Having taken her words and ran with them, the unusually enthusiastic slave girl eagerly skipped over towards the end.

 

At first, it would appear as though that there was nothing here, since it was a small, confined space seemingly without anything else there, somewhat like a jail which provided not even a single ray of light for them to see. The first time they came here, purely out of curiosity and on a certain someone’s insistent urgings, they’d been rather disappointed, since it appeared as though the secret entrance had led to pretty much nowhere, and that the large sound itself must’ve been coming from someplace else.

 

However, as they’d discovered not too long afterwards, it turned out that there was a hidden function on the wall at the back, where putting their hand on one of the bricks would cause the wall to open on its own, most likely an automation spell left over from a magician who had come here in the past, and presumably even constructed it himself. Whoever prepared this place must have had a clearly-defined purpose for it to have to leave such a mechanism here, especially considering how imparting magic into stones and having them retain it without the presence of the caster wasn’t simple at all, but an advanced art that took years upon years of practice.

 

Chances were that the two of them weren’t even meant to be capable of entering in the first place, and as if to prove it, for some reason Pener had never been able to get it to open on her own, not even once in all the times they’d come here. It always had to be Isha, but why that was so, neither of them could tell. Perhaps there was something special about the red-haired crabhead, as in she was descended from a special bloodline, or as in her Ka was spectacular enough to warrant recognition. It was definitely clear though, that if she hadn’t been there, the fact that there was a secret entrance here wouldn’t have been known at all even if people did climb down here.

 

Thus, Isha skipped over towards a specific section of the wall, having memorized its location even in this darkness, and proceeded to dramatically thrust the palm of her hand towards it, hitting it as hard as she could. It wasn’t actually necessary to hit it that hard, as even a light poke would’ve been sufficient, but it was just more entertaining to do this way.

 

And indeed, once she had done so, the wall shook and the floor below them rumbled momentarily, before the bricks composing it broke off from each other and receded towards the left and right, creating a wide gap, opening up to an unprecedented amount of light that flooded in. Just like that, a great brightness flooded into the darkness without mercy, causing Pener to flinch as her eyes were engulfed with an overly white light, struggling to adapt.

 

Upon walking through the gap, it became clear exactly what kind of place this was, as well as where the strange sounds had been coming from. The entire room was large and spacious like a hall fit for a rich king, lit by uniquely-designed candles scattered all over the floor, which were accompanied by all kinds of stories carved alongside all the brilliant stone walls, mostly depicting three entities – Obelisk the Tormentor, Osiris the Sky Dragon, and the Winged Dragon of Ra – and the atmosphere it invoked was not unlike that of a extremely powerful, ancient Pharaoh’s tomb room.

 

However, above a series of steps, instead of what would normally be a sarcophagus in the center, there was instead the most fantastic aspect of this room, the source of all the noise, and the reason why they kept coming here – a mysterious, vertically-floating whirlpool of saltwater five cubits in radius, somehow suspending itself in the air, and gazing into it reflected the completely different scenery of another land, the clearest indication that this had been the work of a superior entity. It wasn’t a matter of years of training anymore, but a matter of forbidden knowledge from the gods that no mere human should be capable of. Even centuries of training by entire orders of magicians couldn’t possibly result in something like this. The summoning of spirits, the manipulation of the elements, they all seemed so unbelievably minor in comparison to this spectacle that was beyond belief, defying both time and space. Anyone witnessing this, in any age, would have definitely been left utterly speechless by this timeless, awe-inspiring sight…

 

Of course, even this was nothing compared to what laid beyond.

 

“So, we’ll head over to the usual spot and do some training, perhaps work more on your technique, before doing some exploration. See if we can find any more interesting places.” Isha said casually, sitting down right in front of the whirlpool, barely regarding the presence of the vortex at all. Its swirling noise continued, like giant waves swaying back and forth without pause, echoing throughout the room.

 

“You’re not even going to ask for my consent, are you?” Pener replied with yet another groan.

 

She made her way over to the steps before sitting next to her, at which point the other girl, unwrapping a loincloth around her leg, revealing two loaves of bread. None of the water from the whirlpool ever seemed to separate from it, so there was very little chance that they could get sprayed or soaked even at this close distance. “Want some?”

 

“No.” As soon as the words came out of her mouth, her stomach rumbled in a very audible way. “…nyeh, fine.”

 

Of course, they had to keep their energy up once they were inside. No matter how remarkable it was, it wouldn’t change the fact that there was nothing edible there for humans, and also that there was no guarantee whether the creatures they’d encounter would ignore their presence or act hostile. Even if life as a slave was hard, it was necessary for their continued survival, since they could only get real food on this side of the world.

 

The first time they came here, they’d been ridiculously unprepared for this room. Actually, any sensible person who had stumbled upon this place should’ve tried to get away as fast as possible, in fear of the unnatural, but neither of them had felt such an urge at the time, instead being purely awestruck. However, that didn’t mean the both of them had lost their sensibility. Whereas Isha insisted on going in to see if there was anything on the other side, Pener insisted on leaving due to the dangers that they would just be ripped apart by the water, and it ultimately ended in them struggling with each other for a bit before tripping on the steps and accidentally stumbling in.

 

Back then, they had been in there for quite a long time.  It was embarrassing to admit, but she was clinging to her companion the whole way through, crying and begging to be taken back home – urgh, how horrible. She cringed at the mere memory of it. Not that it was much better the second, the third, or even the fourth time around for that matter.

 

Once they returned the first time around, the both of them were utterly exhausted, Pener in particular being traumatized, thinking that they would never return again. Nothing in sight was familiar, they kept on encountering strange monsters wherever they went, and multiple times they nearly died. It was only common sense to not want to go back, since these occurrences ought to have been a ‘once in a lifetime’, a one-time event that they would recall fondly once they were much older, sharing the amazing story with those who wanted to listen.

 

However, a mere twenty-eight days ago, Isha insisted on going back despite common sense saying otherwise, and before they knew it, they were coming to this place regularly. To train their strength, honing the powers of their respective Ka which could materialize effortlessly on the other side, and also to explore the various lands, since it was all so unlike what they were used to that, even now, it was still overwhelming just thinking about it.

 

Isha stood up from the steps, holding out her hand with an eager smile.

 

“Well then… shall we go?”

 

The silver-haired girl let out a sigh, before taking it and pulling herself up. “Fine. What else do I have to lose?”

 

Then they both turned to face the large, sideways portal of water, reflecting a dimension that was totally unlike the Land of Egypt in every possible way, before walking towards it without hesitation. At this point, they had long since gotten over the fear of approaching it and being ripped apart in any way. Any such feelings had long since been overridden by the joy of the other side. As soon as their bodies came into contact with the water, it reacted heavily – the spinning velocity of the water automatically jerked them off the ground and dragged them in, deeper…

 

And deeper…

 

And deeper still…

 

Diving to the bottom, it became apparent that time had become infinite, but in its place space had frozen utterly. Where was up, where was down? Where was forward and backward? Each and every single little thing she had perceived to be ‘my reality’ had melted away, and in its place, all of time had been laid bare before her eyes. Being dragged through a spiraling tunnel, it was as though time and space themselves had been reversed. A body dictated by space could not possibly move through time, after all.

 

Thus, with her body refusing to respond to even a single command, she had no choice but to wait patiently as it was being thrown about violently through dimensions by a swirling energy, like being sucked into an incredibly-massive whirlpool. Again and again she turned through the fabric of spacetime, reality spinning all around her. She couldn’t breathe, and though all her senses were right there, she could access none of them. The pearl-white water that was one with time was crashing against her, carrying further in whilst at the same time attempting to rend apart her whole body from top to them. Even if she could move, she was powerless against this otherworldly phenomenon. Where was the end? Was there an end? Or would they perish here in this eternity that would last but an instant?

 

She wanted the end to come quickly, but it may not come at all. Even though they had gone through this exact same process a bunch of times in the past, the possibility that such a thing would happen was always right there around the corner. No matter what sort of powers they possessed, it wouldn’t change the fact that they were still mere mortals, with physical bodies dictated by the laws of physics.Thus, if these two girls were to suffocate and perish in this mysterious vortex that linked two separate dimensions, it would not be so outlandish.

 

Without so much as a second thought, Pener simply bore with this pain, awaiting the end, not caring about how it would turn out either way. Whether or not the end showed itself to her, and even if she were to disappear here… something like this would be fine, for it was the course that her existence had chosen.

 

Yes, I... wouldn’t mind...

 

However, as if to defy that possibility, light abruptly consumed their vision and they were jettisoned high out into the open air quickly afterwards.

 

Time and space were restored back to their original state, they gained control over their own bodies again, and the unnaturally softness of the winds around them made them instantly aware of their surroundings.

 

The duo found themselves amidst the blue sky, the light of the sun shining gently, and below them was an unbelievably wide grassy plain, surrounded by those odd thick trees, which in turn was surrounded by gigantic jagged mountains, obscuring even more mystical wonders beyond. It was a beautiful sight...

 

...the only problem was that, they were fifty cubits up in the air and were currently crashing down towards the ground.

 

It had taken a moment for her to process the kind of situation she was in, and once it did, the only thing she could do was blankly stare at the ground in a total daze. “N- n- n- n- nyeeeh…?”

 

The air around them was picking up, and the ground was getting closer and closer. Under normal circumstances, they would be dropped off on the ground, or at least close it, so why were they this high up now? No, that wasn’t important right now, since if nothing was done, they’d splatter against the ground. In a feeble attempt to survive, she flailed her arms about, as though trying to force herself to grow feathers and fly away. Well, one of her arms anyway, as the other one was occupied with holding down her dress. Could humans fly with one arm? If nothing else, it was worth a try. Not like she could do anything else.

 

“What are you doooiiiinnnnngggg, Peeenneeerrrrr? You look soooo silly!” The other girl exclaimed with a wide, stupid grin on her face as they plummeted towards their deaths, her attitude directly contrasting against that of her friend’s. Her own body was fully composed with her arms outstretched, like she was skydiving towards a soft ocean instead of a hard, earth-like surface that wouldn’t hesitate to smash her into bits. She didn’t seem to care that her red hair was getting completely messed up by the thick winds - wait, actually, it wasn't. Was that crab hair made of steel or something?

 

“Nyeh...” Pener narrowed her eyes, shooting a glance at Isha, as if to ask her ‘why are you taking so goddamned long to do your thing?’

 

“Oh come on, relax a little and enjoy the moment while it lasts~!”

 

“NYEEEEEEEEEEH.”

 

“Well, if you insist.” Smiling smugly, Isha snapped her fingers just as they were ten cubits away from the ground and rapidly approaching their pitifully young, untimely deaths.

 

Then, the air shimmered heavily, before morphing together into a familiar draconic dark shadow that appeared directly underneath the redhead. As she landed on its neck safely, they then shot forth towards the still-plummeting Pener, and she went on to grab hold of her arm in midair and pull her onboard. All this took place in less than a second, at which point the newly-summoned Black Dragon darted forth through the grassy plain, channeling their velocities as it flew back up into the sky, over the wide alien forest. As they did so, they passed by another similar-sized floating whirlpool, the exit that they would have to use to return once they were done here.

 

“Nyeh? Did… Did we really just fall out of the sky…?” Needless to say, a certain someone was still in a bit of shock, still finding a little hard to process what had just happened, even after having experienced it firsthand.

 

“Engrave the memory of that fall into your mind, young one, for it’s not like it’ll happen every time.” Isha addressed the matter in an overly deep way, at the same time taking control of her Ka and directing its movements through this vast, unknown realm. Since the winds were brushing heavily against them, she had to raise her voice to be heard. “Well then, tell me. It was fun, wasn’t it?”

 

At the mention of that particular word, Pener blinked. “Fun?”

 

“Yeah, fun.”

 

“I… suppose so…” She answered awkwardly, unsure exactly of how to answer to that.

 

It was probably because her thoughts had been jumbled up by the fall, so she paid it no heed and decided to clear her mind a little. It wasn’t easy though, considering how at the moment, she was sitting uncomfortably on a large, thick dragon flying through the air, not helped by how its body shook each time it flapped those enormous wings, and she had to hold on tight just in case she ended up falling off.

 

At the moment, the Black Dragon was taking them to their usual spot in this strange land, which they hadn’t even begun to truly grasp. The stubborn attitude and the intense desire to sleep that she’d been maintaining less than half an hour ago had all but vanished in the face of such magnificence. Being able to look at everything from above, even her discomfort disappeared after a while.

 

The scenery flew by, and despite all her past visits, she could only barely identify some of the various landmarks, in particular being the massive tree rooted firmly on the opposite side of the field, along with a couple oddly-constructed settlement based here and there. As far as she could see, there were no uninhabitable lands, no deadly deserts, but instead, nature growing everywhere abundantly in harmony with the land the rivers, peaceful without a human in sight. Rather, there were these unique spirits, creatures of all shapes and sizes unlike anything they had ever seen before living in the various lands here, and they were so docile that they never even batted an eye at the two girls’ out-of-place presence, ignoring them entirely. Although, they were perhaps the least outlandish since the forms they took were much like those of the Ka that tended to manifest back at home.

 

How many times had they speculated about what kind of place this was? Their first guess was that this was the Duat and that it was where dead people went, but after actually interacting with some of the spirits, they’d come to realize that, apart from their resemblances to Ka, there was no connection between the two worlds at all. Overall, this paradise realm was so bizarre, so fantasy-like that, no matter how many times she visited or how much she tried to absorb everything into her mind, there would always be a part of her that would refuse to believe that this was anything but an extremely detailed dream.

 

Slavery? Belonging to others? Working to live? Those concepts were so alien in the world of spirits that it was almost as if that was the dream. Even after all this time, it was still hard to believe, but all her senses were telling her that this couldn’t be anything but real.

 

Yes. This whole world, despite being alien in every possible way, had to be reality—

 

“Pener? Hello, Pener? Earth to Pener? Are you in there, or did you leave your soul back home? Don’t tell me I brought an empty shell with me?” A loud, nagging voice snapped her out of her mental contemplation.

 

“Yes, yes, I’m here... whatever.”

 

Having realized that the Black Dragon had already landed at their destination, she heaved herself from the monster’s back and just as she was about to jump off, hesitated for a passing moment. But then again, she had just skydived, so perhaps a height this short wasn’t so bad after all – with that thought in mind, she jumped off, stumbling slightly as her feet hit the ground. Her knees hurt a bit, but otherwise, it was a total success.

 

“Oho? You actually came down by yourself this time?”

 

Pener looked annoyed, having been hoping it wouldn't be noticed. “Shut up. After falling from so high up, I figure a jump like this can’t possibly hurt as much.” she said, crossing her arms.

 

“Aww, you were cuter whenever you had to beg me to carry you down.” Isha replied with a pout.

 

“People change. Get used to it.” Well, that was how it was supposed to work anyway, but somehow, Isha’s impossibly spiky, crab-shaped red hair had refused to change even after being exposed to a spacetime whirlpool and constant powerful wind currents throughout the sky for, what, ten minutes? Damn, how does that even work?

 

“My wittle Pener ish so bwave and manly, surviving a one-cubit fall~ You’re growing up so fast~ I’m so happy for you!”

 

“Nyeeeehhh.” Pener glared at her in heavy annoyance, before turning her attention to something behind her, her expression dropping to shock. “Oh, oh oh oh holy Ra, look behind you, there’s a half-dead person with his spleen hanging out, leaking blood everywhere! Waaah!”

 

“W- what?!”

 

The redhead quickly turned around in a panic, having taken the oh-so-obvious bait, and only a split second later she realized that she’d fallen for the simplest of tricks. Then, her face fell. “Urgh, how did I even…?”

 

Just like that, the two girls continued to joke with each other, not bothering to pay too much attention to their surroundings, considering how this was the place they frequented the most.

 

It consisted of a large, flattened land on the side of one of the bigger mountains, with various jagged stone pillars scattered all throughout the area, which served quite effectively as a training ground to hone their powers in combat, and there was even a nearby cave that they could use to take shelter in case any kind of disaster occurred or any unknown threat appeared.

 

For whatever reason, this was the only place where they could afford to manifest their Ka freely without burning themselves out, allowing them to train and hone their abilities for as long as they pleased. They needed to be as strong as possible, after all, considering how there was no guarantee they’d be able to access this world whenever they liked, especially if they were to hypothetically escape from the kingdom and obtain their freedom. Despite what they had to go through each and every day, the secret passage to the fort was a real convenience to them.

 

Naturally, neither of them had fully decided what they would do once they were satisfied with their own abilities, whether they would live the rest of their lives as slaves but continue to visit this realm, or leave to another, far-off land in their own world that wasn’t Egypt and never come back again. If possible, it’d be easiest to stay in the Spirit World, but as far as they had seen, nothing was edible. At all. Or even drinkable for that matter, since when Isha tried out the water, it was so different that she spat it out on the spot since it might’ve very well been poison to her. Although, one thing they did notice was that apart from tasting strange, it had healing properties, allowing them to heal any wounds they suffered in a short amount of time.

 

While there was the possibility that their physical bodies couldn’t starve to death here, it wasn’t worth the risk of testing out that theory, nor was it worth trying to see if the spirits were edible. Hence, they limited the time they spent to around two or three hours before returning, focusing on either training their Ka or exploring the land with the goal of finding a source of nourishment…okay, admittedly, that was just an excuse so they could look around and discover new, exotic places.

 

During their last visit, they had discovered a large, surprisingly-advanced establishment stationed within one of the valleys, but they wisely opted not to approach it since there was quite a fair chance they’d be attacked and killed before even coming close. Apart from that, there were quite a few caves hidden amidst the mountains, containing the homes and nests of all sorts of mystical spirits, some looking harmless while others looking extremely terrifying, but common sense dictated that it wasn’t smart to get close to any of these suspicious-looking creatures.

 

Of course, right from the very beginning, it was clear that this world wasn’t necessarily a safehaven, and it had plenty of dangers of its own. Still, it would be utterly insane for anyone, anyone at all, to NOT prefer this over being a female slave treated like utter crap by everyone, and stripped of even the most basic of rights!

 

To Pener and to Isha, no matter what dangers lurked underneath the surface, it would never change the fact that this was paradise… Their paradise.

 

“Alright then, the time has finally come. Are you ready?” The redhead asked eagerly, taking her position at the center of the rocky field with crossed arms, the Black Dragon looming over her figure like a massive, malevolent shadow, emitting such a powerful aura that it could quite possibly smash apart the pillars surrounding them with barely any effort at all.

 

“Does it make a difference if I answer?”

 

"Nope!"

 

"Figured as much... Well, you better watch out, because this time. This time, I'm going to kick your ass!"

 

“Ohhh? You sound confident today. That’s pretty impressive... Good, let’s see what you got!”

 

Even though she’d said that, in truth, the girl with silver hair was rather nervous despite trying her best to hide it, taking her own position about twenty cubits away.  As she did so, she put her right foot out and kept her arms bent in front of her chest, while at the same time closing her eyes to concentrate better on her own self. They had spent the past ten minutes warming up and re-familiarizing themselves with their own abilities, and now, it was finally time for their rematch. Once more, they would pit their strengths against each other and try hard to overpower the other as best as they could.

 

The air around Pener shimmered, and she tried her best to concentrate on the energy flowing through her own body, tapping into the substance that had taken root inside of her soul, drawing it outwards. To be perfectly honest, it wasn’t anything nearly as spectacular as the Black Dragon…or any other spirit she’d ever seen for that matter. Her own Ka was not only formless, but puny and disgusting, reflecting her inner self. She wasn’t surprised in the slightest the first time she found out what hers was like, and back then, the only thing she’d been feeling was hollowness. This pointless life. These pointless actions, lacking any real purpose. However, even there may not be any actual meaning, she would put effort into it for what it was forth. This was her strength, after all.

 

Focus. Tap into yourself. The power that only you have, the Ka that represents your identity… Use it.

 

If she had to guess, it was quite likely that the Ka she possessed was the weakest of them all, in which case, it was ridiculous for her to have to go up against one of the strongest of them all. Thus far, she hadn’t even landed a single victory, since all of their battles had concluded with a horrible loss on her part.

 

During their first duel, she had lost in ten seconds flat without being able to do anything.

 

During their second duel, she had lasted only a minute, and that involved plenty of running around like a maniac, barely managing to stay in one piece.

 

During their third duel, she had started to become more composed and used the rock pillars to her advantage, using them to not only conceal her presence but also approach without being seen and assault her opponent suddenly, but in the end she tripped embarrassingly on a stone and messed up her own plan, becoming a blatant open target.

 

Then, during their fourth duel, she had repeated the same tactic, and this time actually succeeded in getting close, but that was when another problem presented itself. Even assuming she could effectively avoid all of its powerful blasts and get close to that hulking body, its black scales were impenetrable. It shrugged off her assault entirely and proceeded to blast here away. Even after all her efforts, she’d barely managed to scratch it at all! That was how ridiculous this whole battle was Truly, it was so unfair it almost made her want to cry.

 

But there was no way she was going to complain.

 

This time...

 

Honestly, it wasn’t the fact that she kept on losing that bothered her most, but the fact that she couldn’t be an adequate training partner for Isha. Her power was feeble and her efforts were half-assed, meaning that any victory against her was cheap, and that nothing was gained from it. Most likely, that girl must’ve been so dissatisfied with her pathetic sparring partner, and whenever they fought, she must’ve been constantly wishing that she could have another, stronger and more competent one – that was the main idea that drove Pener to actually seeking victory when she’d normally rather just surrender and take a long nap.

 

Even if victory was theoretically impossible in any way whatsoever, she wanted to make it as close a fight as possible, and force that redheaded idiot into having to go all-out.

 

…This time for sure, I'm going to defeat her!

 

Tensing up her body, she whipped her left arm forth and a burst of light temporarily engulfed her vision, being immediately replaced afterwards with large amounts of a liquid, slimy deep turquoise substance, floating all around her, showing no signs of sentience whatsoever, though it certainly responded to her will, as well as being directed by her movements. Despite how soft and squishy it was, harmless in pretty much every way, it was the sole weapon that she possessed to take on the almighty red-eyed Black Dragon.

 

Yes, that was correct. This… this thing was her Ka. With nothing but this ‘Slime’ as her arsenal, she had no choice but to utilize it to grasp hold of her very own victory.

 

Pener analyzed her surroundings, glancing at the rock pillars around them and determining the best course of action to start with. Before her, standing straight in front of her line of sight, was the undefeated Lordess of Dragons. However, so long as she kept on trying, sooner or later, that throne will at last be toppled.

 

“Three.”

 

By now, her opponent must’ve grasped the concept of her strategy after their previous two battles, meaning that it would be dangerous to attempt the exact same thing twice. In order to have another shot at her dragon like before, she would have to vary her movements somewhat and create some confusion regarding her planned route of attack throughout the field.

 

“Two.”

 

No, in the first place, it must be apparent that targeting the Black Dragon was a no-go. If she wanted to have even the slightest chance to win, she would have to treat it as a mere obstacle, abandon all pretenses that it could be beaten in a one-on-one fight, and instead opt to target the source directly.

 

Though it was no doubt going to be exceedingly difficult, if she could bypass it and get the chance to pin down Isha, then maybe, just maybe…

 

“ONE!”

 

And with that, Pener channeled all her strength into her feet and burst off towards the rock pillar to the right, boosting her speed further by using the Slime to push herself forward.

 

She saw her comrade’s surprised look out of the corner of her eye before ducking for cover, and just as she did so, a powerful ball of dark energy blasted the pillar to the left, shaking it heavily. Indeed, the previous two times she’d went straight for the closest pillar, which would’ve normally been that one, but this time she had went for the one further away, having already predicted how the redhead would react.

 

Great. So far, this is going well… A small smile formed on her face as she realized that her prediction actually worked. She couldn’t afford to be complacent though, of course, continuing to maneuver from as the Black Dragon promptly started charging up another attack.

 

Overall, it was capable of three different forms of combat; a concentrated energy blast, physical attacks using the size of its sheer body and claws, and consistent waves of fiery breaths. Each blast had an interval of five seconds, so her primary objective was to keep on avoiding them up until she’d started closing in. Once she was close, the dragon typically switched to assaulting her physically, charging straight at her, and at first she thought she could take advantage of this to blindside it, but judging by their last battle, this turned out to be a terribly bad idea.  As for the flames, the redhead had never actually used those flames against her, since the danger there was quite apparent and she had no method of defending against them – of course, that was only the crabhead’s assumption, and this time, she would definitely force that inferno out of her!

 

While making her way towards the enemy, she’d had to dodge two more of those troublesome energy attacks, and from here onwards she would have to rely solely on her instincts since it should already be apparent by now that she wasn’t following the exact same strategy as last time.  For just a moment, she leaned against one of the pillars, letting out a deep breath to calm herself down.

 

Another thing that she was taking advantage of was that, each time a blast hit its target, it let out a wide cloud of dust, which was her opportunity to move a little closer during the five-second interval whilst obscuring her position. Just in case her footsteps could be heard, she resorted to surfing through the air on her Slime. That way, her opponent had no choice but to wait until she ran back and revealed her position out to fire, and yet she was just barely fast enough to get out of its reach.

 

In a way, it was rather like cat-and-mouse, only the cat could fire out long-ranged attacks and the mouse, instead of running away, was trying to get to a certain something that the cat was protecting, its controller. That was the kind of duel this was between the crazy duo. It should be very clear by now that neither of them were going to back down anytime soon.

 

“My my, Pener, you’ve certainly become very determined now... Alas, you must know that all your efforts are for naught. There is no point in persisting against an enemy you cannot defeat, something you surely must have realized during our previous battles, so why not surrender and be done with it?” Isha asked loudly in a condescending manner, letting her voice echo, being her usual dramatic self. “If you do, perhaps I may even show a little mercy. Of course, I cannot say the same for my dragon, since as you might be able to imagine, she has been very hungry for oh so much time now.”

 

Responding to something like that was stupid, so Pener didn’t bother responding to any of the redhead’s ramblings, choosing to concentrate on the actual duel itself. Finally, after just over a minute, Pener had reached a satisfactory position, now being extremely close to the girl and her dragon, neither of whom had moved an inch since the start, though they were both certainly taking the time to examine their surroundings with their backs turned to each other, looking out for her position. Right now, all that separated them was a single jagged pillar, and it was clear by the way they were turning around that her plan of circling around the field had made them cautious enough to check everywhere where an attack might come.

 

“Come on, if you’re not gonna surrender, then at least show yourself. Let’s fight like REAL MEN. You know that there’s nowhere for you to run, and nowhere for you to hide!”

 

Or at least…not on the ground.

 

Now! She voiced to herself, thrusting her arms to the air whilst her feet was planted into the turquoise Slime, which would currently function as a platform. At that moment, they shot upwards, much quicker than she’d anticipated in fact, with their ascent covered by the sheer height of the rock pillar. That way, they wouldn’t be seen until it was far too late – then, as soon as Pener and her Ka had reached the far, high-up top, they dived back downwards without hesitation, planning to drop straight down eight cubits onto the unsuspecting target.

 

Actually, she hadn’t had this idea at the beginning of the battle, but when she considered what had happened immediately prior to it, their fall upon entering the world and how she’d been mocked for normally being too scared to fall one cubit, it had become quickly apparent that there was one thing that no one would expect from her, and that was an assault from above. As she plummeted, she channeled the Slime in front of her, planning to utilize its squishy substance to break her fall as much as possible, which would also be the opportunity for her to pin down Isha. It was brilliant! There was absolutely no way that anyone could see this coming!

 

“NYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHH!!!”

 

Okay, perhaps she shouldn’t have let out that battle cry. That was just dumb.

 

“What… From the sky?!” Isha looked up in shock, surprised that her enemy was actually opting for an aerial assault. She’d been so focused on covering the ground that such a tactic hadn’t occurred to her, and she may not have noticed at all if it wasn’t for that hilariously stupid yell thing.

 

In a slight panic, the Black Dragon followed her gaze, its bloodlusted crimson eyes precisely locking onto their fall, and it violently fired another charged energy attack out of instinct, reacting naturally to the threat.

 

N- n- n- nyeh...?!

 

That was where her plan started to show its greatest flaw, and the one thing she could do little about – it was a lot harder to dodge a ranged attack in the air that it was on the ground. She had done this banking on the hope that she would make it to the ground before then, but alas, her luck was horrible, so it was only natural that such a small hope would end up scattering to the wind.

 

The orb of concentrated destruction was fast incoming, and even if she tried to utilize the thick liquid form to pull her away, it was impossible to make it out anywhere near fast enough. At the very least, all their attacks were subdued to some extent so they wouldn’t kill or mortally wound the other, but she would still get quite the nasty shock over her body that would have to be healed with the nearby magical river. The most she could achieve now under these conditions was soften the resulting pain a little by engulfing herself entirely in the Slime, curling up into a ball as the blast was less than a second away from impact.

 

As she did just that, blocking out each of her senses from the outside world,

 

time slowed down all around her,

 

her thoughts processing the situation at an abnormally fast rate.

 

She thought back to more than thirty days ago, recalling that when she first brought Ka out, Isha had been quite surprised, most notably due to the fact that it was vastly different from a majority of other spirits out there. Most people had Ka in the shape of different kinds of mystical creatures, some humanoid and some bestial, but all of them possessed a concrete, unchanging form, as well as unique qualities that only they had.

 

As for hers, although it may not have any notable characteristics whatsoever, the good thing was that it could be shaped into whatsoever she so desired to suit her own purposes, capable of transitioning from shape to shape and serving a great variety of uses, being quite convenient overall. If the Black Dragon was a chaotic creature with the power of order, then her Slime was an orderly creature with the power of chaos.

 

Its only real flaw was that it was so squishy, and even if it was thick enough to hold and move things, it wasn’t hard in the slightest to penetrate through and be smashed into bits. One blast from the ultimate Ka of Darkness was all it took to scatter the whole substance into mush everywhere, and honestly, even a normal human could stick their hand into it by thrusting hard enough. It was only natural, since the ability to transition into any form it wanted required that it be soft enough to allow for such a thing. Useful in some ways, but laughably pathetic, and disgusting too, in others. It was just like her, wasn’t it?

 

I am slime…

 

Quite the opposite of Isha, whose burning determination and darkest innermost feelings had led to the manifestation of a super-powerful creature. She couldn’t imagine what it was like – to feel dissatisfaction with those around her, to feel hatred towards injustice, and to feel the determination to move out on by herself and judge the world with her own two eyes. For her whole life, all she had ever done was accept her fate and her misfortunes for what they were, never believing that she deserved anything more than this. She was nothing. She was formless. She was slime.

 

However, there was no rule stating that slime couldn’t try and be useful to others for once. Precisely because she was formless, she was unbreakable, able to take on any form she wanted and reflect the qualities of others, their strengths especially. She couldn’t do anything on her own, but how many times had she succeeded at a task by imitating others? It was all she was good for, and it wasn’t much to be proud of, but even the existence of much better things out there didn’t invalidate her skill. Rather, she was better because she wouldn’t break afterwards. Every wound she suffered, every torture she was subjected to, every abuse that she had to live through, it was all so irrelevant to her.

 

Crying out in pain? Screaming out in despair? From the very beginning, she had had no expectations for her future. This was the fate that she expected to live and die. Precisely because she knew this, even though she could be teased and she could be shocked, nothing would disappoint her. Every tiny convenience and every small benefit was surely appreciated, but not once did she take it for granted, expecting failure at every turn. That was why, no matter how many times she was smashed, she could get back together as though nothing had happened.

 

I truly am…

 

And so, how was that any different from an object that couldn’t be hurt in the first place? How was that any different from a dense, metal object? In her mind, she silently apologized to her friend. Although there was no telling whether or not she was still capable of victory at this point, she would have to delay her pitifully inevitable loss even if by a few more seconds. She focused on the energy within her as hard as she could, steeling her resolve. It didn’t matter if she was ‘slime’, because she was…

 

“…METAL REFLECT SLIME—!”((it makes sense in Egyptian))

 

With a mere quarter of a second remaining before the blast hit her, as if responding to her will, the Slime surrounding her body abruptly hardened all around, its liquid substance transforming into something far, far denser. As soon as it did so, a heavy ringing vibrated all throughout the orb object, accompanied by the temperature temporarily rising, but somehow, the painful shock that was supposed to course through her body and signify her defeat didn’t happen. In its place came the sound of a loud ‘BANG’, the ball she’d coated herself within hitting the ground, having miraculously withstood the blast without so much as a scratch.

 

It proceeded to retreat away from her body, opening to a rocky field with rock pillars around everywhere and her opponent staring in shock with the Black Dragon remaining motionless behind her. At first, Pener was confused as well, wondering why she hadn’t yet lost, but a glance at the sentient substance floating next to her revealed that its color had changed to silvery steel, well, temporarily anyway, before softening and changing back to turquoise. Then it hardened again, becoming silver again. Then it softened again. In an instant, she had worked out the difference – in its metal form, it was slower and somewhat harder to manipulate, but this was counteracted by the definite advantage of being apparently very durable. Had she awakened a new power, or had she always been capable of doing this and just never tried? Not that it mattered.

 

Her Ka had always been able to expanding largely and imitating other objects with great precision, but due to its squishiness, such a thing had never originally been practical. However, if things were to be like this, that wasn’t a problem anymore.

 

“Hold on, did your Ka just…” While Isha was still shocked at the turn of events, this was her chance to launch a counterattack. Her eyes went over to the Black Dragon, and in an instant she’d analyzed its body structure, its physique, how it worked and how it flew.

 

Keeping the image strong in her mind, she channeled it towards her metallic Slime, pouring as much energy as she could into it, and then, responding to her will, it suddenly expanded greatly as though something had been activated inside of it. Its mass rapidly increasing, pikes and points burst out from all ends, stretching out and elongating to the point that it wasn’t anywhere close to a spherical, formless mass, and in the span of just three seconds, it had taken the form of a dragon, reflecting the image of the ultimate Ka in almost every way, like a mirror, if not for the fact that it was composed of liquid metal.

 

As soon as this had happened, the utterly flabbergasted expression that crossed Isha’s expression was priceless, motivating her to resume her assault, this time resorting to brute force.

 

“Prepare yourself, crabhead!” Pener yelled, and thrusting her arms forth, the Metal Reflect Slime launched forth at the duo, closing in on them. However, halfway through, it was slammed back by the dark dragonoid, which had met its charge with equal force. Instead of scattering like it normally would, the Slime remained intact, absorbing the brunt force of the blow, and in fact it was the real dragon itself that seemed to have taken more damage, the metal being harder than its own scales.

 

“That’s…” At first, Isha was at a loss for words her all-powerful Ka had been repelled, but then after a while, she let out a pleased chuckle, her expression showing delight. “Hahaha… I’m impressed, Pener. Seriously, I really am! Who knew you could do something like that? Turning to metal?! Copying my dragon?! What can I say, that’s just awesome!”

 

“I like the compliment, but it’s a little too early. Be sure to say that again once I beat you.” Pener responded confidently, assuming a stance to prepare for further combat.

 

“Oho~? Well now, it seems like you’ve learned a few new tricks since the last time we met, and I’m sure you think that you have an actual chance at winning now, after four consecutive losses. But alas, there’s no way I’ll let things be that easy.”

 

As she spoke, Isha held her left hand high up into the air.

 

“The real battle begins… NOW!”

 

Then, in response to this declaration, her Ka suddenly unleashed an energy blast directly onto the ground, sending a large cloud of dust flying everywhere and obscuring everyone’s field of vision.

 

From that moment onwards, time seemed to accelerate as the ‘real battle’ went underway. This time, it really was hard to tell who would ultimately emerge victorious, with both sides dueling against each other at full force…

 

The two monsters flew up into the air to escape the cloud and promptly engaged each other in combat. Although the Metal Reflect Slime wasn’t capable of unleashing any variation of inferno fire blast, it made up for this by having more unorthodox, fluid movements and being composed of a much harder substance, not to mention it repaired itself whenever it did take a hit from the Black Dragon. While the supposedly ‘most powerful Ka’ seemed to have the advantage in the beginning due to being more used to aerial combat, the metallic fake was quick to adapt to its movements, evening the odds. Still, even if it was composed of liquid metal and possessed many of the same attributes, it wouldn’t change the fact that the dragon possessed raw, overwhelming strength that few others could hope to match.

 

Meanwhile, back on the ground, both Pener and Isha had taken the opportunity to take cover, obscuring their own positions from each other. Once the dust had settled and cleared, the silver-haired girl went on the offensive, actively seeking out her opponent amongst the stone pillars, and her experience in regards to this activity when compared to the other girl, who’d always spent their previous battles just standing around, made it really easy to predict her movements, figuring out her rough position after just thirty seconds. Thus, she executed a plan, and promptly attacked her from behind, armed with a small portion of Slime that she had saved for exactly this kind of situation, fully expecting that she would win this way. But then, to her surprise, her attempted assault had been countered by a wave of fire unleashed from her target’s feet, repelling the coat of metal that had been about to close in on her.

 

At that moment, Isha went on to laugh exhilaratingly, revealing that she too had new tricks of her own, having learned to use her Ka’s powers for herself, even if it wasn’t as strong. Left with no remaining choice, Pener pressed on the assault, and they each engaged in an intense battle between each other, one bending metal liquid and the other bending flames, making it as much a physical battle as it was a mystical one, both of the girls determined not to back away from the other.

 

Their fight was interrupted when the Black Dragon crashed into the nearby ground, having been thrown there, and the redhead took this opportunity to jump and ride onto it, taking to the skies, her opponent being forced to do the same with her Slime, even though she was still a bit afraid of heights.  The two battles converging, they fought with even greater intensity than before, clashing again and again amidst the winds, occasionally falling back to the ground in an effort to utilize the rock pillars to their advantage. Neither gave way, and truly, for such young individuals, it was an epic battle with no apparent end in sight.

 

However…

 

Unbeknownst to either of the two girls, the other had a different sense of priority, of what to put on the line.

 

Even as they fought harder and harder, Isha still perceived this to be a training course that would help them hone their strength to the maximum, and was thus thinking of the future from beginning to end. The more powerful she became, the more she would be capable of later. To her, what mattered was not actually attaining victory, but the effort put into it, effort that would make them stronger should they happen to become involved in an actual battle, and hence she was conscious of the fact that their lives were of the highest priority.

 

Pener did not share that notion. To her, she was fighting to meet Isha’s expectations and satisfy her desire to be stronger, and no matter what she had to suffer through or what she had to put at risk, the most important thing was that she was doing what she was expected to do, without disappointing those around her. Because that was her fate. She did not believe that she had a future, and so, she reasoned, if she could be even a little useful to those around her, then...

 

For some time, this difference went unnoticed, and the two continued to battle against each other. A ferocious dragon versus an extremely durable slime. Still, extremely durable was not analogous to indestructible, and soon, the time came when the battle had reached a certain height, crossing the line.

 

Even though the silver-haired girl was utterly exhausted, she insisted on carrying on since there hadn’t been a definite event to ensure her loss yet. Every time it seemed like she’d been trapped or knocked out, she recovered afterwards and went on still. But that tough façade was only on the outside, none of the damage having actually healed. The redhead, who hadn’t received close as many hits and was overall much healthier, didn’t quite notice, though even she was beginning to have her suspicions. As the minutes went by, Pener’s movements became duller and duller, and it was becoming quickly apparent that she was reaching her limit… No. Perhaps she had already passed them long ago, but just hadn’t cared.

 

Isha, starting to become worried, yelled out “You wanna take a break? I think this is enough for today!” as her dragon passed by the Metal Reflect Slime, its form much less defined than it was at the start, actually looking somewhat like it was melting, like a fine work of wax falling apart over time. The girl sitting on it also looked a lot weaker as well, though her expression was blank, making it hard to read her thoughts in any way.

 

“Don’t be silly, we still haven’t had a victor… No surrender, remember? Let’s... settle this first!”  came Pener’s response, slightly hoarse, but otherwise sounding perfectly fine. Yet, naturally, in the middle of the sky, the amount of strain that she had put into it was lost to the heavy-blowing winds.

 

She was asked again multiple times over the course of the next few minutes, and each and every time, Pener reassured her as she normally would, even cracking a disturbing yet typical joke about falling all the way to the ground and having all her limbs smashed to bloody bits. Her skin was getting paler and she wasn’t reacting nearly as fast as she originally was, but since she kept on insisting, there was only one remaining thing left for them to do.

 

And so with that, the duel resumed as normal. While the opposing Ka was losing its form, it was still surprisingly fast enough to prove to be a threat, though Isha and her Black Dragon weren’t about to back down despite their growing fatigue, such that they couldn’t afford to waste their energy on long-ranged blasts anymore. Even then, Isha was confident enough that she could maintain this level of strength for another five minutes or so, and she wasn’t about to let her guard down now that she’d come this far, and it was only a matter of time at this point until an opportunity showed itself. Perseverance would win in the en

 

All of a sudden, as if having gained an extra boost of energy out of nowhere, Pener charged straight towards them at high speeds with her Ka holding its dangerously-sharp claws out. By the looks of it, due to the nature of the attack, it seemed that they were intending on finishing this as soon as possible. A- a frontal assault?!

 

The redhead was surprised that they still had such energy left over, but if that was the case, then she would have to be even more cautious. Luckily, she had still reserved some energy, so instead of meeting it head on, she had her dragon dive upwards into the clouds to avoid it, performing a somersault in the process as they emerged out the other side. This way, they were temporarily obscured from sight, her plan being to intercept Pener by rushing back down, hopefully catching her off-guard. Alright, this should do it! Channeling extra energy into her Ka, she shot back down through the cloud, fully expecting to succeed and end this overly-prolonged duel once and for all…

 

…but as it turned out, there was no need for it.

 

By then, the Metal Reflect Slime had broken apart on its own, reverting back to its original turquoise color and transitioning into pure liquid, yet as this occurred, the girl riding upon didn’t seem to be doing anything even as she started to sink into it, almost as if she wasn’t noticing. Then again, she wasn’t moving at all.

 

A mere second later, the Ka ultimately dissipated like steam into the air, and with that, the silver-haired girl had nothing left to keep her up. At a height of over two thousand feet, she started to fall, crashing down towards the ground, her whole body having gone limp, flailing about helplessly in the air.

 

“Pener, you...!” Though she tried to stay clearheaded, her composure was giving way to panic and hysteria as soon as she’d realized what had happened.

 

It didn’t even need to be said. The girl had strained herself to her very limits, overexerting both her Ba and her Ka, and as a result fell unconscious. No, in the worst case scenario, her life might already be…

 

Her own stupidity clawed at her. There had been so many signs that se noticed, and it must’ve been really obvious too, but she dismissed them like the idiot she was. She should’ve stopped it right there, since she of all people should’ve known that, even though Pener was lazy, she never gave up once she set her mind on something. And now, it had resulted in this…!

 

Not hesitating for even a tenth of a second, she tensed up and forced her red-eyed black dragon to dive downwards as fast as it possibly could, chasing after the falling girl, and with gravity aiding them, she drew closer, and closer, and closer, accelerating faster with each passing second. Since they’d been so preoccupied battling in the sky, they had unknowingly moved away from their original arena, and what awaited them below was a dense forest, growing in size as they approached the ground. Once the two girls were close enough to each other, she reached out her arm, trying hard to grab hold of Pener’s body, but they were moving so fast, too fast that it wasn’t easy in the slightest to get a grip. Frustration flooding through her mind and she almost felt tempted to leap off from dragon and catch her that way, but somehow, she remained sane enough to not so. However, how much time was left until impact? Seconds? Only a little further, but the ground was coming far too quickly, and at this point, they would smash against it and be splattered in a bloody manner not unlike that horrible joke from earlier. Damn. She wouldn’t give up. Damn, damn damn. There was no way in all the hells of the world that she would give up! Damn. Damn, damn, damn, damn, DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN, COME OOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNN—

  

 

Start

the clock.

 

For this moment is where it all begins.

 

A time long since forgotten,

 

and a time that will never come.

 

.

 

.

 

.

~ Tsuioku ~

 

It took Pener about one hour to regain consciousness.

 

“...Why?” And when she did, that was the first thing that came out of her mouth, the sound of her voice so weak that it almost sounded like a different person.

 

As if the answer wasn’t already obvious.

 

The expression on her face was blank, but it was clear that, even now, she was still in a fair amount of pain. Her body was currently submerged within a stream of glowing, healing spirit water, and gradually, it relaxed the strain that she’d unnecessarily placed on her body, along with the various scrapes and wounds that she’d endured without saying anything about it.

 

Unlike the redhead, who was at least competent enough to minimize any damage to her body, she herself was clumsy enough that she had a habit of tanking them instead. Slowly but surely, the paleness of her skin faded away, and blood began to circulate within her. The water itself was surprisingly warm, even though the sun was no longer around.

 

Sitting right next to her, holding her head up so she wouldn’t end up drowning when she was supposed to be recovering, was Isha, stroking her short, unique silver hair, which was radiant even after being messed-up with dirt and sand stuck in it. At the same time, she was staring down at her with narrowed eyes, in them containing a mixture of intense different feelings. Relief, fatigue, annoyance, frustration. 

 

“Do I really have to answer that? Because you’re my friend, dummy.”

 

Around them, they were surrounded by a large forest, and various fantastic spirits of different shapes and sizes seemed to be curiously looking at them from afar, as if wanting to know what would happen now. After she had succeeded in catching her comrade, the Black Dragon ended up crashing uncontrollably through the forest, the branches breaking their fall just enough that they didn’t end up splattering onto the ground. Her Ka had disappeared quickly afterwards and she’d been too weak to move, but that was when the spirits offered their help, carrying both her and Pener to the stream. As much as she wanted to thank them for their consideration, right now, there was a more pressing matter at hand.

 

“Ah… Is that so…” The way Pener said it, it was like this had been the first time she heard the word 'friend'.

 

“Don’t just ‘is that so’ me! What in all the hells were you trying to do?! It’s training, just TRAINING. It’s nice that you were trying your hardest, but if you were in pain, then you should’ve spoken up! You didn’t need to go out of your way to…!” The redhead snapped at her, shaking the girl’s head to force her out of her daze.

 

“Are you mad?” Her voice frail enough that it was as small as a whisper, barely audible.

 

Did she really just ask that? “Yes. Yes, I am. Of course I’m mad!”

 

“I see. So… that must mean I failed, didn’t I?” She let out a tired sigh. “I’m sorry.”

 

“You failed?” Isha frowned for a moment, before tightening her expression in anger. “Damn it all, who cares if you lost? I told you, it’s just training! TRAINING! GOD DAMN TRAINING!”

 

The silver-haired girl shook her head slowly. “No. Not that. I don’t care…about that.”

 

Showing little to no emotion in her grey eyes, Pener’s gaze moved from the redhead over to the sky above them. In just one hour, it seemed that this world had transitioned from day to night. This was the longest they’d ever been here yet, so perhaps it was only natural. And right there, scattered amongst the hanging curtain of darkness were a vast array of bright stars as far as she could see, accompanied by a full moon. She almost felt tempted to reach out her arm to see if she could grab it. Even on this side, there were such simple, ordinary things to be appreciated, weren’t there?

 

“I just—didn’t want to inconvenience you.” She admitted to herself, her voice shaky and tense. “You’re strong, talented, beautiful, and you always act so optimistic even though our lives are utter s***… More than anyone else, you don’t deserve to be a slave. You deserve to be so, so much more. A magician, a queen… No, even more than that. To me, you’re like a shining goddess. Compared to someone as amazing as you, I’m nothing... nothing but ‘slime’. Haha. Ever since I found out what my Ka was like, I’ve always thought it suits me perfectly. Ka are the physical manifestation of our emotions, so it’s only normal that they would tell us so much about ourselves. So it’s nice to know that I really am pathetic.”

 

"…"

 

“You know, the only thing I’m good at is disappointing others. It doesn’t matter how hard I try. I’m not good at anything, I have a horrible memory, I struggle to follow orders. I mess up a lot, even when I’m given very clear instructions, and I need to watch other people do things just so I can get even a basic idea of what I’m supposed to do. It’s not helped at all that so many people have high expectations of me despite me, just because of this stupid hair! I’m commanded not to cut it or else I’ll be killed, but because of it, everyone calls me a witch and uses it as an excuse to give me an impossible amount of more work, and then they get mad when I don’t finish it in time. I keep… No matter how much I don’t want to, I just keep disappointing everyone…!”

 

“…”

 

“I’m sure I disappointed you a lot too. You’re so persistent about things and keep giving me second chances, but because I’m so incompetent, I keep squandering them. I was trying so hard not to disappoint you, just this once, but... That’s why, I failed. Again. And I’m so, so sorry for failing you…”

 

“…!”

 

“You know, when you first came into my life, you were so ridiculous and I actually kinda hated the way you acted like everything was fine, but now I’ve come to understand you a lot more. You really do believe that you can make difference. I don’t…know what that’s like. My life isn’t worth anything. Many, many times I’ve wondered why I was born. So, I just thought that…”

 

A small smile, filled with regret, formed on her face.

 

“If I were to die for someone like you, then maybe… For once in my entire life, just maybe, I could feel like I was actually able to accomplish somethi—”

 

...

 

“Shut up.” The cold voice of a pissed girl interjected all of a sudden, as if angered by something. “Just… JUST SHUT. UP.”

 

Isha had her head hung low, her expression obscured by her messy red hair, and her right hand having clenched into a fist as if she were desperately suppressing the urge to not hit something. In fact, her whole body seemed to be shaking, and it felt like she could explode at any given moment. Without a doubt, she was pissed. She was seriously, seriously pissed off.

 

Having listened to this girl’s words, and understood what was really going on in that head of hers, there was only one single thing on her mind as of this very moment. After all that had happened, after everything they’d done, had she really been thinking that all this time…?!

 

“W- what is it?” Pener asked innocently, tilting her head slightly.

 

“You…” Suddenly, she was let go, and splashed back into the streamside with a small yelp.

 

Immediately afterwards, the redhead proceeded to forcefully get up from the water, the look on her face becoming immediately apparent from this angle. She looked immensely frustrated about a very specific something, her teeth grinding together, and yet, at the same time, there was a thick, uncontrollable stream of tears flowing down from her eyes. It was the first time she’d ever seen her cry.

 

“You you you YOU YOU YOU YOU!!!”

 

I wonder what she’s she so mad about…? Then, whilst the other girl’s mind was still in a daze, finding it hard to process the things going on around her, Isha grabbed hold of her dress collar and violently pulled her up, glaring at her sharply.

 

“What do you mean you’re worthless?!” She yelled straight in her face, determined to not let this matter drop.

 

As if in synchronization with her emotions, a tiny, cold liquid droplet had fallen down from high, high above.

 

“What do you mean you won’t achieve anything?!”

 

Then another one fell.

 

“Do you honestly believe that disappointing others is the ONLY THING YOU’RE GOOD AT?!”

 

And then another.

 

“Believe it or not, I’m nowhere near as perfect as you think I am! I screw up a lot too, and you’re not the only one who has to suffer day after day after day! Seriously, what do you mean you’d be okay with dying for someone like me?! Why are you even trying to die in the first place?!  That’s stupid! That’s just stupid! If you died, and left me all alone... do you honestly believe that I’d still be able to CONTINUE AS I AM NOW?!?”

 

Dark clouds were spreading outwards, obscuring the moon and the sea of stars in the process. And with them came many more of these droplets like soft arrows of water, which was beginning to pour down more and more all throughout the forest and the mountains with growing intensity, hammering down on everything in its range. It was almost as though the black sky were crying, saddened by the loss of its sun. This was none other than the rare weather phenomenon known as ‘rain’, 

 

And yet neither of the two poorly-fated slaves seemed to care, standing amidst a glowing stream that served as their only source of light.

 

The girl with silver hair was quiet, unable to come up with a single thought regarding this matter, let alone an actual response at the fact that she was being yelled at due to her behavior. If anything, this certainly hadn’t been the response she’d been expecting. Wasn’t it true? Wasn’t this how her life was?!

 

The girl with red hair was angry, refusing to accept the fact that the person she’d perceived to be her best friend loathed herself so much and wanted only to be useful to others, lacking any aspirations of her own. That couldn’t be called a human being, but a mere tool. How could anyone be that stupid?! How could anyone believe themselves to be that useless?!

 

“Listen here, Pener, and listen well… ”

 

As the water mercilessly raining down upon them drenched her whole being, a wet coldness coursing all throughout her body, she decided to harshly pull her best friend closer to her with a dead-serious expression. Above all else, there was one thing about her mindset that bothered her the most. Her body was beginning to clatter, not used to such overly cold temperatures, but if she didn’t address this matter right here and now, then she was most likely going to go insane. It frustrated her THAT much.

 

Then, after taking a deep breath, the girl yelled out with the utmost conviction in her voice,

 

“APPRECIATE YOUR OWN LIFE MORE, DAMMIT——!!!”

 

---

 

 

Just this once,

let the truth be known,

 

and not lost to the darkness of oblivion.

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

~ Protheus Maximus

The Pathway to Truth (Inner Self)

 

..............................it felt like waking up from a dream.

 

What was this supposed to be? It was a memory that didn’t match him at all, since he hadn’t been present in it for even a second. Had the girl made some kind of mistake and shown him a completely different memory belonging to someone else?

 

Well, considering how this was not the Pathway to Remembrance, it was very well possible. Or, perhaps he had ended up in someone else’s inner world all along. Either of those two things would explain everything. Ha ha. In which case, how ridiculous. How ridiculous indeed! To think that even the Pathways could make such simple, childish mistakes! It was just so amusing that he had no idea what else to think! Hah! Haahhahahahahahhahahah!

 

...and yet, his mind had placed it into his head, as though it were indeed his own memory, something he had only just recalled. Unfamiliar emotion. Unfamiliar feelings. What? What. He couldn’t. His whole mind was a mess, so he should just remove it from his memory. Why? Because he was afraid of it? No, because it didn’t fit. It didn’t fit anywhere. Nothing in those scenes held any relevance or correlation to the dark sorcerer, as he was as of this very moment. Right? All of this was lacking in intelligence. Couldn’t anyone here think as rationally as he could? Ha ha. Hahahaha. Hahahhahaha. He was surrounded by incompetent idiots running the show. What was all this about? Really? Hahhahahahahhaa.

 

“You understand now, don’t you?” The girl asked him. It seemed that they weren’t underground anymore, but had somehow moved back to the lake at the top, where the sky had already turned to night. There was a vast array of bright stars as far as he could see, accompanied by a full moon. It was neither mysterious nor ordinary, merely dull, and yet there may have been some sort of significance to it.

 

He turned his gaze over towards the girl with a frown, looking at her from top to bottom. She appeared a little different here, a little older perhaps, but otherwise, they were exactly the same. She was the same silver-haired girl as shown in that scene. So that was who this realm belonged to! He’d been wondering about it for quite some time now, since something like this couldn’t have belonged to him. Haha. No good. Stop it. No good. Accept the truth. No, no, no, he REFUSED. Hold on, refused? So that would mean that he was acknowledging it, yet simply choosing not to use it. But that couldn’t be right. He hadn’t refused, but that there was not a truth to accept. No, the words were already written there, five sentences back; he refused.  He quite clearly had refused.

 

Because he refused, it meant that it was there, and that it had to be true, for that was the duty of the Pathway to Truth. No mistake had been made, either in terms of what to show or who this was about.  The longer he denied it, the longer he would have to stay. Do not deny, but accept. That was the only way he could advance.

 

Everything in this world had, quite clearly, been designed for an immortal man who had, once upon a time, been a young Egyptian girl living as a slave, not knowing how to live. Back then, there had been someone else with her, someone who had taught her a very important lesson.

 

However, even if there was, that was irrelevant.

 

“Yes… I do. I understand very, very well.” Protheus Maximus stated coldly, narrowing his eyes. As the words came out of his mouth, he proceeded to take a few steps across the canoe, nonchalantly approaching her with his left hand at the ready.

 

“Good. It’s reassuring to know my future self isn’t that thick.” She let out a relieved sigh. “Well then, I know it’s probably a bother, but there’s just one other thing. A question—”

 

“Goodbye.” He cut her off abruptly, and then killed her.

 

It took less than a second. No, rather, it had been instantaneous, the effect appearing before the cause. The instant the silver-haired man had drawn out the dark blade called Impure Future, the head of the silver-haired girl had been decapitated, making a decently large splash as it fell into the water, quickly followed by him moving his blade to trace the cut involuntarily due to the reversal.

 

And just like that, her little life had been ended without any hesitance or reluctance on his part. Not only did her mouth run on annoyingly for too long, but she had trapped him to watch some faraway scene, and he still couldn’t figure out what was supposed to be so important about it. A part of him had been anticipating blood to erupt from her neck like a geyser, prepared to move away as necessary so he wouldn’t get stained, but instead, the body simply broke down into dust, disintegrating on the spot. It wasn’t as satisfying a kill that way, but if it worked, then it worked. Ending her was in and of itself an accomplishment. Why hadn’t he just done that from the start? It would’ve saved a lot of trouble.

 

“…As ridiculous as it sounds, it seems that you really were meant to be my true self, little girl. It feels rather like a sick joke.”

 

Indeed, Protheus had no choice but to accept things for what they were. He felt the temptation to burst out into a delirious fit of laughter, but instead, all he could do was quietly gaze at the dust as it was blown away by the wind. At the same time, as if to prove his thoughts, the world around him had begun to collapse, lake, waterfall, sky and all, leading back to the rest of the Pathway.

 

It was so anticlimactic, his supposed victory feeling extremely hollow, that he wasn’t exactly sure what to make of any of this. Only that the truth within his heart was not what he had thought it was. He sheathed his sword again and tightened his right hand’s grip onto the spatial box-shaped Key of Origin, preparing to burst forth towards the end as soon as possible once he could, considering that he had wasted far too much time here.

 

Then, for just a split second, he bit his lip in a bout of frustration as a sealed thought managed to rise to the surface.

 

“However, even for the truth, you had shown far, far too much. Whatever my original cause was, whatever whoever this 'Isha' was... I don't care. I have already chosen to live my life to the fullest and not look back for an instant, so that's why I threw away my memories of that godforsaken past in the first place!”

 

 

---

 

 

As soon as he had emerged, appearing on some kind of wooden platform, Protheus’s first instinct was to shoot straight towards the end as fast as he could, flying through the sky with such intensity and carelessness that his presence there might’ve very well been sensed by all others in the vacancy.

 

Another thing that he couldn’t help but notice was that right below him, an insurmountable of galaxies were exploding, rapidly, one after another like a series of supermassive firecrackers. It would’ve been hilarious if not for the fact that the illusions were so strong that he felt like he could almost, very almost sense billions of lives disappear into thin air over and over, the sensation of which was disturbing even to him. Especially since they were all screaming out to him with the utmost hatred contained in the voices. Him, the one responsible for the deaths of so, so, so, so, so SO SO SO many people that giving a specific number couldn’t possibly make them despise him any more than they already did.

 

It wasn't merely them either, since for the past few days, his Time Sense had been on overdrive, acting so erratically that even his mental block was only barely holding them back. In general, this whole Origin War, everyone who was involved in it and all the events that had been happening, it was all just so troublesome. Why was everyone complaining so much when all the damage he'd caused would easily be fixed with a wave of his hand once he reached the end? 

 

Shut up. Shut up, shut up, shut up shup up shut up shup up...

 

Within moments, he had reached the staircase, zooming up it like a supersonic jet before coming to a halt upon reaching a tall crystal. Actually, it seemed that he had been a little lucky, since mere moments ago, he'd seen that one specific magical girl at the end of his vision, the one who'd slain the Witch of Infinite Possibilities. Dealing with her in front of the exit would've been troublesome, not that he doubted his ability to pummel her into the ground should it be required of him to do so.

 

‘Are you content with your present self’?

 

And at last, the necessary question had presented itself. It was impossible to deceive or lie to, and one had to answer with absolute certainty, from the bottom of their heart.

 

He'd always assumed it would be something like this,and hence, he knew without doubt what his answer was going to be. His existence up until now had accomplished a great many deeds, he had achieved many things for his own sake, and right now, he was oh so very close to attaining true immortality. What wasn't there to like about it? This was the life that 'he' had lived for ten thousand years and was proud of, so he opened his mouth without hesitation and—

 

"...No."

 

And yet,

 

the answer that came his mouth was not what he expected, being hoarse and as faint as a whisper.

 

"It seems that my established self isn't as concrete as I thought it had been. Such parasitic flaws had latched themselves onto my mind without my being aware of it. Doubts I weren't aware of, worries I failed to block out, and fears that ought not to be there - none of these things fit the man called Protheus Maximus." He stated, gazing at the crystal. "It was my own mistake, for I wasn't thorough enough. I did not expect that the reaches of that PENER b****'s mind would last even this far."

 

He thought he had thrown it all away. He thought he had chosen to move on and never look back. Even though he couldn't remember the contents themselves, he could very well remember making the decision to seal them away. The influence behind his motivations, the events that made him the man he was today, those things were irrelevant. Perhaps to this damned Pathway, that was the 'truth', but for him, it was only a detriment holding his true self back.

 

"Therefore this is unacceptable. I am not content with myself at all. Protheus Maximus seeks true immortality over all else, and I fully intend on following through with that desire...!"

 

Just like that, his answer was accepted, and the barrier preventing him from proceeding had gone down. Then, as he placed his hand on the crystalline surface, it forcibly absorbed him, thrusting him through a tunnel of continuous, swirling whirlpool of golden energy, at which point he lost his sense of direction and found himself incapable of moving. Where was up, where was down? Where was forward and backward? Being dragged through a spiraling tunnel, it was as though time and space themselves had been reversed. A body dictated by space could not possibly move through time, after all.

 

It was a completely unfamiliar sensation, but at the same time,

 

it felt almost nostalgic while it lasted.

 

End Position: White Room

[Tesability Black]

~Counter Corps - The White Room - Neos' POV~

And...even though it was all in Pokespeak, Neos was swearing like a multilingual sailor as he got up off his back, the possible translations being enough to possibly get this particular post rated as NC-17 by itself...so, for everyone's sake, there will be no translations.

Dusting himself off after getting back up onto his feet, he looked down towards the ground below him, catching sight of the crack he left in the ground before and the new one he just created.

"I'm not gonna have a back left at this rate, am I," he muttered to himself, momentarily taking off his wide-brimmed hat and fanning himself with it. "It's strangely hot in here," he remarked as he gazed over the two remaining doors, one leading to Remembrance, the other to Truth. However, after finding himself considering going down Remembrance next, he found himself recalling the request Arceus made of him near the beginning of Death's path.

Take Remembrance last.

"Well, that kind of makes that choice for me." With a small nod, he place the yellow hat back on his head before opening the door and walking into Truth...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Counter Corps - Path of Truth - Neos' POV~

Almost as soon as he entered the wooden corridors that seemed to be the start of the Path, Neos felt much heavier than normal, and not the physical kind of weight, either. More like the feeling that he was suddenly carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, something he's felt more than once before.

There was also something else that he felt...that he hadn't felt in at least a decade...and in fact should be impossible now.

The feeling of a beating heart.

"That shouldn't be happening," Neos muttered to himself, a shudder running through him as a particular flashback struck him before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "I need to get going. No time to waste."

And with that, he blazed through the corridors with multiple Agility, heading swiftly for the small light ahead that increased in size before becoming blinded by the drastic shift of darkness to light once out...

 

Ending Location: A2

[Merci]

~ Arturia Pendragon~
The Pathway to Truth (C4)

 

~ Fate/Zero OST - Painful ~

 

"...I see. I do not know how you were possibly able to come to that conclusion, but it seems that you've figured it out, haven't you? Truly, that is a shame. Your power over boundaries could have been used for a greater cause."

Rather than bother to be surprised at such a response, all the former king did was let out a sigh, as if a certain worry of hers t the back of her mind had been confirmed. The moment the breath of air had left her body, her eyes had become much sharper, glaring at the the youkai with greatly-apparent hostility. It was only natural. The moment she had stated that she wouldn't ally with their cause, yet still involve herself in the Origin War, it was the same as confirming that she was the enemy in front of the leader of the Counter Corps. It wasn't as though she could possibly blame the girl for her suspicions, but a liability was a liability.

"Let me make this clear. Actors, cast members, the play... You are mistaken if you believe that's how I see you. To me, each of you are individuals whose lives have been robbed by the injustice of the Origin War, and now you are all fighting with everything on the line to fix that, doing what you think is right. You're not an actor, for you see, that is what we call a 'soldier'."

Slowly, as though to demonstrate this fact, Arturia drew out her blade, which had taken on a faint vermilion grow in preparation for battle. She had already analyzed their surroundings and developed various different strategies for dealing with the infamous Yukari Yakumo, also noting the crack in the sky, so she was fairly confident in her victory should they come to blows, even though it almost assuredly wouldn't be a clear-cut, easy fight. Once more, the one she really had to look for was the other girl, who was as of yet an unknown factor that may possess the power to change the tides of the battle.

In a last attempt at reason, she decided to lower her sword down to her waist, meet the youkai's cautionary gaze directly, and spoke out calmly, "It seems that you have chosen your side, Border of Phantasm, and truly, I have no right to speak now that you have realized the truth. However, still, I will make one final appeal to you, meaningless though it may be at this point. I hope you will keep it in mind, but what you make of it is what you will."

For a moment, only silence filled the air.

"The amount of universes that has been lost to the distortions is approximately thirty billion, with approximately ten to a hundred times more as many affected by them, but even something as vast as that is very, very little compared to the multiverse. To draw a comparison, you could say that one colony of ants has been lost, as opposed to the rest of the entire supermassive, diverse and complex ecologies of life. The damage already done is still negligible to an extent, so long as the ones responsible are taken down, but the same does not hold true if we are to involve ourselves with the Origin." She explained grimly, her cold expression unchanging. "Even the tiniest of your inner desires may bring about the complete annihilation of clusters, and if you so chose, the multiverse as we know it may cease to exist. If you were placed in a position where you could access and rewrite all of reality, all of it, every variation from the very beginning to the very end at will, with the lives of absolutely everyone who has ever lived at your fingertips, can you truly say that the only thing you would do is 'fix the damage'? Even when, amongst the rest of reality, it appears so pointlessly insignificant?"

Then, or one reason or another, the female knight turned around, as if intending to simply leave her be and walk away without a fight.

"If nothing else, understand what's at stake, as well as why this is for the best. I'll spare you just this once, so that you can think about it a little harder. However, should we meet again - we will almost undoubtedly be enemies. And know that Counter Guardians do not hesitate to strike down those who threaten the order of the multiverse."

And with that, she walked away in a regal manner, further through the cherry blossom forest until disappearing out of sight, making her way over towards the end of the first section. To the very end, she had been making harsh but rational decisions as was her duty.

 

It was fine if others didn't understand it. It was fine if others couldn't accept it. When the time came, they would all comprehend why it had to be done - but for now, she would carry on, behaving like a Counter Guardian should. Various memories were buzzing about at the back of her mind, but they wouldn't interfere with what she had to do.

"Are Counter Guardians supposed to wonder about living another life?" The girl fairy from earlier asked casually, appearing on top of her shoulder of her own free will. "The illusion from that Infinite Tsukuyomi, it keeps popping up in your head, so I was just wondering." So, it seemed that she possessed telepathy, hm.

At that, Arturia smiled, a faint smile with the smallest hint of melancholia. "No, we aren't. With all my growing doubts... perhaps I'm beginning to become a bit of a heretic."

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

[spoiler=Yukari and Koishi]

---

 

 

Pathway of Truth, A3

"If nothing else, understand what's at stake, as well as why this is for the best. I'll spare you just this once, so that you can think about it a little harder. However, should we meet again - we will almost undoubtedly be enemies. And know that Counter Guardians do not hesitate to strike down those who threaten the order of the multiverse."

 

“…You really are hopeless,, Arturia” Yukari shook her head as she watched Arturia left the scene. Her guess was sadly proven to be right, and Arturia had indeed viewed her as an opposition now. That could be a pain in the future, though the youkai couldn’t help but be relieved that she didn’t have to fight the king yet. It was logical for Arturia after all to think that she could overcome her right now. While that could change when Yukari factored Koishi in, she’s too weak to actually fight the king head on right now. As the king walked further and further away, Yukari mulled over her last words to her again.

 

“Numbers have lost all of its meanings to you, huh? Lives, worlds, universes, none of those would hold any meaning once you see them simply as a part of the statistics. You know…right now it feels like the real threat to the multiverse is you.”

 

Yukari knew that Arturia had a completely valid point. Whatever she would do shall be completely out of necessity, as far as she saw it that is. But…something else, another conclusion should’ve been available here. After all, it was not a mere wishmaking device that they’re currently after. The Origin should embody the infinite possibilities of the multiverse, and between all of those possibilities, one where the sacrifices could be averted. 

 

And…it seemed that Arturia was implying that only her alone would have the capability to shoulder the responsibility of the Door. After all, she’s merely a puppet of the Throne, so she wouldn’t have any selfish desires that could harm the multiverse further. That entire notion almost made Yukari laugh.

 

“Yukari…can we stop thinking about this? This entire thing is making me sick.”

 

“Yeah, I guess we should. We'll return to this when we have to, but for now, let's just finish the pathway first.

 

But anyway, Koishi, what do you think about her?”

 

“...She really reminds me of you, Yukari.”

 

“Well, so would that make me a hypocrite for judging her like I do?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Koishi’s right. While she had changed due to what she had been through, Arturia was undoubtedly acting completely similarly to her before all of this. Not saying that she’s doing the right thing, since Yukari was completely against whatever her true goal was, but she could understand her position, since it would be the kind of thing Yukari would’ve done herself too.

 

“She has locked her own heart and feeling in the past just like me back then, huh?” Yukari said to Koishi. “I actually kind of pitied her.”

 

“Someone’s approaching us, Yukari.” Instead of responding to her statement, Koishi instead alerted Yukari that someone was approaching their position. Yukari turned around, and saw a man dressed in a striking yellow outfit (that felt somewhat odd on him, Yukari admitted), though, it’s pretty clear to her senses that he’s not a human. 

 

“Should we greet him?”

 

“Just…don’t do something like what you did earlier, Yukari.” Koishi worriedly answered. She had been feeling really afraid and anxious when Yukari recklessly confronted Arturia the way she did, and she was really worried that Arturia would attack them in response. And even after the king decided to just leave, Yukari’s desire to try greeting this certain new person felt like it could go similarly to how the meeting between Yukari and Arturia went, which would be a completely bad thing to happen.

 

“Nah, I’ll definitely be more careful this time.” It’s not really her fault. The pathway forced her to utter the full truth regarding what she thought back during her discussion with Arturia. While she knew that it could very well happen again, the new person didn’t seem like someone that would give too much trouble if Yukari once again accidentally talked too much. Not to mention, he could be a Counter Corps member, and Yukari still wanted to know about how much do Arturia’s puppets knew about what she’s really up to. With that in her mind, Yukari and Koishi disappeared into a gap that appeared right below them, and reappeared behind the sharply dressed man.

 

“Ah, hello there. Nice day, isn’t it? Will it be fine if we have a little chat between us as we walk through this beautiful cherry blossom field?” Yukari asked, trying her best to sound as polite as possible.

 

“Yukari, you know, that sounded really forced, it’s painful to hear even to me.” Koishi dryly whispered to Yukari’s ear. Yukari decided to ignore that remark, just wondered how could the usually cheerful Koishi be as blunt as she was right now.

 

“So, are you from the Counter Corps, or the Divine? As for myself, I’m a neutral party so don't worry, I’m definitely not an enemy for you.”

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

[spoiler=Reimu Hakurei]

 

---

 

 

Pathway of Truth, A14

 

“Of course I’ll try, Revy. Though let’s not think of bad things at times like this.

 

Take care.”

 

And with that, Reimu watched as Revy disappeared from her sight as she cleared her last pathway. At that moment, she felt a bit hollow inside as she stood there before the crystal, alone. As the saying went, you’d only miss something when it’s not within your grasp anymore, and right now, not even after several minutes, she already missed Revy’s companionship. Or anyone’s, really. All these time, Reimu felt that she had been trying her best to stand alone, away from others as she finished her problems without their help. As her nature was [Floating], just as she was not bound by the shackles of the world, she was also completely not bound by the shackles of relation and friendship with others. 

 

That time, Reimu felt jealous of others. She was jealous of Revy, who had her friends and the man she loved. She was jealous of Marisa, who despite of her less than polite attitude, was able to actually connect with the people she met, just like a human would. A true human that while she was not bound with anything from the start, decided to form bonds with all sorts of people she met. 

 

“…Heh, what are you thinking, Reimu? It’s not anyone’s fault but yourself. 

 

Yeah, the doppelganger’s right. I definitely need to try changing my way of viewing things.”

 

It’s not anyone’s fault but herself that she couldn’t be close enough to others. It’s not really anyone’s fault but herself that she tried to complete her job as a methodical shrine maiden, not as a feeling human. She was alone all this time due to her own attitude, though, Reimu realized that she could still change for the better in that regard, after all, even for the short time she was with Revy, she could feel that the two had developed a bond between them. Whether it's true friendship or something less stellar, she's unsure for now, but either way, it's a sign that she could stop distancing her own heart from others.

 

“At least, I still have a heart, after all. It’s not like I’m completely hopeless right now.

 

Yeah, that's it. No need to mull this over further. I just need to get myself together, and move forward without wasting further time. I guess, for everyone’s sake, I shall continue.” With that decision made within her mind, Reimu walked towards the crystal waiting for her at the end of the pathway with full confidence.

 

‘Are you content with your present self’?

 

“Of course not. There’s still a lot of things that could change for the better within me. I don’t want to end up as that mess Tenshi, after all.”

 

With that answer, the barrier blocking her path disappeared, and after a few steps in, Reimu was teleported back to her White Room. Without wasting further time, the shrine maiden ran towards the last door she had left, towards the Pathway of Remembrance.

 

“Now, I will finish this. Not as the Hakurei shrine maiden, but as myself. I will do what’s right. For the people left behind in Gensokyo, for Arturia and the rest of the Corps, for Revy, and for Yukari…I will definitely see this to the very end. “

 

 

---

 

 

From the time she was born until the time she died,

She thought she would be alone,

No one would reach her back,

No one would stand by her,

Released from everything, a floating existence.

 

In order to protect Gensokyo,

She should not be a human, but a shrine maiden

That was she thought.

 

When was it from?

When she noticed the people that stood next to her.

When she thought they were special.

 

One day, her thoughts changed.

Not as a shrine maiden, but as a human,

She wanted to hold their hands and walk together with them.

Even if she knew that it would only lead to an end.

 

To be together with everyone; that was what she wished.

 

 

---

 

 

 

---

[Tesability Black]

~Counter Corps - Path of Truth - Neos' POV~

“Ah, hello there. Nice day, isn’t it? Will it be fine if we have a little chat between us as we walk through this beautiful cherry blossom field?”

Neos about-faced quick upon hearing the new voice behind him, instantly entering an unarmed defensive pose before even seeing whom it was that just approached him. Only a second passed before hearing a second voice, this one addressing the first.

“Yukari, you know, that sounded really forced, it’s painful to hear even to me.” Lowering his guard a bit after catching no visual, audible or olfactory sign of impending attack, the false human lowered his guard slightly, though he didn't fully drop it.

“So, are you from the Counter Corps, or the Divine? As for myself, I’m a neutral party so don't worry, I’m definitely not an enemy for you.”

"...I came with the Counter Corps, and they did literally save my neck, so I guess I'm with them..." Taking a moment to realize what he said, he recoiled back a very-slight degree. "What the...? Did I somehow take one of Severian's truth elixers again? I don't recall drinking anything..."

Shaking his head, he recalled the first question asked and rubbed the back of his head with his left hand, a sheepish look falling upon his face. "Uh, sorry, I guess we can talk, though I'm not sure why you approach me of all beings. Just...don't sneak up on me like that again."

Saying the word 'beings' instead of 'people' is admittedly an odd choice of words...

Ending Location: A2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~The Divine - Path of Truth - Jace' POV~

"Wow, looks like you managed to piss off even your inner self."

The red from the smack started to blend with the red that was starting to form from the embarrassed blush on his cheeks, his eyes looking away from the fiery Planeswalker and almost refusing to look back at her for a full minute.

 

"You look a bit more comfortable with yourself than before anyway, so you'll be alright. We should get going anyway, these paths won't clear themselves."

 

"I doubt that," he muttered to himself in response to being more comfortable with himself, though a few burdens have been lifted.

 

Unfortunately, now he was stuck with the thought that the nightmare he had lived through would have still happened no matter what he had done, which didn't sit well with him.

 

Jace finally looked towards Chandra after catching a flickering of flames, seeing a phoenix of all things, one she must have summoned.

While he had been on aerial beasts before, one that was ablaze like it was now wasn't exactly on that list, making him start to worry oddly enough about whether or not he would wind up in nothing but his boxers once on it...then tried halting that train of through after remembering that she could hear his thoughts.

Actually, now that he thought about it, it didn't feel like he was projecting his thoughts anymore. Was it due to the energy within that corroded area? Mentally shrugging to himself, he quietly accepted the hand before gingerly getting up onto the fiery bird.

 

And levitating ahead of the pair was the strange creature that seemed to be Ravnica's embodiment, poised as if it would be ready to harm any that came near them...

Ending Location: C11

 

(Apparently, Ravnica isn't the only plane that has a 'Soul of' card. In addition to the Soul of Ravnica, there's also the Soul of Innistrad, the Soul of Theros, the Soul of Zendikar, the Soul of Shandalar, and the Soul of New Phyrexia. The last one floored me. o.o)

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

The Path of Remembrance:

 

As though he had heard something amusing, Protheus let out a chuckle. “Typical. Of course you, of all people, would insist on something like that. Even though you ought to be able to guess my answer by now.” Then, his expression darkened as he got off from the tree and began to walk over towards Itsu…

“You do know what I am, correct? I’m an ‘Omni’. When the One Master selected me, he elevated me to the highest achievable existence that a Dark Signer can reach, when they gain the utmost control over their own powers, need not be dependent upon an Earthbound Immortal, and even become gain awareness of planes far, far beyond that of their own. At this level, the soul isn’t merely sustained, but literally frozen in time, and time does not progress even a single nanosecond for it. In other words, no matter how much damage I take or in what manner, I will inevitably regenerate from everything. Even the complete annihilation of this body is irrelevant - since, as long as the soul exists, I can make a new one. This has been the case for over ten millennia years now... So I reasoned that ‘I will certainly live forever’.”

However, just as the man reached her location, he crossed past her, stopping about ten meters in the opposite direction. Once he stopped, he held up his left hand, before proceeding to project from his palm a holographic image using dark energy, that of a figure in a white cloak that she ought to have recognized on the spot - it was none other than the mysterious interdimensional seer who had foretold of their futures in the past and aided them a long time ago in a previous cosmic disaster. Chardonnay.

“Alas, I’m sure we both know that that’s not the case. I realized it a long time ago myself, that there’s still flaws with this immortality I have, and that there are still ways I can die. Even the method with which my soul is frozen...there is no guarantee that it itself will last forever. But at first, I didn’t want to think about it. It took her...” With his back turned, he annoyedly gestured towards the projection. “...to convince me that my time will come. She told me quite the prophecy. Something about my past, something about Judgment, and of course, something about my end. And apparently, it’s impending. What a plot twist! My my, who would’ve guessed?”

Then, flicking his hand, the projection disappeared. “Of course, that was only the biggest prompt to do what I did. Perhaps sooner or later, with or without it, I would’ve enacted all this anyway. The Origin War was inevitable. In the past, I had not only worked out the location of the Pathway, but also discovered the map to the Key of Origin from Nox - he may have betrayed and possessed me temporarily, but in turn, I had the chance to look inside his head. Yes, Itsu, I had developed this plan quite a long time ago, but simply didn’t go for it due to the risks it posed to my existence. Luckily enough, that Isamy girl just so happened to take the fall for me. Perhaps, in that regard, I should thank her. Ha ha. So, in the end, you could say that I’m doing this for none other than myself, circumventing reality to shatter that silly prophecy of hers. Thus, no matter what... I. Will. NOT. DIE.”

[Reinforce]

Chandra

Pathway of Truth: C11

 

Once Jace was fully standing on the phoenix she'd summoned, the firebird took off into the sky. If he was paying attention to the bird below them, he could notice that the flames from it were licking over his clothes without burning. It was an interesting aspect of her flames, that she could ensure they wouldn't burn if she didn't want them to. As they came close to some clouds, a copy of Chandra formed out of them, lashing out at them, only to be stopped by the Soul of Ravnica, still floating around near them as they flew on.

 

Ending Location: C12

 

---

 

Darcy

Pathway of Truth: E3

 

"Why do you wish to access the Door of Origin?"

 

The fairies near Darcy had started with their questions, this particular one having been repeated a couple of times as she hadn't yet answered it.

 

"Because I wish to rule my universe, and the Origin will allow me to rewrite reality to make that happen."

 

"Didn't you originally want it rewrite history to ensure your first attempt at taking over the world worked, by ensuring you properly obtained the Dragon's Flame?

 

"Yes, that was my original plan."

 

"You already have the Dragon's Flame now though, so if you return to your world now, you'll be able to take over anyway."

 

"That's true, but I can do so much more if I can get into the Origin. With it I can not only change reality to give us a better chance of winning, but ensure the victory by making it a foregone conclusion. With it's power, I could do anything I want."

 

"So what you really desire is power, the absolute power to freely change reality to your whim?"

 

"Yes."

 

Walking on, she ignored the rest of the fairies as she approached the mirror that was up ahead, reflecting a harsher area than she was currently in.

 

Ending Location: E5

[Love of Ghibli]

Butlerok and Rhadamanthys: Path of Remembrance

 

The two took little time in actually making it through their final door.  They had received a slight heads up from Dorian about what the path was like. After the long annoying hallway of nothingness both of the men stood on the snowy path and thought it was rather peaceful juxtaposed  to the other death path. It was at this moment the two actually noticed they were actually next to each other. They could only raise an eyebrow to this strange coincidence.

 

Well I guess this saves us a load of time then does it not? Butlerok said slightly sarcastic. True, though this will be the path I find most annoying most likely, so at the very least it could do me this kindness. Rhadamanthys replied with an odd combination of skepticism and anxiety. That’s right as an immortal you must have a lot of interesting enemies with you have to deal with. I would hold my tongue, you have to ancient beings inside you yourself.  Butlerok and Rhadamanthys both went silent for a second and then they started to snicker.  The chance to meet some old face is probably pretty interesting. 

As they proceeded to walk towards the forest of memory statues, Ragnarok shot out of Butlerok’s back in his chibi form and looked around frantically. What is it? Butlerok said slightly nervous.  I can smell them. Two of them! Wait no more than that…OMG baldy there are actually a bunch of strong REAL souls on this one. We may actually get the chance to feast this time. Wait! You don’t think…Rhadamanthys quickly interjected. YEP! Roid Rage baldy is here…Ragnarok proceeds to sniff the air some more. So is that soul reaper from before! Butlerok and  Rhadamanthys both put on cartoonish grins across their faces. The Gods have finally rewarded me for my service. Honorable combat once again! Interesting very interesting.  We must make haste if we are to keep them from killing each other. Based on the amount of time that we in the second path after Kenpachi Zaraki left us I am sure that he would have caught up to Kratos by now. It is more logical that they have reconciled their differences. Even better. Rhadamanthys replied.

No need to rush dudes lets I wanna see what young baldy was like as a child. Ragnarok said jokingly. I did not have what one would call a childhood, but if you wish to linger on this path then I can acquiesce. Rhadamanthys was happy to hear that the only two powerful members of the enemy faction had come to terms perhaps it was a good thing to take this path slowly. 

 

Ending location: A2

 

Dorian: Path of Death

Dorian walked through the door into the abysmal darkness that he was warned about from his comrades. As he stood in this haunting space he realized that they did not do the best just job of detailing the emptiness or the sense of void this place gave.  Nevertheless he had to proceed on with his mission. As he stepped forward he shot a fireball just to see how far the light was illuminate. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried he could only get a little light from his energies.
 

Well might as well stop wasting energy, he said to himself as he started to walk in down Death’s corridor. He was slightly annoyed though because as he walked down the path he kept hearing these nagging voice whispering unwell wishes upon him. They would tell him of his failures and tell him how he was going to fail at his current mission.  Death, the path of doubt and downers…ugh. He said sickened at the thought of having to endure more of this foolishness.  On one side though he was interested on who he would actually run into on this path. Its not like he was deliberately trying to avoid people on the first two paths, well maybe the first one, but maybe he will actually meet-up with other people on this last journey.

Yea maybe I can make some friends while I’m at it. Maybe.

 

Ending location: B1

[Kingdom Xathers]

Team Lombax - Pathway of Death: C5

… the crew calmly and carefully walked along the surprisingly sturdy wooden bridge running along Row C, exercising extreme caution as to avoid making one accidental misstep. A radiant, prismatic barrier held up by the chanting of Farkas, Lightsworn Shaman was the only other light source that allowed them to see where the bridge’s edges were, as well as their current source of protection from the shadowy creatures trying to take a swipe at them. Although the Lightsworn Barrier was holding strong, Farkas was showing signs of straining as he nonetheless continued fervently reciting the same Enochian chant continuously. Hellspawn. Murderer. Traitor.

“Ugh… and I thought Inferno tried too hard at times,” Bayonetta scoffed in her usual haughty tone as she brushed off the incessant chatter of the shadows. “At least the scenery there was far more interesting to look at.”

“Woman, you are taking this far too casually,” Umbris remarked, obviously very uncomfortable around the shadowy presences trying to bash through the shield. “I mean, I’m more or less made of darkness myself, and I don’t want those fukkin’ NASTIES near me…!”

“Don’t worry about it, Umbris,” Alexander said reassuringly, despite his own unease, “we’ll be fine as long as Farkas keeps this barrier held up.”

“And with how he’s looking, it won’t be much longer,” Alister said grimly, noticing the barrier’s momentary flickers.

“I-I’l be fine,” Farkas grunted between repetitions. “I will put my all… into keeping this barrier active… even if… gah….” By this point, Farkas was struggling to stay upright, his white fur clearly soaked in a cold sweat. “No… I… I have to keep going…,” he stammered weakly, his eyes welling up while the barrier around them was slowly weakening. “I have to… for Wulf… and Wolfram… I will keep going… for their sakes…!”

“Look, Farkas, as much as we appreciate your resolve,” Umbris spoke up, having now taken on the form of Wulf, albeit with black fur instead of white, “it wouldn’t do anyone any good if you end up expiring from the strain. Don’t worry, I can take over from here. You just get some rest,” he concluded before clasping his hands together, reciting the same Enochian chant from before; as he did, the Lightsworn Barrier returned to its full radiance.

“Tha… bless you, Umbris…,” Farkas uttered softly, a few tears falling from his eyes before finally losing consciousness. He was returned to his card just as he was about to hit the ground.

“Rest well Farkas,” Alex said solemnly as he retrieved the card. “And thank you, Umbris,” he added to the Neo-Spacian, who simply nodded as he continued chanting.

By that time, they had arrived at an intersection in the bridge, a path to the left and the right running perpendicular with the path they were on. “Well boys, it appears we have come at a literal crossroads,” Bayonetta spoke up. “Think this should be where we part ways for now?”

“Somehow, I’m not so sure,” Alexander mused aloud, having seconds thoughts about the very same idea that he himself had not even ten minutes ago.

“Yeah, it hasn’t exactly worked out for our group so far,” Alister hissed bitterly. “Why do we even need to split up? We’re trying to make it to the end in one piece here.”

“Well, I just felt it would help us cover more ground this way. But, if you boys are so concerned for my safety, then I’ll take Gabby with me, like we had discussed before,” Bayonetta said sweetly.

“Like I have a choice,” Gabriel muttered, although he wasn’t against the idea in the slightest.

“No you don’t, my little Simba, no you don’t. Still, I figured that with all this drama going on that you and Alex could enjoy some, “alone time”,” Bayonetta added with a smug wink.

“... I don’t like whatever you’re implying, lady,” Alister hissed as he squinted his eyes at the Umbra Witch.

“I still don’t know about this, guys,” Alexander spoke up again, not the least bit concerned with whatever Bayonetta was implying with her comment.

“Alexander, might I remind you that this was your idea in the first place?” Bayonetta spoke with one eyebrow raised. “Why even make the suggestion if you’re not willing to commit?”

“No, it’s not that,” Alex replied. “It’s just… somehow, I feel like this intersection isn’t where we should split up. Like… we’d be disturbing something important that’s meant to happen if we go either way. Maybe if we moved up a bit further…?”

“Well, whatever works for you, dude,” said Gabriel. With that, the group continued to travel forward, unaware that Sora and Xemnas had been to their left, roughly 250 meters away from the intersection; and that the prize Alister had wanted so dearly was on their right.


A few moments later, the group had arrived at yet another branch in the bridge: this time, just one lone bridge, branching off to the left. “So, what does your instinct tell you this time, Alexander?” Bayonetta chimed in. “Does this seem like a good time to part ways?”

Alex inhaled deeply. “Well, this is a good time as any I suppose. I’ll go with Alister, Umbris, and Clank down this way, and you and Gabriel can take the branch,” he confirmed.

“I see. Well then, hope to see you boys later. Good luck,” Bayonetta replied as she took the fork.

The remaining part of Team Lombax were silent as they watched Bayonetta disappear into the darkness. Hopefully she would be alright without the Lightsworn Barrier to shield her from the nightmares. “So… do you want to talk about it yet?” Alex inquired from Alister.

Alister went completely silent as he seemed to contemplate the issue. After a few seconds, he curtly gave his response: “There’s nothing to discuss right now.”

“Al….”

“Not. Now.” Alister was not in the mood to speak about anything.

It’s a lonely road you’ve chosen, I hope it was worth it.

“I thought I said “not now”,” he hissed angrily.

“... Al, I… didn’t say anything just now,” Alexander uttered, confused.

Alister scoffed as he shot a glance over at Alexander. “Well, I doubt it was “Black Panther” over here,” he snapped as he pointed a finger over at Wulf!Umbris.

“”Umbra Panther”, thank you very much,” Umbris quickly blurted out during a pause in his chanting. “Honestly, I wasn’t called “Black Panther” ever since I dropped that jazz accent. That sure takes me back….”

Alister growled angrily. “Look, if it wasn’t you, Alex,” he said, “and it wasn’t Umbris, then who the hell….” He paused for a moment as he took a glance over at Clank.

“It was not me, either,” said the little robot.

“Don’t look at Mr. Zurkon,” the Z-Wrench chimed in. “Mr. Zurkon doesn’t waste time with trivial blabbering. Mr. Zurkon prefers the direct approach--”

“Fine, let’s just drop it!” Alister hissed.

What do you care? You obviously never did in the first place.

“I said, “DROP IT”!!” shouted the General.

This time, the General was met with the silent, concerned, and awkward stares of Alex, Umbris and Clank.

“Oh, what? Am I supposed to believe none of you said anything that time, too?!” Alister asked accusingly.

“Al, I think these shadows are starting to mess with your head,” Alexander speculated. “I mean, I’ve been hearing them, too, but not whatever it is you’re hearing.” (Failure. Worthless. Weak. You can’t save them.)

“... wait, so it’s… it’s just the shadows, then…?” Alister asked a bit more humbly as he turned around to look through the barrier surrounding them. For a moment, he saw nothing, at least until black, bony talons slammed against the barrier, directly in front of his face. With a sharp gasp, Alister jumped back. He tried to get a good look at what tried to attack him, but whatever it had been, it had vanished as quickly as it appeared. “... okay. I believe ya,” Alister said as he tried to get his heart rate back to normal. “What did they mean by that? What path?”

“We should get off this bridge as soon as possible. I don’t think I can stand being around these shadows any longer,” Alex shuddered.

“I am totally with you on that, Alex,” Umbris replied as he picked up Clank. “It’s time we turn our shuffling into a brisk walking pace. I hear that’s the best defense at times like this.”

“Right,” Alister agreed. He, Alex and Umbris began to pick up their pace as they continued moving forward. Anything to not have to hear anymore whispers from the darkness.

“And could you not bounce around so much? I feel like I’m being shaken and stirred….”

“... wait, did you hear, that?” Alexander paused for a second, swearing that he had just heard a familiar voice.

“Alex, we’ve just been over this,” Alister said flatly as he grabbed Alex by the shoulders as pushed him along the path. “We shouldn’t be concerning ourselves with whatever tricks the shadows are trying to play on us.”

“Y… yeah, you’re right, Al,” Alexander agreed as he and the others finally made their way through an opening before them.

The joke was too obvious. “How ‘bout we ignore the obvious puns and just go,” Umbris suggested.

“You mean, “Go deeper”?” Clank chimed in, unable to suppress a chuckle at his joke.

“... … seriously? You are, like, the last person here that I thought would crack a joke at a time like this--okay, y’know what--EVERYONE GET THE FUCK INSIDE THAT HOLE, RIGHT NOW!” Alister shrieked.

“Sir, yes sir,” Alex, Umbris and Clank flatly replied with a mock salute as they dove headfirst into the wide opening, with no time to be worried about extra protection.

Dropping the crude sex metaphor, the group trudged gingerly into the gaping corridor. The blue flames were the only source of light in this place, and, though the shadows were gone, the place still left them all ill at ease.

“Now that that’s over with,” Umbris muttered as he dropped his Wulf transformation along with the Lightsworn Barrier, returning to his humanoid panther form.

“Now what?” Alexander spoke up, still feeling a sense of dread within the dimly lit corridor.

“We keep moving forward, that’s what,” Alister replied tersely. “And whatever’s in here, we will deal with it.”

“Alisteeeeerrrrr~” a voice called out from the darkness. “Alister, I’m waiting for you.”

A cold chill ran down Alister’s spine as he recognized the voice. The chill soon turned to fire as his rage began to ignite. He gritted his teeth as his grip on the Z-Wrench tightened more than necessary.

“That voice…,” Alexander gasped out, trying to sense the voice’s source. “Isn’t… isn’t that Red’s voice…?”

“Alister…?” Clank uttered slowly as he took notice of the General’s ever-increasing fury. He hopped out of Umbris’ arms as he scampered over to Alister’s side.

“The bastard’s here,” Umbris hissed, trying to find the source in the darkness. “Don’t do anything stupid Al, we can’t get seperated now.”

“Ratchet’s here too… he misses you,” the voice purred casually.

“Ratchet…?” Clank was left feeling more confused than before. Alister, however, was shaking furiously.

“At least… he did,” the voice added cruelly.

Okay, that fucking tore it. Alister screamed in fury as he ran off into the darkness, the Z-Wrench clamped tightly in his hand and Clank latched onto his tail as his voice was lost in the darkness. “ALISTER!” Alex shouted loudly, but the General wasn’t listening.

“I told him, didn’t I, Alex?!” Umbris growled in frustration. “But noooooo, no one EVER listens to “Black Panther”…!”

Biting back the urge to ask if Umbris was adapting “Black Panther” into his “stripper name” [“ALEX! This isn’t the time for that!”], Alexander opted to fearfully say, “We have to go after him!”

“Pro… Professor….”

Alexander’s body and heart froze upon hearing a familiar voice weakly call out from the darkness. He knew who the voice belonged to… how could he not remember? The voice of a student of his during his time as a teacher of Duel Academy… she was a Ra Yellow student studying to be a journalist… she used a HERO Deck, and her guardian was--

“Wildheart?!” Umbris blurted out in surprise as the muscle-bound Elemental HERO suddenly summoned himself right beside Alexander.

“It’s her, isn’t it?” Wildheart asked, the hope and desperation clear in his eyes as they scanned for any sign of his dear Duelist. “Luisa! Luisa, can you hear me?!”

“I… I’m right here….” A few yards away from their position, Alexander, Umbris and Wildheart could see the outline of a young female figure slowly approaching them with unsteady footsteps. As she got a bit closer, they could see that her black-and-white dress was tattered here and there, and there were bruises visible on the areas of her arms and legs that weren’t covered by her gloves and stockings. The bangs of her vibrant, reddish-brown hair hung limply over her eyes.

“Luisa?!” Alexander gasped out in shock, surprised that the young girl had even gotten on the Pathways to begin with.

Luisa just kept stumbling before them, streaks on her face being reflected in the blue light. Against his own better judgment, Wildheart left Alexander’s side to approach her. “Luisa, are you all right?” the HERO asked, the concern and relief evident in his voice as he reached a hand out to her… but there was something in the back of his mind that kept him from touching her.

“Wildheart…? What’s wrong…?” Luisa inquired in a weak, confused tone, her eyes still hidden behind her bangs. She took another few steps forward, arms slowly raised as if to give the HERO a hug, but Wildheart hesitantly stepped back and away from her. “Wild… heart…?”

“Wildheart, what is it?” Alex blurted out, confused by the HERO’s behavior.

Wildheart’s eyes were starting to water, but he managed to keep his composure with a stone-set face. “... wh… who are you…?” he uttered calmly, his eyes glaring at the girl before him.

“B-But, Wildheart,” Luisa stammered, clearly sounding hurt by her Duel Spirit’s seemingly callous response, “i… it’s me. I’m right here… Why would you--?”

Wildheart took another step back, a metallic clacking sound being made as the HERO reached back and grabbed hold of the handle to the sword strapped to his back. His gaze had gotten more intense as he stared down the teenager.

“William, what are you doing--?” Umbris blurted out, confused and worried about what he was seeing.

“This isn’t her,” Wildheart flat out replied, his face still unmoving even as a tear rolled down his cheek. “I’m practically her father… I would know Luisa was really here even if I couldn’t outright see her… but this,” he continued as he drew his weapon, pointing the tip of his sword in the girl’s face, “... this is not her, not at all. I was fooled for but a moment, but I know for certain that this is not Luisa. Now, tell me,” he addressed the figure before him, “who the hell are you, and what have you done with Luisa?!”

For a few tense moments, “Luisa” was completely silent, unflinching even with the giant sword in “her” face. A cold chill ran through Wildheart’s body as the figure let out a quiet, almost condescending giggle. “Oh, but I’ve already told you, didn’t I, William…?” “Luisa” slowly replied with a twisted smirk, finally raising her head, her bangs moving out of the way to reveal glowing eyes--one a bright yellow, the other a pale blue. “She… is right here….”

Wildheart had hardly any time to react as an explosion of glowing ice blasted the HERO back, the ice shards lacerating his flesh. Though none of the shards struck anything vital, Wildheart was still reeling from the pain. “William!!” Umbris cried out as he and Alexander rushed to his aid.

“Gah… heh… shoulda known it was a trap,” Wildheart scoffed as he yanked an ice shard from his shoulder. He coughed up a bit of blood. “Guh… damn, looks like I got hurt worse than I thought… I should probably sit this one out for a bit…,” he added in a somewhat defeated tone as he returned to his card momentarily.

Once the HERO was safe and sound in his card, Alexander looked up to face “Luisa”, but to his surprise, “she” had vanished from where “she” stood before. “Whoever that was, they’re gone,” he spoke.

“Somehow, I doubt that highly,” Umbris replied as he cautiously scanned the area with his eyes.

“Ay, yor right ter ffink that, mate.” Before he knew it, Umbris found himself tumbling along the ground with a hairy savage of a human. The Neo-Spacian kicked his assailant off, the savage man growling like a beast as he quickly got to his feet. “Woss the matter, kitty? Did I startle yer, isit?” the human male replied, his shaggy blue hair partly obscuring his face as he casually swayed back and forth. “Don't worry; next time I go ter tear yor froat out, I'll be a bit more discreet!”

“Wolfram?! What the--?!” Umbris blurted out before “Wolfram” once again lashed out at him, swiping at the Neo-Spacian with long, sharp nails, even managing to leave a graze on Umbris’ right cheek before the Panther's cape-turned-hand shoved “Wolfram” away.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Alexander exclaimed, all the more confused by what was going on.

“Why, hello to you too, Alexander,” “Wolfram” spoke up as he straightened his posture, his voice shifting from a cockney accent to a far more eloquent British accent. “It’s been quite a long time since we’ve last met. How have you been?” Despite sounding rather elated, “Wolfram’s” tone possessed a great deal of disdain behind it.

“How have I been…?” Alexander replied, slightly dumbfounded. “Wolfram, what about you? The last I saw you, you had offered yourself to the Envoy of the Beginning! What happened after that? Did you find a way to return home?”

“Oh, how sweet of you, Alexander,” “Wolfram” said with a bit of false sincerity, “that you would express such concern for my well-being. I wonder, though: Where was that concern when we needed you the most?”

“... what…?” Alexander quietly gasped under his breath.

“Ay, you thought everything was fine and dandy when you went and left, didn’t you?” “Wolfram” said to Alexander, a low growl interlaced with his speech as his posture slowly became feral once again. “Hate t'bust it t'yo', Alexan'er, but it was FAR fum okay….” “Wolfram” then seemed to disappear into the darkness.

Alexander was left almost speechless, and even more confused than before. “When I left…?”

Umbris, on the other hand, was feeling quite agitated. “What the hell is going on…? First Luisa, now Wolfram? I swear, if Hewie pops up next, I’m gonna have a fukkin’ conniption--”

“Well, excuse me….” Umbris paused as a timid-yet-blunt voice spoke up over by Umbris’ left: a tall, lanky beast-like humanoid has suddenly appeared, wearing an old green hooded jacket and tattered denim jeans. He gave a rather miffed stare at the Neo-Spacian with his watery blue eyes. “No-no, that’s fine,” “Hewie” said after a rather awkward silence that involved himself and Umbris having a “staring contest” with each other, “I know when I’m not wanted. Deuces, motherfucker,” he added with a pair of middle fingers held up in Umbris’ direction before stomping off into the darkness.

“... … since when did Hewie openly curse?” Alexander blurted out after witnessing that display.

“Forget the cursing,” Umbris added, his jaw having dropped almost to the floor. “Since when did he drop that speech impediment crap?!”

At this point, Wildheart slid into the frame. “Sooooooo, have you two put 2-and-2 together yet about what the hell is happening?”

“I… I don’t get what’s going on here,” Alexander stammered out a response. “Those were our friends. Why would they act like that?”

“Well, I’m sure they all have a very good reason, Alex,” Wildheart speculated, stroking a finger against his chin. “Now, let’s think for a moment. What do you think is causing them to act this way, hmm?”

Not sure what else to do, Alexander began to think, more specifically about what “Wolfram” had said to him just a few moments ago. “”When I left”... it has something to do with me leaving…?”

“But why?” Umbris asked, feeling uncomfortable about the subject. “I mean, it’s not like you chose to leave us maliciously, right? You had a good reason to want to return to your own dimension.”

“Yes, but was it good enough?” Wildheart asked. “I mean, wanting to bring his story to an end in the dimension where it all began? And leaving behind those whom he’s come to care for dearly, not knowing what would become to them…?”
Wow, what an oddly specific statement. “It’s not like I didn’t care what happened to you all after I left,” Alex protested.
“Then why leave at all in the first place?” Wildheart questioned accusingly, his brows wrinkling as he frowned intensely. “You could have stayed, Alex. You could have continued travelling the Multiverse as you saw fit. You could have spent the rest of your days with those who cared about you… … and yet you let him go,” he then snapped at Umbris. “You went and let him leave just so he could do some more “soul-searching”, knowing damn well that you would never get to see him again--”

“Y’know,” Umbris interrupted, "had you just kept your big mouth shut, we would've just continued thinking you were the real Wildheart. You said just a little bit too much more than Wildheart or anyone else would know. Besides, I don’t need whatever lecture you’re trying to preach here, especially from someone like--"

“--like yourself?” “Wildheart” inquired cryptically with a dark chuckle.

“Wh--what are you getting at?!” Umbris stammered as “Wildheart” transformed into “Evil HERO Wild Cyclone”.

“Heh… and here I thought you were figuring it out. You’re either in complete denial, or just being completely stupid…,” “Wild Cyclone” scoffed in a sinister tone as, with a strong beat of his wings, he blasted Alexander and Umbris back a few yards, causing them to tumble along the floor. “Why don’t you two try and think a little harder? In the meantime, I suppose I’ll keep myself entertained… by tearing you apart!!” Enveloped in a sickly dark-red energy, the “Evil HERO” gave out a savage roar.

Ignoring the plight of his allies, Alister rushed further into the corridor, unaware of (or, perhaps, indifferent to) Clank flailing behind him whilst desperately holding on to his tail. “General, please wait!” Clank pleaded with Alister, trying to get his feet to grip the ground long enough to pull the lombax to a halt, but to no avail.

However, despite failing to stop him physically, Clank’s goal was nonetheless realized when Alister finally skid to a halt. “Dammit, Clank, why didn’t you stay with the others?!” Alister scolded the little robot. “Mr. Zurkon and I can handle Red on our own!”

“General, I cannot allow you to do this on your own, even with Mr. Zurkon to help you,” Clank replied.

“Puny robot, there is no need to worry,” spoke up the Z-Wrench. “Mr. Zurkon will make sure that General Azimuth gets to avenge the young lombax--”

“I do not doubt your capabilities for a second, Mr. Zurkon, nor those of the General,” Clank interrupted, “but this is my fight as well. Ratchet was my friend, and I cannot allow myself to do nothing about what has happened to him. I will join you in this battle, General,” Clank concluded with a tone of resolve, “and I shall not accept “no” for an answer.”

Alister gave a heavy sigh. The robot had made up his mind, and--let’s be honest here--who would he be to deny Clank a chance to avenge his friend? Clank had just as much right as Alister, moreso, even. “... alright, Clank. You’re in.”

“Oh, now that is just precious,” a slimy voice purred from the darkness. “The rat and the robot, united in bitterness. It’s like a fairy tale, poetic, even,” it added in a smug, imperial tone.

“Show yourself, Red,” Alister called out as he and Clank assumed battle stances, scanning the surrounding area for any signs of the dragon. “Come out of that darkness and FACE ME!”

“Prepare for your defeat, Red,” Clank spoke. “I… will see you burn for what you’ve done!”

“Ah yes, that ever familiar Lombax bravado. How long has it been since I saw that? Not long, in truth, but that’s for another time. Considering you asked so politely, then I have little recourse but to acquiesce to your demand,” Red(?) answered.

The ground shook from whatever was coming at them in the darkness. The whir and groan of machinery grey louder and louder until, something came out of the darkness. It was an enormous walker-style throne. Each of its four legs were coated in thick red scales, and, more horrifically, a living Lombax tightly bound to it. Their eyes were white and lifeless, though their bodies were still very much alive. There were more Lombaxes bound around the rim of the Throne, and two on each side of it. The sides of the throne were arched by spires in the style of Red’s wings. And, sitting on that throne, upon Ratchet’s desecrated corpse, was an unholy combination of Cragmite and Dragon. “Ta-da,” Rechyon declared smugly, idly stroking the light gem tied to his royal scepter.

Alister didn’t know where to begin; from the numerous, tortured lombaxes chained to the throne, to the sight of Ratchet’s lifeless body, to just the sheer horrifying(ly hilarious) form that Red had now taken (seriously, his body was no larger than his head now! Speaking of which, that head couldn’t possibly be well-supported on that thin, snake-like neck of his!), the General could not even decide on what emotion to express first. After a few seconds in which he actually had to mentally deliberate with the other Azimuths just to get his act together, he settled on expressing himself with a cold, livid stare and a wry smirk. “Oh my, Red, you seem to have let yourself go in a bad way,” Alister remarked with a short, dry chuckle. “What happened? Did you end up in a teleporting accident? Sad that you seem to have been spliced with a Cragmite, though--personally, I feel a Sandmouse would have been a vast improvement for you.”

Rechyon shared in the laughter, though his was more empty and callous. “Oh ho, that is funny. But do you know what’s also funny?” he questioned conversationally. “I never noticed until I used one as a cushion that you Lombaxes are actually rather soft. Frankly I regret having all of them banished. Should’ve kept a few around for carpeting and bed sheets. Just as well that I have Ratchet now to keep my thorax at the height of comfort. I actually cannot wait to have him properly skinned so he can decorate my throne properly; after a hideous amount of dry-cleaning, of course” he added scathingly.

“You leave his fur out of this!” Clank snapped.

Rechyon feigned absolute terror, but such a thing was impossible, as he was laughing too hard. “Oh no, heaven forbid I enrage the little tin can whose entire purpose in life is to stop his best friend from doing something stupid. How’s that working out for you again?” he laughed as he used his hands to move Ratchet’s jaw. “I rate him a three out of ten,” Rechyon mimed in a terrible falsetto, using Ratchet as a macabre ventriloquist puppet.

If Clank’s robotic body had tear ducts, his eyes would be overflowing with water as his body shook with fury. His fury was put on hold as a familiar, ornate staff entered his line of sight; Alister was holding the Chronoscepter before the little robot. “I think you’d like to have this,” Alister calmly addressed the robot as his own gaze was still locked onto Rechyon. “Perhaps you can use it to “clean his clock”.”

“I am aware that you are not attempting to be funny at this moment, General,” Clank replied as he took the Chronoscepter into his metal hands, “but right now is not the time for puns and the like… oh, crap,” he blurted upon realizing his accidental hypocrisy.

“Either way, Red… Tachyon… whichever!” Alister declared as he pointed the Z-Wrench at the Dragmite. “We’re going to knock you off that high horse of yours, and then--”

Rechyon chuckled darkly as he waved his thin little index finger scoldingly. “Uh uh uuhhh, you might want to be careful where you point that thing. I’m not defenseless, and, well, you wouldn’t want to miss now would you?” he sneered, emphasizing the Lombaxes bound to his throne.

He sighed in false sympathy for them. “The poor things, completely blind and deaf you know? Because I do… considering I made them that way. They can’t see or hear you… or taste or smell either, for that matter. All these poor little darlings can do is feel. And they do it quite well, as a matter of fact. All their pain receptors suffer from chemically induced hypersensitivity disorder; even the slightest touch to them will will make them feel like their skin is being ripped off. That’s what makes their suffering kinda fun. They don’t know when it’ll come, all they know is, pain will come, and it will be just as dreadful as they imagined. Now with that all said, well, you’d best hope your aim is true. Wouldn’t want one of your stray shots to hit them. Or at least, you better hope it’s a killing blow, because they all certainly have a lot more screaming in them. Granted, I don’t know why I’m bothering to explain this to you Azimuth, “The Cause of the Suffering of my Race” might as well be your middle name for how much of it you caused. You helped me end the vast majority of your race bar two Lombaxes. And now, your incompetent ability to lead and care for your godson allowed the second last one to die off at my hands as well. How does it feel Azimuth? How does it feel to know that you are now, officially, the last Lombax in the entire universe? And to know, that all those losses were because of your bloodstained hands? You can deny it all you like. You can make your excuses. But everything, all those deaths, will always lead back to you, General. Your incompetence murdered your race.”

Those words… Alister had heard them all before. It was true… it was all true, it was all his fault. As much as he wanted to take it all back, to redo everything: his meeting with Tachyon, his blind trust in Red, his failure to be a proper father figure to Ratchet… the fact that he could not was what hurt the most. With his wrench-bearing arm limply at his side, he cradled his head in his other hand as he began to softly weep. Weep for all the lives that were lost on his account, for the friend he would never again meet, for the family he will never have… … for the person he was now going to have to kill. Just as that thought crossed his mind, Alister’s sobbing grew quiet… or rather, it slowly turned into something else. A soft chuckle. A soft, yet detached, chuckle, and it was steadily rising in volume and intensity until, at its climax, a shrill, borderline-insane cackling was issuing from Alister’s larynx. This continued on for a good twenty seconds, during which even Mr. Zurkon was experiencing a subtle discomfort at the very least, until finally, his laughter died down as he relaxed into a stabler disposition. "Well, now, who can argue with those facts, huh? I mean, it’s not like I haven’t been hearing them play out over and over for the past twenty years of my gods-damned life, but hey!, good to have someone tell it right to my fuing face every once in a while!”

Clank was growing more concerned for the General, especially after that lovely display he put on. “General…?” he spoke cautiously.

“You're right, Red,” Alister continued, a remorseful frown forming on his face as he hung his head, “I have, directly or otherwise, killed many of my own kind, be it through civil conflict or as a result of my own tragic errors. No doubt that I shall live with the guilt of those deaths for the rest of my days….” He was silent for a few seconds, during which his frown slowly curled upwards to become a sullen smirk. “... that being said, Tachyon, if there was ever a goal in my sights, I had never shied away from doing whatever it took to accomplish that objective… even if it meant killing those of my own kind.” His body shivered as he gave yet another shuddering giggle. “And now? Well, I’ve certainly nothing else to live for--you’ve made certain of that, Red!--so where’s the harm in letting loose now, hmm?! For now, though, my goal is clear: I’m taking you down, Tachyon. You AND your Throne of Lies! So, don't think for an instant that you can count on these lombaxes to be your meatshields. If it means taking you down, I will get rid of them, too; it’s only proper that I end their misery. Like you said,” he concluded with an eerily calm smile as he engaged the Z-Wrench’s Spiral of Carnage setting, “I’ve "murdered" countless other lombaxes before... what’s a few more going to hurt?"

Rechyon glowered furiously at the defiant lombax. To think he would shrug off everything like that… it was almost admirable. He stroked his scepter as he let out a low growl to soothe himself. “Then so be it. Show me what the “Scourge of the Lombaxes” can do. Just try to avenge them Azimuth. Just. Try,” he taunted.

“We won’t have to “try”,” Alister retorted as he primed the Z-Wrench while Clank also prepared for the imminent battle….

(♫♪"Alternate Discontinuity")
Alexander and Umbris were having a difficult time defending themselves against their adversary (adversaries? It was hard to tell when there were multiple forms showing up one at a time and striking from the shadows), who was making excellent use of the darkness around them to employ a hit-and-run tactic; first, “Evil HERO Wild Cyclone” launched a razor wind attack at Alexander, vanishing just as the lombax managed to dodge the blast of air. A few seconds later, he jumped out of the way of a charging “Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast”, whose three heads snapped viciously in his direction. Then like a madman he had to press himself hard to the wall as a “Ruffian Railcar” almost ran his fuzzy ass down. “HOLY FRAKKIN’ FRAK ON A FRAK-MONKEY WITH A SIDE ORDER OF FRAK-FRAKKERY!!” Alexander shrieked as the Railcar zoomed past, just a few inches away from his face.

“Y’know, Alex,” Umbris chimed in as he slid into frame, having just avoided a run-in with the hyper-aggressive train, “this isn’t the “Battlestar Galactica” universe; you’re allowed to say “fuck” just like everyone else.”

“Yeah,” Alex admitted, ”but then we’d have to spend some extra time in post-production trying to edit the coding in so the censors don’t block it out.”

“... hm. Good point.” Umbris managed to blurt that out just as a psychotic and chilling laugh ran through the corridor. Two beady red eyes glared at them from the darkness as, accompanied by a shrill, child-like scream, six red claws tried to tear their faces clean off. They barely dodged the strike as the two faced off against a “Frightfur Leo”, who was still laughing in its warped voice as its head twitched erratically, the saw blades sticking out of its face whirring on and off with sick anticipation.

“I don’t know who the fuck would use that sort of monster, but clearly they need fucking help,” Umbris roared in disgust as he had to look at the god-awful thing.

“Agreed, I was NOT expecting an evil-looking Gabby!” Alexander gasped out as he tried to catch his breath. “Okay, fuck this, I’m done dodging,” he added as what resembled a baseball bat materialized in his hands. “It’s time I put some pepper on this thing!” He wound up as if to hit a ball out of the park, and just before he swung, a sphere of energy materialized before him. With precise aim and a fierce swing, he struck the energy ball, sending it flying into the face of the fiendish lion plushie where it exploded, leaving a giant crater where its face once was.

The fiendish toy shrieked in pain as its head slowly re-formed. “Oh, you have GOT to be kidding,” Umbris blurted out as the “Frightfur Leo” roared its displeasure, no longer in the mood to play around. Likewise, the Neo-Spacian was not amused. Without waiting for the Deadly Toy of Deadly Death to strike again, Umbris grabbed it with his cape and hurled it away into the darkness.

“… you realize that might not have been your best idea, right?” Alexander spoke up.

Umbris sighed with exasperation. “Yeah….”

As if to further reinforce this point, the two found themselves in the path of a rampaging “Naturia Exterio”. The beast tackled Umbris to the ground as Alexander was swatted aside by its thick, bark-armored tail. “Shit…!” Umbris cursed as he found himself pinned under the weight of the Naturia creature. “Damn you, fukkin’... FIENDISH CHAIN!” he cried out defiantly as numerous chains unraveled themselves out of his cape, rapidly surrounding the “Exterio” in an attempt to bind it.

The “Naturia Exterio”, however, had a different idea, as with a dark, twisted grin, it let out a fierce roar just before the chains could lock themselves into place; the reverberations shattered the chains, link by link, all the way back to the cape, which fell limp on the ground along with the shattered links.

“Umbris!!” Alexander cried out frantically as he aimed a Spell Card at the “Exterio”, firing off a stream of lightning to raze the beast where it stood.

“My, oh my, aren’t we getting desperately excessive…?” a voice coming from the “Naturia Exterio” rang out, just before it turned its head towards Alex and roared once again, the shockwave striking and dispersing the lightning as it travelled all the way toward Alexander, knocking the lombax off his feet and against the wall behind him. “You could have ended up striking your “dear friend” with that Raigeki, you know,” the beast taunted as it watch Alexander crumple onto the floor in a daze, “but then again, I wouldn’t have been too surprised if that did happen. After all, you couldn’t have cared less when you thought to leave him for good…!” With a swift swipe of its trunk-like paw, the “Exterio” struck Umbris across the head, knocking the Neo-Spacian out cold.

Trying to blink the stars out of his eyes, Alexander raised his head just in time to see the “Naturia Exterio” rapidly dissolve into a tattered, shadow-like mass before just as quickly reforming himself into the form of “Forsaken Wulf”. Though he was still somewhat dazed from the impact against the wall, Alexander let out a furious scream. “No!! Get away from him!!” he shouted with both fear and anger.

“Forsaken Wulf” chuckled hollowly. “I’m afraid you are in no position to be making such a demand,” he darkly proclaimed, one foot placed atop the unconscious Umbris’ chest as he drew his sword. “I wonder…,” “Wulf” mused as he held the sword to Umbris’ head, the tip just a half-an-inch away from the Panther’s temple, “... will it hurt you to watch him die? To once again lose a close friend, never to see him again? Then again,” “Wulf” added grimly as he slowly raised his sword over his head, “you hardly cared when you abandoned me in the first place, when you broke my heart… so now, I’m going to break yours!”
Alexander’s mind froze in terror as he watched “Wulf” bring his sword arm down, intent on decapitating Umbris right then and there. During that moment, Alexander’s world seemed to slow to a crawl. The next two to three seconds seemed to go on for an eternity, and during that time, Alexander’s mind flashed back to that day, the day that he watched helplessly as Galen, his only true friend at the institution, was brutally murdered by Gorlag, almost flattened as the Agorian pummeled the lombax into the floor. His blood pooling around his mangled body as, with his dying breaths, he assured Alex that everything would be all right… and then, Alex’s mind flashed back to the night of the fire, the fire that burned down his home, the home inside which he discovered the corpse of his father, the father that he would never get the chance to completely forgive and be forgiven by.

The two people whom he cared for… and they both died because he could do nothing to protect them… nothing to protect them… nothing… ….

… … … no….

A warm heat began to fill the inside of Alexander’s chest.

… no…

The heat soon became a fire, a fire that burned fiercely. Furiously. Angrily.

No…

That fire soon spread throughout every inch of his being, melting away the fear, the anguish, the sorrow.

No… he wasn’t going to let it happen again… no, he was going to protect those dearest to him… No, he will not fail them again…! NO, he will not fear again!

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

Before “Forsaken Wulf” knew what happened, before his blade could bury itself into Umbris’ flesh, he found himself violently blasted away by a raging blaze. He tumbled along the floor as he desperately attempted to extinguish the flames that threatened to burn him down to the bone.

Meanwhile, startled awake by the commotion, Umbris steadily forced himself back to consciousness as he tried to pick himself up off the ground. He managed to get himself propped up on his elbows when he caught sight of Alexander, now standing adamantly whilst enveloped in a brilliant, crimson glow. Shining just as brightly through Alexander’s shirt was a symbol on the left side of his chest, a circular mark resembling a serpentine dragon, wings outstretched as it seemed to attempt to bite its own tail. A lone object--an egg? a heart?--was in the clutches of the dragon’s front claw. “Alex…?” Umbris uttered in awe as he gazed upon the glowing lombax, the power of the Crimson Dragon radiating off of him.

“How… How is this possible?!!” “Forsaken Wulf” howled in furious disbelief, looking more than a little singed as most of his body had suffered second-and-third-degree burns, and his cape now appeared very tattered. “You’ve never used Fire attacks before, Alexander! You’re supposed to be AFRAID of fire!!”

Alexander’s eyebrows furrowed as he glared at the scorched “Wulf”, then turned his attention to his right hand, which was still emitting some flames and embers. He watched as the flames danced around his hand playfully, feeling their heat as they licked at his fingers, all with no ill effect to his body. He could not help but crack a tiny smile. “Well… there are far greater things for me to fear than fire… but my fears won’t be controlling me anymore,” he replied confidently as he extinguished the flames with a clenching of his fist, his aura dimming down a bit as he went back to staring down the scorched “Wulf”.

“Wulf” glared back at Alexander with stunned disbelief, but after a while, he let off a laugh, a laugh that wasn’t so much malignant as it was… elated?! “Well… I’ll be damned, Alex… here I was, full-on hating your guts, and now I find myself a little happy for you,” “Wulf” replied in a different--yet frighteningly familiar--voice as his burnt body appeared to begin dissolving. “I’m actually glad that you’ve finally gotten over your little trauma. Of course, that’ll just make it all the more satisfying once I destroy you for good…!” By now, the entity that had been passing itself off as numerous people and creatures was now in the form of a nearly formless, swirling mass of darkness, the shadows almost resembling tendrils of tattered cloth.

Meanwhile, Umbris was now back on his feet and standing right by Alexander’s side. “Dammit, just what the hell ARE you?!” the Neo-Spacian yelled at the shadowy vortex floating before them. “Why don’t you just show us your true self so we can get this over with!!”

The shadow gave off a condescending laugh. “What’s the matter, Umbris? Are you that scared of the dark? Or are you still in denial about what I really am? I know you can tell a Duel Monster Spirit when you see one….”

“What are you on about--?!”

“He’s right, Umbris…,” Alexander uttered quietly, apparently having come to the correct conclusion as his expression became pensive. “I… I had actually figured it out just a few minutes ago. The being before us… he’s one of my worst fears brought to life… one of my greatest regrets, and my fears of what would come of my decision to see the end of my journey… … but I would only be half-right if I said that this was strictly my nightmare. This shadow wasn’t just conceived from my fears and regrets, but from your inner pain as well, my friend. Isn’t that right,” Alexander added as he addressed the shadow directly, “... Umbris?”

Umbris’ heart instantly felt tight. That… that couldn’t be right, could it? This thing before them couldn’t possibly be--?

“Oh, but it is…,” the shadowy mass replied with a dour chuckle. “Unfortunately, you seem to be more busy lying to yourself when the truth is staring you right in the face… speaking of which, I seem to have forgotten that my face isn’t showing. Gimme a sec while I get my face done up nice and purdy-like….” The shadow’s form began to shift, taking on a more cohesive form: the head of a panther--Umbris’ head--formed first, or at least mostly formed, as the right half was still in a wispy shadowy state while the left appeared to have partially wasted away, revealing parts of the skull around the eye socket as well as a completely exposed lower jaw bone. Continuing from the neck, an emaciated torso also began to form, the bony arms and ribcage also showing signs of deterioration with holes in the paper-thin flesh also revealing ribs and tendons. Alexander and Umbris half-expected the process to continue with the lower body, yet it never came; the body simply ended at the ribcage, the spine continuing on to form a parody of a tail. The remaining shadows enshrouded the form like a mantle, the tattered darkness billowing around in a nonexistent wind. The horrifying spectre stretched its bony arms, his clawed bone hands stretched outwards as far as they could, before slacking completely. Facing off against the two, the Spectre narrowed his left eye. “Do you like what you see?” he questioned wryly.

 

Tormented All-Consuming Emptiness
Void-Spacian Phantasmal Panther

DARK/Rank 4/Fiend/Xyz/Effect/? ATK/? DEF
2 Level 4 DARK monsters
This card’s original ATK and DEF become equal to the number of banished monsters x300. Once per turn: You can target 1 banished monster; until your opponent’s next End Phase, this card gains that target’s effects. When this card destroys a monster by battle: Banish that monster. During either player’s turn: You can detach 2 Xyz Materials from this card; banish all monsters from both player’s Graveyard.


“The hell?! That effect is insane!” Alexander blurted out. “Oh my god…,” Alexander quietly gasped in shock, the sight of the spectre before him--the being that was once his own best friend--shaking him to his core.

Umbris, on the other hand, was not having any of it, his own body shaking with fury. “No, this is bullshit! There’s no way you can be me! Our Types don’t even match, for one thing!”

“And the Crowned King of Denial continues ever onward,” droned the Void Spacian.

“Stop lying to us! How do we know you’re not just taking that form just to fuck with our heads?!” Umbris continued his accusations, his irises turning a startlingly bright red.

The Void-Spacian coiled around itself irritably, in ways a normal body shouldn’t be bending. “What reason do I have to lie to myself?” he inquired rhetorically, twisting around himself again. “After all, you knew one day it would come to this. Yet you continue to deny me. Do you think that by doing so, you are protecting Alex, or even yourself? I mean, that seems to be the case.”

“And how the hell would you know?!”

The Phantasm rolled its one eye as he sighed in exasperation. “Of course I would know, you overgrown pussy. I. Am. You. What about that is so hard for you to accept?” He coiled around himself once more, his mind apparently racing with a thought. “Then again, I’m not surprised that you’d try to hide or deny the truth from yourself or Alexander--that’s exactly what you did to him when you first met. You remember that, don’t you?” the Void-Spacian asked in a reminiscing, falsely sweet tone as he stared Umbris in the face, smirking as he watched the Neo-Spacian’s face contort in disgust. “The day you and Alex first met? He told you he didn’t want to “feel that pain” anymore, so you went and put away all of those nasty, awful memories and helped him to start a new life--or, rather, a lie--”

“--as opposed to what,” Umbris snapped back, angry tears welling up in his eyes, “letting him die alone?! He needed help, and I was the only one there who could help him! I couldn’t just leave him be--!”

Alexander stepped in between the two Spacians before either one could continue. “Isn’t your quarrel with me?” he asked the spectre. “I mean, I’m the one who wronged you, am I not? Why take it out on Umbris?”

“Weren’t you listening to a damn thing I said while I was mimicking Wildheart? This is just as much his--my fault as it is yours, Alex!” said the spectre, his face beginning to spasm a bit as it seemed to lose a bit of cohesion. “You were the one who wished to return to your old home, that is true, but it was I who was the damned fool for letting you leave. If I had only told you to stay, or even convinced you to let me join you, things would have gone differently. But no, now I’m a near-shapeless mass of DARKNESS!!, thanks to you two….” His face returned to normal (as normal as a revenant’s face could be, of course) as he once again turned his attention toward Umbris, the Neo-Spacian just barely keeping his calm. “To be honest, though,” the Void-Spacian added, “I’d actually place more of the blame on you….”

“Don’t you DARE fucking blame me for what is clearly your own problems!” Umbris hissed menacingly.

The spectre could not help but to laugh at this show of defiance. “Wow, you truly are the King of Denial--no, the Grand Emperor of Denial! Clearly, you forget that my problems belong to you as well! But please, go on and continue to deny yourself, and deny what you may yet become….”


(♫♪“What May Have Been….”♪♫)
“... so… this is really it, isn’t it…?”

“Yes….”

It was only a few months ago, yet it seemed like an eternity since that day. The day that you, Alex, stood before the dimensional rift back to your home dimension, and I was there to see you off….

“... I kinda figured this day would come… I just… didn’t think it’d come this soon…,” I uttered quietly, still unsure how best to act in this situation.

“I know….” You were sad, I knew that. I almost always knew the way you felt sometimes. Yet, even during this, you still managed to hold it together. I guess it was for my sake that you did so, that’s why your face didn’t express the emotions I knew you had to have been feeling. You turned to face me, the small smile on your lips only there to put me at ease. “Umbris… I don’t know what would have become of me had you not appeared to me when you did. I… can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me, Umbris. You’ve been a great friend to me….”

“Y-yeah. You too, Alex….” I was trying to keep it together, if only because I hated the cliche of tearful goodbyes. I was starting to fail, though, as I made a sharp sniffle. “I… I guess, y’know, if either of us were to ever cross paths again….”

You gave a nod, knowing what I was thinking. “I hope so, too, pal… Umbris?” You became concerned when I suddenly turned to look away, trying to hide my face which had decided to shrivel up with emotion. “Hey, you okay?”

“I’m fine! I’m fine,” I told you hastily, even though I obviously wasn’t. It was a struggle to try and suppress my sobbing as I spoke, shying away as you reached a hand out to me. “I just--ah, dammit, Umbris, you can’t break apart now…!”

“Umbris… listen, I--I don’t have to do this today. I mean, I could always go back home some other time--”

“Don’t be stupid, Alex!” I couldn’t stop myself from blurting that out. As much as I had wanted you to stay… I just couldn’t let myself be the reason that you would hold off on going back home. I couldn’t hold you back. You deserved better than that… that’s what I told myself, anyway. “You keep holding off on going back, and you never will. You… you have to do this, Alex, and you know what?” With as much willpower as I could muster, I forced my face into a smile as I turned to look back at you for what would end up being the second to last time I would ever see you. “It’ll be alright, Alex. Everything… will be alright in the end.”

I could see your own facade begin to break, too; eyes watering, lips quivering, ears drooping. You quickly stepped forward and grabbed hold of me, your arms holding me close to you as you attempted to comfort me. Or maybe yourself. I didn’t care. You held onto me for at least a minute, maybe two. “You’re… you’re right, Umbris. Everything will be alright in the end. I… I promise, once this is over, we’ll be able to see each other again.”

“Yeah, sure…,” I hiccuped back, pushing you away as gently as possible. “J… Just get goin’ already. I don’t want you changing your mind at the last second, okay?” I said that even as a part of me wished that you would.

“Umbris, I….” Tears fell from your eyes as you backed away slowly, stepping slowly closer to the portal behind you, prepared to make that half-hearted jump back to your own universe, “I… … see you later….” Without a moment more to reconsider, you made that leap through the portal, leaving me behind. I almost wanted to jump in right after you, and yet… I held myself back, staring at that swirling vortex before me. It took every ounce of my being just to turn away, all the while that portal was slowly fading away. I forced myself not to look back, running away as the portal eventually closed completely….


I did my best to try and keep you off my mind during those next few months, keeping myself busy with missions, such as finding the dimension where Wolfram and Wulf found themselves in after their deaths. I tried, I really did, and yet… ….
… I had to find you. I had to locate you again, wherever you were. I had hoped to at least convince you to return, or even let me tag along with you, like I should have done from the beginning. Even if I couldn’t succeed in that, I’d at least be able to see you again….

… … … by the time I had finally located you, it was already too late; something had gone horribly wrong, either the Dimensionator had malfunctioned or the fabric of that universe was just unstable enough to go awry. You saw no other options, did you…? In order to protect Ratchet, Clank, and their new friends, you had gone and sacrificed your existence to mend the damage that was caused… … I was hidden further away out of sight, horror-stricken as I watched you slowly vanish, trying to reassure Ratchet and the other two lombaxes that everything was going to be alright, that it was meant to happen. And all the while, I was cursing to myself, cursing you and myself: Why did this have to happen? Why did you have to leave? Why couldn’t I have said or done something different? Why--?

… and that’s when you looked in my direction. You couldn’t have possibly seen me where I was hidden. It had to have been a coincidence… that’s what I had thought, until you went and… ….

… and you smiled. You smiled… right at me.

I couldn’t stand there any longer. The moment you were gone completely, I ran. I ran as far and as long as I could. It was all I could do to keep from breaking down right then and there, and even then I could feel myself slowly losing that battle. I had just reached a cliff overlooking the ocean when I finally couldn’t take anymore. I collapsed near the edge as a loud shriek escaped from my throat, the pain and anguish echoing over the ocean….

I had not realized that I had passed out until I awoke to find myself back at the Neo Space Station. I had actually thought--hoped, really--that the whole experience was only a dream… … but a part of me knew better….

Two months had passed since that day, and I had taken to secluding myself in my chambers, avoiding outside contact as much as possible. Even when the other Neo-Spacians or HEROs came in to check on me, I remained mostly unresponsive, practically rooted to the same spot in the center of the room. Days meant nothing to me anymore. They passed seamlessly into each other. One day became two, became three, and so on. The concerned voices of my friends were nothing but white noise, just, background static. They too meant nothing to me anymore. It all… meant nothing. Everything meant nothing. Even me. I… was nothing. Just an empty void. So empty. Nothing held meaning anymore. There was no meaning. Nothing at all Everything was nothing I was nothing There was no meaning anymore whyDidyoUhaVetoLeAvEWhyDIDn’TItelLyOutOSTayYoUDIdn’THAvetodIEIfonlyIhadGONewItHYoUQuiEroMorIR,¿poRQuénovOYaMOrir? なぜ私はあなたに私の気持ちを伝えることができなかった?मैं आप की रक्षा करने वाला थाКако можам да се толку глупави?Тэнэг!Глупый!মূঢ়!నేను, అలెగ్జాండర్ కాబట్టి క్షమించండి….

What happened drove me to madness… YOU, drove me to madness. So… eventually, a day came along, one that would be completely different from all other days before. That day, Terris came in to check on me (I could tell that it was him, even with my back turned to him; aside from his voice, the room would often smelt of soil and gravel whenever he was around).

“Hey, ya doing okay, pardner?” he asked me. A meaningless gesture, although I couldn’t blame him for trying. “Here, I, uhh… brought ya some food. I’m sure you gotta be starvin’.” I could hear the clicking of a plate being placed on a counter. The aroma of a freshly-made meal struck my nostrils, yet it did nothing to stir my stomach awake; it had all but ceased along with the rest of my atrophied body. Still getting no response out of me, Terris attempted more meaningless conversation; “Uhh… things have been goin’ pretty well outside. I mean, well, things have been kinda quiet recent. We got some new recruits as well, been trainin’ em up.”

I could hear how tense his voice was, he hated being in that room with me. I could feel how much he hated it, especially once he lost his temper and slammed his hands on that table. “Dang it Umbris, won’t you say ANYTHIN’?! It’s been three months since Alex died! You can’t keep blamin’ yourself for what you couldn’ control.” As he continued his outburst, I could hear his voice cracking a bit, a little sniffle here and there. He was crying. “People die Umbris, it… it just happens. We’ve all known that since the day we all first hatched from our Chrysalises. You can’t control this sort of thing… … Umb, please, jus’ say somethin’. Anythin’, I don’ care. I jus’ don’ want you t’ be alone like this--GUH-URK!?!”

Terris’ pleas were cut short as a shadowy tendril had wrapped itself around his thick neck, lifting him at least a foot off the ground as he futilely struggled to free himself from its grip. Even though I still had my back turned to him, I knew exactly what was happening; after all, I was the one doing it to him. My tail was the tendril that was slowly choking the life out of him. I… hardly felt a thing as I heard his choked gasps, felt his claws try to tear the lash off of his neck. I could sense what he was thinking in those moments… “Why?”, he was asking me in his head. “Why are you doing this…? I was only trying to help….” Indeed, it was all a futile attempt, needless to say the least, but, again, I could not blame him for trying. I was… actually touched, which made what I did next just a little bit harder for me; still rooted to the spot where I sat, I slowly turned my head to face the Mole--I could hear my vertebrae creaking from its lack of use over those past few months. My blank, almost dead eyes looked into Terris’ slowly clouding eyes and, in a hoarse whisper, I uttered simply: “... I’m sorry, Terry.”

A swift tightening of my tail, accompanied by a vicious snapping sound, and within seconds Terris’ large frame was sprawled out motionless on the floor. I sat there, still staring down at the body, the last of his tears crawling down his face as the light fading out of its eyes. I… I couldn’t just leave him like that. Extending my cape, I proceeded to wrap it around every inch of Terris’ body--not an easy feat, I’m sure you realize. The giant lump of flesh sat there for a few seconds more before, slowly, it began to shrink down as he became one with me.

His words, they, they had resonated with me so strongly. I finally understood everything. Everyone dies… eventually. You died. Terris died. Wildheart would die. I would die. I realized I would have to mourn for those that died until the day I died, not just you, Alex. And once I died, those closest to me would mourn for me. I knew I had to put a stop to that cycle of pain. I had to… I had to protect them. Save them from death. Ah heh heh heh. I had to protect them from themselves. I may have become nothing, but I could still be their salvation, their shelter… no one would ever have to leave me again….

… after Terris, my next, err… “acquisition” was Lumi; the Twinkle Moss had been standing right outside my door, the look of sheer horror in her eyes telling me that she had seen what became of poor Terry. She was almost frozen to the spot for a few seconds before her body finally decided to make a run for it. She didn’t get far, though, as my tendrils quickly ensnared her. Her agonized cries caught the attention of the other Neo-Spacians, but, of course, she was assimilated by the time they had arrived. I wasted little time in piercing Aeros’ throat, though Pyros and Aquos were far more tenacious, combining their strengths in their attempt to subdue me. Even then, I could sense their hesitation; they didn’t wish to harm me. A tragic mistake, indeed, as I took the opportunity to use their own powers against them--scalding water really isn’t good for a Dolphin, especially if you make them ingest it. As for the Scarab, well, it’s a shame that he got distracted by the blinding light--he never got to see the drill coming for his face. Terris’ soul seemed to utter a tearful apology for what he was forced to do, but I paid it no mind as Aquos and Pyros were both made one with me.

Neos stepped up to bat shortly after that, in a valiant attempt to avenge my brethren. Of course, without us to help him, he was severely handicapped. Don’t suppose I have to tell you what happens next, right? Actually, I should say that, while Neos failed to stop me, he did manage to deploy a distress beacon before confronting me, clearly prepared for the worst. And that… was when the real fun began--

“So, lemme guess: You then went on a murderous dimension-wide rampage like one of those emotionally unstable people who decide one day they’re gonna shoot up a school, right?” Umbris cut in rudely. “You know what, don’t even answer that; I think I stopped caring after you murdered your friends.”

The Void-Spacian snarled loudly, irritated that his monologue was interrupted. “I wasn’t finished…!” he spat angrily.

“Do you think I give a Volcanic Rat’s ass?” Umbris growled scornfully. “‘Cuz, all I’m hearing is the bitchings of some whiny emo c*nt who gave up on life. You think you’re me? Dream the fuck ON!!!”

“Don’t deny that you at least felt the same way I did when Alex left,” snapped the Phantasm. “You are the one dreaming if you think that what happened to me would not happen to you! Matter of fact, had Isamy not interfered with the timelines--”

“--you’re right,” Alexander blurted out, still somewhat stunned by what he had heard. “Isamy… she actually--”

“Alex, don’t you realize what you’re saying?!” Umbris hissed out incredulously. “That little bitch is the reason we’re stuck in this damn war, in case you’d forgotten--!”

“Yes, yes, that's all well and true,” yawned the Void-Spacian, “but even you cannot deny that this War has been beneficial to some of the participants. You two, especially. Why, I’d wager that Alexander has gotten over the majority of his traumatic past within these past, I’d like to say, three-to-four days? Much faster than he would have had history proceeded as it originally did. And you, Umbris, you get to be with Alexander again… you… you have no idea how jealous I am of you,” the Spectre added, his face once again spasming uncontrollably as the echoes of screams and sobs emitted from the tattered cape-like shadows.

“Then stay fu{b][/b]cking jealous,” Umbris threatened. “You said it yourself, you’re a fubcking nothing. You can’t even be jealous of us. You’re just some sad jealous prick pretending he’s so deep and so hurt, when really, he’s just a whiny bitch and nothing else. Sure, maybe I coulda ended up like you. But look here right now. I DIDN’T, now did I? Irregardless of Alex being here, I at least kept it together. The only thing that’s even remotely similar about us is our names and that’s it. So, now I think it’s time you fucked off, cause what you are. Everything that you are? It’s not going to happen anymore. You’re just the sad remnant of a dead timeline! You don’t EXIST!”

“Really? Tell me, then: does THIS feel nonexistent?!” A tormented cry echoed through the corridor as a giant fist emerged from the inside of the cape and quickly flung itself at Umbris, colliding violently into the Neo-Spacian and sending him sailing into the wall behind them. Alexander managed to catch a glimpse of the arm’s owner before it was pulled back inside the Phantom, gasping in shock upon seeing that it was Garlandolf (goodness, that guy must have seen better days, by the looks of him). “I don’t care if my timeline is no longer possible,” declared the Phantasmal Panther, the moans and screams of the souls trapped inside of him growing louder and more frequent. “In fact, I’m pretty damn glad as shit that it’s no longer possible! That just means what I did may never happen! And yet I, a nonexistent being, still exist, and there is still one desire I wish to fulfill… the one thing that I could not have; You, Alexander.” With a dramatic flourish, the Void-Spacian expanded his shadowy mantle with a swish, revealing the near-pitch-black interior… and the numerous souls trapped inside of it. “All of these souls, they reside within me. They have kept me company… as best they could, really. But you, Alex… with you, I can finally feel complete again.”

“... well, I’m sorry, but I think my life will be much better off with my real friends than some Legion wannabe,” Alexander replied as calmly as possible, despite the intensity of the glare he was giving the Spectre.

“... that wasn’t a request.”

“Because you didn’t ask a question in the first place” Alexander retorted just as calmly. “I have absolutely no intention of being a part of your sick little masquerade. Those aren’t your friends, or your company. Those are the people who cared about you that you killed in cold blood, and now you’re just playing with their corpses like they’re your sick hand puppets. Whoever you are now, one thing’s certain: You are no longer Umbris… or my friend!!!”

The Void-Spacian’s contorted in unfathomable rage. “Enough of this…,” he uttered calmly despite his expression, though his voice quickly rose in volume. “I will not lose you again, Alexander, I don’t care if we’re friends no longer… I WILL HAVE YOU!!!” Without further warning, Numerous tendrils shot out from within the Void-Spacian’s cape, all advancing on Alexander’s location, prepared to ensnare him--

“ALEX!!!” Instead, the tendrils found themselves wrapped around Umbris instead, who had dashed in front of Alexander just in time to intercept the Void-Spacian’s attempt.

“Umbris?!”

“... hmph, not what I was expecting,” chimed the Phantasmal Panther, “but I guess I may as well take care of this, first. Say good-bye to Alex, “Umbris”...!”

“It’ll be alright, Alex!” Umbris called out as the tendrils drew him inside the Phantasmal Panther’s void. “Everything will--HEY, watch where you’re groping--BWAH!!!”

“You honestly think it’s “going to be alright”?” the Phantasm taunted as Umbris was completely within his void. “We didn’t believe ourselves the first time we said it, so what made you think this time was any different…?”

“UMBRIS!!!” Alexander cried out.

(♫♪“What Our Tears Meant”♪♫)
“Heh, so much for him. Within moments, he’ll be just another lost soul…,” the Void-Spacian mused tauntingly to the distraught Alexander, “... and soon, you and I will be joining him--GAAH?!” The Spectre was caught by surprise as he was struck by an crescent-shaped energy slash.

The energy slash came from one of two laser swords gripped tightly in Alexander’s hands, the same hands that were trembling furiously as Alexander was once more enveloped in the Blazing Soul aura. “Let… him… go…!” Alexander growled out in-between angry breaths.

“But… But Alexander…!” the Void-Spacian pleaded, for once showing signs of disbelief and sadness. “I… I’m only doing this for you. For us! All I ever wanted was--” The Phantasmal Umbris could not finish his sentence as he then had to hastily draw out Wildheart’s sword to deflect a barrage of energy bullets fired by a pair of crimson-colored blasters that were now in Alexander’s hands.

“You wanna do something for me? Then you will release my real friend, now,” Alexander replied in barely controlled fury as he kept his blasters aimed at the Phantasm. “I know now that you are not Umbris, and never were. Wanna know how I know? I know, because the real Umbris would NEVER do anything to hurt me! And in these past few minutes, boy, did you ever hurt me.”

The Void-Spacian growled fiercely. “You wanna talk to me about being hurt…? Have you any idea of the suffering I went through?! The pain YOU put me through--?!” Once more, the spectre was interrupted by a baseball-sized energy striking him in the torso, the resulting explosion shattering the ribcage wide open.

“Now, we can either compare each other’s sob story,” Alexander snarled as he un-Summoned his baseball bat, “OR we can just skip all that and I get my friend out of you!”

“... then come and get him,” Phantom!Umbris taunted, “but rest assured, I will have you before you can get him back…!”

“We’ll see…!!” With a battle cry, Alexander dashed furiously toward the Void-Spacian, jumping head-first into the Spectre’s open ribcage as he plummeted through the Void within….

(“Losing Myself/Umbris’ Lament”♫♪)
… the void… it was dark, endless. Umbris felt completely weightless, drifting in the infinite darkness that threatened to make him one with itself. “... so… this is really it, isn’t it…?” the Neo-Spacian uttered to himself.

“It ain’t so bad, Umb....,” Terris’ voice replied weakly as the Terra Mole’s corpse-like form materialized next to Umbris. “I mean, sure, we ain’t got much free will anymore, but at least we ain’t lonely here.”

“Indeed,” Wulf assured the Panther as he, too, slowly came into view. “Together, in here, we can all be one. Here, we all can never part….”

It was then that more of the trapped souls appeared around Umbris, all of them staring upon him with frozen expressions, and dead, lifeless eyes (well, those who still had eyes did, anyways). Drawing slowly closer to him, they all reached out lifelessly towards him. Their cloying fingers gripped his body tightly as they threatened to drag him further into the darkness, all while chanting in a unified monotone: “In the Void, We are One… In the Void, We are One… In the Void, We are One… In the Void, We are One….”

"... I'm sorry, Alex…,” Umbris uttered softly as a tear rolled out of his eye, slowly feeling his willpower fading. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t…."

""Couldn't" what? What's got you so apologetic, huh?"

(“As the Present Resonates the Past”♫♪)
Umbris’ eyes snapped open as a familiar voice called out to him through the void. "I... I'm not worth anything... I... I let him down... because of me, he lost his life, and I became… that…."

"Is that all, though? Surely there’s more to it than the guilt of failing someone you care about…."
Looking ahead of him, Umbris could see a familiar shape start to come into focus: a white-furred, long-eared feline-like creature with red stripes.

"... ... there’s nothing good left anyways…. I’m just another… useless… snivelling… nothing...."

"You still have a chance to recover from this. I mean, this isn’t a place for a guy like you, someone who still has their whole life ahead of them."

"... if only I could say the same…."

"... so, what’s it gonna be? How do you want these next moments to go?"

"I just... ... I don't want that to be me… I don’t want to be nothing!"

"If you had another chance... would you take it?"

He was remembering… it was just like that day. That day, over twenty years ago, when he had first found Alexander. "I... I don't... I don't want to feel this, anymore...."

"So, you gonna help me out, or what?”

"... wha...?"

"'Cuz I can't help you unless you help me help you! C’mon, gimme your hand!"

Umbris tried desperately to break free from the cluster of souls, his arms managing to escape their rotting embrace as he held his hand out as far as it could reach towards Alex, but more souls piled on him, quelching that poor attempt.

"Dammit… this can’t happen, not now!"

"... something tells me he’s not going to make this easy... but, hey, I could always use the challenge.” An idea suddenly occurs to Alex. “Hey! You got a name, pal?”

“Wha? But, you know my name already--!”

“--listen to me,” Alexander told Umbris, “the Void-Spacian may have lost his sense of self, but you still have yours. That’s the true difference between the two of you! As long as you know who you are, you’ll never be nothing. Now, c’mon! Tell me your name!”

“My… name… … … … ?!!” Something wasn’t right. His name… his name… where in his damned mind was his name?! How could he have forgotten?! Now, he was truly scared, his outstretched arm starting to go lax as despair slowly washed over him. “I… … I can’t… remember….”

“Oh-no…,” Alexander quietly gasped out. “No, you can’t give up now! If you succumb to this, then you’ll just become like the rest of them. You’ll become just like him! You can’t let that happen, Um--MMRRRPH!!!” Alexander struggled as he found a skeletal hand reach from behind and clamp atop his mouth. A second hand grabbed on to his outstretched hand, restraining him further. U--r-s gasped in horror as he saw the Void-Spacian’s head come into view, floating behind Alexander.

“Now now Alex~,” Void Umbris’ head purred as it floated by the lombax’s head, more bony hands forming to bind his body tightly. One pair of bony hands gently caressed Alex’s head in a soothing manner. “You don’t need to worry about him anymore. You’re within me now, and I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”

“No… let him GO!!” U---i- cried out as he struggled to free himself from the souls restraining him.

“Why do you bother?” the Phantasmal Panther quipped. “In a few moments, you won’t even be a memory. You’ve already forgotten your own name, have you not? It’ll only be a matter of time before the rest of you is erased. So, I suggest you cease with your futile endeavors and disappear here, dissolve into the endless void where forgotten memories are put to rest--”

“Shut. Your. Fucking. MOUTH!” Alexander hollered as he wrenched an arm free from one of the Spectre’s many hands, swinging back and colliding his fist dead-center into the Void-Spacian’s face, forcing the Phantasmal Panther to release him completely as it recoiled back in shock. “How dare you…!” Alexander seethed. “You think I could ever forget about my own best friend?! Now I KNOW you’ve gone and lost your damned mind!”

The Void-Spacian growled furiously, his face rippling madly as his anger grew. “Stop… calling him that…! I am your best friend! ME!!”

“YOU’RE NOT UMBRIS!” Alexander roared defiantly, taking another swing at the Void Spacian. His fist connected cleanly, compacting the Void Spacian’s muzzle before the law of physics came back into effect. The momentum of the strike sent his head hurtling off into the darkness. With the Phantasm currently out of the way, Alexander motioned his way toward the restricted Neo-Spacian. “Umbris, please, you can’t forget who you are! You have to remember!”

“... but… even if I do…,” U----- uttered in a defeated tone, turning his gaze down and away from Alexander, “will… will you still remember me…?”

“... of course I will,” Alexander affirmed softly as he floated ever closer toward his dear friend. “Umbris… we’ve been friends for over half of my life. You helped me, gave me hope when I thought it to be lost. Whenever I felt that I’ve reached rock-bottom, you were always there to help me back up. You’ve always been there for me, and right now, I am here for you.

“And… even when the day comes that you and I can no longer be together,” Alexander added somewhat tearfully, “just know… that you will always be in my heart, my dear friend… as I, too, will always be in yours. Let us not ever forget that, okay?” Once more, he reached out a hand to the Neo-Spacian. “I promise you this, on my name as Alexander Zenith.”

U-br-s was so incredibly touched by Alex’s speech that his name regained three whole letters. “Alex….” He was so taken aback, he barely noticed as the tight grip the souls once had on him lessened. Each of them slowly released him of their own free will, happily fading back into the darkness. “... you’re right. Even when that day comes, I’ll never lose you completely. You’ll continue to live on in my thoughts, and my heart…. As long as I remember that… I can never lose my way, or myself. Because I know… that you, and my friends will always be there for me, and I for them.” With renewed resolve, Umbris pushed his way toward Alexander, his own hand once again reaching out toward his friend. “Even in this darkness, this void, I won’t falter any longer. I’m not going to let my fears and “what ifs?” hold me back anymore. This I vow, on my name as Umbris, Neo-Spacian Umbra Panther!”

Finally reaching each other, Alex and Umbris clasped each other’s hand. A wide, joyful smile crossed their faces as they stared at each other with tearful eyes--

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Oh shit, we almost forgot about him,” Alex and Umbris blurted out in unison as Void-Spacian Phantasmal Panther re-entered the scene, furiously howling blue murder.

“NOOOOOOOO. I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS DISNEY, CARE BEARS BULLSHIT TO CONTINUE! ALEX WILL BE STAYING WITH ME! MEEEEEE!!!” Void!Umbris shrieked at an ear-piercing volume

Umbris, on the other hand, scoffed at this. “Still acting like a jealous little bi[tch? And you claim to be me.”

“It’s over, Phantom,” Alexander declared, the Blazing Soul aura still surrounding him. “Your time has long since past. It’s time you’ve gone to rest.”

“You want me to just let go?! After all I’ve had to suffer through? After every effort and every sacrifice? You think you can just walk out on me--?!”

“”Effort and sacrifice”?” Umbris cut in incredulously. “The only “effort and sacrifice” you ever made was to destroy everything and lose your sense of self, all because you were pissed that the rest of the Multiverse dared to continue on even when your world ended! The only sacrifices you made were the people who foolishly gave a damn about you. Your only effort was to turn everything around you into the same miserable void that you are! You’ve sacrificed jackshit in all your “efforts” to make everything ten times worse than they were BECAUSE YOU THREW A FUCKING HISSY FIT! YOU RUINED YOUR WORLD BECAUSE OF A TANTRUM!!!” Umbris bellowed out furiously, his firm grip on Alex’s hand tightening with every furious word that left his lips. “You don’t know a single thing about what it means to give everything up for the sake of someone else. Your Alex knew that price, and he was more than willing to pay it to save everyone he cared about. I’m fuing glad he died. At least now he doesn’t have to see you as the despicable monster you fucking are.”

“I am truly sorry for what happened to your Alexander,” Alex said to the Phantom, “and I am sorry that it had affected you as it did… but in doing what you had done, you did a dishonor to that Alexander’s memory. He would never have wanted you to suffer like you did, nor to have lost yourself, or to have lashed out at the world. He would have wanted you to continue to live your life, even through the pain and sadness, because there would have always been a better tomorrow.” As he spoke, Alexander placed his other hand comfortingly around Umbris’. “It’s like you said to him then: “Everything would be alright in the end--””

Once more, Phantasmal!Umbris let loose a howling shriek, though this time it was tinged in sadness. “I. Don’t. CARE! About tomorrow! Alex… all I wanted was to have you back again. Even if it was for just a minute more. I didn’t care. All I want now is you… Alex. I just want you. Forever!” With one last shriek, The Void-Spacian made one final lunge toward Alexander and Umbris.

The two friends quickly glanced at each other, their eyes each express a great deal of trust in one another. Within the span of a second, they came to an agreement. Alexander’s Aura crept along Umbris’ arm before quickly spreading over the rest of his body, enveloping him in the same brilliant crimson glow. “Well then, we’d be more than happy to send you right to him,” Umbris stated confidently as he and Alexander held their free hands out before them, aimed at the Phantasm. But they were not the only ones,as a number of flashes escaped from Alexander's Deck. Several cards floated in mid-air, revealing themselves to be Wildheart, Farkas, Terris and Dark Magician Girl. They each took their place behind the duo, and they all placed a hand on Alex and Umbris's shoulders.

At this, the Spectre paused. "What... What is this?!"

“This is the power of our unity, Phantom,” Dark Magician Girl declared, a card in her free hand shining brightly, with Umbris being enveloped in its brilliance. The card in question? “United We Stand”. “A power whose light that can break through even the darkness of the void!”

“That’s right!” Terris chimed in, thrusting his drill gauntlet into the air. “We’re always there for each other, even when we’re at our lowest. And right now, you need our help most of all, and more than ya know!”

Phantom!Umbris growled defiantly. “You REALLY think you idiots can destroy me with this Friendship Routine?! Even if we go by Card Game Mechanics, I’d STILL trounce all of you in an instant through sheer Attack Power alone!”

“You mean through your effect, right?” Wildheart assessed. “This Void of yours is like a Banish Pile, right? Every soul in here is technically banished, and your power gets stronger for every soul you’ve trapped here right?”

“Ah, I see where this is going,” Farkas added with a knowing smile, getting in a few more seconds of screentime in the process.

“What are you getting at--?!” Phantom!Umbris snapped back, but cutting himself off with a gasp once he realized where indeed this confrontation was about to go.

“Figured it out, huh?” Umbris taunted as his eyes briefly flashed with a blue light. He grunted, seemingly in pain, as he underwent a minor metamorphosis: shadowy wisps enshrouded his hands as his cape took on the same tattered tendril-like appearance of the Void-Spacian’s own mantle. “Karma’s a right bitch, y’know,” Umbris continued with a slight pant once the adaptation was complete, black smoke coming from his mouth as he spoke. “Now, all the souls of those you’ve murdered and trapped? They’re all going to help me to take you down. Any final requests before I end this nightmare?!”

Realizing that his own end was at hand, the Void-Spacian became desperate as he frantically looked around for a possible out, or at least some momentary protection. “I… I-I choose to replicate the effect of the Obnoxious Celtic Guard! Since your Attack Power would be higher than 1900, I’ll be safe from your attack--!!”

“Guess again.” With a card clutched tightly between the pointer and middle finger of his free hand, Alexander took aim as if he were holding a gun, and fired a single “round” at Phantom!Umbris. The shot struck Phantom!Umbris’ cape, which instantly shattered from the impact. “Sorry,” Alexander apologized, “but no matter what you had planned on duplicating to save yourself, I had a “Breakthrough Skill” at the ready to remove your abilities altogether!”

The Void-Spacian was paralyzed with stunned silence, the fragments of his mantle scattered all around him. Now he was truly finished, as the “Breakthrough Skill” not only stripped him of his copying ability, but also his offensive capabilities. Now, even a slight breeze could destroy him. He was now defenseless, powerless to stop what was coming next.

“It’s time for you to pay, for everything you’ve done and for everyone you’ve hurt” Umbris cried out as the innumerous souls Void Umbris had collected over time formed behind Alexander and Umbris.

They all stood as one, death glares pointed straight at their prison keeper, their hands on Alex’s and Umbris’ shoulders in spirit as the United We Stand ignited a burning aura over the two. They raised their hands to the sky, uniting their energies in a raging sphere of crimson energy. All the souls raised their hands in unison, returning to spheres of light that united with the the crimson ball of energy. It exploded in scale, dwarfing everyone else as it burned shining holes in the seemingly endless void. “IT’S OVER FOR YOU!” Alex and Umbris cried out in unison.
“BURNING UMBRALIS ATTACK!!!”

With all their might they hurled the enormous sphere at Void Umbris, the weakened head incapable of fleeing as the the sphere literally burned holes in his empty skull. A terrified screech pierced the void as the attack consumed the fallen Neo-Spacian, wiping him clean off the face of existence itself. With the Spectre gone, the Void all around them shattered, returning them all to the corridor, which now seemed far brighter in comparison to the darkness of the Void.

Feeling immensely relieved, Alexander let loose a joyful sigh. “You did it, Umbris!” Alexander said almost breathlessly.

“Not without you guys,” Umbris replied, equally relieved that the nightmare was over. Or was it? Alexander and the Duel Monsters tensed up as they heard a quiet, infantile sobbing nearby.

The source of the sobbing came from a small bundle of darkness that was slowly levitating towards them. Umbris seemed about ready to strike at it, but he was held back from doing so by Alexander simply placing a hand on his shoulder. The orb was now close enough that they were able to get a better look at the anomaly; within the wispy darkness resided a hairless, embryo-like kitten. The shrivelled-looking creature stared at them with blank, tearful eyes. “I guess… that’s it for me,” the embryo quavered defeatedly. “You two… still have each other. I suppose I should be happy for you, but….”

“... you’re still not at peace…,” Alexander somberly whispered.

The Embryo sniffled in reply. “All I have left… is this loneliness….”

(“Eternal Memories”♫♪)
Normally, Umbris would’ve had some sort of quip or other one-liner to say. Not this time. He was completely silent. Alexander, meanwhile, felt pity for the poor phantom. All he had wanted was to be with his friend once more. He was so deep in thought, that he almost didn’t notice a figure approaching the Embryo from behind, a figure whose features and outline were periodically obscured by what appeared to be static noise. As soon as the figure was close enough, he and the other Duel Monsters gasped upon realizing who it was: It was Alexander. The Void-Spacian’s Alexander.

The Embryo ceased its sobbing as he, too, sensed the faded Alexander behind him. “... Alex…?”

The faded lombax smiled gently as he held the embryo in his arms. Forgiveness was just radiating off of him. “You’re not alone anymore, Umbris," said the faded Alexander gently, the embryo cradled close to his chest. "Now, it’s time to go home, we’ve bothered these people enough I should think,” he smiled as he gave a knowing wink to Alex and Umbris. He turned off into the darkness, the two fading away back into nothingness, both with a smile on their faces....

“... well,” Umbris finally spoke up, his adrenaline finally starting to slowly wear off, “I guess… I guess that’s….” He couldn’t finish his thought with the knot slowly forming in his throat, his body trembling as his emotions rapidly surfaced. With a sobbing gasp, the Neo-Spacian dropped to his knees as his legs gave out.

“Umbris…!” Alexander quickly knelt down beside the sobbing Neo-Spacian.

“I… I don’t want that to happen…,” Umbris uttered between sobs. “I don’t want that… to be our future….”

Calmly, Alexander wrapped his arms around Umbris’ shoulders, cradling his friend close to him. “It doesn’t have to be that way, Umbris,” he reassured the Umbra Panther, his voice gentle even as tears welled up in his own eyes. “You and I… we’ve been friends for a long time, and we’ll still be that way for as long as we can. It may not be forever… but that’s what will make the moments we have all the more cherish-able….”

“... you promise…?” Umbris hiccuped.

“We both will,” Alexander replied, grabbing hold of one of Umbris’ hands and interlocking each other’s pinky fingers.

Feeling a bit more at ease, Umbris wrapped an arm around Alexander, returning his hug. “Thank you… for coming back for me….”

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

Koishi and Yukari, with Neos

A2/3, Pathway of Truth

 

The moment she entered the Pathway of Truth, the silver-haired girl named Koishi Komeiji couldn’t help but to feel a sense of unnatural uneasiness from the air of the place. She was not really actually feeling sleepy at that moment, but she decided to pretend that she’s asleep, or more accurately, decided to try sleeping all the way through the pathway to avoid the uneasy feeling. She silently watched when Yukari talked with the fairies, when she realized about the existence of the truth field on the pathway. Something quite inconvenient, but far from debilitating to her, and it wouldn’t be the source of her discomfort on the pathway.

 

She was actually still pretty awake when Yukari talked with Arturia, and her sleepiness then was really just an act. She felt an air of discomfort around the king, probably due to the aura she emanated back then, but it was definitely was not the same feeling as the one that she felt before. Koishi honestly thought that what Yukari did was completely reckless and uncharacteristically so for her, but to utter those thoughts in a colder tone that what she was used to like that, it felt completely odd. Even more odd was when Koishi called out Yukari on her forced attempt to be polite to the yellow man, as she said it in a tone too snide for her. She felt like she’s completely not being herself right her, and that thought scared her a lot. But Koishi managed to hide what she was thinking well enough as Yukari continued to talk with the yellow man.

 

"Uh, sorry, I guess we can talk, though I'm not sure why you approach me of all beings. Just...don't sneak up on me like that again."

 

“Sneaking is part of the fun, however.” Yukari answered, with some sense of playfulness coming from those word of hers. Koishi noticed that from the moment she woke up on the boat alongside the youkai of boundaries, Yukari was slowly becoming far too cheerful than what she ever expected her to be, especially after all the things she went through before. It’s as if the person currently carrying her was someone else entirely.  No way would Yukari be the overconfidently reckless, teasing person here. Perhaps, this was the true reason behind why she felt that certain air of uneasiness here. For one reason or another, neither of her and Yukari was being themselves right now. Koishi started wonder whether it was the pathway’s doing, and also regarding how did it even manage to do that in the first place, altering the characters of both her and Yukari. And even right now, her overanalyzing things like this was quite not like her at all. The entire thing really did start to make Koishi worry more and more.

 

“Koishi, anything wrong?” Yukari asked her concernedly. It seemed that she was able to sense Koishi’s turbulent feeling right now, which would mean that her feelings started to leak outside of her.

 

“I…I don’t know. Just ignore me for now.”

 

“Well, if that’s what you wanted, Koishi.” Yukari shook her head a bit before turning her attention back to the yellow man. Man in yellow would be a better word to use, but Koishi could feel something yellowish from him. Some sort of vibe or something, but that’s not really important right now.

 

“Ah, right. Sorry for that. Well, I said I was going to ask you something, right?

 

Well then…let’s go straight to the point. What reason do you have in following King Arturia, or do you join the Counter Corps for the purpose of saving your own world? I just want to make sure about why people follow someone that would just use them as sacrificial lions for something called “the greater good”. She’s definitely far from the sheer horribleness that is Protheus, and compared to him, she’s a complete saint, but…

 

Though…do you even aware of the fact that she actually has something else on her mind than what she said to you all when she said that she wanted to open the Door on her own?”

 

Unsurprisingly for Koishi, Yukari touched that topic again passionately, seemingly had not managed in getting over it after her encounter with Arturia. It was yet another one of her uncharacteristically reckless move. Koishi tried her best to not just use her tentacles to drag Yukari away from the yellow man, and for now, she did manage to avoid that from happening. Yukari herself looked at the yellow man expectantly as she waited for his answer.

 

“So…I have to say that I’m curious about your imminent answer, shapeshifter.”

 

 

---

 

 

The Pathway of Death. True to its name, Tenco could feel a clear sense of dread the moment she arrived on the place. She couldn’t really put her fingers on what actually caused the feeling inside of her, but the atmosphere around her itself was quite worrying enough. The pitch-black darkness…everything about the pathway was really eerie, but Tenco tried her best to not let it be a deterrent for her in finishing the pathways and carrying out the goal of her journey there.

 

Using her blazing sword as a makeshift torch, Tenco walked down towards the stone path leading to the heart of the darkness. From her location, she could barely hear anything, if at all, which only add to the dreadful air of the pathway. And the silence continued as she treaded carefully on the path, with her also trying her best to keep herself alert to not be caught off guard by whatever surprises the pathway might hold. Not long after, she noticed something shiny lying on the ground, and despite her best attempt to ignore it in fear of it being a trap, her curiosity managed to defeat her willpower, and she walked towards the shiny object and picked it up for closer inspection. It was a…floral wreath? Tenco was surprised. She could’ve sworn that not long ago, it was clearly something golden and shiny, but with the object being on her hands right now, there’s no doubting that it was clearly a floral wreath. While Tenco could’ve sworn that she had never seen something similar to it before, it inexplicably had that certain air of familiarity with it, and not long after, Tenco’s mind had drifted off alongside it, away from the darkness of the pathway.

 

---

 

 “How’s the development of the border towns going right now?”

 

“It has been going quite well, Your Majesty. We’ve successfully constructed the dam you asked earlier south, and the road pavement is ongoing at a promising rate right now. Though…”

 

“Hm, what’s wrong?”

 

The blue-haired emperor rose from her seat as the messenger’s voice trailed off. She couldn’t help but sense a bad omen from that sudden pause.

 

“Recently, our supply routes to those towns are being terrorized by bandits, or so we thought at first. When we managed to capture one of these “bandits” and interrogated him, we found out that it was actually a sabotage attempt from the neighboring kingdom, though he refused to say which one.”

 

…tch, I knew it. They’re really on the move now, huh?

 

The emperor sighed. Diplomacy was never really her strong point. That point belonged to her close friend and advisor, Iku, who was still away on a diplomatic mission. Though, at this point, the young emperor believed that she had no strong points at all.

 

“Ugh, this could prove to be problematic. We’re not exactly in a good position to declare war or to defend from an invasion…

 

Messenger, try contacting some of our high ranking generals, and tell them to meet me in my quarters this night. And then, contact our project supervisors in the border towns, and tell them to start preparing for the possibility of an incoming attack, and make sure that they’re in a position to stage an evacuation attempt if direct combat is imminent.

 

Do you copy, messenger?”

 

“Yes, milord. I shall do as you said.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

The messenger humbly backed away out from the throne room. The room was now devoid of other people bar the emperor, who returned to her seat, her mind was full of anxiety. The news of her father’s death and her abrupt appointment as the emperor not several months ago must have made some neighboring kingdoms believed that her kingdom was vulnerable, and ripe for the picking. They’re not wrong, to be honest. Economic growth hadn’t been really good as of late with several chains of failed harvests and her inability to actually handle the threat of bandits roaming freely on the trade routes. She had also lost a sizable chunk of her territory due to an utterly stupid move, and not to mention other mess ups like how she messed up an important appointment with a potential ally, which made her unsure whether she had accidentally made another enemy towards her and her people by screwing that appointment. At this point, she was pretty sure that it probably just a matter of time before the heavenly mandate was taken away from her by force.

 

“I probably shouldn’t have stepped up as the emperor over Iku.

 

…Darn it! If only I am a good emperor, then all of these problems wouldn’t happen. My people wouldn’t suffer from my incompetence if I’m anywhere near the usefulness of Iku. “

 

“Milady!”

 

“What is it? What’s with that expression?” The young emperor cursed inside when one of her advisors ran through the front door of the throne room, looking like he’s completely panicking due to something. From all the things she would’ve wanted to see that time, something with that much of ill omen would fall very low on the list. Sighing, the young emperor slouched off on her throne as the advisor arrived in front of her with the news.

 

“Milady, we-we’re doomed!”

 

“Doomed?” That was a really unexpected word to come from his mouth, and even with the emperor expecting a bad news, ‘doomed’ was not something she actually imagined to hear. Even she was not pessimistic enough to expect the advisor saying that her position was completely hopeless.

 

“We…we’ve been fed by false intel all these times. Some people from our inner circle had apparently defected all this time without any of us realizing it, mainly due to you being the emperor right now. They have misled us in the meanwhile, and they managed to amass an army for a coup under our nose.

 

That army is currently marching to this city, and we’re severely outnumbered.”

 

“I….that is so, huh?” That was the only thing the young emperor could muster for a reply to her advisor as her expression went completely pale, facing with the certain loss she would suffer soon. She had no idea on how to muster either a political or military maneuver to turn the tables around right now, and even if she somehow could, the news of a civil war on her kingdom would certainly gave the opening for her hostile neighbors to invade. She could…she could probably run away to save herself, but that would only forsake the people that stayed with her all this time despite her being an ineffectual ruler, and it would just tarnish her family’s honor. She could stay there and fight to the bitter end, but…truth to be told, she was very afraid of dying in a way like that. And if she was taken prisoner, who knew what could happen to her, or how horrible would her execution be.

 

It was as if she was forced to pick that certain choice by fate.

 

“…Milady?” Her advisor, who had as much idea as her on what to do right now, asked her worriedly.

 

“Please leave this room and lock the doors for now. I need some time to think.” She weakly answered.

 

“…? …Ah, as you wish, milady.” The advisor was at first slightly surprised with her reply, but a quick glance on her eyes showed him on what she actually intended to do, and with a sense of dread in his voice when he gave his reply to the order, the advisor slowly left the throne room, leaving the teenage emperor alone inside of it.

 

---

 

“…Being an emperor? Are you kidding? I’m just a child…I won’t be able to be one, ever. And…there’s no empire for me to reign over anyway.”

 

The vision she had as her mind drifted off shocked Tenco when she finally regained her consciousness, mumbling about something. Just as the vision reached its end, she was abruptly awakened from her trance; her focus was returned to the pathway. She stood up from her position in a slight confusion about what exactly happened, but not long after that she realized that she was still holding the floral wreath she found earlier on her right hand. Deciding to take another look at it, Tenco brought it closer to investigate, but she immediately threw it away in surprise when she noticed that it was now completely covered in blood, which had also stained her right hand that had been holding to it.

 

“W-what the hell was that?”

 

Did the wreath have some connection to the vision she had just experienced? Tenco assumed it did, but it could be too early to assume anything about it. Either way, it was quite disturbing for her that the pathway would really incite this kind of hallucination with just some inconspicuous objects as its trigger. Still, with the knowledge on the fact that the vision she had couldn’t even happen to her, she drew a short breath of relief, which gave her enough steadiness inside to properly continue her journey and be more and more careful along the way in fear of getting another disturbing vision.

 

Though, not long after she continued her walk, she came across another thing lying on the ground, and much to her pleasant surprise, it was her beloved adorned black hat, with the imitation holly, or peach (she couldn’t really recall what it’s supposed to be) decoration still completely intact on the side of the hat. Without suspecting anything regarding how the hell her hat would end up there after being blown away during her battles earlier in the previous pathway, Tenco put it up on her head without much consideration. And, expectedly, the moment it touched her scalp, she immediately lost her consciousness as she entered yet another hallucination.

 

 

---

 

 

 “You do know why you’re summoned here, right?” The deep, stern voice of the blue haired girl’s father echoed through the room while his daughter sat across of him, completely intimidated by his presence.

 

“Y-yes, father.”

 

“I’ve told you again and again to not create a mess outside, but you never listened. Where is your respect to me? You’re just tarnishing our family’s name by doing so.”

“I-I’m sorry, father. It will never happen again.” The blue-haired girl apologized meekly, but her father didn’t even seem to listen to her words, or pay her any attention actually. He was clearly seething with rage, and the girl realized it.

 

“There will be no such thing as “again”. Enough is enough. This has happened way too much, you ungrateful child. Again and again, you’ve gone against my orders, and you kept on creating incidents after incidents.”
 

“F-father, what do you-“ The blue-haired girl was surprised by her father’s statement, but before she could fully respond to it, she was cut by him as he finally declared the point of the entire meeting between the two of them.

 

“Don’t ever call me ‘father’ again!” Her father shouted angrily. A brief silence followed, and it took the girl several moments before she realized what actually her father implied with those words.

 

“Father…did you really…?”
 

“I said do not ever call me your father again. You are no longer a part of this family. Now go pack your belongings and get out of my sight and my house. I expect you to do so in two hours, otherwise I’ll drag you out by myself.” Her father’s tone was now completely cold in contrast to his explosive tone earlier. It was as if he was simply stating facts to a complete stranger.

 

“Father…why?” The blue-haired girl was on the verge of crying. She had never expected to be in this position before, and she had no ideas on where to go if she was really disowned. Tears flowed from her eyes as she stared at the man that was her father, expecting an answer. But, his expression was completely stone cold, and in his eyes, the blue-haired girl did not even exist in front of him that time. She was pretty much just a specter of the past for him now. Without any answers, the blue-haired girl started to break down and cry, while the man simply stood up from his chair nonchalantly and left the room quietly, leaving the girl alone with her thoughts.

 

 

---

 

 

“Father…ha, you’re joking right? He…he wouldn’t disown me for such a trivial thing. What am I, Tenshi? Then again, he’s not even real anyway, so there’s no way I’ll ever experience that. But even if he’s real, why would he disown me for something like that?” Tenco recovered herself not long afterwards from the vision, still mumbling to herself half-deliriously. Even though she was completely sure that it was merely hallucination, how clear and vivid it was started to make her worry. It was as if she was actually being disowned by that imaginary father of hers.

 

“Ugh…why am I thinking about it too much anyway?” Shaking her head, Tenco decided to just ignore those distracting thoughts as she continued her way. She also made a mental note to not be distracted by anything else as she walked to avoid any further uncomfortable hallucinations. While she was clearly tempted to toss the hat she picked up earlier, the fact that it was her beloved hat prevented her from doing so in the end. Still, she didn’t dare to try touching it and seeing it again for now, in fear of the same thing that happened with the floral wreath happening again before her eyes. The pathway so far was clearly getting more and more disturbing for her, in a way that really made Tenco felt that it’s really just out to break her mind and make her crazy or something.

 

 

The darkness became more and more impenetrable as she walked deeper into it, but for now the light from her fire was at least enough to show her the way to not get lost in the pathway. The darkness was of course complete unnatural, a fact that Tenco had been perfectly aware of since the very beginning of the time she entered the pathway. It’s a simple guesswork to figure that out anyway, though without any way to just completely eliminate the source for now, she decided to just live with it for now. Not that the darkness bothered her that much actually; her only worry about it was accidentally falling, tripping, or stumbling upon something that she couldn’t see.

 

After around five more minutes of walking, Tenco decided to rest for a bit, leaning herself to a nearby tree. The fatigue she had from her earlier battle against Tenshi still lingered even after she used what’s left of her life force to recover herself. Also, she begrudgingly accepted the fact that the hallucinations she had earlier did give her quite the mental strain that contributed to her prolonged fatigue. She could probably use her sword to try channeling the life force of something nearby to rejuvenate herself further…well, no. No way would that work well here. This was the Pathway of Death anyway. Tenco shook her head in response to that notion. No way there’d be any actual living thing that dwelled on the pathway, and using it against something unknown could possibly draw them to her position, while she’s completely not in a condition to fight.

 

Her right arm was still giving her some sort of odd sensation at times, which indicated that the attachment procedure was not really going that smoothly. At least, its existence on her body allowed her to use the Sword of Hisou without burning herself. At this point however, she wondered whether it was really necessary for her to implant Tenshi’s right arm to her, especially with her being what she was. But eh, it shouldn’t matter much. What had happened couldn’t be changed, after all.

 

Though…now that it came to the topic, Tenco started to become more and more curious as of what kind of tricks could the sword do. She vaguely remembered bits and pieces of the feats it did back during her confrontation in the previous pathway, but since it was mainly the sword itself guiding her on what to do, she was still at loss on the complete extent of the sword’s ability and how to utilize it. She’s still very uncomfortable with the weapon anyway, to tell the truth. She still couldn’t really see it as her own weapon, and the circumstances surrounding it still left quite the mark on her. But…for now, maybe a little bit of testing wouldn’t be so bad.

 

“Now let’s see…you’re a shape-shifting weapon, right? Then it’s time for you to demonstrate a bit of your secret.”

 

Focusing her mind to it, Tenco then attempted to make the sword to change its size, and apparently, she was successful. At first, she elongated it until it hit the branches of the dead tree she was leaning to, then after she was satisfied with it, she turned the sword into a hairclip, which she then placed on her hair.

 

“I guess that’s not bad at all. I think I’ve gotten the knack of it now.” Tenco said to herself. She know that it’s far from the full scope of what kind of tricks could the sword’s shape-shifting nature do, but for now she was satisfied enough, and she’s still a bit uncomfortable with the weapon, after all.
 

The other abilities that the sword demonstrated that she could remember was its ability to channel spirit or ki or life energy, ability to analyze and exploit its opponents no matter how strong, and the ability to control earth- wait no, that would be Tenshi’s own ability. But point is, she had been completely aware of the channeling spirit part of the sword, even though she hadn’t really used it completely consciously much, and the ability to analyze and exploit weaknesses would need an actual opponent to test out, something that Tenco was not keen on looking for right now. While she was still a bit curious about what kind of things could she pull off with the sword, she decided that wasting her own energy for the sake of curiosity wouldn’t really be worth it, and thus, she decided to just continue her rest, trying to get most of the unnecessary thoughts out of her mind as she sat while staring at the darkness before her.

 

 

It took Tenco around fifteen minutes to finally decide on continuing her way through the pathway. The rest didn’t really help her recover much, but at least it helped her to get rid of the disturbing thoughts the hallucinations gave her so far to an extent, something that was arguably more important for her right now. Even now, as she continued to walk while avoiding anything that she stumbled upon along the way, she could feel traces of lingering visions of horrible endings for her, and as incomplete, contextless, and disjointed as they were, it really disturbed her a lot. She definitely would’ve really appreciated a travelling companion now. Someone to talk to so she could shift her mind away from these unwelcome thoughts. Not that any of them could happen to her, anyway. Something that Tenco noticed was how none of them would actually have any chance of happening to her. It could probably happen to Tenshi, or maybe to the proper “Tenco”, but to herself none of these was possible. The pathway might’ve confused her with either of the two, though it’s also possible that there’s some other meaning to this.

 

Not long after she started to move along again, she could hear a sound coming from somewhere ahead of her, and judging by its volume, it seemed that the voice’s source were not too far away from her current position. The voice itself felt like the sound of someone crying, but the pitch was a bit odd for Tenco. She was conflicted a bit at first regarding whether she should check the source out or not, since there’s not even any guarantee that it was actually coming from a real person and not yet another of the pathway’s attempt to drive her to madness, but in the end she finally decided to go towards the source. What finally convinced her was how she remembered that it had happened in the previous pathway too, and she was still feeling a bit guilty that she couldn’t help that woman out back then, whoever it was.

 

The voice became louder and louder as Tenco went closer to the source. The girl started to get more and more worried about whether she was doing the right thing or not, but she kept on moving forward, up to the point when she realized about the source of the voice. At that point, ignoring anything else, Tenco started to ran as fast as she could towards the source, even as she was telling herself to bail out as soon as possible inside of her mind due to her already knowing about the source of the voice.

 

 

Right there, Tenco stared silently at a body hanging on the branches of one of the dead trees of the pathway. Her body, actually, though it was hard to discern at first due to how much of a rag the “her” there had been reduced into. Wearing such a messy patchwork of a dress, with a completely unattended hair, it was pretty clear that the “her” that died was supposed to have lived a terrible life, and from her expression, it was clear that the “her” right there found death to be a better alternative of living. A pitiful creature, so it could be said.

 

Silently, Tenco cut the noose where she was hanging from using her own generated sword, and following it, the body fell down to earth in a thump. While she realized very well that it’s just something generated by the pathway, the entire thing felt way too real for her, as if she had been just moments too late from preventing an actual suicide. Even if she couldn’t actually relate herself to the dead girl in front of her, it still felt as if she was really the one that was left hanging there. The body itself was completely, undoubtedly real, however, a fact that really made her question more of what kind of messed-up length would the pathway go to in its attempt to break her. The residual warmth from whe the body was supposed to be living still persisted on her skin, and the stench of a newly dead person was definitely there, even though Tenco couldn’t really be bothered about it much. No tearstain was visible on her eerily peaceful face, however, which would make this body not the source of the crying voice she heard earlier, probably. At this point Tenco could not even be sure about anything at all.

 

 “…Pathetic, isn’t it? Look at me there, having lost everything and reduced to merely being a trash of a society. A society that would never exist anyway. It’s not like I have a world to go home to. A society where I would settle in. You’re trying too hard, pathway.

 

Is this the ultimate ending to all of this that you have in mind, pathway? I refuse. I’ll discard that ending to the trashcan just to spite at you. No way in hell I’ll live all of this pointless, meaningless life that you laid out for me. Those are impossible for me to attain anyway.” Tenco mumbled to herself, even if she had little to no idea on what she just said or why she said it. But what she could be sure of was the fact that the pathway’s attempt to lay out all of these impossible futures for her had really started to get on her nerves badly. Still grumbling, Tenco laid down the body to the ground before turning around back to where she was supposed to go in the first place.

 

She knew that she was getting needlessly delayed by these visions and hallucinations, and with that in her mind, she ran straight towards the end of the darkness, still with her fire leading her all the way. She ran and ran until she came face to face with a narrow path over what seemed to be an endless abyss, and before her, just before she could step on the bridge, a featureless being stood. Its outline gave off a humanoid vibe, but Tenco was completely unsure about what the being actually was. By that time, the visions and hallucinations she had experienced had completely gone over Tenco’s head, and she yelled at the figure in frustration.

 

 “All of this…none of this are or will ever be real! Why won’t you stop your futile attempt in breaking me with these, pathway?!

 

None of this is real! I don’t have any kingdoms I will inherit! I don’t have a father that waited for me to return! I don’t…I’m not searching for that kind of love! And I have no such world to return to!”

 

The figure didn’t answer her questions at all. It simply smiled as it heard Tenco’s frustrated lashing at it. The girl, seemingly having enough of the crap she had been through so far, rushed ahead to attack the figure, but just with a flick of the hand from the figure, Tenco dropped down to the ground, becoming unconscious all of the sudden.

 

 

---

 

 

“And now, it’s the time you all have waited for. It’s time for this tyrannical brat to meet her end!”

 

Tenco couldn’t see anything, nor could she really move in any way aside from where she was pushed to by what seemingly two men that prevented her from doing anything. Her body was still in complete pain all over, though she was unsure about what really caused those pains. Otherwise…she couldn’t feel anything at that point, and she couldn’t really even remember much about why she was there in the first place.

 

What happened next was not really completely clear, but the next thing she could clearly discern that happened to her was how she was forced to climb on a sharp, unsteady platform before having her arms and chest tied to what seemingly was a pole. Her feet was bleeding as she felt several nails and sharp splinters pierced her skin, but at that point, she couldn’t care less about pain. After someone seemingly made sure that she was tied strongly enough to not be able to escape, her blindfold was opened, and Tenco could see her situation better now.

 

She was standing there, tied into a pole on top of a pile of firewood before a loudly cheering crowd, all seemingly watching this in expense of her. She was wearing only a plain robe to protect her decency, but at that point, she felt that no one would really care for that anyway as long as she suffered. And…as Tenco started to remember what happened to her the nights before this fated day, she couldn’t help but smile to the knowledge that she could finally leave this world that had given her so much pain until that point.

 

Her suicide attempt back then when she was faced with the downfall of her reign had failed completely, and without much resistance, she was captured by the coup forces. She was then subjected into days of days of torture all the while these torturers went to a great length to describe how much of a failure she was in being an emperor. Those sleepless nights she dedicated to her people, all of her effort to rebuild her weakening kingdom only resulted in failure in the end. No matter how much she tried to help for her people, no matter how much she cared for them, in the end she was clearly just hurting them. She probably shouldn’t even dare to try doing anything from the start if this was the end result. Right now, all that she wished was for the fire to start purifying her completely broken and impure body and release her from the shackles of this broken world.

 

“Any last words?” The announcer mockingly asked her, but Tenco didn’t pay him any attention as she just stared blankly at the sky. Seemingly irked by the fact that he was completely being ignored, the announcer ordered some men to start pouring the fuel all over her body and the firewood, completely drenching her with it,

 

“Now, let’s watch in delight and joy as this brat that dared to call herself our emperor burns to ashes!”

 

With those words, a torch was thrown right at the pile of firewood, and in what could be said as an instant, the fire started to engulf her entire body, but all of Tenco’s nerves had been long dead by then. Even as her skin was literally peeled off her body, even as her face started to melt from her skull, Tenco was seemingly completely unaware of everything as she kept her empty gaze upwards, while wearing a smile on her slowly burnt face.

 

The warmth felt like her mother’s embrace.

 

 

 

 

“No! Screw that! I demand a redo!”

 

Pain. It was the first thing Tenco felt again as she regained her consciousness in response to a deviant statement someone made. Was it hers? By then, it shouldn’t matter at all. The first thing she noticed was that a pair of hands were clutching on her neck tightly. Blood dripped from several wounds on it caused by the tight grip those hands have on her. She tried to breathe, but with the hands strangling her, all she managed was gasping for air pathetically just like a fish struggling to be alive outside of the water. No one was there to help her, and even as she tried to free herself from the grip, the hands ended up tearing through her neck deeper and deeper, to the point of exposing her throat directly. Bleeding profusely from the wound, the hapless girl finally stopped moving completely, with a gaze locked to a place far away, as if she had realized something.

Something like the fact that it was her own hands that were clutching to her neck.

 

 

 

 

“You…can you just stop assuming things about me?!”

 

 

Tenco stood in front of a mirror. The first thing she did as she regained her consciousness was to try checking her neck on the mirror, but thankfully, the wound from the previous event had disappeared. Tenco sighed in relief. She then made sure that she had full control of her body that time, and after a while of moving around, she didn’t find anything as odd as what happened before. With that said, her curiosity piqued regarding the mirror in front of her, and she decided to look more to it. It was a pitch black mirror, similar to the one she encountered back in Truth.

 

But then, she realized what it actually meant.

 

She then looked at the reflection depicted on the mirror while panicking, and what she saw was herself, standing there with a serene smile as she hold what looked a handgun on her right hand. Tenco screamed as hard as she could to stop the “her” on the mirror from firing off the gun, but of course, her voice couldn’t reach that reflection. She was not real after all, so it would be impossible for her to hear it. Just as the reflection placed the gun straight to the side of her head, Tenco had enough, and punched the mirror as hard as she could, breaking it to pieces in the meantime as it fell to the floor and shattered completely.

 

And then, a gunshot could be heard.

 

 

 

 

“Enough.”

 

 

Tenco woke up to the sound of a gunshot, only to realize that she woke up in some back alley area of a slum. It felt like her head had blown up or something, but she simply attributed it to her seizures or chronic headache. She had been sleeping on top of a cardboard near a dumpster, something that she didn’t really feel comfortable with even right now. With her father having kicked her from her own home and her family, didn’t really have anywhere to go anymore. She didn’t have any skills that would help her do something to support herself, she had no relation or contact with someone out here that could probably give her some help in facing her current predicament; she pretty much had nothing with her at the moment.

 

It had been two weeks already since she was kicked away by her father, and Tenco had sold most of her belongings that she brought with her when she left, just to be able to fill her stomach, which was currently grumbling loudly, demanding her to fill it again. The girl just shook her head in response to her hunger, before standing up from her current position and stretched her body a bit before she attempted to leave the place, thinking about some ways on how to get more money so she could continue on living.

 

A loud growl immediately stopped her on her tracks, however. Tenco turned around to face a pack of wild dogs coming closer to her. Their eyes were sickeningly red, and drool dripped from their slightly opened mouth as they approached her more and more. These rabid dogs seemed to be quite impoverished, and after finally seeing something alive going into their territory after a while, their hunger took over their minds. Tenco was frozen in panic due to the sight. She realized that it was probably the reason why no one else even bothered to go to the alley, as they already knew about the existence of these rabid dogs.

 

As the distance between her and the dogs becoming smaller and smaller, the girl’s survival instinct took over her body, and she immediately attempted to turn around and run as fast as she could. But sadly, it was far too late for her. The dogs was close enough already to her, and with the sight of their prey attempting to escape, they chased after her rabidly, and outran her without much effort. A dog slammed its body to the escaping Tenco, knocking her down, and then it was followed by the other dog’s bites on her. To the pain she felt as one of the dogs started to rip her legs apart with its teeth, Tenco screamed for help, but no matter how loud she tried to scream, no one ever answered her. She was completely along there as the dogs continued to feast on her. She tried to resist and kick the dogs away, but they were too persistent and strong for the weakening Tenco to handle, and thus, in the end she just accepted her fate as the dogs continued to ravage her body wildly, feasting on her flesh.

 

 

---

 

 

“Yes, you are right, Tenco. These visions were mostly impossible to happen to you. Though, you do realize about why, right?” The figure finally spoke, its voice was completely chilling, even if it lacked any tones to it.

 

“…Yes.”

 

“Because…you don’t have a world to return to at all. You’ve rejected all of this, Tenco, Tenshi Hinanai, and by doing so, you are accepting the true point of all of this.”

 

“…Which is?”

 

“It’s simple, really. You don’t even have any future waiting for you beyond this place. Only darkness and its cold embrace, something that even the fire that kindled your heart would never overcome.

 

You know about it. It is why, as you’ve shown those visions, you completely rejected their possibility of happening to you, since they would never even happen to you, who had nowhere to go anyway. A lost soul…I really feel sorry about you, to tell the truth. No matter how much of a self-absorbed brat you are, your sheer utter hopelessness is definitely pitiable.”

 

“…Shut up! Your words mean nothing!”  

 

“You live in the “now” and that’s it. Just as you having no past to speak of, you also have no future waiting for you. As I’ve said, you’re really hopeless, aren’t you? ”

 

“…I am not hopeless! Just shut up and get out of my way, goddamnit! Why do you even try to do this to me anyway?”

 

“Possibility, have you heard about that word? It’s pretty funny that you’re trying so hard in rejecting what I said regarding how you have no futures to look forward to, when it’s always you that denied the possibility of you actually having a future.

 

You know you don’t have a world to return to when this is all over. You know that you’re completely alone now and after this war is over.  As you’ve said, you rejected these possibilities because they’re completely impossible to you to happen.”

 

“…” Despite how much Tenco tried to will herself to stand up and just cut through the figure blocking her way, the words it said weighed her down further and further, simply because she realized that everything it said was to the point and right about her. Having no future beyond this war she’s pulled into. Even with Tenshi’s words regarding about how she should just decide and create her own future even if she didn’t have any, the completely real possibility of her having absolutely nothing that she could look forward to, and the possibility of nothing could be done about it, it was still that one thing that she feared the most. The uncertainty about the future, which she might not even have in the first place.

 

“The possibility of a good ending could only exist by allowing the existence of several bad endings as the other way things could end. For every good ending, there’s a thousand other ways it could end badly. By rejecting that certain possibility of failing, you rejected the possibility of gaining a good ending completely.

 

Not that it mattered, however. No matter what you do, only nothingness will be waiting for you in the end.

 

Now, I think it’s time to show you the only fate that waited for you at the end of this.”

 

 

---

 

 

“…”

 

Complete silence.

 

“…Where am I?” Tenco spoke softly, wondering. And…nothing happened. No one answered back. The pathway’s voice was not there anymore. It was completely blank, completely dark. Nothing really existed there other than her, and even then, Tenco could feel that she was slowly disappearing into the sea of nothingness. Her eye widened in fear with the realization, but at first, she tried to light up a fire. The flickering light and heat could be felt by her clearly, and at first, she was relieved about it. But then darkness swallowed the small fire completely, and when Tenco frantically tried to light it up again, it didn’t even last for a split second before it disappeared into nothingness. Without any other options, Tenco tried to scream as hard as she could, hoping that someone could hear her and break her free from the darkness.

 

But, no one ever answered.

 

In the complete darkness, the concept of time and space was completely meaningless, and Tenco was there, floating alone without anything to use as threshold. The boundless nothingness enveloped her all over, and by then, the concept of sound had all but gone from her, followed by her other senses disappearing one by one, as after all, none of them hold any meaning there in a world that could not be felt. What was left in the end was the root of her existence, her thought. She could not feel her body anymore, and for all intents and purposes for her, it had all but disappeared completely to the darkness.

 

She wanted to find a light, but her eyes couldn’t see.

She wanted to find a place to step on, but her body couldn’t feel anything.

She wanted to scream and be heard, but her voice was absorbed by the darkness.

She wanted to cry, but…nothing really stopped her for doing so. Nothing would really happen if she did so anyway.

 

No escape. With her thoughts and her entire existence slowly disappearing from her, even her desire, her emotions were sucked in by the darkness, leaving nothing behind in the end. From the start, and until the very end, there was nothing. Nothing after nothing came out of and into her. A nothing was Tenco, a nothing is Tenco. A no-one, and that’s all there is to it.

 

Without beginning or end, the nothingness extends to the infinite.

 

And with it, the fate of the no-one that called herself “Tenco” was sealed completely.

 

 

---

 

 

 “I am indeed, nothing. Yes, you can definitely say that, and there’s no reason for me to deny it since it’s true.”

 

 

Tenco woke up to the sound of silence. When she opened her eyes she had returned to the so-called “oblivion” instead. The cold nothingness greeted her once again, and the same feeling she just had earlier was still there in its complete form. But right now, Tenco at least believed that she had some ideas on what kind of mindset the pathway was trying to push her to.

 

 

“Yes, you are right in saying that I don’t really have a home to return to, or a future to grasp.” This time, the fire inside of her that had been extinguished started to be lit up once more, in her last attempt to try escaping from the darkness, and its warmth slowly encompassed her entire body, protecting her from the cold as she raised her sword up above her head.

 

“But you know, you’ve forgotten about something.” By then, Tenshi realized that she was actually falling down from her previous position on the side of the bridge towards the endless abyss that lies beyond the bridge. Though, with the help of her sword, she stopped herself from falling further, while she was starting to be enveloped by a crimson light.

 

“Something can still be born from nothingness. Just as an empty glass can still be filled with water, so can I. Even if I’m meaningless now, I still have that “possibility” inside of me to give myself a meaning!

 

I reject your entire notion of both “Good” or “Bad” ending, and I’ll create my own ending from the meaning that I myself defined! So what if nothing’s waiting for me in the end? I’ll go ahead and find myself a home to return to! Hell, I’ll create my own world if I have to!

 

You said I murdered my own possibility? I didn’t. The only thing I murdered was the limitations that you have set on my destiny. As someone said, I’ll choose my ending on my own accord. I’ll live through not for an ending someone else had thought. Not for some ending someone wished, someone expected.

 

And to do that…then I guess it is natural for me to do this first.”

 

The light that enveloped her turned into a pair of wings on her back, and utilizing it, she rushed upwards back towards the bridge as fast as she could, escaping the abyss with ease. By then she ended up facing the featureless figure once more, who had a quite the unreadable expression on its face.

 

“Is that really your answer?”

 

“Absolutely.” Tenco answered back. “Yeah, the uncertainty of my future is still something that I feared the most, but without embracing the slight possibility that it could end well for me, no one would ever know how I’d end up, no?”

 

“It seems you’re not as hopeless as first thought. Very well, you could continue now. Your ultimate enemy waits beyond this bridge, Tenco.” The voice seemed to be satisfied enough by her answer to its trial, and the feeling that prevented her to continue forward had disappeared into nowhere.

 

 

---

 

 

To tell the truth, the visions, and hallucinations that she kept on suffering during the pathway so far still disturbed her mind by a lot, and she still need to continue checking herself just to make sure that she’s not really dying, or trying to commit suicide in some way even after the figure faded away into nothingness. Deciding that she urgently needed to have her mind rest for a bit, Tenco sat on the edge of the bridge for a while as she thought about the events that she had just experienced.

 

“What kind of future do I really expect to get? What kind of future do I really expect to create? Will I end up following a premade path once more?

 

Argh, too many things to think about! Dead people are having this easy…at least they don’t have to think about their future anymore, right?” Of course, no one answered her. What was she expecting anyway, trying to talk with a dead person.  Such silly thing...

 

“…I’m slowly getting insane, am I not?” she mumbled to herself,grunted at the thought of her losing her mind just due to this. She was still wondering why she really needed to experience all of the crap she had experienced so far on the pathways. From the pathway of truth horribly forcing her to accept the fact that she’s completely delusional, the pathway of remembrance and her last battle against Tenshi there, and now the pathway of death seemingly trying to drive her off through the cliff of despair by showing her horrible stuffs that couldn’t happen to her anyway, and then forcing her fear about the uncertainty of her future to her face. What exactly did she do wrong in the first place to deserve all of this, she really had no idea. Maybe fate was simply being an ass, or maybe because having her suffer like this would be amusing or something. Whatever the reason was, she really didn’t appreciate it. It was really like destiny not giving her the chance to get a break at all.

 

Shifting the topic away from the fact that she’s destiny’s resident buttmonkey plaything, she remembered the words she confidently said to the figure earlier in a defiant attempt to prove that she could still have her own ending. To say that those words have ended her doubts and fears about her future would be a complete lie, however. Those are merely words she pulled out of nowhere to satisfyingly answer the challenge the figure gave to her in her attempt to stop it from screwing further with her mind. It probably even realized how manufactured those words were to a certain degree.

 

But yeah, Tenco had no idea on what kind of things she expected later on to happen to her, or what kind of event would she actually want to strive for. It’s not something easy to decide, and it’s definitely not something that could be done hastily or carelessly. Though…at the very least, she did realize that she’s not nearing the end of her story. Her journey, her story, it had just really started the moment she entered this pathway.

 

Hopefully this didn’t really mean that her story would end prematurely instead.

 

 

Tenco

Pathway of Death, B4/5

 

---

[Tesability Black]

~Counter Corps - Path of Truth - Neos' POV~

 

“Ah, right. Sorry for that. Well, I said I was going to ask you something, right?

 

Well then…let’s go straight to the point. What reason do you have in following King Arturia, or do you join the Counter Corps for the purpose of saving your own world? I just want to make sure about why people follow someone that would just use them as sacrificial lions for something called “the greater good”. She’s definitely far from the sheer horribleness that is Protheus, and compared to him, she’s a complete saint, but..."

 

"There's no such thing as a true saint," Neos muttered to himself, trying his best not to be heard.

"Though…do you even aware of the fact that she actually has something else on her mind than what she said to you all when she said that she wanted to open the Door on her own?”

Neos resisted the urge to shake his head and cover his nose upon smelling what he would guess was Koishi's aggravation, she was showing extremely subtle signs of wanting to pull away from this whole scene, after all.

“So…I have to say that I’m curious about your imminent answer, shapeshifter.”

"First of all, how in the Distortion did you know that?"

While his gaze had softened at first, it re-hardened once more upon Yukari, the one that made the final statement. Was it really that obvious to the world around him that he was not what he seemed after all?

"And, to be fair, I don't even to pretend to understand what all is going on. Arturia and her crew saved my life when I was two seconds away from being hanged, so for the most part, I've been following along just to find out what in Arceus' name is going...on..."

He hadn't noticed it earlier, but now he could feel it. There was something around them that felt like it was trying to pull him out of his human shell...wait, shell? What was going on with his line of thinking?

 

"I already am...aware that Arturia's hiding more than she let...on...ugh..."

Leaning forwards a bit while still standing, placing his open hands on his knees, he started to even look suddenly out of breath, though he wasn't showing other signs of starting to tire out just yet, other than a minor shaking of his head.

"Severian's potions...never...did this...though..."

Ending Location: A3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~The Divine - Path of Truth - Jace's POV~

Jace actually did notice the fact that the flames weren't consuming his clothes, especially since it was something he had been worried about. Mind you, he could have summoned illusionary clothing around him to prevent unneeded sights from being seen, but he was glad that such a task would not be needed...

It also reminded him of one instance when he had to return to Zendikar for something, and the shapeshifter he had for a bodyguard turned into some sort of peach-colored unicorn with a mane and tail of fire.

"Murderer." The word was faint, but it was just loud enough for both of the humans to hear it. Jace turned his head just in time to see a double of himself break invisibility with a dagger made of ice coming down on him. He twisted out of the blade's path at the last moment before lifting up a boot and kicking the double off the bird, suddenly becoming thankful for the amount of combat training his old friend had drilled into him in the past.

Surprised that the Soul hadn't even motioned to intervene, the Living Guildpact turned towards it, catching a look of confusion on its almost-white mask as its eyes swapped between him and where the double once was.

"Chandra, I think we have a problem." Turning his head back towards the pyromancer between them, a worried look tried to sneak onto his face. "I don't think it can tell the difference between me and the doubles that are showing up..."

At this point did he notice something ahead of them, a set of rather-sturdy stairs connected to a platform near the bottom and decorated with a large purple crystalline figure up top. "Or it may not be that much of a problem after all..."

Ending Location: C12/13

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"First of all, how in the Distortion did you know that?"
 

"Yellow didn't really suit you, to tell the truth." Yukari answered the man's confusion regarding how she could see the fact that he's not what he seemed with a playful jab. Her ability to see boundaries made her notice the oddities of how the boundaries of his current form acted, which made her assume that his form is unnatural. A...proper way to refer to this would be equating the difference of the boundaries of his form from what should be the norm is the difference between a seamless clothing and one with seams. Subtle, but it's clearly around.

 

"Speaking of distortions, it's really how I figured out about it." Yukari finally gave out a more proper answer not long afterwards.

"And, to be fair, I don't even to pretend to understand what all is going on. Arturia and her crew saved my life when I was two seconds away from being hanged, so for the most part, I've been following along just to find out what in Arceus' name is going...on..." And then, just as he finished saying that, it seemed that he was starting to act weirdly for some reasons. Was he having a seizure of sort?

 

"I already am...aware that Arturia's hiding more than she let...on...ugh..." He was visibly getting out of breath all of the suddenly. Yukari was starting to get worried about him, and rushed forward to get a hold on him. Koishi was seemingly concerned about his wellbeing too, but for now she didn't really seem to have any intents on doing anything regarding this.

"Severian's potions...never...did this...though..."

 

"Just..can you.try getting some rest now? And, when you're feeling up to it again, may I ask about everything you know regarding Arturia? But for now, yeah, just stay down and rest."

 

---

[Tesability Black]

~Counter Corps - Path of Truth - Neos' POV~

 

"Yellow didn't really suit you, to tell the truth."

"Speaking of distortions, it's really how I figured out about it."

Arceus-dammit, it was that obvious, huh, he thought to himself, clicking his tongue when he did. Then again...ugh.

Leaning against one of the nearby trees for the moment, Neos allowed himself to close his eyes, trying to discern why his body was acting so weirdly and his thoughts were following paths of thoughts he wasn't accustomed to thinking. His body was shaking greatly, though he managed to roughly stay up without falling over or anything sudden like such.

He didn't know how he could tell, but for some reason, the thought that the path itself was trying to do something to him kept crossing his mind. The need to 'shed' the 'shell' he had been wearing for so long also kept resurfacing.

Then, he remembered one little thing, about Arturia mentioning what these paths were called and what symbols were linked to them. He remembered walking through the door with the...oh, holy Arceus.

 

"Just..can you.try getting some rest now? And, when you're feeling up to it again, may I ask about everything you know regarding Arturia? But for now, yeah, just stay down and rest."

"The path's...trying...to force...a demorph," he said in response as he realized that this internal fight he was suddenly dealing with most-likely resolve until he yielded...but he wouldn't do so that easily...

[Love of Ghibli]

Butlerok and Rhadamanthys: Path of Remembrance

The couple of power houses walked down the forest of stone statues and they looked around to notice all of the familiar faces. Butlerok looked around and noticed that there were a lot of statues were actually specters who fought with him during the "The Madara" battle. Well your army is pretty much a permanent fixture in your life. Yes, what general would not care for his troops? You mean those cycle of endless losers, right? Ragnarok added. Rhadamanthys shot the manifested weapon an angry glare. Yeah, now that I think about all of these people are just dead guys who've lost right? You got those specters who were killed by those saints, you have those shinigami from the whole old man era. In fact the only one that doesn't make sense is all these faceless suits. Clearly this is only about you he said pointing to Butler. Those are my classmates. Ragnarok tilted his head and Rhadamanthys raised his eyebrows. I didn't have much of a childhood. You could say I come from a very academic background. No wonder you resonate with madness so well, you started off as a psycho. I disagree but I think I know who we may end up talking to during this path. It may be good to walk down memory lane, but I have an uneasy feeling about my prey. 

Well I guess that I can do something about that....This will be the one time I do this favor for you though. Ragnarok regressed back into Butlerok and he turned on the Alpha Stigma the two appeared to be swallowed into darkness that crackled around black lightning. They were consumed by an orb of Mad Blood and then the two of them seemed to disperse into the air. 
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Gyokuen Ren: Path of Death

This path was definitely annoying. It was dark and not even the manipulation of the Rukh was able to provide some kind of guiding light. It was interesting though she didn't even consider the negative voices that were echoing around whispering about her failing. However she did notice that there was something weird in the distance. While it was a faint flicker of light she could tell it was a large collection of bright Rukh. Their color was a clear condition that a bunch of these "good guys" were all clustered together. She realized that she never actually met with any of the enemy forces. Maybe they would actually be beneficial to her as a way to strengthen her own ranks for her plan to summon father. Well I guess I'll just head towards the light then.

Ending Location: C 2

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Far down the path there were two combatants that were about to face off. A bald warrior and a man in the suit. Small black dots started to float out of the cracks of the bald mans clothes and armor. They formed and consolidated over his head and then the black dots combined into one black ball and then the lightning started crackling around the black ball. In a flash standing in between the combatants both Butlerok and Rhadamanthys appeared out of nowhere. Rhadamanthys locked eyes at Kratos and his grin immediately widened. Butlerok looked at Wesker. Probably the only other person on either side not Dorian wearing a trench coat. While not taking his eyes off of Wesker Butler started to warn Rhadamanthys. I think your prey was taken while the two of you were separated. Impossible...

 

Ending Location: C9

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"The path's...trying...to force...a demorph,"

 

A demorph? Koishi was intrigued hearing it from the yellow man, even if he was still acting strangely, something which Koishi was getting really concerned about, She had a bad feeling regarding what was actually going on with the yellow man, and her desire to just drag Yukari away from the scene and bail out from there had become more and more intense. Yet...her own curiosity prevented her from making any moves. She just waited there to see the development of how the yellow man would act next, or whether whatever was inflicting him could make more sense to her later on. She probably couldn't help him anyway regarding it. Meanwhile, Yukari seemed to be in a mix of genuinely concerned and trying to help, and simply doing it just so she could get more informations from the yellow man once he recovered. Koishi decided that she would definitely get to a talk with Yukari regarding this once their encounter with the yellow man is over. Meanwhile, right now she wondered whether the yellow man would end up as a formless blob or something similar due to his instability.

 

"Steady, steady...is there anything I can help you with right now?"

 

---

[Dad]

Killua

 

He stretched, as Gon was prepared to move on.  And he was right.  There was no sense in dwelling on the past.  This wasn't the first time, and this wouldn't be the last time Killua would meet Death at his front door.  He turned his head to Kite, asking him the same thing Gon had asked.  "Are you gonna stick around Kite?  We could use your help, if nothing else for the remainder of this pathway," Killua said bluntly.  Just as quickly as he had recovered, he had forgotten that Kite had no memory of the pathways, or any recollection of the current events happening around him.  Kite mused over the thought for a moment, turning his head to the blurry sky, as a snowstorm began to pick up again.  He smiled, letting his head sink back down again, and began to walk in the opposite direction of which Killua and Gon were facing.  Directly into the snowstorm.

 

"No," he said plainly.  "I don't think I was meant to be here."  His figure had begun to disappear into the storm.  "Besides.  You two don't need me.  You've had each other for a long time.  My presence would only hinder that."  They couldn't see Kite's face, but he was still smiling, and a cold tear ran down his face.  He knew that being in this existence, being in this form, was wrong.  "And somehow," he said as his voice began to trail off.  "I get the feeling that the sooner I disappear, the stronger you will both become.  Isn't that how it always happens?"  Kite threw up a departing hand, solemnly waving goodbye.  And like that, Kite had vanished as quickly as he had come.

 

Killua watched Kite disappear, also waving as he disappeared into the snowstorm.  He sighed, beginning to walk off towards the distant frozen lake.  The forest was still in ruins, and so it was almost a clear shot directly from their position to the lake front.  There was a gaping hole that they would have to go around, but other than a few dozen trees, the duo were home free.  Killua took his time, as he began heading to what remained of the forest ahead of them.

 

"Gon," he said starting.  "I'm sorry for all of that."  Killua put his arms behind his head and interlocked his fingers.  "I didn't mean to put you through it.  And once more, you saved my butt," he said laughing.  He sighed again, thinking of how much he owed Gon.  "Gwaaaaah, my entire family fortune wouldn't be enough to pay you back!" he joked.

 

 

Ending Location:  A8

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

Kratos/Wesker

 

He was awoken from his brief nightmare, when a different one stared him in the face.  Slowly getting up from the trance of the icy lake, a sinister smile greeted Kratos.  He wondered if his frienemy noticed the changes he had undergone.  There were others with him, Kratos could feel them behind him.  Kratos did not take his eyes off of Rhadamanthys, however.  And it was apparent that, of these others, was another enemy Kratos had made.  The tentacle wielding man of before.  Kratos calmly bumped his back into Butlerok's, now wary of his situation.  It was apparent now that Kratos had no say in the matter, and he was perfectly okay with that.  Before anything however, Kratos made a bold move, and shook Rhadamanthys' hand, against his will.

 

"You may be my enemy," he said with a strong grip.  "But things are different.  And I look forward to ending our journey right here," he said letting go.  He turned his head over his shoulder to look at Wesker, who was now glaring at Butlerok.

 

"I don't know who's side you're on," he said with a growl, as his arms began to twitch.  "But you're standing in the way of my meal."  Wesker pushed up his shades onto his face.  "And I would be grateful if you would get out of my way."  

 

Wesker now pointed at Kratos, over Butlerok's shoulder.  "Bald one!" he yelled.  "Your life is--!"

 

"My life is my own!" Kratos said turning around now, staring at Wesker over Butlerok's shoulder.  "And you are no threat to me.  You're not the first to want me dead.  But I have too much to lose, and so I know you won't be the last.  So, come.  And I will show you the power of the god of war," he said feeling better than his old self.

 

Wesker didn't take that lightly, as he vanished and quickly reappeared beneath Kratos, uppercutting him into the air.  Wesker followed quickly, and kicked Kratos backwards further into the forest, sending him crashing through several trees, before vanishing again.  Kratos scrambled to his feet, rubbing his head.

 

"Baldy?" he heard a voice behind him.  It was Yachiru's.  With a hand, he stopped her from approaching.  Wesker had kicked him really far, and was in pursuit.  Kratos however, wasn't having any of that.  With little to no effort, he ripped a tree from the ground, and said, "Duck."

 

Kenpachi of course, reacted as if nothing was happening, as Yachiru slipped to the ground.  Wesker had appeared at the perfect moment, and Kratos swung the tree at Wesker's face.  With a resounding thud, it connected, sending Wesker reeling in the direction from which he had just come.  He crashed into the snow beside Butlerok and Rhadamanthys, as Kratos came charging out of the forest.  Behind him, Yachiru sat on Kenpachi's shoulder, who also emerged from the forest.  They immediately met eyes with Butlerok, and Kenpachi grew excited right away.  "Guess it's a full on brawl," he said as Yachiru immediately hopped down from his shoulder.  A wide grin crossed Kenpachi's face.  He was finally going to be able to right things from before.  But of course, not before a stream of lightning separated everyone.

 

Kratos stopped in his tracks, Kenpachi froze, Wesker sat still in the snow, and Yachiru began to blush.  The white haired boy stepped out of the forest as well now, having dragged his best friend with him.

 

"Lake side parties are the best, aren't they?" Killua said as his hands charged with lightning.

 

 

 

Ending Location:  C9

[Love of Ghibli]

Butlerok and Rhadamanthys: Path of Remembrance

Rhadamanthys' smiled stretched across his face as Kratos forced his handshake. There are no hard feelings on the field of honor. Butlerok simply raised an eyebrow at the man who put on the sunglasses. There wasn't any overt concern with this "person." Though his mentioning of food is definitely off putting. Kratos had turned to reply. It was in that millisecond that Rhadamanthys and Butlerok noticed Wesker's presence and vanish and reappear. As he punched Kratos into the distance the two were left slightly gobsmacked. Now that man didn't appear that strong. Butlerok stated as Wesker went in pursuit. Rhadamanthys' eyes however were blinded by bloodlust and elation. He got down on one knee and started praying. Thank you lord Hades for this was most likely your plan all along! Shouldn't you be also giving chase. Rhadamanthys replied without missing a beat. Do not underestimate my enemy. Within a second Butlerok and Rhadamanthys saw the body of Wesker fall back and land next to them. See. Point taken. 

A couple of seconds later the three members of the Divine would watch as a couple of the strongest warriors came from the forest clearing. Butlerok locked in on Kenpachi and smiled. Well it looks like I now have a vested interest in this battle. "Guess it's a full on brawl, 

It was then this lightning proceeded to separate the combatants and a little white haired boy stepped out of the forest. Butlerok and Rhadamanthys snickered as the boy and his friend arrived. Well I think the was true intention of the path in the first place. To bring both sides together in a manner such as this. Butlerok spoke as he looked across at the field of food enemies. We should kill this glasses member first! He dares attack my prey! No, we are outnumbered here, we will need his assistance. Besides...Butlerok extended his hand and a massive broadsword formed in his hands. I can empathize with his need to feed. The hunger is real. Rhadamanthys got to his feet and looked onward at the opponents. He then looked at Killua and Gon and smirked. 

Silly child you'd best depart or at the very least get on our level. Killua looked at the man and scoffed. Don't tell me to get on your level, I'm bad at climbing down ladders. After a second of silence Butlerok had to catch his mouth to keep from laughing but snickers were heard from all other parties present. Rhadamanthys' eyes widened but that just meant he was even more enthused about this battle. 
 

What an excellent way to start a massive slaughter fest the broadsword spoke. Scream Reasonance! PIIIIYYYAAAAAAAA! Ragnarok screeched causing a massive upheaval of snow and made everyone grab their ears for a second. In that second Butlerok went to sever Kenpachi's head from his body. NARUKAMI! Butlerok looked directly upward a bolt of lighting hit him square in the face. Just then Killua appeared in front of the with his hands in lightning claw form and jabbed directly at Butlerok's neck. Unfortunately thanks to the black blood Killua's hand bounced of like a ping pong ball. Sadly this left him in midair open to the flying drop kick that came from none other than the man with the sunglasses Wesker. As Killua flew back Wesker was about deliver an elbow drop right on the boy's spine, but he was then stopped by a devastating right hook coming from Kratos. Watching his jaw ripple off of the Demi-gods knuckles in slow-motion was a tad embarrassing, but Kratos did not have time to celebrate as he was met with a right hook from Rhadamanthys. Rhadamanthys was about to interject some more but even he was caught off guard by Kenpachi literally sweeping him off of his feet with his zanpakto. To break the constant back and forth Butlerok commanded the to form a ball of energy and explode directly in the middle of all of the combatants making them all slide back into their respective sides. 

Well the kid is good. He does lack a certain fear. He's clearly use to fighting monsters who are far more powerful than him. Well I guess we'll take him seriously. Butleork looked at the other two and they all nodded in agreement that they would work together. 

I think I'm starting to get a little jealous...Kenpachi said as the snow continued to fall. They only talkin' about the little kid here. He has the heart of a true warrior and he deserves praise Kratos added. Killua stuck his noise up in the air and smile a very arrogant smile. Well, what can I say? I am that great! HAHAHA Keep sharp boy! Kenpachi yelled. Killua went back into combat mode. These guys are about to get serious. 

Ending Location: C9

[Tesability Black]

~Counter Corps - Path of Truth - Neos' POV~

"Steady, steady...is there anything I can help you with right now?"

He could barely hear her. His head and heart were both pounding like loud war drums in his ears, which was frightening considering the latter shouldn't be pounding. His body felt like he was within the center of the sun back in his home world. He couldn't keep himself still from all the shaking, prompting him to finally lay his back against the tree he once had his hand upon before sliding down it until his rump landed upon the ground.

Why is the Path attacking this she---argh! With great effort did he place his hands over his face, gritting his teeth in pain and revealing the four slightly-enlonged incisors among his teeth before they were covered. I've never thought of this form as a shell before coming here! Is this place messing with my head, too?!

The blue jewel he always wore around his neck was flickering between dim and bright, almost reflecting perfectly the pulsing beat of a heart. Uncovering his face and sliding his hands over his chest before gripping the black shirt that he wore under his yellow suit jacket, he couldn't help but lean his head back against the tree from the pain that was wracking him. His eyes were sealed shut and he was gasping through clenched teeth in pain that was just one note below when his body would finally become overwhelmed by it and no longer register it.

He actually wished it would go over the threshold, just so he wouldn't be able to feel this torture anymore.

You thick imbecile, he began to hear within his mind, a familiar voice filled with scorn, as if reprimanding someone that was inferior to itself. You're harming yourself with this stupidity!

Shut up, Gemini, you're not helping.

So says the Ditto that doesn't even know who it really is.

I d---

His thoughts broke midway, as if something wasn't gonna let him finish it. He tried again to say the thought in his head, but found he couldn't even start now.

You can't even admit that you know who you are to yourself!

SHUT UP!

 

Upon that mental shout that thankfully only someone with telepathic abilities could hear, a blue light began to surround the false human, enclosing him completely. After not even a moment did the size and shape of the light began to change, becoming smaller and smaller, less and less human and more into a semi-spherical shape. When the light faded from view, there was left behind a blob-like being of a yellowish color. Opening its neon-green eyes after realizing that the shift in form had caused the pain to finally fade away, it took a few deep breaths, despite the fact that its very-slight transparent state made it clear that it didn't have lungs.

However, there was something barely visible within the living goo, something that looked like a human-sized heart, only made of some colorless jewel.

Heh. Seems your body's wiser than you are.

Shut. The f***. Up.

[Dad]

Wesker, Kratos, Kenpachi, and Killua, Pathway to Remembrance

 

(that's a lot of K's)

 

Beneath his shades, Wesker's eyes glowed red as he remembered his embarrassing defeat at the hands of Kratos.  He blinked into the enemy team recklessly, but this time, Kratos was prepared.  As Wesker emerged from nothing behind Kratos, he was met with a swift elbow to the chest, and backhanded fist to his nose.  Kratos swiftly turned around to hook Wesker to the ground, as he drew his blades.  Wesker of course, was not about to be killed so easily.  He kicked Kratos from his position on the ground, sending him stumbling into the arms of Rhadamanthys.

 

"Oh, Kratos.  I didn't think we'd end it like this!" Rhadamanthys joked as he brought down a powerful punch to Kratos' chest, knocking him to the ground.  Wesker, in the brief distraction, blinked again, now standing over Kratos.  He picked up Kratos by his shoulders, but was met with a headbutt, causing Wesker to stumble.  Kratos turned around quickly in the moment of surprise and delivered a Spartan Kick to Rhadamanthys' chest, before getting grabbed and choked by Butlerok.  

 

Directly across from Kratos, Wesker had stumbled right into Kenpachi, who slashed upwards and knocked Wesker into the air.  Killua, in an effort to help Kratos, fired a white hot bolt of lightning at Butlerok's chest, stunning him for just a brief moment.  Kratos was freed, falling down from Butlerok's grasp, coughing for air.  Butlerok was not happy, glaring at Killua.  "You little brat!" he roared as he charged in, dropping a heavy foot nearly on Killua's head.  The boy rolled, but was knocked backwards by the sheer force of Butlerok's stomp.  Rhadamanthys also took the opportunity to attack Kratos now, tossing him at the brawling Kenpachi and Wesker, breaking up the fight.  They both came crashing to the ground next to Killua, as Wesker floated down beside Rhadamanthys and Butler.  Then, Kenpachi and Kratos began to argue.

 

"What are you doing!?"

 

"What am I doing!?"

 

"Yeah!  What the hell!?  You're supposed to be handling this shady bastard!"

 

"And the fat one is yours!?"

 

"Fat!?  Who are you calling fat!?" Butlerok retorted.

 

"Stay out of this!" they both chimed.

 

"Make a decision!"

 

"I'm waitin' for you!"

 

"Enough of this!" Wesker interrupted.  "I'll make a decision for you!" he said as two bladed tentacles emerged from his back.  Kratos and Kenpachi continued to ignore Wesker, until Killua interrupted.

 

"Hey, uh, old guys?"

 

"What!?"

 

"We should be focusing on them!"

 

Kenpachi and Kratos smiled at each other, then turned to Killua.  "Yeah."  "We know."

 

As Wesker lashed out, Kenpachi and Kratos simultaneously dodged the bladed tentacles, and each grabbed the unsharpened part of Wesker's Plagas worms.  They pulled him in at once, and both Kratos and Kenpachi delivered right and left hooks respectively to Wesker's face, smashing him to the ground.  Rhadamanthys couldn't help but spurt laughter.  "You asked for that!" he said still laughing.  Butlerok shoved Rhadamanthys forward.  "We can still use him.  Help him."

 

Rhadamanthys sighed, rolling his shoulders.  "Fine," he said annoyed.  Throwing his head back, Rhadamanthys unleashed a powerful roar, and knocked Kenpachi and Kratos backwards with great force.  Wesker dusted himself off, and took off his now broken shades.  Rhadamanthys offered a hand to help Wesker to his feet, but he slapped Rhadamanthys' hand away.  "Don't forget," he said angrily.  "The bald one is mine."

 

Wesker vanished again, and appeared high in the air above Kratos, four additional tentacles with blades prepared to skewer the warrior to death.  Rhadamanthys looked on, insulted by Wesker's proclamation.  "No.  No!  He's mine!"  Rhadamanthys darted forward, and tackled Wesker out of the air.  Meanwhile, Killua was left alone with Butlerok, who grinned evilly at the boy.  Killua grinned back, more earnest and excited.  "You're kinda big," he said suddenly.  "How fast are you?"

 

Butlerok's grin faded.  "Are you implying I'm fat?" he said cracking his knuckles.

 

"Take it how you want to, big guy."  Killua's fingers quickly turned into claws.  "You're just another lamb to the slaughter," he said as his demeanor suddenly grew dark.  Butlerok was pleased by this, as the boy finally offered him a challenge.  

 

In the background, Rhadamanthys threw Wesker aside, who got to his feet, irate.  "What are you doing, you fool!?"

 

"Setting things straight."

 

"Rhadamanthys!" Kratos interrupted.  Rhadamanthys turned to Kratos right away.  "Your fight is with me," Kratos said with blades finally drawn.  Rhadamanthys had a wide grin cross his face, as he uttered the words, "Finally."  And before Wesker could interject, Kenpachi knocked him away with a shoulder charge, where he slid next to Butlerok.  He understood that the fight between Kratos and Rhadamanthys was one they both had been waiting for.  As a man of honor, Kenpachi walked away, joining Killua now.

 

"Kid."

 

"Speak."

 

"Switch."

 

"Acceptable.  I'm much faster than he is," Killua said in regards to Wesker.  Albert wiped blood from his jaw, and spat into the snow.  "Faster than me?  Are you insane?"  Killua stopped, and stood up straight.  "No," he replied immediately.  "I've learned to gauge the strength and capabilities of my opponents, regardless of how much stronger they are compared to me.  And I'm more likely to die of old age, than to die to you."

 

Wesker and Killua suddenly both blinked away at the same time, but it was clear who had the advantage.  And alas, Kenpachi could face Butlerok.  Kenpachi drew Nozarashi, who Butlerok met last time.  Butlerok chuckled, as Black Blood began to spin around him.  "Tell me," he said to Kenpachi.  "What was death like?"

 

Kenpachi smiled back at Butlerok, and retorted.  "I don't remember.  But when you get there, I'll take your soul, and you can tell me all about it!" he said as reiatsu rocketed upwards.

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

Wesker and Killua continued to clash at impossible speeds, but Killua was wearing Wesker down.  Even dodging Wesker's tentacles, Killua jabbed Wesker with lightning tipped claws, toying with the man.  Wesker finally grew annoyed, and dropped his jacket as they both came to a pause.  Taking off his now tattered shirt, Wesker repeated his past incident, and sprouted a T.A.N.K. from his back.  This one tank was twice the size of the previous two, and was even taller than Butlerok.  But that wasn't the most frightening thing about it.

 

"Kill him," Wesker said solemnly.

 

The T.A.N.K. initially, simply stood in silence.  Before roaring, and spitting in Killua's face.  It hunched over, and breathed into Killua's face as well.  And its mouth began to move.  The T.A.N.K. replied to its master, "Understood."  This T.A.N.K. was intelligent, and very dangerous.  Killua took two steps back, as he waited for the monster to strike.

[Gαr]

Gon, Path of Remembrance C9

 

Gon was sad to see Kite leave them, but Kite said it was for the best and Gon trusted him. They made their way through the now clear path of trees until they saw signs of a battle about to take place. Killua grabbed and went Godspeed. They were now in the middle of the fray, cutting off the two sides of the Divine and the CC. Gon recognized Kenpachi and Yachiru and Kratos, but not the other three. About to start fighting, Gon tried to bring fourth his aura, but found he couldn't, like it was being held back by a really thick and impenetrable fog. He tried more forcefully and the feeling pushed back. He was about to say something to Killua when Killua dropped his one-liner.

 

Gon decided to fall back when the brawling broke out. This fight was going to be huge. These guys were the heavyweights of the heavyweights and each fight was either a rematch or a grudge match. On the other hand, Killua was engaging in a speed match with the formerly bespectacled Wesker.

 

"Crap, these guys are on a whole other level." Then Gon realized that was also on a whole other level. Before Gon could even think about helping his best friend, he had to get his Nen working. Trusting everyone to keep to themselves for the time being, Gon closed his eyes and concentrated. He looked deep inside himself and found it very dark, like ink, and was full of negative energy. Not thinking about what this meant, Gon made himself feel angry and he unintentionally brought the presence back from the his unconscious to the subconscious. He opened his eyes and found black aura coming off him.

 

"What the hell? This is isn't my aura...is it?" Gon tried not to think about the color of his aura while he synched his Nen output with his breathing to form Ten. However, his aura felt different. It usually felt warm and like needles, but now it felt like a cool and smooth, yet smothering wool blanket. Gon then attempted Zestsu and again it felt different. It was now like letting his aura slip off him and fall to the ground while new aura pushed against his skin like an air bag. Gon walked silently through the snow to Killua's side.

 

"Finally decided to join the fight now, eh Gon?" Killua gave Gon a confused look. "Are you using Zetsu?"

 

"Yeah." Before Killua could question him further, he cut him off. "Trust me on this. Now here's the plan, provoke the big one into attacking, but don't attack. Instead the guy that created it."

 

Killua nodded and started sparking. He went head on towards the tank and the tank charged. Killua went around it and towards Wesker, yet the tank continued its charge towards Gon. It couldn't stop itself and Gon planned on that. Gon used Ren and took up his Jajaken stance. All that was left was Hatsu. "First comes Rock."

 

His fist was now a black mass and he threw his punch at the tank. It had other plans. Instead, it jumped over Gon and landed behind him. Gon's fist went straight into the ground sending up a large column of snow. The tank lunged at Gon, but he he rolled to the side. It went after Gon trying to grab him. It was big and fast, but Gon was smaller and faster. Gon found it strange his Nen wasn't as quickly as it should have. "Come back here, insect."

 

"No thanks." Gon teased. Eventually, the tank over-extended its arm and Gon took advantage of this and ran up its arm. He sat on its mismatched shoulders and it grab his legs. "I have you now."

 

The tank made itself fall backwards and slammed Gon into the ground. The tank got back on its feet and reached it the hole it thought it left the insect, but found it empty. Before it could turn around to look for the burrowing insect, a fishing line wrapped around its neck. Gon popped up from the under the snow and pull on his fishing rod. The tank let itself be pulled while Gon jumped at it. Gon went to headbutt the tank and the tank did the same. It was a battle of who had the hardest skull. There was a sicking crack and both parties went reeling. "Damn, you have a really thick head."

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"W-well...I have to admit, that's certainly something that I didn't expect. You're fine, right?"

 

Yukari was quite honestly surprised when the yellow man ended up as a puddle of living yellow goo after what she could assume as a gruesome process, though now that he had stabilized, Yukari let out a sigh of relief. Koishi meanwhile was still unresponsive as before, which worried Yukari somewhat. As soon as they entered this pathway, Koishi...changed. She had no idea if it was for the better or not, but the fact was simply that. She had changed. Her eerie, cheerful demeanor was gone, replaced with a colder attitude. Yukari wondered whether the pathway's trying to force her to assume that personality or not, and if it was the case, then...it could probably answer why she's acting this recklessly lately. Caught in the rush of slowly uncovering the things kept in wrap regarding this conflict, Yukari was slowly feeling the old joy of solving an incident once more, and thus, she got carried away. Even with this realization though, Yukari firmly believed that it's too late for her to change her attitude and act more carefully. And thus...the only thing to do for her now was to keep pushing this shapeshifter to talk more to her. Granted, she's really intrigued by his very nature as a shapeshifter, and there's something...different about him compared to other shapeshifters Yukari had met before. She couldn't really put her thought on what exactly that made him different, but it's definitely something intriguing enough to ask about to this blob.

 

"Hey hey, if you're still fine now, can you tell me more about yourself. And also, in the meantime, if you need any assistance, I'll see if either me or Koishi here can help you...

 

Oh right, we haven't introduced ourselves to each other yet, huh?

 

Alright then, pardon my rudeness so far. My name is Yukari Yakumo, and I am commonly known as the Youkai of Boundaries, or alternatively the Border of Phantasm, eventhough I'm far past my prime. And the girl behind me is-"

 

"I'm Koishi Komeiji, the Closed Eyes of Love. Nice to meet you~!" Before Yukari could finish introducing the girl, Koishi had shouted from her back, with a sign of cheerfulness and excitement coming from her. Maybe she had not really changed by the pathway after all, Yukari thought. Clearing her throat after Koishi finished, Yukari continued her sentence.

 

"...right. Just call her Koishi. I've realized that I've been pretty pushy when it comes to asking you questions, so if I was being annoying, then this is my apology.

 

And...once again, if you need something, I'll try to see if I can help you. We might've seemed like we're apathetic to what's currently happening to you, but we're simply at loss on what to do right now."

 

An approach of politeness like this would at least give Yukari more chance of her question getting answered rather than endlessly pursuing the answer relentlessly like what she did earlier. At least, this approach could give her one less enemy to think about.

 

---

[Tesability Black]

~Counter Corps - Path of Truth - Neos' POV~

 

"W-well...I have to admit, that's certainly something that I didn't expect. You're fine, right?"

The golden blob managed to move itself as if giving an affirmative nod at this question before continuing to listen to the pair's words, resisting the urge to raise the top of an eye at their titles as it did.

Phantom of Borders and Closed Eyes of Love? Those are some odd titles to take for one's self.
 

"...right. Just call her Koishi. I've realized that I've been pretty pushy when it comes to asking you questions, so if I was being annoying, then this is my apology.

 

And...once again, if you need something, I'll try to see if I can help you. We might've seemed like we're apathetic to what's currently happening to you, but we're simply at loss on what to do right now."

 

It raised up a small part of itself and made a simple gesture that could thankfully be easily identified as giving the 'one second' signal, with a little sliver from a slightly-larger orb above and infront of itself. Taking a few deep breaths, it closed the tiny green orbs for eyes and allowed itself to become surrounded with a blue light once more.

Please, please let me take that form again, it found itself begging in its head. I need to be able to speak and actually be understood...

The blue glow began to grow in shape and size, adopting a vaguely-humanoid shape as it did. Soon, the light began to fade from view and the form left behind was...

...the human form he had before? However, there was one different thing...well, a couple of different things. The yellow suit jacket was gone, leaving the black short-sleeved shirt underneath to cover his top. What was visible of his arms, other than his hands, were covered in all sorts of ugly scarring, and on his right arm, two points of bluish-purple were trying to poke into view from under the sleeve.

"Oh, thank Arceus whatever just happened worked..." Neos spoke with a raspy voice, as if he was still drained from whatever just happened to him, but thankfully it seemed to not be affecting him now. For a moment, he brought his hands over his face, rubbing it slightly with them both for a second. "Something was messing with my head and body just then..." Remembering that there was a pair of others, a sheepish look fell upon his face after he moved one hand behind his head to rub the back of it while the other fell to his side. "Um, sorry...what did you want?"

There was a faint blush of yellow upon his cheeks, showing that his blood was not at all red, even in this form...

[Love of Ghibli]

Butlerok & Rhadamanthys: Path of Remembrance

Blades kept clashing as the Kishin and the Soul Reaper were seriously going at each other. Butlerok performed a downward swing to take out Kenpachi. The Soul Reaper raised his blade to block the attack and as he did he was pushed deeper into the snow. Butlerok snickered as kept hammering at the Soul Reaper. It was at this moment that Kenpachi held his hand upward and fired a Shokaho point blanks. The red kido blast managed to push Butlerok back slightly then it exploded. Kenpachi then jumped forward and proceeded to go on the offensive. Butlerok locked eye with the mad bull like opponent who came charging. Kenpachi attacked with a downward swing aimed directly at Buterok's shoulder blade. Butlerok didn't move as Kenpachi's blade was blocked by an invisible forcefield.  Kenpachi was forced to flash back to this happening before. Oh good, you remember now. Unfortunately Butlerok wasn't going to let this slide. He swung his sword clear across Kenpachi's torso and a second later a stream of blood shot from the reapers torso. Kenpachi fell back as he put his hand over his torso manage blood loss. Butlerok raised his hand and he Kenpachi finally noticed the small black bird like creatures flying all around. 

What's this? These are known as Rukh, and as far as I know they are the manifestation of life. All living things have Rukh and depending on your mindset your Rukh can change colors. You have these and that insane blood. Almost unfair...Almost. Kenpachi said jokingly. Well yes that is very true. My powers can be unfair sometimes, but these are not my only tricks. I also have this... Butlerok points his blade at Kenpachi and snickers. Turn the world of creation into smoldering ash...Ryujin Jakka. Kenpachi's eyes widened as he didn't understand what the Kishin just said. At that moment Butlerok's blade  was engulfed in flames. What the...Not the longest story, but I definitely chose not to tell you during the first round because he didn't want me too. You can't be serious. I am. Genryuusai is impressed with your growth. I think he wants to measure your strength more thoroughly.

Off on the other side of the snow bank another epic battle was going on. But this wasn't a fight of blades it was a full blown fist fight. With a passionate right hook to the jaw Rhadamanthys tried to send Kratos flying. Unfortunately Kratos turned around and quick equipped his Lion faced gauntlets and gave one right back. Rhadamanthys was slightly surprised by the fact that he was strong enough to not be sent flying as he was last time. This meant either that his opponent got weaker or he himself got stronger. Rhadamanthys would've been offended at the former, so it was nice to entertain the latter. The two literally kept trading blows without even the slightest sign of trying to guard. Rhadamanthys and Kratos both clashed fist so hard that they rippled the snow around them. Both fighters laughed as they locked eyes on their equally strong opponents. You've gotten strong there Rhadamanthys! Same to you balding warrior. 

The two jumped right back into the fray and then they started to trade blows again. Rhadamanthys grabbed Kratos by the head and through him into the tree. Then stomped Kratos through said tree and watched the man roll in the snow. Come...Rhadamanthys didn't get to finish his taunt as he had a tree swung directly across his face. Rhadamanthys turned his head back to his opponent and laughed. Is that all you have to offer? You should look at tad deeper than that. Rhadamanthys raised an eyebrow and looked around. What he didn't notice was that Kratos' swing was enough to actually fell all of the surrounding trees. Then he looked up and he realized that all of the trees started to fall directly down upon him.

Ending location: C9

[Dad]

Wesker, Killua, Kratos, and Kenpachi, Pathway to Remembrance

 

The T.A.N.K. groaned a bit, rubbing its large cranium as it struggled to regain its balance.  The headbutt delivered by itself to Gon, and vice-versa had really done some damage.  The beast was dizzy, but still conscious.  "That was quite a rush," it said as it fell onto its bottom, creating a crater in the snow.  Shaking its head a bit, the T.A.N.K. stood up at last, and resumed battle as it rushed at Gon.   This time, it kicked up a powerful plume of snow, violently shaking the immediate area and causing a large wave of snow to envelop Gon.  And now, picking up the Gon snowball, the T.A.N.K. tossed it into the air, and waited for the snowball to being to drop.  It leaped at the snowball, preparing to spike it into the snow.

 

Killua tried to react, and intercept the T.A.N.K., but was instead caught off guard by Wesker, who managed to sneak in a sucker punch, and push Killua away.  "Pay attention boy!" he taunted.  Killua wiped the fresh blood from his lip, and blinked away.  Wesker followed as closely as he could, but had no chance of catching Killua.  They bounced back and forth at what appeared to be light speed, but Killua quickly overcame Wesker.  Finding an opening, he ducked an incoming point blank punch, and delivered a powerful knee to Wesker's stomach.  Wesker was sent flying, and his body corkscrewed directly into the T.A.N.K.  They both plummeted to the ground, and Wesker was met with a lightning straight from Killua, pushing him into the ground.

 

"Pay attention, old guy."

 

 

 

---

 

 

Kenpachi frowned at first, but it quickly turned into a smile.  "The old man was always pushing me around," he said grabbing his Zanpaktou with both hands.  "Guess I can finally show him how far I've come."  Kenpachi returned Butlerok's gesture in kind, as he recited, "Drink.  Nozarashi."  And now with most of their cards in play, Kenpachi was having a blast.  Still, he had to payback Butlerok for eating his corpse in the past.  They both swung their blades at the same time, and caused the surrounding area to erupt in an explosion of blood, fire, and energy.  Each time their blades met, a powerful, thundering sound pushed them away from each other, but Kenpachi and Butlerok continued to meet each other head to head.  Butlerok however didn't want to drag things out.  He was hungry, and more than ready to eat.  Before they clashed again, Butlerok did something nasty, as his Black Blood began to surround Ryujin Jakka.  He cackled to himself at first, before he erupted into a full blown hearty laugh.  

 

"Tell me Kenpachi.  What will you do when you cannot cut your enemy?"

 

Kenpachi remained silent.

 

"Precisely my thoughts.  Nothing!  You can do--"

 

"There is nothing Nozarashi can't cut," Kenpachi said at last.  Butlerok threw Kenpachi a daring look.  "Oh really?" Butlerok said as he encroached on Kenpachi now.  Kenpachi also walked towards Butlerok now, and they both began to sprint.  "We'll see about that!  Kenpachi!"  But Kenpachi knew if he couldn't get to Butlerok directly, he could go through him.  Butlerok came down with a powerful overhead swing, but Kenpachi ducked it, and dragged Nozarashi seemingly through Butlerok.  They both stood up straight, their backs to their respective opponents.  "You see, Kenpachi?  You cannot penetrate the Black Blood."

 

Kenpachi smiled out of view.  "But I can cut through space."

 

Butlerok froze.  "What did you--" that's when he felt it.  A gash in his side.  Not fatal, but about the same size as the blow he had given to Kenpachi.  Butlerok was anticipating more now, wondering what else Kenpachi had up his sleeves.  "So what else can you do!?" Butlerok said turning around, marveled that someone could actually harm him.  Kenpachi turned around as well, still grinning.  "Care to find out?"  Butlerok roared.  "Gladly!  Does this mean I'll have to throw the old man's Bankai at you, Kenpachi!?"

 

Kenpachi's smile disappeared, and at this, Butlerok did grow with glee.  "That sounds like a bad time," Kenpachi said solemnly, tightening his grip on Nozarashi.

 

 

 

---

 

 

 

Rhadamanthys rolled as quickly as he could out of the way of the trees, as they crashed around him.  "Kratos!  I thought mother nature was your ally?  Weren't you and Gaia close friends?"  Kratos rolled his shoulder, as the image of the Nemean Cestus vanished from his hands.  "She betrayed me.  And so I thought I might find solace in killing the gods, only to have them free me after the deeds were done."  Rhadamanthys rolled his eyes.  "What's with you, Kratos?  You're this proud warrior who's come along and, as you claim, killed off the gods of Mount Olympus.  What's a guy like you doing on the side of the Counter Corps?  With your power, you could easily reshape the universe.  And with a pal like me--"

 

"We are not friends, Rhadamanthys," Kratos said quickly.  "I respect you, as a fighter, and a being.  But we cannot be allies.  We cannot be friends.  We fight for two different causes.  One good.  One evil."

 

"Oh come on!" Rhadamanthys replied throwing his hands up.  "Kratos, those are just perspectives.  You have to see the bigger picture!  Of all the things Lord Hades has done for me, I finally get a good opponent, and he's a kiss-ass!  Screw the semantics Kratos!  You're on the wrong team!"

 

Kratos drew his blades, and wouldn't change his mind.  "And so are you."

 

"Grrrr, why do you have to be so stubborn!?" Rhadamanthys said charging at Kratos.  Kratos threw both of his blades at Rhadamanthys at once, missing completely.  "Your aim is going, Kratos!  Where are you looking!?" he said as he prepared to deliver a powerful right hook to Kratos.  Kratos narrowly avoided the strike, and pulled his blades back in.  Except, they had been attached to a tree trunk, and smacked Rhadamanthys squarely in the back.  Kratos followed up, now pummeling Rhadamanthys left and right.  But he wasn't about to stay down there and take the beating.  A powerful soundwave roar emitted from his mouth and sent Kratos skyward, where Rhadamanthys followed and gave Kratos an uppercut to his jaw.  Kratos flipped backwards, but used this momentum to kick Rhadamanthys in the chin, sending him spinning backwards in the air as well.  Kratos quickly sprouted his wings, and locked eyes with Rhadamanthys.  They sped at each other now, and crashed, grabbing their opponent by the shoulders as the duo went into a dive towards the ground, head first.  They turned over and over, trading blows until they both crashed squarely into a tree, toppled down several others in the process, and crashed into the ground.  

 

Kratos got up quickly, kicking Rhadamanthys away, who jumped to his feet shortly after.  "How much do you know about Hades, Kratos?" Rhadamanthys said jokingly.  "Enough that he is no longer here," Kratos retorted.  "And how much do you know about Poseidon, Rhadamanthys?"  Rhadamanthys was confused at this.  "What?  You know I serve Lord Hades.  What's what got to do with--"  Kratos struck his blades together, and flung sparks outward from them.  "Ah, crap," he said as a powerful typhoon spawned from seemingly nowhere, erupting from Kratos' feet and barreling down the forest directly at Rhdamanthys.  "You sneaky bastard!" Rhadamanthys said charging out of the forest and high into the air.  He avoided the spell by a mere few feet.  "I didn't know you had any magic left!" he laughed from the air.  Kratos stepped into a clearing where he could see Rhadamanthys.  "There is a lot you don't know about me, Rhadamanthys!"