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

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian Prologous 

 

It looked like the new gimmick of this boss had just been revealed. A cloning mechanism this could be disturbing if Butlerok and Rhadamanthys had doubles of themselves made. But something had to be done. The team wasn't going to sit back and just watch. It was time to be participatory. 

Soooo that's the game its playing then. Alright what's the plan. The more shadow creatures it spawns the more troublesome it could get. Dorian noted stating the obvious. 

Butlerok and Rhadamanthys looked at each other and nodded as they knew what they were going to do. Dorian's eye simply twitched as he was out of the loop. Within a second Butlerok seemed to have disappeared from sight. Dorian just looked around. What was that about? 

Your demon servant will go and be support while we assist those two in actually making strides in finishing off the Avatar. Rhadamathys said as he flew off into battle. 

 

Dorian looked at the Avatar and took a deep inhale alright let's do this then! Dorian proceeded to fly right after Rhadamanthys. 

 

Recollection: Final Spark!"

 

The two specters looked at the mega laser and they quickly moved into action. 
 

Chorona Hole! 

THE END! 

 

Dorian and Rhadamanthys yelled as they launched their attacks and both wrapped around the laser that young maiden fired. 

 

Meanwhile the shadow clone who attacked Nero launched all of her tentacles at the keyblade wielder, but they were quickly intercepted and blocked by another set of black tentacles. Appearing right in her path was Butlerok with Ragnarok in sword form ready to cut her in two. He smiled as prepared to skewer her whole. It looks like your bait just landed you a big fish! Now question. If you are a true clone...Ragnarok grew himself out of Butlerok's back and had the most twisted smile on his face...do you have a soul?

[The Warden]

[[Another Time, Another Place: Prologuous]]
 
An interesting endeavour, but it almost felt flawed once the attacks were pointlessly absorbed by the shell, the eye resurfacing once more. Three shadow globs flew out of its pupil, impacting the ground nearby. Reforming quickly, another Shadow Koishi appeared, alongside a Shadow Rhadamanthys and a Shadow Dorian as well. Much like the first shadow, these three giggled creepily, grinning with undefined white teeth. It was even more unnerving seeing the Shadow Rhadamanthys and Shadow Dorian grin, especially once they slowly glided next to each other, their features dissolving into darkness as they became one, re-emerging as the Shadow Rhadian, possessing the powers of both of them, while also being under Next Tuesday's control.

 
Countdown: 11 turns
Shell's HP: 60/100
 
.:Shadow Koishi #1:.
HP: 950/1000
Attack: 500
Defence: 500
Speed: 1000

.:Shadow Koishi #2:.
HP: 1000/1000
Attack: 500
Defence: 500
Speed: 1000

.:Shadow Rhadian:.
HP: 2000/2000
Attack: 1500
Defence: 1000
Speed: 1000

[Phantom Roxas]

[Truth A2] - Arthur, MachGaogamon, Eria, Gagagigo, Sora, Xion, and Kairi

 

"You're all enjoying yourselves." A little laughed danced around Eria's ear, and a tiny pink figure flew above her face, its butterfly wings holding it up.

 

"They've earned a rest!" A green one, otherwise identical to the first figure, was beside Sora, resting its head in its hands. "The Pathway to Death is super scary, after all.”

 

Gagagigo grabbed the green fairy, whose neck just barely stood out from the grip. Gagagigo brought the fairy up close. ”What do you want?”

 

"You’re no fun,” Green pouted. "So I guess I’ll start with you! That was such a wonderful speech you gave at the end.”

 

Pink applauded. "Ooh, yes, yes! You said you’re not a puppet! And because the Pathway allowed you to leave and come here, you were honest. We like that sort of thing on the Pathway to Truth.”

 

"But I wonder if she feels the same way?”

 

”Not this again…” Eria approached the fairies, raising a hand to Gagagigo. Green was let go, but Eria kept it in place as she stared them down. ”If you know what we said, then you must be communicating somehow with what was going on.”

 

"Of course!” Pink cheered. "As you grow across the Pathways, the remainder must adapt. It’s how we keep you on your toes.”

 

”Then you should also know that I won’t-” Eria’s lips shut. She coughed, and spoke again. ”I said I was done being someone’s tool.”

 

Pink and Green looked each, but Green shrugged. "Well, she did say that.”

 

”But it’s the-” Eria’s lips shut again. She rubbed her head. ”What’s going on here?”

 

"You want to say ‘It’s the truth’, right?” Pink explained. "But this Pathway is Truth. There’s no place for lies here, and if you can’t tell us what the truth is, then that must mean it’s a lie!”

 

”You’re wasting our time,” Arthur said. ”If Eria believes it, then that’s all that matters. Don’t try to play with us.”

 

"But we’re not playing!” Green held its hand close to its heart, as though it were wounded. "Maybe Eria believes herself, or maybe she’s just fallen for another lie.”

 

Pink rolled its eyes. "Aw, she’s doing that ‘hoping’ thing, isn’t she?”

 

”What’s so wrong with that?” Kairi asked. ”Having hope isn’t lying to yourself. That’s believing in your own power enough that you can change something.”

 

Arthur nodded. ”Emiya and Megiddo already confronted her about this, and she proved them wrong. You don’t get to take that away from her.”

 

"And what does that matter to you?” Pink asked Arthur. "Do you really care about her, or have you been so desperate to find a girlfriend over the years that you’re just latching onto the first girl you wouldn’t mind sleeping with?”

 

Green laughed. "You even got her into your bed, and nothing happened! Why are you holding back?”

 

”I can’t believe we’re having this conversation,” said Gagagigo.

 

"Yes, I do suppose we’ve gotten a little sidetracked,” Green teased.

 

Arthur shrugged. ”I guess I’m just ready for that sort of thing.”

 

Pink puckered its lips. "Hasn’t stopped you both from making out every chance you get.”

 

”We’re done talking about this!” Eria summoned bubbles around the two fairies, and pulled them close to her. ”There has to be more to this Pathway than just you two. So get to the point.”

 

"Or else you’ll kill us?” Green asked. "Even if you’re no one’s puppet, you’ve certainly let them harden you.”

 

"A Heartless boy like Arthur is a perfect match for someone as heartless as you!” Pink broke into laughter, but began to find his bubble was growing much colder.

 

"But you’re forgetting someone.” Green’s face was calm, and it paid no mind to Pink. "Arturia. Even if Arthur takes his time to think about whether or not the Throne of Heroes would be good for him, what about those who the Throne has already summoned for you? First Emiya, and even if he was only a copy, the man you faced on Death made it clear that you may not have even been here were it not for Gagagigo. You want me to get to the point? Then look at how you’ve all rationalized what it’s taken to come this far! You lost friends in the Shadow Realm, some of their replacements were worthless in the Desert Seth, and you lost still more at the Sphere Forest. Maxwell and Kurai fought at your side against Apocrypha, and Arturia thanked them with betrayal. She condemned them to oblivion. You think your friends have all made noble sacrifices, either to weaken the Divine, or to empower the rest of you to save the day, because none of you can just accept that they were weak! They died not because the Divine are too powerful, and not because you only could have saved them but didn’t. You couldn’t have saved them. And that’s not an insult to you. Emiya and Arturia had to save someone from the universes, but they just committed an even greater sin: They gave them false hope. They died unceremoniously, and now they need people like you to make up for them, people who have nothing to do with the homes they lost, no possible way to even comprehend what was lost. All the people who have died in this war have just been stepping stones. That’s all the Divine is to Protheus, and for all you know, that’s all the Counter Corps is to Arturia. Maybe even Arturia herself is another stepping stone to the Throne of Heroes. You believe you can stop Protheus? I don’t doubt that you’ll try. I don’t know if you’ll win, but I don’t care either way. I’m here because of what you should care about. You don’t believe that you’re anyone’s tool, Eria, but look at this. The biggest players in this war are the Throne of Heroes and this Maximus family. Most of you have been here throughout this war, aside from your pet who needed to be broken free from his master, and Kairi, though to her credit, I believe she far exceeded Ophelia’s expectations. Your little circle of the Counter Corps has grown since this grow began, but on Death alone, you lost four of your friends, one of them a god. That circle is going to shrink and shrink until only one of you will be left, a bit player in the story battle between Maximus and the Throne, hoping against all hope that the Throne will need an Arturia who still needs that player. If you are so certain of the futures you aspire to, then my challenge to you all is to decide if you walking towards those futures on a path that can be realized, or risking it everything on path doomed to fail. This, my friends, is the Pathway to Truth… or Dare!”

 

The bubble began to vibrate around Green, but the fairy kept smiling until the bubble popped completely. The fairy exploded into shards of green light, as the frozen bubble trapping Pink fell, and once it shattered, Pink quickly took its freedom. "And we were just getting started. I was hoping to get to Sora, Kairi, your two oversized pets, and… ooh, Xion, you are an interesting one!”

 

Eria smacked Pink away and continued onwards, Gagagigo and Kairi followed behind her. Arthur almost took her hand, but as the two of them blushed, they kept a fair few feet apart. MachGaogamon looked around the cherry blossom trees, while Sora flew a few feet up, casting a few wind spells to check the trees for possible enemies. Xion knelt down beside Pink, pinning the fairy down with a finger. ”What do you mean, ‘interesting’?”

 

"You felt a little… dizzy when you came here, right?”

 

Xion pursed her lips. Everyone else was relaxing, but Xion didn’t feel like she was taking a nap. She tried to give him an answer, anything other than an absolute confirmation, but as soon as she felt herself speak, she told him, ”You’re right. But we just finished a Pathway. That doesn’t make me stand out.”

 

"Actually, it does. You see, Xion, this Pathway is poison to you. You’re just a Replica, after all.” Xion pressed her finger tighter, but Pink simply sighed. "That’s not going to work. At least when Eria tried to hurt us, we got enough of the truth out. Hurting me like this? That’s just trying to deny the truth. In other words, a lie. So it’s decided that you know enough, this means nothing. Just know that you are not ‘you’. ‘Xion’ is just a label for a fake Sora. The Pathway to Truth has no place for someone like you. And with that, I think I’ve said enou-” Xion smashed her whole hand on top of the fairy. She felt nothing, and there was nothing left to mark that any fairy used to be there.

 

Catching up to the group, Kairi looked over at Xion. ”Are you doing okay?”

 

”That fairy ticked me off.” It wasn’t a lie. Xion just couldn’t bear to let the Pathway bring out the truth she was beginning to realize.

 

---

The journey along the Pathway was relatively quiet. A few more fairies flew by, but as soon they felt Eria’s glare upon them, they scurried away. ”I’m starting to wish these trials were just obstacle courses.”

 

”You were the one who said Death would be scariest,” said Kairi. ”This is just annoying.”

 

Xion rolled her eyes. ”At least when the fairies singled you out, Kairi, it wasn’t so bad.”

 

As the girls continued talking, Arthur tapped Sora’s shoulder. ”Hey, this might not be the best time, but… I figured that, since this is all about Truth, I thought I could ask you something?”

 

”Sure thing!” Sora folded his arms. ”But you didn’t have to wait. What, are you scared I’ll lie to you?”

 

”No, it’s not that. I just… well, I guess I’d probably just be doubting myself again if I didn’t bring this up here. I trust you, Sora, it’s just… well, I want to know what you meant when you first gave me the Keyblade. You said I reminded you of a friend of yours. What’s he like?”

 

Sora paused for a moment. Arthur almost apologized, but Sora looked away. ”His name’s Riku. When I first got my own Keyblade, it was meant for him. Riku, Kairi, and I, we all grew up together on an island. There were others, like Tidus, or Selphie, or Wakka, but Riku and Kairi were my best friends. We were going to set out, see other worlds, but then… our island was destroyed. Monsters called the Heartless just… destroyed the whole place. My world was gone.”

 

”So… everything that Isamy and Protheus have done to the universes. You’ve seen stuff like that before?”

 

”Yeah. I guess that might have been why Emiya recruited me in the first place. The man who did it… well, it was because of someone named Xehanort. He sort of… split himself into two different people. One of them took the name of Xehanort’s old teacher, Ansem, and the other twisted that name even more. That was Xemnas. Kairi and I had to fight them back on Death. Ansem tricked Riku into using the darkness, and once that happened, the Keyblade decided that Riku didn’t deserve it. So it went to me. I mean, Riku later got his own Keyblade, but he was still on the wrong side at first.”

 

”Just like I was with the Divine.”

 

”Exactly. You wanted to make up for that, and… well, I guess there was no better way to show you that you do it than giving you the Keyblade?”

 

”Still, why me? Why not anybody else in the Counter Corps? Someone not as…”

 

”Indecisive?”

 

”…Sure. I’m just saying, I feel like a random choice.”

 

”I guess the Pathway is working better for you than we thought. Back in the Desert Seth, I had to fight someone from the Divine. My power was limited when I first came here, though. Probably more of Isamy’s distortions, though. As I tried to use more of my power, I felt some darkness of my own coming. By the time we got to LERNA, I was desperate. She was waking up Vanitas. That was probably the first sign of Xansvita.”

 

”So you figured someone had to pick up in case you failed, and you just went to the first choice you had?”

 

”What? N- yes, that first part is true. Wait, dang it! Ugh, I hate this Pathway. Look, I couldn’t risk letting Vanitas run around. So yes, I did choose you because I was desperate. But the important part is that it was you I chose, Arthur. You really are a good guy, you know? And we had already lost enough people by the time we made it so far.”

 

”And I probably wouldn’t have made it this far without MachGaogamon’s help. All I had was a stupid ordinary sword and a silly crossbow. Figured they’d be cool… probably should have just gone with a gun, though.”

 

”Would it have helped?”

 

”…No. Silver died because the Divine had two insanely powerful jackasses who showed up pretty much the instant we got to the desert. It’s like Isamy had recruited them just to kill us. Or at least MachGaogamon. At least some of the others could hold their own, but the Keyblade has made me… okay, I’ve kicked some ass with it.”

 

”I know this is horrible to say, but you would have died without that. I gave it to you because I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to hold your own without it.”

 

”It’s not horrible, it’s the…” Arthur bit his lip.

 

”Truth?”

 

”Yup. So I suck at fighting, and I went evil for a little bit. That about sums it up?”

 

”Well, look at how much you’ve changed since then! You’re the one who broke out of that Infinite Tsukuyomi thing. You’re the one who led Eria and MachGaogamon… or I guess MirageGaogamon… against the Madara. And Eria cares about you. You can’t be such a bad guy if she loves you.”

 

”That reminds me… do you think Eria and I might be moving too fast? I mean, it doesn’t sound like we’re as close as you and Kairi have been.”

 

”Well… I don’t think I knew back when I first met Kairi that we’d be together like this. But now, looking at you guys, I’d say you’re on the right track. If you think things might be going too fast, at least you guys know about it. Just go with whatever feels best for you both.”

 

”Thanks.” Arthur smiled, but as he cycled back through Sora’s words, he realized something. ”Wait, you said Riku’s a guy, right? Back when we went to LERNA… did you say ‘he’ or ‘she’?”

 

”Rika likes to be called ‘she’, so I try to be respectful.”

 

Arthur tilted his head. ”But… I thought it was ‘Riku’. What’s going on here?”

 

Sora buried his face in his heads. ”Wait. You’re right. Oh boy. Oooooh boy.”

 

”Sora… what’s going on?”

 

”Out of everything that could have happened, that’s what Isamy did? That is why I’m on this Pathway?”

 

”Seriously, what are you talking about?”

 

”Okay. So I think when Isamy went to my universe, she kinda sorta turned by best friend into a girl. I thought that Riku kind of just transitioned into Rika, but now I think Riku is still Riku and Rika is just what happened when Isamy…”

 

”Well I’m sure that whether they’re Riku or Rika, they would be quite happy with who they are.”

 

”I know! But it’s just such a random thing to be changed by Isamy just waltzing into my universe and-”

 

”I think we should stop talking about this.”

 

”You’re right, we should.”

 

 

After a very long and awkward silence as they continued walking, Arthur spoke to Sora again. ”So… you said that Xehanort guy split himself in two. How exactly does that work?”

 

”Well… when a heart is controlled by the darkness, sometimes it transforms a person, makes the heart itself go dark. Everything that makes a heart… well, a heart, all the joy, all the sadness, every feeling, it’s just gone. So the heart becomes something called a Heartless. If someone tries to hold on to who they used to be, then that Heartless will look like the same person. That, or everything else about the person who can’t go back to its heart is just empty. That becomes a Nobody. Ansem was a Heartless, and Xemnas was a Nobody. Roxas… he was like Xemnas. He was another ‘half’ of me.”

 

”Then does that make you the Heartless?”

 

”Basically. Ansem tried to take Kairi’s heart. It’s so pure. But when our island was destroyed, Kairi’s heart went to me.”

 

”How do hearts even work in your universe?”

 

”Magic.”

 

”That’s not an answer.”

 

”Anyway, Ansem had taken control of Riku, and gave him some fake Keyblade. After I defeated Riku, I used that to free Kairi’s heart.”

 

”How’d you do that?”

 

”Well… I used the Keyblade and… stabbed myself.” Arthur clutched his chest. ”Are you okay?”

 

”Sora… back in the Sphere Forest… I think I had to do something like that.”

 

”…What do you mean?”

 

”One of the Divine from the Desert Seth, Jeriii. She… used like these weirds cable things to stab us, and she left some programs in us. It possessed us, and I tried to stop her, even if I meant killing myself. I sort of… purged that program from me. That’s what Apocrypha was.”

 

”Did it… look like you?”

 

”Sort of. But he had different hair. Well, it had my old hair color. I bleached this a while back. My hair used to be-”

 

”Brown?”

 

”Yeah, how’d you know?”

 

”As soon as you started saying what it used to be, your hair… well…”

 

Sora rubbed his hand over Arthur’s hair, but Arthur pushed him away. As Arthur ran his fingers through his hair, he lifted it in front of his eyes. ”This Pathway really likes to nitpick, doesn’t it?”

 

”Hurry up, guys!” Kairi was calling out to them. They were quite a few feet ahead of them, and as Sora and Arthur regrouped, all we standing before a mirror so tall that even Gagagigo and MachGaogamon were each only half its height. Rather than reflecting the forest around them, the mirror showed a grim, desolate wasteland, where dust clouds formed in the sky. The mighty cherry blossoms were matched by broken and decayed husks.

 

”It must be like that tablet,” said Eria. ”Are we already finished?”

 

”No.” Xion reached out to touch the mirror, but the glass shifted at her touch, as though it were water. ”Think of this Pathway just like Death. Those fairies were like Ansem, Xemnas, or Isamy."

 

”A mere preview of what was to come in the hallways?” asked Gagagigo.

 

”Perhaps,” Xion answered. ”And judging by how this mirror feels, I think we’ve found our hallway.”

 

”It doesn’t look much prettier than Death’s,” MachGaogamon said.

 

Xion dipped her hand further into the mirror. ”But it’s our way forward.” She dove headfirst into the mirror, and it swallowed her whole. Everyone exchanged looks of uncertainty and doubt, but all followed into the mirror.

 

---

[Truth A6] - Xion

 

Xion was already looking back at everyone as soon as they arrived. Her Keyblade was at her side, and she was taking several steps backwards.

 

”Let’s not waste any more time,” Eria said. ”If these are like the hallways, then the enemy is already waiting for us.”

 

”Indeed they are,” said Xion. ”And you should go find them.”

 

Sora asked, ”You mean ‘we’, right?”

 

”I’m afraid not.” Xion pointed her Keyblade straight up, and pillars of light rained. Trees cracked and scattered, and the ground beneath Xion shook. Arthur, Eria, and Kairi all tripped as part the ground began to rise. A steep hill formed in moments, and the top stood Sora and Xion. Hexagons appeared in segments, until they formed a barrier, blocking out MachGaogamon and Gagagigo. Xion’s outfit turned from gold to black and silver, and red collar covered her neck. A horned black helmet appeared in Xion’s hand, the helmet emblazoned with a red cross. Xion placed the helmet over her head, and the golden wings of Ra spread from her back. ”I’m sorry, Sora. But on this Pathway, I am your enemy.”

[Reinforce]

Chandra

Pathway of Remembrance: B12

 

Chandra fell silent at that, taking in everything Gemini was saying and keeping watch over the seemingly comatose planeswalker below them. Though, for all that, as Gemini continued to speak, the flames around her hands and hair raged higher and higher, until Chandra looked like she was wreathed in fire for the sheer output currently coming off her. Finally, she spoke again, voice sharp and serious.

 

"Honestly, I think my situation could be considered just as bad as his is. He may not know anything about his parents, but at least he doesn't have to live every day for the rest of his life with the knowledge that it was his actions that caused their deaths. You know, you're not exactly an impartial bystander to compare the situation anyway. In spite of your supposed self interest, you seem very involved with making sure Jace survives through the pathways to reach the end anyway. Why is he so important to you, Gemini?"

 

---

 

Ayame

Personaloguous -> Prologuous

 

As the reflected attack arced back into her, Ayame caught the lightning on her staff, keeping it in there and slowly building up the power further as she watched the Avatar. Before she got to the point of attacking again, the space collapsed, returning her to the original prologuous, with everyone else back there as well. With it's new form and the shadow copies coming out of the dark shell that was covering it, Ayame held off on attacking, instead continuing to hold and charge her staff with energy ready for an opportunity to strike again. 

 

---

 

Darcy

Personaloguous -> Prologuous

 

With the avatar having consumed her illusions and formed a barrier, Darcy held off on attacking, waiting to see if something would happen before she could strike. As it happened, it did too, with the space she was in collapsing and returning her to the first version of the area that she'd entered. Down below, the Avatar formed a shell around it like it had in her realm, before spitting out dark copies of those who attacked it. 

 

"So cheap tricks won't work on you then, and pure power is unlikely to break that barrier. Still, there's always ways to get past or through barriers like that."

 

Calling dark energy into her hands, Darcy aimed at approximately where the Avatar had been inside the barrier before it had formed, and released it as a single condensed beam of energy, barely a centimetre thick but with a large amount of power behind it. Overall, a focussed beam fired from almost directly above in an attempt to either break or pierce through the shell below them.

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian: Prologuous

 

Oh! Was all that Dorian could muster as he watched the Shadow copy of him and Rhadamanthys form into one...thing. Sooo did not see that coming. He said as he just looked on and stared. 

Rhadamanthys was slightly more worried as another power house like himself was on the field that would just delay their goals even further. Then to add with it that there is a shadow copy of Dorian means that it might just come with all of Dorian's...adjustments to make him function better. We have to deal with this one quickly. He said as he proceed to fly directly at the creature and force some form of confrontation. 

But unfortunately that is not what Shadow Rhadian had in mind. The combo beast quickly vanished from sight and reappeared directly in the line of fire from Darcy's attack. Rhadian stuck his hand out and took on the full force of that devastating yet small attack. When the smoke cleared the shadow spectre just smiled showing his eerily white teeth and giggled the signature giggle.

 

I don't know how many little Indians there are now, but it looks like there is about to be one less. Rhadian pointed directly at Darcy and in front of her a small orb continued to grow and expand. Goodbye not friend. He said as he was about to detonate his attack...until someone else directly intervened.

Silence you pale imitation of civilized beings! Rhadamanthys yelled as he flew past the creature and delivered a swift punch to the jaw. Shadow Rhadian lost concentration and stumbled a bit in the air as he laughed and regained footing.

A punch like that  would have normally beheaded a man, a punch like that would have at least broken the jaw of a normal specter, but I am neither. He concluded with a giggle. There are soo many play things to play with around here. Its a wonder why I even deign to stay and talk with you. I don't know. Maybe there is someone else who is more fun to play with. Besides I know exactly what you can do so what's the fun in the game if you can be surprised by the other team?

 

 

.:Shadow Rhadian:.
HP: 2998/2000
Attack: 1500
Defence: 1000
Speed: 1000

[Tesability Black]

~??? - Path of Remembrance - Gemini's POV~

"Why is he so important to you, Gemini?"

And they've convinced themselves that they are real, Gemini thought to himself. Then again, their many puppeteers could not afford to have it any other way.

"I never said it was to me that he was important," Gemini began to state, "except for maybe what I cannot do myself, which is get the Key to where it needs to go to get out of here alive and hopefully in one piece."

Gemini stood up to his full height, towering over the two planeswalkers as he did. His standing came just in time, because Jace suddenly flailed, sitting immediately upright with a horrified look and an lack of recognition in his eyes. Gemini couldn't help but roll his eyes as the mindmage incoherently began mumbling, his face in his hands as his body shivered from something other than the cold. "It always seems to take telepaths time to---"

He couldn't help but raise his eyebrow as he saw Jace reach for the front of his neck, feeling for the familiar clasp of his cloak. "...where's my cloak," he managed to ask with a shaky voice.

 

Gemini raised an eyebrow upon this question before taking the mentioned large cloth of blue before trying to wring it out more before daring to droop it around Jace's shoulders...

 

...but what happened wasn't exactly expected. Gemini wound up witnessing as Jace grabbed the cloak off his shoulders balled it up before managing to toss it a decent distance away, a few feet past the closer edge of the Lake itself. As it flew, a look of disgust was seen on Jace's face, Gemini tracing the look towards the emblems that had been on the center of the cloak as well as on the top of the hood. "...welp, that was not something even I expected."

A faint bored-sounding 'kweh' became heard before Gemini turned towards the fidgeting large bird and rolled his eyes at it. "You might as well fetch my counterpart for me. But before you go..." Gemini walked up towards the mount-sized Chocobo and placed a palm at the center of its chest, allowing his hand to glow with a dark-blue energy before 'pushing' it into the yellow form. "See if you can fetch Faye and Jace as well."

With a feeble attempt at a salute, since its wings were not long enough to make it to its head, the Chocobo known as Rapidash rushed off back across the Lake of Remembrance, across the bridge of ice that seemed to remain...

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

~Counter Corps - Path of Remembrance - Jace's POV~

 

You're a plague, Beleren. A scourge to all those you claim to protect.

 

You, Jace Beleren, have proven to be an extremely arrogant and unreliable partner. If you still insist on helping me, you may best do so by leaving. Immediately.

 

Nine hells, you are a reckless fool!

 

Of course I am. That's how I got tangled up with you.

 

Past and future were blurring in his head as he sat among the snow, trying to get his head straight as well as stop shaking violently from all he realized and discovered about his past up until now, with something things shaking him more than others, such as the realization that for two years he had aided in the continuation of a war that was older than himself at the time.

 

"...opefully in one piece."

 

...wait, that wasn't Liliana, his mind processed before raising his face out of his hands and seeing where he was. He could hear the voice continuing to speak as he reached for the familiar clasp on his cloak after realizing that his shoulders felt lighter than normal. "...where's my cloak?" Several seconds passed before he felt the familiar weight back on his shoulders, though a realization crossed his mind before he pulled it off and began to roll it hastily into a ball.

 

This cloak...for ten years, he had unwittingly worn the mantle of the first to betray his trust on his person, and he did not want to lay eyes on it any longer.

 

With all of his strength, while remaining in a sitting position, Jace threw the cloth, watching as it unraveled itself during its forced flight and seeing it fall below the edge of Remembrance's waters. This act fully revealed his back and upper shoulders, which were completely covered in brutal gashes from what appeared to have been the same source, white lines that cross-crossed over each other in semi-random ways. Such lines would never have shown after magical healing, which suggested the fact that these lines were forced to heal naturally.

 

"...welp, that was not something even I expected..."

 

Still slightly dazed from the forced mental restructuring endured, Jace stood up fully before walking away towards the end of the path, the illusion covering his form once more to appear like his normal attire, but the cloth that normally appeared both in front of and behind his legs did not re-emerge as part of it.

 

"Idiot threw the Key into the Lake," he suddenly heard exclaimed followed by the sound of something diving into water, though he didn't seem to care at first...

 

Ending Point: Very edge of B12

 

 

~??? - Path of Remembrance - Gemini's POV~

 

"...I'm tempted to start counting just how many screws have gone loose in that kid's head," Gemini quipped as Jace started silently walking away from the pair at a relatively-slow pace, before he raised an eyebrow upon remembering something. "Wait a second, didn't he have in his cloak the..."

 

He slowly turned towards the water as the other eyebrow rose while his eyes widened.

 

"Idiot threw the Key into the Lake!"

 

Gemini ran back towards the water's edge, transforming back into the form of the levitating squid that was the Malamar before diving below the water's surface...

[Kingdom Xathers]

 

Team Lombax

Pathway of Truth - Through the Looking Glass

[spoiler=Ratchet & Clank: Mind Screw]
Ratchet and Clank initially found themselves in a dark, almost void-like room, the only clues pointing to such being the feeling of a floor beneath Ratchet’s feet and the quiet echoes of his footsteps as he stumbled about in the dark. “Where the crap are we?” Ratchet grumbled, his hands stretched out ahead of him as he slowly progressed through the seemingly empty room. “Ugh… it’d help if there was a lightswitch or somethi--OOF!!”

Tiny, sparkling stars danced in Ratchet’s vision as his face had abruptly impacted against an unseen surface. Shaking his head and blinking his eyes after pushing himself away from whatever it was he had waltzed into, Ratchet realized almost immediately that there was now light within the room; on the wall that he had walked into, conveniently positioned at (Ratchet’s) face-height, was a large green button, even-more-conveniently labelled “Lightswitch” (“Yeah, because I was SO going to be able to read that in the dark,” Ratchet grumbled indignantly). Having shaken off the last of the stars in his eyes, Ratchet began to take a better look at his surroundings.

As if to intentionally contrast itself from the darkness that had been so prevalent before, the room Ratchet found himself in was an almost pristine white, from the walls to the tiled floor… even the atmosphere above, visible due to a lack of a (visible) ceiling, was an overcast-like greyish-white. The room itself--more of a cubicle, really--was no more than 8-feet-by-10-feet going by the surface area of the floor, and very much empty aside from Ratchet and Clank themselves. Seeing no reason to stay in that room, Ratchet made his way through a nearby open doorway. What he and Clank saw upon entering the next room was nothing short of spectacular.

The lombax and small robot found themselves standing within a grand corridor, with the same pristine white floors, walls, and invisible ceiling, along with the occasional light blue decorative structure along the walls to break the monotony. Arranged throughout this corridor were various bronze statues, framed portraits, video monitors… the way it was all arranged reminded Ratchet of a museum. What struck the lombax as odd was the familiarity of the overall exhibit… extremely familiar, almost… nostalgic. “Are these… based on my memories…?” Ratchet uttered slowly as he slowly scanned the various exhibits.

“I do belive so, Ratchet,” Clank replied as the two of them neared the closest exhibit. “This one, for example,” the robot pointed at what resembled a saucer-shaped contraption hovering over the crevice of a planet’s surface, “is in reference to Chairman Drek’s attempt to detonate Planet Veldin with his Deplanetizer.”

“Yeah, but we managed to put the kibosh on that scheme,” Ratchet nodded as he remembered back to that time, during which Ratchet and Clank had truly become friends.

“And became true partners, of course,” Clank added slyly.

A lighthearted chuckle escaped Ratchet’s lips. “Yeah, pretty much… … huh,” he added as he tilted his head, studying the model a bit more. “... is it me, or does this model look different than I remember?”

“I would confirm for you, Ratchet,” Clank replied, but then sheepishly added, “but it seems that my own memory is a bit “fuzzy” at the moment.”

“... meh, no big deal, pal,” Ratchet shrugged as he turned to look at the exhibit next them--”BWAH!!!”

Ratchet’s soul nearly jumped out of his body at the sight of a gargantuan, razor tooth-lined maw staring him right in his face. Said maw belonged to a monstrous blue furball of doom, its relatively small, beady red eyes glaring down on Ratchet with an insidious hunger.

“Ratchet, calm down,” Clank explained calmly, “that is simply a 1:1 scale model of the Mutant Protopet. There is no need to “freak out”--”

“Easy for you to say…!” Ratchet panted as he recomposed himself from the shock, all while cursing Quark for being the one to introduce such a monstrosity to his memories. “Guh… let’s go somewhere else,” the lombax grumbled as he and Clank strolled away from the Mutant Protopet model.

Walking past a few more displays, Ratchet and Clank halted before a familiar statue: Alister’s. Ratchet gazed upon the emotionless features of the bronze statue, a memory playing in his mind. “... … this… is how it started,” he thought to himself. “Right before all of this chaos started to happen, I was standing, just like this, in front of Alister’s statue at the museum… ….

“... it’s… kinda funny, actually. I remember thinking, “what could’ve happened had we done just one thing differently?” “Would Al still be with us? Or would something worse happen?” To think… that this crisis, as terrible as it is… may be Alister’s chance to live again,” Ratchet mused softly.

“And yet, you are still worried,” Clank chimed in. “You fear that what happens from this point on may amount to nothing, or worse, result in losing more than just Alister.”

“I know. I just…,” Ratchet paused with a deep sigh. “... we all have a chance now, to help save as many people as we can, Alister included. I just hope we have the strength to--”

“--your strength isn’t the issue here, y’know.”

Reflexively, Ratchet quickly drew his OmniBlaster. “Who’s there?!”

“Up here,” the voice replied in a bored, yet amused tone. Ratchet followed the sound up to the top of the head of Alister’s statue where, staring back at him, sat… himself?!

“Oh no, not this again…! Are these Pathways running out of material to use?” Ratchet asked to no one in particular (despite Clank being right next to him). “I swear, if this ends up being a repeat of Death Path--!!”

“Ugh!! Stop right there~!” the other Ratchet gagged as he threw his hands up. “Trust me, I am not gonna be anything like that Hypothetical Future Renegade Ratchet. Yeesh, I’m still trying to get over that,” he shivered.

“Y-Yeah--” Ratchet began to agree, but quickly caught himself; he was still dealing with another of the Pathways’ tricks, after all. “Just what are you, anyway? And don’t you say that you’re “me” ‘cuz I--”

“--’cuz you “know that I’m just another one of the Pathways’ tricks”?” Other!Ratchet finished the thought, much to Ratchet’s shock and ire. “Right, because everything on the Pathways can be so easily explained. I mean, you’re not exactly wrong to think that, but still.”

Ratchet couldn’t quite explain it, but he could feel his own anxiety and tension towards his doppelganger dissipate. As if… he could feel that he could trust this construct. “So, I guess you are me, in a way,” Ratchet admitted, removing his finger from the trigger as he lowered his blaster. “... but, what kind of me? That’s the question.”

“Well, think about it like this,” Mirror!Ratchet said as he slid off the statue’s head, landing just a few feet away from Ratchet--and with his own Clank strapped to his back, “I’m the you who knows everything about you, even the things you wish not to admit, and who wants you to do what’s right. In a way, you could consider me your conscience.”

“I thought that was my role,” Clank spoke up in half-protest, half-jest.

“Well, you are also our conscience Clank,” Mirror!Ratchet conceded, “but I’m more of the Cassandra Truth sort of conscience. Y’know, the whole “I am a Shadow, the True Self” sort of arrangement.”

“So, not trying to cut corners here,” Ratchet spoke up again, “but how exactly do I get out of this place? I mean, I am supposed to get out of here, right?”

“That’s the end goal of this segment, yeah,” Mirror!Ratchet nodded, arms folded. “For you to be able to leave your Soul Room and reach the end of this Pathway, you’ll need to admit and accept a few things about yourself and your life as a whole.” Upon seeing Ratchet open his mouth to ask something, the replica interrupted him: “Q-Force boxers, Extra Small. Heh-heh, see? I told you I know everything about you,” Mirror!Ratchet chuckled as he watched Ratchet hastily close his mouth, his cheeks flushed with a bright pink. “Oh come on Ratchet, no need to be embarrassed. If you forget, Clank IS the one who does most of the laundry, so it’s no secret to him or me.”

“Okay, alright,” Ratchet conceded, hands thrown up in admittance. “So I guess that means you’ll also know what I’m about to ask you.”

“You’re still free to ask, though, just so things don’t get… well, any more weirder for you than they are now,” Mirror!Ratchet confirmed. “But right now, I’ll have to ask you this,” he added, taking Ratchet’s hands in his own; “Do you truly believe that you have the will to continue forward, no matter what the outcome of this war will be? Even if Alister, Red, or Alexander do not survive this war, or if our universe somehow ends up worse than when we left? Will you be able to go on without Status Quo being God, knowing you can’t change the results?”

Ratchet fell silent as he pondered this inquiry. Yes, he still had his doubts, he still had his fears, he felt that he had to do whatever he could to make sure everyone could get home safely, because he was--

… … wait, why does being “the Hero” matter in this case? Even if Ratchet wasn’t the hero of his universe, he would’ve done all of this anyway, or at least gave it his best try. Why did he automatically feel that it was his cross to bare, especially alone? “Of course…,” Mirror!Ratchet began, “what about if they do survive? Your world will once more have an Alister Azimuth in it, and he will most likely become swept up in Red’s plan of reuniting them with your race. It must be harrowing to think about thousands of lombaxes sporadically coming back, as well as considering that their project would probably take up a lot of their time. Time that they could be spending with you. Either way, your life will most certainly have quite the graphic shift in either outcome.”

“In other words, Ratchet,” spoke Mirror!Clank, “the future, as you know, is always uncertain. But for you to go on with whatever your future becomes, you mustn’t be. I’m sure you’ve had plenty of time to think about what will be, so, have at it sport.”

“... you’re right,” Ratchet croaked, head hung low, his hands still intertwined with his doppelganger’s, “you’re both right. I’m still scared of what might happen, of what may be. I could still lose so much as a result of this war: Alister, Red… Talwyn… … but I can’t let that fear steer me. I won’t let the possibility of losing them keep me from making it to the end, nor will I let it drive me to desperation. I know that I can’t completely influence what will happen, but I’ll still try and make sure everyone gets out of this alive, and even if I can’t... I’ll push forward, through the pain, to the end and beyond, no matter what happens next. I’ve always lived by improvising, and have never really had a real plan for my life. So I guess I’ll just take any new changes as they come, as I always have.”

The giant, goofy grin on Mirror!Ratchet’s face said it all. “Atta boy, you~!” the doppelganger chuckled as he pat Ratchet on the shoulders. “I knew you could find the answer in yourself.”

“... heh, funny,” Ratchet smiled in return, “I kinda did, too.” His smiled dropped briefly as a bright light began to shine off to his right, the source being a rectangular shape that had materialized suddenly, revealed to be a mirror as soon as the light died down. “That’s our way out, then?”

“That it is,” Mirror!Ratchet nodded, “and it’s time that you get going, too. You’ve got a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it.”

“Got it,” Ratchet replied as he turned to leave, Clank secured firmly to his harness. The lombax stopped briefly as a thought occurred to him. “Say… what exactly… would have happened had I not succeeded here?” he asked his doppelganger.

“Oh, nothing major,” Mirror!Ratchet waved off, “just the possibility of me killing you and/or taking your place in the real world. But hey, you don’t have to worry about that now. Just take care of yourself, ‘k?” Before Ratchet could get another word out, the Mirror!Ratchet vanished along with his Clank.

“... … … … … … … … …,” Ratchet ellipsed, dumbstruck from having heard the fate that he had narrowly avoided. “H-HEY WAIT!” he called loudly.

“I believe this is our cue to exit Stage Right, Ratchet,” Clank chimed in, snapping Ratchet back to reality.

“Yeahyeah, just hold on,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “Mirror me, uhh, can ya come back? I need to ask one more thing” he called again.

“... okay, I guess I’ve a bit more time to spare,” Mirror!Ratchet relented as he popped back into existence before the lombax.

“Thanks,” Ratchet smiled happily. Composing himself, he brought his feet together and his hand to his hip as his face was trying to ask something his mouth didn’t want too. “I guess this might be against the rules and all, and I know what I said, buuuuuttttt… could you tell me how the others are doing right now? I just want to make sure their mirror selves aren’t trying to murder them,” he politely requested.

“... oh!” Mirror!Ratchet blurted, blinking with a surprised-yet-amuzed smirk curling one corner of his mouth. “Well, I, uhh… I guess it wouldn’t exactly hurt to give you a little insight. Lessee…,” he trailed off as he turned his face away from Ratchet, the surface of his eyes becoming much more reflective as he concentrated on his task….

[spoiler=Red the Dragon: The Dream]
This almost felt like a long time coming, but then, given it was the Pathway of Truth, this was pretty much expected. Having gone through the mirror, Red found himself in the arena where he had battled Spyro for the first time. Despite this most likely being an illusion, the ice beneath his feet was quite frigid, but thankfully cold never bothered him much. “Ah, you’ve arrived,” a smug voice purred.

Oh no, why that one? Red sighed in frustration, knowing full well that he was now facing off with his past self. And yep, there he was. Hmm, he was shorter than he remembered, but then, it’s not as if he’s been the proper height these days. The crackle from the Dark Gem staff his mirror brought a slight wince to Red, and he habitually rubbed at the scar on his arm. Oh no, the shadow was smiling. Please don’t do a monologue, PLEASE don’t monologue. “So, with you here, perhaps we can begin? It’s time to see which of us is greater Red, the light, or the dark. You’ve escaped the grasp of the shadows before, and now it’s time for us to- HURK!!!”

While the shadow was so busy pontificating, Red strode over and impaled it through the heart with his staff. Without even missing a beat the dragon kicked his doppel in the gut, forcing him off the gem and to the ground, where it evaporated. “Now that was just mean,” a friendlier voice remarked.

“It was embarrassing Reid, really. I’m sure even you can’t stand listening to how much we rubbed our own egos,” Red apathetically sighed.

“Doesn’t mean you had to cut him off like that,” Reid contended as he strode over to Red.

With each step the reality of the arena changed, a structure forming around the two until they were in a familiar place: A stone room with a simple, if enormous bed, a tall side table, and two wooden doors in the wall. “It was for the sake of my sanity,” Red explained as he sat on his bed.

“Fair enough Red,” Reid nodded, taking a seat on a chair that had just appeared.

Red sighed loudly, looking around. Hmm, this was indeed an exact replica of his room… how he wanted to visit it one more time. A heavy stone sank in his heart, it almost hurt. “So, is this where I defeat you as well? Or are we supposed to talk this out?” Red inquired half-heartedly.

“Either/or really. The point of this challenge is to find out who and what the real you is, and right now, I think the others believe I had more influence on you than I really did,” Reid remarked.

“That is true, Alister is quite frustrated with Zayon over that matter,” Red nodded.

“But we both know the answer why you feel more free, don’t we?” Reid grinned.

“Yes, yes we do,” Red nodded in agreement. “It’s because I have something to live for now. Before, well, I was doing this for my world. I was alone, and wanted to do it alone. But, deep down I knew that what I was doing was folly; I… I was just so convinced I could pull off a miracle. It’s funny how it was the people that I tried to reject were the ones making the miracle instead,” Red smiled.

“They moved heaven and hell to bring you back from the abyss,” Reid pointed out.

“And I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful for all that I did, despite my, indiscretions,” Red frowned.

“Breaking Alister’s arm and attempting to kill Ratchet?” Reid smirked. “Then also going bat-s*** insane and trying to drain Alexander of his magical essence?”

“You didn’t need to say them out-loud, as I think those acts were implied,” Red sulked grumpily.

“Eh, I enjoy kink-shaming from time to time, so sue me,” Reid shrugged.

“But getting back on topic, yes, they’ve given me a reason to live. I have a way I can keep on living, and I’m going to take it. That’s why I want to repay them by helping to give them back their lives. To help undo Alister’s mistake, and… to give Ratchet the family he never had,” Red grinned, while being secretly thankful that dragons can’t really blush.

“He’s a good kid, isn’t he? I enjoyed being his uncle, especially since he outdid us in terms of invention,” Reid bragged.

“I imagine he would. Our days of invention are long behind us now that I have a greater purpose in life, which leads me to what comes after,” Red insinuated.

“After?” Reid inquired curiously.

Steeling himself, Red swallowed hard. “After the portal is complete, and the lombaxes can return… I’m going to use it to find Adrastos,” Red explained.

That one caught Reid off-guard, the dragon nervously rocking on his chair. “Why?” he questioned as if what he just heard was the most insane thing ever.

“Because, I’m not scared of him anymore. The greatest change in me was that what scared me most in life was defeated. The Adrastos of my mind was beaten by Alister, Alexander, and the others. He doesn’t hold dominion over me like he used to. And, knowing he can be beaten in my mind, where he was most powerful, I know he can be beaten in reality as well. I know he would have fled the destruction of my world and the adjoining Shadow Dimension. I know he’s out there somewhere, poisoning another world with his evil,” Red explained.

“So, what? Once you’ve helped Alister and the others, you’re just going to leave them for petty vengeance?” Reid demanded incredulously.

“They can come with me if they want, but, it’s more than just revenge. What Adrastos did to me… what he did to us, was unforgivable. And what happened in my mind was nothing but a painful reminder of what a complete monster he is. It’s not about revenge anymore, it’s about holding that bastard accountable for all the pain and suffering he has caused. The sway he held over my mind is gone, and I no longer fear him. If he could be bested by a dragon whelp, then I too could best him. I promised myself that if I had the chance, I would destroy him. I know there is a lot of shadows out there for Adrastos to hide in, but, he will soon learn what happens to the Boogieman when you no longer fear the dark,” Red avowed.

“Huh,” Reid uttered.

“What, just, “huh”? That’s all you can say?” Red demanded.

“Well, kinda, it’s just, well, huh, to me. I never really thought about finding Adrastos once I had my new life, but then, I didn’t get mindraped by Sayer like you did. So I didn’t get to review the “greatest hits” of our life ad nauseum. Really puts things into context a little,” Reid mused.

“Oh, trust me, Sayer will get what’s coming to him as well. I am in no ways going to forgive what he did to me. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night until I am certain that that bastard is also held accountable for his actions as well,” Red nodded.

“Wow, when it gets right down to it, we’re really bloodthirsty, aren’t we?” Reid grinned.

“Please, it’s just those two, and they both tried to make me their own. Sayer tried to take my soul, so I think I’m a little justified,” Red irritably snorted.

“Relax, I was joking. I know how serious the situation is, I was just trying to make light of it,” Reid smiled.

“Is it really the time for joking?” Red questioned.

“You tell me. You look like you could use a laugh,” Reid remarked dryly.

“Hmm,” Red, well, hmmed. Well, that felt kind of final, didn’t it? He had his resolve, he had his plan. So, what else was there left to do beyond… hmm. “Say Reid,” Red began.

“Yes?” Reid inquired.

“What was Rex like?” Red inquired.

Reid paused, his stare thoughtful and contemplative. “Umm, why do you ask?” he inquired.

“Well, the thought occurs that, well, Alister and I could try to raise him in our timeline too,” Red explained.

“You want to have a crossbreed child with Alister?” Reid inquired.

“Well, why not? It worked for you, did it not?” Red contended.

“And you said I didn’t have much effect on you,” Reid chuckled to himself. “Rex, was interesting. And by interesting, I mean he was a complete pain in the ass,” Reid answered.

“Aren’t all children?”

“Touche. Rex was a great kid, really he was. But, given that Zayon and I tended to be so into each other, we never realized until it was too late that we caused him to resent us,” Reid sighed.

“He resented you?” Red inquired.

“Yeah, I think so. He was half and half of two species that weren’t exactly all that compatible. He had a flame sac, but couldn’t breathe fire at all, or any other element. He couldn’t get drunk either, that ticked him off when he was of legal age to drink. Went through so many bottles of beer, and he wasn’t even a little bit tipsy. That discovery earned us a nice big tantrum. Sadly, he didn’t have much in the ways of magic either, but, I think that was because his wasn’t a natural gestation and birth. But he was strong physically, more so than a lombax. Very athletic, which he got from Zayon’s side. Brilliant too, but then, most lombaxes and dragons tend to be. But, I think it was the nature of his birth, and his upbringing that caused him to resent us. Naturally, being a test-tube baby would cause a large number of scars, as well as the fact that we planned his life out, though that was more Zayon than me. He was to go through all the training, all military academies. We had high hopes that he would become a general, or heck, even a commander one day. But, I don’t think that was what he wanted. But, he wasn’t exactly the communicative sort. He was just as good as you or I when it comes to keeping secrets. I think, all those elements caused his anger and frustration to stockpile, until he finally gave up on everything but himself. And that’s why he became a renegade, just like the Ratchet you saw in the Pathway of Death, except, more violent,” Reid explained.

“So, you were a terrible parent?” Red deduced.

“Pretty much. We were so wrapped up in our plans and ourselves that we never saw the signs in Rex until it was too late,” Reid grimaced.

“Then we won’t make that mistake. We’ll guide Rex, but try not to control him,” Red decided.

“Second verse, same as the first. I think it’s just his destiny to become a hateful renegade,” Reid remarked.

“I think we know full-well that destiny can go to hell,” Red countered.

“True,” Reid nodded. The phantom dragon took a deep breath, and looked to the wall, as if expecting a clock to be there. “Well, looks like you have your act together, must be time to move on.”

“How?” Red questioned.

“Where else? Through the looking glass Alice, you’ll find it in the closet,” Reid smiled as he faded away.

“I don’t get the reference,” Red said loudly, getting up from his bed.

This was what sucked about not being in the know, when even stupid references sound cryptic. But, if that was all it took…. Opening the door of his closet, Red found a mirror stowed away inside, the same mirror he had walked through to get to this place. “Oh yeah, I just remembered,” Reid said, having reappeared in the room.

“And that is?” Red inquired, head craned over his shoulder.

“Remember the sunset,” Reid declared, and faded out again.

“I didn’t forget,” Red said as Reid disappeared. That left a lighter feeling in his heart. Yes, the sunset will be quite beautiful, won’t it? But, there was more to do, and that lay beyond the mirror. “Through the looking glass, I guess,” Red mumbled as he left this place, his resolve proven true.

[spoiler=Bayonetta: Witch 2 Witch]
“Gabriel~!” Bayonetta called out as she stumbled into a rather strange room on the other side of the mirror; it resembled a cross between Rodin’s “The Gates of Hell” Bar and the Umbran Training Grounds, with sunlight coming in through a circular window in the ceiling. To her right was a seemingly black void framed by a stone archway; noticing this, Bayo went over to investigate it. “Gabriel, are you in there…?” she uttered as she cautiously stepped closer to the archway, inching a hand closer to the pitch-black space within. To her curious surprise, her fingertips made contact with an invisible surface, which was blocking her hand from passing the archway. “Interesting… but that still doesn’t answer my question,” Bayonetta mused as she continued to scan her surroundings. “Gabriel~ If you can hear me, please respond--!”

“Cereza~?” Hearing her (real) name called out, Bayonetta’s head snapped back to face the archway, which now revealed a mirror image of the room she was currently in, except bathed in moonlight, along with Jeanne who had also apparently wandered into her version of the room just then. “Cereza, where the Devil are you?” the red-garbed witch called out in search of her friend.

“Jeanne, over here!” Bayonetta replied, bringing her friend's attention towards the archway in her version of the room.

“What in the Sam Hell are you doing over there?” Jeanne blurted as she strode over to the Archway, becoming quite peeved that the invisible barrier was keeping her from joining her Umbran Sister on the other side. “Ugh. I came after you hoping to keep you from getting yourself into whatever mess you’d end up in, but it looks like we’re both in a bind; there doesn’t seem to be a way out of either of our rooms.”

“It’s strange, though,” Bayonetta mused. “Each of these rooms seem to be connected to each other, yet they’re both separated. But more to the point, I still haven’t found Gabriel.”

“Perhaps he got pulled into another room,” Jeanne hypothesized.

Bayonetta scoffed indignantly, huffily placing her hands on her hips. “Well in that case, I came here for nothing.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure, Cereza….” The raven-haired Umbra Witch nearly Astral Projected herself out of her body as she heard a voice address her from behind; a figure had suddenly appeared in Bayonetta’s version of the room, concealed in shadow as it sat in the furthest corner of the bar. The figure’s darkened silhouette resembled a slender, high-heel-wearing woman, a conical shape protruding from the top of her head.

“... oh, like this isn’t some sort of trick,” Jeanne scoffed, seeing the obvious ploy about to play out.

“... M… Mummy…?” Bayonetta blurted out before she could stop herself.

“Oh, Cereza…,” the silhouette sighed as she got to feet, her heels clicking as she stepped into the light, revealing a familiar figure… just not the one Bayonetta had anticipated. “... how many times must I tell you not to call me “Mummy”?” Bayonetta’s mirror self haughtily chastised the original as she adjusted her glasses.

“Oop--!” Flustered, Bayonetta flailed her arms as she stumbled backwards, landing on her lovely posterior with a WHUMF.

“Oh, honestly, Cereza,” Jeanne shook her head. “You were always so attached to your mum, you’d even confuse yourself for her. What are we going to do with you?” she rhetorically asked as Bayonetta huffily adjusted her own glasses in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. “And how long are you going to stand there watching?” Jeanne added as she turned to face her own Doppelganger, who had been watching the scene play out from behind the bar, a look of amusement on her face.

“Oh, I think I’ve seen enough,” Mirror!Jeanne snickered as she stepped from behind the bar. “Besides, we really must get this show on the road, especially if you both want to get out of this trial alive.”

“Guns down,” Mirror!Bayo demanded to the originals, both having drawn their weapons anticipating a fight. “There’s no need for a fight here. While it would be much more fun to “duke it out”, this trial can be handled with a lot less violence.

“Well, that’s a pity,” Bayonetta scoffed. “I’ve always imagined that if I were to ever come across my own double, a fight would break out.”

“Ditto,” Jeanne sighed dejectedly as she and Bayonetta holstered their weapons. “So, lemme guess: with this being the Truth Pathway, the only way out of this room is to admit or accept the truth, correct?”

“Just about,” Mirror!Bayo replied. “But then again, the two of you already have most of your ducks in a row.”

“”Most”,” Mirror!Jeanne repeated with emphasis as she looked her real self in the face. “You seem keen on withholding something juicy, Jeanne. Care to spill?” she asked tauntingly.

“It’s okay, Jeanne, we’re all friends here,” Bayonetta assured the white-haired witch. “At least, I think we are,” she added as she looked her doppelganger in the face.

“What’s there to admit?” Jeanne blurted adamantly.

“Oh, you know, Jeanne~” Mirror!Jeanne mewled, “it’s about a certain bronze-skinned beefcake you just so happened to--” A hysteric shriek from Jeanne’s throat cut her Doppelganger off, but not before her mirror self chuckled deviously.

“Ohh~?” Bayonetta cooed, intrigued. “Jeanne, you cat~, you’ve been holding out on us?”

“O-Okay, fine!” Jeanne yelped out in confession. “His name was Jecht, and he and I were helping each other fight off LERNA’s familiar. Near the end, we, err… mayormaynothaswrestledtongueswitheachother BUT it was just a one-time thing!” Jeanne stammered, her face turning beet-red as she was slowing dying of embarrassment (not really). “If not for LERNA’s miasmic despair suffocating us all, I would’ve never even considered it….”

Bayonetta’s mouth curled slightly in an understanding smile. “It’s okay, Jeanne. You had no idea that you would even survive that battle… so you decided to indulge in a little passion before going out with a bang, who wouldn’t? It’s a tad cliche, but so were a lot of things that’ve occurred in this Rolepl--I mean, this war.”

“The worst part of it all,” Jeanne continued, her tone growing softer, “was that… I felt I had failed you, Cereza. I felt I had lost my chance to save you, that you would….”

“... you did what you could, Jeanne,” a misty-eyed Bayonetta reassured her Umbran Sister. “And for what you were able to accomplish, I am proud of, and grateful to you. You were willing to go through all of that hell, just to save me.”

“Because you’re my best friend, Cereza,” Jeanne replied, equally watery-eyed. “And because I knew you’d do the same for me were I the one in trouble… … Cereza…!” she blurted, noticing a tear run down Bayonetta’s face. “You’re crying? And here I thought you had forgotten how.”

Bayonetta softly chuckled as she wiped the tear off her own face. “Well, I can only not cry for so long,” she admitted. “Besides, these are happy tears, so it’s okay to let them fall.”

“Any tears are fine to let fall,” Mirror!Bayonetta spoke up, “so long as you don’t fall with them; stand tall even through the pain, and with your head held high. Y’know, as you’ve always done,” the doppelganger added with a wink.

“I think we can let them go, then,” Mirror!Jeanne proposed, “don’t you?”

“But of course,” Mirror!Bayo nodded. “Oh, and don’t worry about Gabriel, Bayonetta; he’s in his own trial at the moment, but he’s doing quite alright. You should be seeing him soon, along with the boys.” Having said their peace, the doppelgangers vanished, another archway appearing in their place, these framing a mirror.

“Well, I guess that’s our way out,” Jeanne commented. “Further through the looking glass we go, eh?”

“We’ve become a regular pair of Alices, haven’t we?” Bayonetta giggled. “Well then, let’s go; we’ve got a Wabbajack to slay, and his name is “Sayer”....”

[Tesability Black]

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

 

"Yes, I would. Actually possessing such power would make me better able to make sure it is never used outside of the greatest of purposes, and even then I'd make sure there were absolutely no other options throughout the Omniverse."

 

Once he had responded, Arturia observed him for a moment, in the reflection of her former silver sword - the Radiant and Brilliant Royal Sword, Clarent. Neos himself was almost motionless even while he stood tall as he looked back down at her, appearing to be uncertain of whatever she had been planning.

 

Without saying any words, she promptly began walking onwards, deeper into the forest, as though beckoning him to follow. As he did so, she spoke, “I see. Your answer is satisfactory. Still, my friend, there is one thing you should know… In this ever-expanding reality, there is always another option. In other words, the time to never use the Door shall never come.”

 

From there, a clearing came into view, and in the midst of it an archaic stone tower, having been there the whole time without being noticed. Surrounded and hidden by the trees, there it stood all alone, a construct that was barely holding its bricks together, holding a vague feeling of nostalgia but otherwise seeming to serve no purpose. An object that could easily be missed, that only few travelers of this trial would encounter.

 

“...huh, wonder why Emerald didn’t come back about---” It was at that moment that Neos suddenly felt a familiar rubbing against one of his legs, prompting him to look down and see the bluish creature he summoned earlier rubbing its head against his legs. “Well, squeak of the devil,” Neos chuckled before lowering his arm, allowing it to climb up onto his shoulder before standing back up to his full height of 6’4” to look at the out-of-place tower. “I don’t remember any of the other paths having structures like this one,” the shapeshifter noted in thought, crossing his arms in front of himself as he did.

 

“Nay.” Arturia answered simply, taking a glance at the small creature but ignoring it for the most part. “Perhaps this building...was not originally meant to be here, being nothing more than a remnant of someone else’s Remembrance. Or something else entirely. It doesn’t matter. Nonetheless, it will serve out its purpose for us.”

 

Holding her hand up into the sky, she clenched it suddenly, and for a moment the air became much heavier. The wind barrier around them, Invisible Air, had been expanded to include the immediate area, preventing anyone else from coming close to the ritual that was about to occur.

 

Then, the proud yet distant leader of the Counter Corps approached the Tower of Remembrance, and opened the wooden door. A bright white light emanated from the gaps, making it impossible to see whatever was within, but even so, she went in without any words of which to speak. There was no way to advance but into the light.

 

“...something tells me this might bite me in the ass somehow,” Neos muttered as an unexplained bad feeling cheapshotted him before walking through the light himself.

 

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

His vision was consumed completely by light, and yet, it was only for an instant before the brightness relaxed, at which point the interior of the stone tower was revealed to him - completely unlike what he may have imagined.

 

Before him was a royal throne room constructed by prestige materials unknown to modern man, plucked from a forgotten golden age. The walls shone with unnatural polish, decorated by fine medieval tapestries, and light filled in the room from stained glass windows. As soon as he breathed in the air, it was so fresh that it felt as though all the oxygen he had breathed up until this point was heavily polluted in comparison. Although there was no one else with them, the atmosphere appeared to be extremely heavy. As though everyone who meant something in Neos' life, remembered or not, was seated somewhere, watching all this unfold.

 

There, at the end of a long red carpet, seated the king herself. She rested upon a grand decorated throne, garbed in steel armour garmented by a thick blue furcoat and with a crown on her head. The silver sword, Clarent, remained in her hands. Even though he had seen her several times up until now, somehow, the very sight of it was a reminder of who she was. The aura she was emitting now seemed so strong that it would compel anyone with a weak enough will to fall down to their knees, begging for mercy, for that was how dense the majesty she commanded was. The fact that she was a woman... it seemed completely trivial in comparison. For she was a leader of nations. A protector of kingdoms. A king of knights.

 

"Welcome, visitor from the Tree of Beginnings. I see that you have travelled a long way to get here. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

 

“...da fu…?”

 

...was it a completely different person? The way she spoke seemed almost otherworldly, different from the cold, demanding edge of how her voice was normally like.

 

"I, King Arthur Pendragon, formally greet thee to my home that is Camelot. I understand that this may not be much compared to the many unique sights you have witnessed in your journey, but I hope it is sufficient for what it is."

 

Admittedly, she was right. Neos had seem much more regal appearances when in the sultanate of Ul’dah back on Hydaelyn, but that’s neither here nor there.

 

Not too far away from him was a short velvet stool. But unfortunately, he wasn’t too sure if he was supposed to be the one that sat in it or if it was reserved for someone else that was supposed to come, so he remained standing for the moment, confusion evident on his face for what was actually happening.

 

“I’m sorry, but what in the Distortion is going on here?”

 

A gentle smile crossed the king’s face at that question. However, instead of answering, she said, “Before we begin with the ceremony, there is something that remains… Therefore, introduce yourself.”

 

Unfortunately, this kind of surprise often winds up with Neos being without a voice, freezing in place for the time being. He would go to open his mouth and it was like the words would just not come, unsure of what all he was supposed to say since he didn’t know the apparent ‘rules’, if there were any, of what was going on. And this became obvious as he looked down towards the ground.

 

“You may relax, for there are few knights who can say that they are fully confident in their own words. If it helps, when you speak to me, imagine that you are speaking to a dear companion.” The king spoke patiently, noticing his demeanor.

 

To this, Neos appeared to visibly deflate, much like a human would with their shoulders dropping, before a frown appeared on his face with a blue eyebrow raised high. “Then you would know that such companions have no need to introduce themselves to each other, for they would already know whom one another is. You aren’t helping whatever case you’re making.”

 

“Hmm. How is it that you can easily speak of others and contest to their speech, yet not speak of yourself? Just now, you spoke with confidence… Yes. I wish to hear more of that.”

 

Unphased by him at all, the smile on her face only grew.

 

“Do tell. Who are you, who dares to speak up to the King of Britain in such a manner?”

 

“You should know who I am by now,” Neos started to say after unintentionally taking the bait that she metaphorically dangled in front of his face. “The name’s Antonio ‘Neos’ Rivetter and I’m not afraid to say what I feel needs to be said when it’s to be said.” His eyes had narrowed slightly as he stepped forward once, confidence returning after the moment of stage fright had passed as he raised a hand to point a finger at her, only lowering it upon finishing his words.

 

Once he said so, as if satisfied with this response, the king gave a nod before rising up.

 

“Indeed. Nor should you be, fair Antonio. That is a quality I have nothing but admiration for.”

 

Though she was technically the same as ever, the size of her garments combined with her majestic aura, and the elevated platform her throne was on, made her figure much larger than it would normally be. Not that Neos would be phased by this.

 

“Amongst many kingdoms scattered throughout universes, there have been great individuals selected to act as the guardians of the realm. The people were to look up to them, depend upon them, and aspire to be them. Each one would have to uphold a certain code that compelled them to be the very best they could be. Different cultures handle the selection process differently - some are put through intense training from youth in order to become one, whereas others are simply recognized for their valor and picked out from the finest of the finest. Regardless of this, my people used to call them... ‘knights’.”

 

The king took a single step forward, and then stopped, with her silver blade in hand.

 

“When I became king, I formed what is now known as the Round Table, where no seated knight may be greater than the other. Not even I, for it is to my belief that a knight does not serve the king who issues commands, but the kingdom that needs them… Outside of this room, it is not merely this kingdom that will require you, but every kingdom in existence.”

 

“The Omniverse as a whole,” Neos added, as if in understanding.

 

“Exactly. As it stands, you are a member of the Counter Corps. However, the things that lay ahead are unknown and dangerous, and there is no telling what may happen. In the face of such peril, that is why the Counter Guardian has called me here…”

 

The very air stopped for a moment.

 

“To knight you.”

 

“...wait, what?” Neos took a step back in surprise while leaning forward a bit, his face showing the same with slightly-widened eyes and his arms held a little behind himself. “I’m not exactly someone that would be considered a ‘knight’...or to be considered for any real form of title.” In true candid fashion did he speak in response to the statement, head tilted a little to the side to give her a look that matched his question.

 

Excluding the military title I ended up getting from the Immortal Flames, the false human thought to himself. Still weird being referred to as ‘Second Flame Lieutenant’, even now...

 

King Arthur seemed a little amused at Neos’ reaction, to the point that it almost seemed like she could read his mind. “Oh, are you quite certain? Because my eyes state that the one before me is not any ordinary wild Ditto, but a true knight who has honed his skills and accomplished endless deeds, yet takes it all with a powerful humility.” Using one of her gauntleted hands, she pointed towards, uh, the ceiling? “Although, perhaps he could pay attention to his surroundings a little more.”

 

No, it was actually aimed at the many various tapestries hanging from the ceiling, which appeared at first glance to have been generic artworks of people doing generic things. However, upon paying closer attention, it became noticeable that in each and every one, there was the all-too-familiar image of a blue-haired man. In fact, they were medieval renditions of some of the greatest achievements he’d ever accomplished throughout his long, complicated journey.

 

There seemed to be four huge tapestries among all the others, each featuring a collage of images, though the images of each tapestry related to the others within them, while all shared only his appearance in common. Even if he had differing outfits in some of them.

 

The first one was actually the smallest, with a large bluish crystalline tree growing out of the ground with what looked like both himself and a floating pink cat next to him with a long tail, himself and Mistress Mew in front of the Tree of Beginning. Both seemed to be smiling at an invisible camera while each posed in their own way. Around the tree were several images...including at least one he would love to forget. Particularly the one that showed him imprisoned, rendered immobile on a table and given no room to try and demorph. His upper body was revealed to be without a stitch, which showed his right arm to bear a yellow-bleeding scar in the shape of an ‘R’ that was deeply cut in as well..

 

The second seemed to be featuring an ornate city within a desert, the appearance and presence of gold rather obvious in its construction and decoration. Ul’dah of Thanalan within the nation of Eorzea. Surrounding it were various moments that seemed to display him, such as when he and three others were staring down a massive fiery being, whom Neos recognized as the primal Ifrit. Two other large beings in different images on the same tapestry showed as well, one with the large rocky primal Titan and the vicious wind-based primal Garuda. Another showed a more sober moment, when he was kneeling down near a green leafy creature among many corpses within a small area, the Sylph Noraxia being the only one of them alive but only for a few minutes before dying in his arms. They were all killed because the attackers had been hunting for him that day.

 

The third one...Neos couldn’t place it at all. For some reason, the images seemed to vary wildly and with two others appearing to show beside him on each one, both children by the looks of it. All of the images seemed to be floating on a canvas of black dotted with white. In what essentially looked like simple mage’s robes, he had appeared before another vicious being attacking a small town, a demon by the looks of it, with the familiar crystalline quarterstaff in his hands between him and it. However, two apparently depressing images showed within the black canvas dotted with white as well, showing one of the children, but not the other. The one showing the boy of the pair showed him carrying the kid as he ran with full speed, apparently rescuing the kid from what he could not remember as the scene exploded behind him. And the other showed the girl...though she looked strangely hostile while he had seemed to be bound to the white wall of the room shown. Looking at the girl, his eyes flicked back towards the demon elsewhere on this tapestry to realize one thing: she was possessed in this image as she attacked. But why? What happened?

 

The last showed a colorful, lively city filled with races and beings of all kinds imaginable, which he instantly recognized as Ravnica. In the center showed himself along with not only the same two children, but with a man dressed entirely in blue in addition to the decorated blue cloak, Jace Beleren. There were few images here with many spots blank, as if they had not had the chance to be filled in yet. One of them showed Neos sprinting ahead, carrying an embarrassed Jace bridal-style as a bunch of what looked like literally-bloody goblins ran after the duo with a hideously-gleeful look, Rakdos goblins. Another showed the same duo, but Jace flat on his back with a bit of red coming from his nose and Neos looking like he was in a default unarmed combat stance. Anyone who knew such stances would be able to recognize that he reacted instinctively to something, to which the poor mindmage wound up taking the hit for. A third appeared to not show Neos at all, instead it seemed to show the man dressed in blue from before standing in front of a group of armored minotaurs while trying to come them down. The odd thing about this image was that it showed the man from a frontal view, allowing for the familiar neon-green eyes to be seen. Neos was in the picture, but he had taken on the form of another. And the last image showed Neos standing at the door of a dark room while a strange wave of energy had swept through the room, with the mindmage partially transparent under the form of an assassin when the wave tried to go through him. It took him a second to realize that the odd ‘wave’ was the distortion that he had been sensing within Ravnica lately and that one of them must have forced Jace to planeswalk out of the way of the blade.

 

Whatever words he had died in his throat after seeing the four, though after he turned back towards the king, he found it again. “More like you’re trying to put a title on a fool more reckless than Jace,” he stated flatly.

 

“What you call recklessness, I call bravery. And what you see as a fool... I see as a hero.” She closed her eyes at that last part. “If you perceive parts of yourself as flawed, then learn to overcome them. The greatest warrior is not one who believes that they are the best, but one who believes that they can be better. Even becoming a knight - that will not be the end for you, but simply, a step higher.”

 

Then, she opened her eyes again, grabbed the hilt of her blade Clarent, and swung it once through the air as though to test its functionality. Somehow, though there was nothing remarkable about the move itself, the air shook, the bright light dimmed, and a massive surge of energy rushed throughout the entire throne room. Such a surge made Neos unable to help moving into a slightly-defensive stance in reaction, unsure of what to expect.

 

The king’s eyes met with his, and promptly asked, “Are you afraid, Antonio?”

 

“The last time I felt a wave like that was similar to the one that was eating Ravnica in front of my eyes and before that, a wave of similar energy that cause Jace to disappear for…” Despite his stance, Neos couldn’t help but look down slightly in thought over the past sequence of events. ”Arceus-dammit, it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve seen him.”

 

Then, she asked, “From the beginning of your entry into the Origin War, you have shown great concern for this man. Might I wonder, what it is that makes you want to save Jace Beleren?”

 

“If you’re suggesting anything along the lines of relationships, he don’t swing that way. And he’s more important to a part of the Multiverse he’s from. Ravnica is a plane that has only one real thing keeping it from tearing itself apart and that’s a unique spell known as the Guildpact. Through events that I was not present for, that same spell has rewoven itself into him after it was originally broken. I don’t know the full details and I got a massive headache the one time he tried explaining it to me.” To this, Neos just threw his hands up into the air. “Essentially, he’s one man keeping an entire world from upending itself, the literal law of the land...and he’s afraid of accidentally abusing it somehow.”

 

“I see. How curious.” King Arthur stood in silence for some time, as though pondering over this. Afterwards, she opened up one of her hands for a bit. At that very moment, mana was projected outwards until it condensed to form a stone. It was small, yet covered in countless layers of complicated arcane magic that seemed far beyond what any modern magician could accomplish.

“This is a hypothetical situation. What if I gave you this stone, told you that it had the capability to simulate the Guildpact that keeps Ravnica stable, and then requested you to abandon Jace along with everyone else, leaving the Origin War altogether-”

 

“I’m gonna stop you right there.”

 

“Quiet.” Before he could continue, a gust of wind akin to a gentle air blast, hit his face, causing him to shake his head and release a small sneeze. “I believe, if our previous interactions are of any indication, that you are about to say something cheeky once more, so let us assume that this stone actually works, and upon returning it, it does its job perfectly. Also, yes, you can miraculously leave the Pathways. Hypothetical.”

 

The stone floated towards him of its own accord. “Now. You have the option to leave the Pathway to Origin and continue on as you were, and with that Guildpact Stone, the only thing that Ravnica suffers is the loss of one ultimately replaceable man. What do you do?”

 

"Sorry, but after discovering that all who died in Origin stopped existing, I made it a personal mission to try to get as many through as possible...even though I'm horribly failing at at," Neos admitted with a groan before putting a hand over his face for a second. "Also," Neos removed his hand before looking back up towards her with a hand pointing towards the stone. "From what I did understand, the original Guildpact was bound to something similar before it was somehow broken without even touching what it was bound to. Something about a loophole that couldn't be resolved, since it had no way to change. With that, you run the risk of it breaking once more, and I don’t think Jace wants what he views as his home plane destroyed when he can keep that from happening."

 

Then he seemed to have crossed his arms in front of himself in thought. “That and I’m pretty sure he’d throw that right back in my face if I tried giving him such a thing. Considering what he’s done in the past, I recall him saying that he takes his job as the Guildpact seriously, even going as far as making sure multi-planar threats don’t reach it as well. You can’t help but admire someone like that, even if he doesn’t see himself as more than a reckless fool.” Even as he said the line, he had a small smirk on his face.

 

“Also, in all due respect. If you think I’m leaving just yet, then f*ck you.”

 

“Oh dear. That certainly is not language one would expect to hear in a normal knighting ceremony. Were it spoken to any royal other than I, you would have permanently ruined your chances at knighthood as a result. Perhaps you should be lucky that all your friends are not watching this spectacle unfold...or are they?” Leaving it at that, King Arthur assumed a more serious tone.

“I admire your conviction, that is for certain, and it is clear that you look up to him. I believe I have my answer, but nevertheless, let me put this more bluntly. Which is a higher priority in your mind, saving Jace Beleren the Guildpact, or Jace Beleren the man?”

 

“How about I take Option C and save both. There’s no either-or with me, especially since both have been the same thing in my mind for as long as I’ve known him. I’d still make the effort to give him aid even without the spell attached to him, especially since he helped me out when I first arrived on the planet.” He also seemed to have muttered something under his breath to himself as well, before coughing lightly and returning his attention to the king.

 

She sighed, more in exasperation at the kind of person he was than anything. “As I thought. To you, it wouldn’t be enough to save the world but not the individual, nor the individual but not the world. It has to be both. It is an idealistic way of going about things that will not always prove practical...but I myself am guilty of it, so who I am to talk?”

 

Once the words had left her mouth, King Arthur placed both of her hands onto the hilt of her shining blade, Clarent, and the atmosphere seemed to drop immensely. The warm presence she’d been emitting up until now faded away, now replaced by not a human nor a god, but a pure, otherworldly ruler of the lands whose sole purpose was to lead the people.

 

“It is time.

 

If thou truly dost not believe thyself to be worthy of what I about to bestow, warrior from the Tree of Beginnings, then leave.”

 

Neos immediately turned his back towards her before looking back towards Arturia over his shoulder. "If I thought I was worthy of it, then I am not truly worthy of it. You want me to stay? Then declare so, and I will turn around and kneel."

 

Any form of humor that would have been in his eyes vanished in this moment. "But if you stay silent, I will leave. The choice is yours. Either way, I’m still doing what I can to help those on the Paths get out of Origin in one piece."

 

The king fixated her, no, its gaze upon him at that response. Perhaps there was something about it, the unnatural ferocity, the unfamiliar sharpness, the soul-crushing nature of it, but whatever it was...it had to have made it clear to him that this could not be Arturia, the leader of the Counter Corps, he was speaking to. Not metaphorically, but literally. It was simply King Arthur.

 

“It has been my decision to knight thou. However, it is thy, and can only be thy decision to refuse, for that is only fair. I am not a tyrant who oppresses his subjects into accepting what they do not wish.

 

Your humility is commendable. However, I, the king, wish to see thine confidence.

 

I will givest you one minute so that you can think about whether or not you are ready to become a knight.

 

If you are not, leave.

 

Yet, if you are, step forward and kneel.”

 

Neos turned to face it once more, hands in the pockets of his pants. "You may not be a tyrant, but Jace is better than you at ruling, even if he considers it otherwise. Someone incapable of understanding his subjects is not much better, especially if they have lost whom they are in the process."

 

With this, he had his arms out wide to either side of himself, an action that could easily be mistaken for an act of aggression. "Remember who you are. You still are as human as your 'subjects', as you so charmingly put it. Remember who you really are and tell me if you really want me to stay or not. I do not believe that the moving statue I'm talking to right now is the real you."

 

King Arthur observed Neos with an icy glare.

 

Then,

 

“I am the king, and yet I am merely a device to enact the knighting ceremony, this is true. It is a wonder that you challenge what most would not even consider.

 

Even if your words are to be lost to time, you have my deepest gratitude, for there are all too few who attempt to see beyond the king. For that… I thank thee.

 

Still, do not misunderstand. I am not Arturia, but she has willingly opened her heart to allow for this miracle, fuelling this reality with her mana as we speak. For no other reason than because she trusts you.

 

See me not as your leader, but as a blade through which you shall be transformed. That is all I ask for.

 

One minute.”

 

He had not known that little bit of info about the place around him, causing a pang of guilt to hit from the burn he must of have caused by his usual antics. Taking a second to close his eyes, he rose his hands to his eyes and placed a thumb and a fingertip before the familiar blow of blue began to shine behind the eyelids. Opening them after lowering his hand to his eyes, he dared to look around the place to see with his own gaze.

 

Oh, holy Arceus, the one in front of him was not kidding. While he could still tell what everything was with his altered sight, everything was now colored with shades of a bluish-purple color everywhere except for those that had seemed to gather among the seats behind him. They were a wide range of colors, and he was pretty sure he had a literal rainbow of aura present. Closing his eyes before reopening to see whom he was all looking at, words died in his throat.

 

If he had seen this first, he would not have made himself such a prized ass. He recognized almost everyone sitting among the seats, though the few that couldn’t properly sit in a seat instead sat in the aisles beside them.

 

Mistress Mew, Talim Rave, Desertsea, Raver, Purplestar, Momodi, Flame General Raubahn Aldynn...the names kept coming in rapid succession as he spotted everyone of them, though he hung on one being longer than the others.

 

Gemini.

 

And the demon that wore a face similar to his own was looking at him from the back of the crowd as if trying to give a silent warning not to go through with this.

 

It was an act of defiance toward the other half that he turned back towards the king before silently kneeling.

 

…

 

From that point onwards, there were no words spoken during the act, nor did there need to be. No ridiculously lengthy, fancy speech about the trials of life or oaths of knighthood to make the ceremony seem more special than what it was. There was no room for pretentiousness, especially in the midst of the Origin War, nor for silly comments that would spoil the holy moment, for it was what it was.

 

Thus, the silver blade Clarent was raised into the air, and as it was, it began to glow with great light, as though being charged to the very maximum with a powerful energy. However, it wasn't anything like mana that was being channeled through it, but the pure energy of life. Despite the sheer intensity it was emitting, instead of seeming destructive, there was something almost, well, beautiful about its aura, a mixture of all five colours, entangled and blending together to display the core components of what made up every individual being.

 

Even though it was still a few meters away, Neos could already feel that it was having an effect on him. It appeared to be reaching into him, drawing out his emotions and making him incapable of forming concrete words, though he had the capacity to push it back from his mind if he so wished. There might've been the possibility that, if something so strong actually physically touched him, that he would be wholly destroyed, yet he found it hard to move or speak underneath such pressure.

 

And that, admittedly, set him a fair bit more on edge that he was supposed to be, the feeling of being imprisoned trying to creep up on him and make him panic. He at least managed to make himself seem unaffected in this regard, but a minor flinch was still visible from him as well as the faint yet sharper breathing could be heard by those with excellent hearing. It may have been his imagination, but it seemed that the more he panicked, the weaker the blade's effect on his became, perhaps in order to make him relax a little, reassure him in that he still had conscious control over the situation.

 

Then without warning, King Arthur immediately swung Clarent downwards by its blunt end and violently struck the Ditto’s right shoulder. However, rather than metal smashing it open, it appeared to burst into energy that consumed his vision along with the rest of his senses, engulfing his body with an unexpected vigor that made his nerves cry out in pain. The multi-coloured energy was acting on its own accord, seeming to dive deeper and deeper into his very existence, attempting to make contact with his soul - however, it found itself unable to do so as it was met by an inner wall, which worsened the pain even more as the energy coursed through his body with nowhere to go.

 

The pain, with what little mentality he could spare, made him wonder why he hadn’t reverted back yet. It was far beyond the normal threshold of pain that he could handle and still he kept his form. Gritting his teeth while unsure of what he was supposed to do, he couldn’t help but try to fight back against the waves of pain, only to be internally recoiling from the pain increasing each time he made the attempt.

 

He was kind of glad he couldn’t use his voice, because he was pretty sure he’d be waking far more than the dead at this point with it.

 

Might be a good idea to, oh, I don’t know, relax.

 

Why should I listen to anything you say right now?

 

If you intend on following through with this stupid move of yours, I’d rather you stay whole so I can still leave here.

 

I’d like to see you deal with this pain right now!

 

Oh, I could. Quite easily. In fact, thanks to you, I have dealt with far worse. Now, since it is quite obvious that fighting makes the pain increase, why don’t you try my suggestion?

 

Though instinct told him not to do so, he tried to fight off the urge to resist, a task that was proving almost as hard to do as well. A groan echoed from the back of his head as he suddenly felt himself forced to relax and allow the odd energy in, which almost set of yet another wave of panic. I swear, you can’t do anything without me.

 

Finally, with that, the pain eased away, before disappearing completely as the energy poured into his very soul, and while it had seemed at first that there would be no way it could possibly hold so much, it was actually the contrary - there was so much space, so much further potential in his soul that there was more than enough for it. Once it had settled itself in, Neos felt his body become heavier, and at the same time his mind was beginning to buzz. Strong emotions were rising up from the surface for no apparent reason, until they started to form concrete memories.

The accolade in the knighting ceremony had two parts to it, which was the striking of the right shoulder, and then that of the left shoulder. Each strike was intended to make him reflect on himself as an individual for his transformation into a knight, to make him recognize two things. The first of which being the greatest failures of his life.

 

Memories he knew very well were being forced out from the depths of his mind, and holding them down caused the pain in his body to return, meaning that it was easiest to face them head-on. And so, as they materialized, it was like Neos was being forced to relive them...

 

[spoiler=Last Moments]The memories surfaced started from the most-recent, from him with his hands bound behind him and a white collar interwoven with blue around his neck while on his knees in the middle of what looked like an enlarged version of a typical courtroom setting. The most-unusual thing about the room, apart from the white stone dais he was kneeling on, was the sphinx of blue and white overlooking the place where the judge typically was. And she was looking at him with a blank yet powerful gaze.

 

Standing around him were five mages, all dressed in same scheme as the rest of the room, mostly white with blue accents. Though he could hear them whispering under their breath their multiple spells, he couldn’t hear them clearly enough to be able to repeat what was being said. And even if he could, he knew it was a bad idea to utter a spell you don’t know the full effect of.

 

"Neos Rivetter," he heard thunder from above before looking up towards the sphinx. "You stand charged for the murder of the Living Guildpact and for the use of unauthorized mind control to mirror his power. What is your plea to these charges, creature?"

 

He was no murderer, so the charge stung far more than someone whom would have done such an act. He couldn’t help but narrow his eyes in pain at the charges, despite knowing that they were untrue.

 

"Innocent of murder," he said immediately after wincing from being called a creature instead of a human. The collar around his neck began to glow, inflicting the feeling of being urged to tell the full truth in a painful, overwhelming way. "...and guilty of mind control," he finally added with regret as he lowered his head back down, temporarily releasing him from the feeling that threatened to literally suffocate him for the time being, accidentally baring his fangs in the process while trying to gather his breath.

 

The sphinx tilted her head at the split plea, curiosity faintly showing through the sparkle in her eyes, though it would be impossible for a human to recognize such in her. "What evidence do you have that can prove he still live," was the question asked, and it made him gulp.

 

"I've," Neos started to say before he gulped, looking up toward the sphinx afterwards. "I've already promised I wouldn't tell anyone what I know." Just like when he was forced to plead guilty to using mind control, the suffocating feeling began to overwhelm him instantly, shortening his breath as he tried to keep his silence. Bringing his head even closer to his knees from the resulting pain, he shut his eyes to the world as well as began gritting his teeth. "No...I promised Jace I wouldn't tell anyone," he whispered.

 

"Even if it is a sworn oath made upon the Living Guildpact himself, if it means finding him, you are under direct orders to reveal what you know."

 

"...Jace is not from Ravnica," he struggled against saying, though he heard the sounds of gasps around him. "He...is a being known among the Multiverse as a Planeswalker, someone capable of teleporting between realities at will." He tried pulling apart the bands of energy that kept his wrists bound together behind him, but he didn't have the strength to break them. Not with him becoming light-headed from the reduced amount of oxygen he was getting, at least. "A Dimir agent tried...to kill Jace while he was resting from his Firemadness, but he...managed to Planeswalk out of the way. I have no idea where...he could have gone or why he isn't back yet." Only when he was done talking did he feel the release upon his breathing, allowing him to inhale normally once more.

 

An explosion of whispers, shouts and angry outbursts calling him a liar and claiming he had spoofed the spells somehow became heard when he was done, though his ears also picked up the sound of a large pair of doors opening up behind him, near the back of the room.

 

"If such is true, then the fact that he stayed here and helped solve the Dragon's Maze instead of leaving when he had the chance shows a sign of unfailing loyalty." Neos opened his neon-green eyes wide open at the voice before daring to turn his head. Through the many seats that held a variety of people toward the large wooden doors, his dark-green irises becoming as small as they could be when he saw the source of the voice.

 

The elf Jace knew and apparently had feelings for from the Selesnya Conclave, Emmara Tandris…

 

[spoiler=Pain From Within]The scene faded before replacing itself with a different scene. This was another scene of white, but this scene looked more geared for holding prisoners. Neos himself laid unconscious on what looked like a raised bed of metal, bound in place at the ankles, waist, wrists and neck while wearing what looked like grey robes of mages in other realities. In the distance, a young voice could be heard shouting, tone filled with warning and dread.

 

"Mother! Father! You must release him! If you keep kim contained, you will die!"

 

“Faye, if he’s as dangerous as you make him sound, it is best that he is not released and taken care of by the Inquisition,” he heard from a male voice, possibly older than himself.

 

“Fear not dear, he will not be able to harm anyone soon once back in the hands of the Imperium.” This one sounded female, obviously older than the first voice.

 

“The Imperium cannot be allowed to have him!” Neos himself began to groan from the loud voice in the memory, blinking a few times while trying to move his arms. The fact that he couldn’t move his arms in combination with the fact that he felt something unmoving around his neck caused his eyes to open fully before trying to struggle against his bonds, panic increasing as his movements and struggle became more panicked. “You don’t know what you’re doing, please listen to me!”

 

Neos wasn’t really paying attention, he was more concerned with trying to get loose from the bonds he was bound by, trying to keep back another memory as he did. But as he struggled, a sudden pain ripped through his chest that caused him to throw his head back hard and scream loudly.

 

“...it’s too late,” he faintly heard over his own voice as a corrosive tear began to emerge on the front of his chest, lengthening as the beginnings of a tendril of energy began to stretch out before becoming a clawed hand that reaches for the ceiling of the room. Upon hooking its claws through the ceiling, more of the acidic energy pulled itself out of the false human, whom suddenly fell silent upon passing out and the scene faded to black as the scream of the young girl from echoed then warped and became more twisted and evil before it too faded.

 

Considering the image he saw on the tapestry, Neos had a good idea what happened. Because of him, another became possessed, though he knew not what happened…

 

[spoiler=Among the Fallen]A shocked look fell over the face of the elven form he had taken in this next memory, looking through the hallways of the relatively-small building as he searched for anyone that still lived among the many and various fallen bodies.

 

Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen bodies he found lying upon the ground, the cold hand of death already claiming each of the ones he came across...and he was still finding more.

 

“What...what could have happened here?” Neos said in a shaken whisper, the shock of the sight around him deadening his voice. “I thought only the Scions knew of this place.” Standing back up after dealing with yet another body and discovering it to be also deceased, he moved towards a large pair of doors before forcing it open with both hands to make them swing open wide.

There was only one body in this room, a small green one and...wait, was that movement?!

 

He immediately rushed up to beside the green form, the plant-like Sylph that he knew by the name of Noraxia, and knelt beside her before she managed to turn to face him while remaining lying down. “This one is glad...walking one is safe…”

 

“What happened here,” he asked of her. Instead of responding, she raised her hand towards him and a familiar thudding in his head began to blossom. Instead of trying to resist what was coming though, he instead allowed the Echo of the past to wash over him, the Sylph herself becoming the trigger for this wave…

 

“We’ll be awaiting your return at the Waking Sands. There is much to discuss. Godsspeed.”

 

In the flashback induced by the realm’s Echo, Neos saw Noraxia floating beside a Hyur woman dressed lightly and in various pale colors, a smile on her face for the moment as she lowered the hand beside her ear to her side. “Thank heavens he is safe,” he saw the woman remark to herself before looking up towards the ceiling as if she was trying to look through it to see the sky above. “Louisoix, do you see? Your light shines brightly in this one. And in time, it will illuminate the realm once more.”

 

Only a couple of seconds passed before a sudden thud became heard beyond the closed doors of the large room, netting a gasp from the woman, from Minfilia, before her face hardened into a concerned frown.

 

Gunshots and pained grunts soon became heard outside, the shouts of demands to stop from the other Scions becoming largely ignored by the invaders.

 

“We have come for the one who slayed Ifrit and Titan,” an almost-mechanical female voice bellowed from beyond the doors. “Bring him forth! And you may yet know mercy!” A couple of seconds later, another gunshot echoed and another gasp became heard as yet another wound up dead in the assault.

 

“Confound it,” Minfilia said angrily to herself, knowing full-well that she’d stand no chance in a fight, since she wasn’t much of one to start with. Noraxia slowly floated up beside the woman, the look of concern on the living plant’s face, which gathered Minfilia’s attention. “Stay out of sight. I would leave a message with you.”

 

A couple of minutes passed at best before the large doors suddenly tossed open, soldiers dressed in black and red falling in and surrounding her as she stood behind the desk before another woman, dressed in white, form-fitting armor walked in after them. Walking backwards away from the armored woman while raising her hands into the air, Minfilia gulped before speaking. “I surrender myself, on the condition that you spare the innocents,” she managed to say without the shake that had wanted to escape with her words.

 

“Conditions,” the armored lady repeated, her face unreadable due to being covered as well. “There speaks the supreme Scion. I’ll grant you have courage, but you would be better served by armor.” She lifted her right arm, and another gunshot echoed as a bullet whizzed past Minfilia’s head, coming from the gun mounted into the armor under the forearm that was still aimed right at her.

 

“Search all you will,” she spoke, doing her best not to appear by the close shave with the bullet that could have easily killed her on the spot. “The one you seek is not here.”

 

“...so, it would seem.” The armored woman nodded towards one of the nearby soldiers, who moved forward to move Minfilia’s hands behind her, locking them together with handcuffs.

 

“And yet,” she started to say towards her captors. “You knew to look here. But how?”

 

She gasped when the gun-wielder took a step forward. “Hold that thought.”

 

Noraxia, not liking how things were turning, disobeyed orders and swiftly floated in front of Minfilia, arms out wide to try to shield the Hyur from more of the deadly ammunition.

 

Instead of shooting, however, the woman in white moved to kick the flying creature into one of the nearby walls, a resounding smack heard upon impact before she fell to the floor.

 

A scream of horror left the supreme Scion’s throat before her attention was regained by the vicious lady, though now her back was turned towards her. “Conditions of surrender...denied.”

 

“Have you not done enough?!” Minfilia shouted at her primary captor, horrified by the extent of the bloodshed caused around her.

 

“Perhaps,” was the response gained, as if in thought. “Enough! We must away.” With that, she raised her left arm to reveal another of the mounted guns under her forearm. “Though we have not found our quarry, the ‘High Priestess of the Scions’ should suffice for now. They say she also possesses the Echo.”

 

An uncomfortable silence fell in the room for a moment as a laugh left her throat before she continued. “I cannot wait to hear her scream,” she added with a little too much joy in her voice. A few seconds passed before the woman raised her right arm to fire at one of her own men who did not seem to hear her order. “I said ‘enough’!” Immediately after the one she shot fell to the ground, she continued. “We leave! Bring the prisoners.”

 

And the flashback faded back into the here and now…

 

“Walking...walking one Minfilia asked this one to…” The sylph let loose a groan of pain before Neos gently tried to pick up the small creature after his awareness returned fully, cradling her much like one would cradle a baby with her size compared to his own. Only a couple of seconds at most had passed while his mind had been forced elsewhere.. “In case walking one r-returned...this one was to say...to say…at church in Eastern Thanalan...walking one must claim sanctuary…” The little creature winced in his arms as he tried to make her more comfortable in his grip, though she managed to continue after looking back up towards him with her black eyes. “This one tried...tried to protect walking one Minfilia from imperial ones.”

 

“You did what you could,” Neos responded with a shake in his voice as he tried to fight off the tears that threatened to fall out. He did not have the nerve to scold her for not staying back, especially if his words could very well be the last ones she heard.

 

“For...give...this...one…” He could feel the life fading from her small form. “Save…” Shaking his head to the point that his hat threatened to fall of his head, Neos gritted his teeth as he uttered a spell he recently learned while praying in his head that it wasn’t too late.

 

...unfortunately, Noraxia was too far gone for even the Raise spell to do any good. The lifeforce left the plant creature swiftly, before he could even finish the spell. Though his voice had silenced itself, the tears finally began to fall from closed eyes, his whole body quaking from the thought that so many lost their lives…

.

...solely because of the fact that the Imperial scum were hunting for him…

 

In the physical, Neos tried to buck away from it, not caring about what was holding him down or keeping his voice sealed. The strain from outside could be seen, though it only showed as slight movements in his appearance, primarily from twitchy shoulders and hands that were constantly gripping and releasing themselves.

 

Gemini, let me f*cking go!

 

Oh, even if I release you, I'm not the only one keeping you down. You chose this, so you're going to stick to it.

 

Besides, it’s pleasing to watch you squirm for once.

 

[spoiler=Beginning Descent]In his head, the sight of a few trees near the border of a large expanse of blue ocean could be seen. Neos himself was perched among the branches of one of the larger trees while watching out towards the waters, leaning back with one leg stretched out and the other with a slightly bent knee, though his foot remained firm on the branch.

 

His attire in the memory was rather different than the normal yellow and purple attire he normally wore, though the hat and blue jeweled necklace still remained. Instead, while he still had the long-sleeved black turtleneck worn, he wore a yellow-trimmed red sleeveless vest and red jeans which flared out closer to the bottom in addition to brown boots that could be revealed to go halfway up to his knees.

 

"I really hope that they didn't mistime the migration," Neos uttered in absolute boredom. "If they did, I'm giving someone an earful." A yawn escaped his mouth as he stretched out his arms, trying not to fall asleep just yet as he slightly shifted to allow blood flow to continue in various areas. It was minutes later that he heard a whirring sound from far above his head. Once he looked up towards the sky, he gulped before jumping out of the tree and taking a dive for the water, shifting into the form of a blue Golduck for the time being.

 

From the surface, he saw a gigantic grey vessel sailing through the air, leaving him confused about how in the Distortion it was able to even stay in the air, let alone zoom through it at such a speed. It landed a decent distance away, though still fairly close to the shore, to which he mentally cursed his deadened hearing in regards to things above the surface of the water. Swimming quickly towards one of closest patches of plants, he shifted form once more, taking on the tan form of a Ninetales and keeping his ears open to anything that may be said.

 

One part of the strange device opened, revealing multiple trucks that did not seem to need roads to travel. Walking out after all of the vehicles was a single woman followed behind by a Salamance, looking over the others through her odd pointed shades.

 

"Alright, everyone set up! My client wants as many of the Phione captured as possible! If possible, keep the actual damage to a minimum, though don't be afraid to harm them if needed."

 

"Yes, sir," was heard in chorus before many men began to appear from within the various vehicles, filling the scene and making him glad he was in a group of flora large enough to cover his appearance. Daring to shift back into human form, though keeping the glow from the change dim enough to avoid immediate notice, he tried to sneak into the vessel swiftly and quietly.

 

“Trying something, Ranger?

 

Neither was enough. Neos immediately swapped towards a defense stance when she turned towards him, looking at him from over her shades. “A Ranger without a partner. Salamance, Hyper Beam.” She pointed straight at him with a casual hand, to which the large red and blue dragon opened its mouth and a sphere of pale-yellow light before firing at him with wide beam of the same light. Crossing his arms in front himself, he took advantage of the light to chain a couple of Recovers to heal himself and endure the pain of the beam. However, the beam faded before the light of the second Recover faded. “An Aura Guardian among Rangers? Hm…”

 

With swift motion did she reach towards her belt, which held a total of three of the familiar red and white Pokeballs, grabbing one of them and tossing it into the air. “Drapion, grab him!” As soon as the large purple scorpion was released in front of him, it tried to grab at the comparatively-small human.

 

The problem for it was the fact that the human was not staying still long enough for it to do so. Instead, Neos was moving a little faster than the average person.

 

“Ariados, Spider Web!” Cursing himself for missing one of the hunter’s Pokemon being released, Neos was quickly surrounded in strong webbing, trying to break free of its grip, but to no avail. “Got you, now. Salamance, again!”

 

His eyes went small as the Hyper Beam to come would wind up at point blank, and he wouldn’t be able to block properly, either. While still in the webbing, he was forced flying, his back hitting the grey of the unusual vessel behind himself. The pain from both the beam and the impact was more than enough to knock him out, in fact it was a small miracle that he was even slightly conscious as his body forcible reverted back to his original, blob-like state. “Interesting. I may be able to find a buyer for a Ditto like this,” he faintly heard before slipping into full unconsciousness...

 

The next time he regained awareness, he found himself in what looked like a glass box, though the size seemed to be more geared towards that of a standing human than himself. “Di…” it managed, still feeling the soreness from before. It was the pain that kept him from immediately realizing his surroundings, which allowed him to remorph back into the familiar human form, though he retained the outfit he had on before knockout due to the mission he had.

 

“So, you really are capable of taking on human form.” Neos frozen in place before looking all around to find the source. There were a variety of devices beyond the glass, all of them akin to what one would use in experiments of various kinds, beneficial and not. The sight alone was almost enough to make him panic, if it wasn’t for the sudden cough he heard drawing his attention to a balding man with a large grey mustache while wearing the traditional white labcoat.

 

A growl left his throat before he tried to punch the glass in hopes that he could break free. Unfortunately, all he was wind up making his already-sore arm even more in pain, netting a hiss out of him. “Let me go, you jacka$$,” he almost roared at the man in white, to which he chuckled.

 

“And even makes fluent, if vulgar, use of the English language. The boss will be pleased to know that his purchase is not in vain.”

 

“Who in the Distortion is this ‘boss’ you’re talking about?”

 

A toothy grin emerged from the man. “Your new owner. Now, it’s time for you to go to sleep.” Suddenly, a clear gas began to fill the container, causing him to cough a lot after being forced to exhale after trying to hold his breath, passing out once more, but in human form...

 

The next time he regained consciousness, he found himself laying on something hard, bound at the wrists, ankles, waist and neck, though the neck binding was just loose enough to allow for breathing. His wrists were pinned next to his sides, giving him absolutely no ability to move in his human form. His hat was gone as well as his Ranger vest and turtleneck shirt, though he still wore the necklace still.

 

Which wouldn’t be an issue if it wasn’t for the fact that, no matter how many times he tried, he could not move out of his human form, even to his base one. This caused him to panic as she tried to fight against the metal bindings, to which he heard what could only be described as an evil laugh.

 

“You might as well get comfortable,” he heard from above, seeing a screen showing a man dressed in a red suit after craning his neck slightly, petting a Persian on his lap. “You’re gonna be in that form for a while, after all.”

 

“Who the f*ck are you are what the f*ck have you done to me, bastard,” Neos shouted at the screen, demanding answers despite being in no physical condition to ask them.

 

“Tut, tut, tut,” was the response he got at first. “That is no way to speak to your master, Ditto.”

 

“I have a name, jacka---”

 

“And it is Ditto, as it should be.” As soon as he felt a hand on him, Neos tried to move to do anything to them in order to keep them off him. Obviously, he wasn’t succeeding. Instead, one of the people now around him, a woman with glasses and shoulder-length blue hair had ready in her hand what looked like a surgical knife coated with what looked like a mostly-transparent liquid of a pinkish color. “Mark him and make sure to test the chemical and see if it stays in all its forms.”

 

“Yes, sir,” she simply stated as she brought the blade to the skin of his exposed upper-right arm.

 

“I’m not an Arceus-dammed i---” A scream suddenly ripped out of him as he turned his head away from his right, the blade cutting through his skin even as he tried moving away from it, though he was having no luck. Whatever was in that odd liquid, it did not dull the pain of the cut, which felt deep upon each incision. Instead, the pain felt magnified, his nerves flaring so greatly, it was near impossible to think of anything but getting away from it.

 

Those few seconds felt like half an eternity before the blade was pulled out of his arm for the final time. He tried to steady his breathing after realizing that the pain had stopped, though he jolted when a new set of pain began in the same area. He dared to look at what was going on and what he saw surprised him.

 

Did she really cut so deep as the require stitching the area up again? But even so, he could see the ‘R’ that had been carved into his arm, which set off a red flag in his head.

 

He had heard about Team Rocket, but he had hoped to never run into any part of the foul group...

 

 

It must have seemed like an eternity had passed when Clarent finally parted away from Neos’ shoulder, with the king withdrawing it appearing drained and exhausted. In fact, it had only taken a few minutes, and for a moment, time stopped as if to give him some time to breathe. It was just then that he remembered about Emerald - thankfully, the little creature had left his shoulder and joined the others when he wasn’t paying attention. With that, he relaxed a little.

 

However, it wasn’t quite over yet, as things had only been halfway settled. The individual’s greatest failures had been brought to light, to be acknowledged, but there was something that was just as crucial that needed to be brought forth. With this in mind, King Arthur didn’t falter for even a split second as more life energy began to be poured into the sword of kingship, and in only a few seconds it was once again glowing with a tremendous, yet wonderful aura. This time, instead of oppressing Neos, just being a little distance away from him seemed to be filling him with boundless strength.

Then once again, Clarent was slashed downwards and burst into a white light as it made contact with the Ditto’s left shoulder. The light promptly consumed his senses, his body, his mind, and even his entire existence, pushing its way through, heading towards the concept of the ‘soul’ ingrained deep within. It was like being drowned in a river of condensed rainbows. He was utterly overwhelmed, his nerves crying out in even more pain than before, and yet, having already experienced it once, it was somehow not quite as bad anymore.

After some trouble, the energy finally made contact with his soul, and just as before fuelled it with limitless strength. For some reason, a feeling of pride and confidence was filling Neos, and as it did so, more emotions were bubbling up, ultimately forming more memories.

His greatest failures had been covered, so what else was there left, if not his greatest successes?

 

[spoiler=Will Not Bow or Break]They had not been succeeding in breaking him.

 

Despite the serum used to keep the false human in one shape in order to prevent escape, nothing seemed to work to get him to serve Team Rocket, and from what little he had heard, the supposed boss was becoming increasingly displeased with how things were going with him.

Signs of sleep deprivation were obvious, even as he was forced to remain upright by the leather bindings that kept him pinned to the wall at specific places, his hands being kept high above his head. Every time he had tried to close his eyes, to fall asleep, he would feel a sudden shock of electricity flow through him. The exact voltage always changed so that he wouldn't be able to get used to it, either.

Scars littered his body, varying from dark bruises from various things coming across his skin to both slash marks and surgical cuts to maximize the overall pain. He would have used Recover to undo all the damage already, but whatever was in that serum stopped him from performing any distinctively-Pokemon acts. The only areas that seemed to not be mangled in such ways were his head and the area near the still-healing R on his arm.

It was also cold within the box they had him in, far colder than outside of it. It was a miracle the glass around him wasn't freezing over or fogging to any real degree. It was just above freezing so that he wouldn't become an icicle, but the massive constant discomfort was there.

And the complete lack of clothing, even regarding the nether regions, did not help him at all with the cold with the reasoning that, since he was technically an animal, he did not 'need' them. In fact, the ones he had Transformed into wearing before this mess had been taken away for study out of curiosity. During the few moments he was capable of thinking clearly, he was pretty sure that he was losing toes among other things.

"If only it understood that just obeying would be far simpler than holding on to the notion of freedom it falsely believes itself entitled to," he barely heard over the white haze of his mind, slightly lifting his head to see the increasingly-familiar sight of the bald torturer, a snarl miraculously leaving his throat at the mustache beyond the glass. "Meh, time to bottle some more air for later, then. Not like anyone else is using it."

Neos knew what the a****** was doing. He heard the clink of tiny doors closing as the area immediately around him began to slowly depressurize, the air becoming thinner and thinner, though still possible to breathe in with great difficulty. A tremor shook through his body at the thinner air as he shut his eyes, refusing to allow himself to cry out.

I have to get out

Break free.

End these excuses for fleshbags.

"I don't see what the boss thinks is so valuable. It's just a normal Ditto, and we can easily train them to do the same things this object does," he heard faintly muttered, even as he tried to keep himself together while feeling the air thin further.

Cruel f*cktards don't deserve the air they breathe.

Why did Arceus make them?

Why were they allowed to exist?

Gritting his teeth at the thoughts that tried to flit through his head, he shook it once in an attempt to shake them out.

He knew all humans weren't like this cruel group, but it was becoming harder and harder to remember this small fact.

His body tried to shut down once more as he felt himself daring to faint, the electricity beginning to course through him at the instant to reawaken him. During the shock, he tried to absorb the energy for later use.

The bindings and drugs prevented him from using his own life energy to escape, but no one said anything about using an outside source, said a delirious part of his mind. As soon as the a****** labcoat-wearing elder turned around to focus his attention on something else, Neos allowed the lightning he absorbed to magnify within him before feeding it back into the system at a much-higher voltage that it was designed to tolerate.

The effect was almost immediate.

Explosions began to chain around him, starting from devices closest to him outward, causing those within to panic and scramble, leaving him largely ignored for the time being. One of the devices fell onto the container he was in, shattering the glass and allowing both the cold to escape and the air to enter into his lungs.

Eventually, the whole base chained into one massive explosion, leaving behind a visible crater with nothing much left within it.

And somehow, he was among the debris, still trapped in human form and laying on his stomach sprawled out.

I’m free, was the final thought he had before falling into long-overdue sleep.

He found out far later that he was actually the second Pokemon to ever escape from Team Rocket’s grasp before, though the details on whom it was became impossible to discover...

[spoiler=Momentary Miracle]“You’d better had a damned good reason for daring to call for me in specific, Severin.”

“Ah, but I do! I have isolated the flaw to my past attempts!”

“You mean, you now realize that trying to bring back the long dead is insane and that you’re gonna stop now?”

“Foolish Elezen, no!“

Neos was standing in front of a man dressed in what he would know as laboratory attire, though they were referred to as an alchemical outfit instead in this reality. The man with short blonde hair that could possibly be more wild than his own turned towards him with a cheerful smile on his face. “No, my understanding of the process was incomplete---”

“You’re capable of that?”

“SHUT UP for a moment, will you?!” The false Elezen managed to keep the smirk off his face as the Hyur lost his temper for the moment, stomping the ground for a moment as his hands were thrown to either side of himself. “As I was trying to say, simply reviving W’nahja’s corporeal form was insufficie---”

“I could have told you th---”

Neos’ words died in his throat as he saw a familiar glare that often came with a familiar threat. The threat of making his false heart stop working, which would kill him off the bat.

“In order to call her spirit and bind it to her body,” the Hyur, Severian, continued through clenched teeth, eyes staying firmly on Neos, “I need an anchor of sorts. Some manner of memento that she would recognize...” To this, Severian lowered his eyes towards the floor, annoyance trading itself away for a moment of sorrow. “...but I have no such physical memories; no material object that she might have treasured…”

“And...why have you decided to call me away from Limsa Lominsa,” Neos asked flatly, arms crossed in front of himself as he stood there in boredom. “I never even heard of this woman before you first mentioned her.”

“Yes, that.” Severian, collected himself before looking back up towards the towering figure. “I would have you visit her sister, W’buela, and ask if she might spare me a keepsake. Meanwhile, I will start on the prepar---”

Severian suddenly collapsed in mid-word, falling into Neos’ arms, whom caught him solely on habit. “Da hells, man?”

“A moment of...ungh...dizziness, nothing more,” Severian tried to lie, though Neos narrowed his eyes at him while trying to help the alchemist stand once more on his own feet. “If I must, I shall work in my sleep. It would not be the first time,” the alchemist admitted, to which Neos had to press down the need to scold the idiot for doing such a thing. Sleep exhaustion plus working with things that could possibly explode in your face almost never equals good news. “But,” he continued, which broke the false Elezen’s train of thought. “If all goes according to plan, such extremes should not be necessary.”

“Such extremes shouldn’t be done to begin with, dumbass.”

The fact that Severian did not immediately start shouting at Neos for call him a ‘dumbass’ yet again actually netted a pang of worry before heading towards his would-be target, keeping an eye on Severian as the sleep-deprived alchemist returned to work before leaving…

...Neos did not return until the middle of the next day, to which Severian began to start ranting about him taking forever to do such a simple task. However, the alchemist stopped mid-sentence upon Neos bringing into view what looked like a wand made with red-tinted wood that still appeared to have a few smaller branches budding off of one end. “This…” With care did Severian reach for the wand, to which Neos allowed him to grab hold of it and closely examine it. “...this is W'nahja's rosewood wand. I would recognize it anywhere!"

"Looks like I hit its appearance right on the gold, then," Neos remarked, a self-satisfied grin emerging on his face as the wild blonde looked up towards him in stunned shock.

"Wait, you -crafted- this weapon?!" Neos only nodded to the question, to which the shocked man could only look down upon the fragile weapon. "You truly are full of surprises...though my love may never have held this particular wand, it is similar enough to the original to serve its purpose."

"Are you going to put me to sleep with another lecture, or are you going to get straight to whatever madness you're planning?"

That sarcastic question left Neos with Severian staring hard at him and a sudden wondering if he actually felt the fake heart in his chest suddenly start pulsing when it shouldn't be. "I could spend the remainder of the day explaining to you the underlying principle of aetherial anchors, but we shall 'continue with the madness', as you so charmingly put it.," Severian added with a growl before looking back down towards the wand in his hands. "Now that we have all the necessary ingredients, I will once again begin the painstaking process. Stay with me this time, and we shall see what transpires..."

After a period of time that he hadn't really bothered to keep track of, Neos watched as Severian worked to brew up several potions, the same group of potions and elixirs used in the last attempt while preparing the oddly-preserved Miqo'te body on the table for the hopeful event to come. At one point, he turned back towards the false Elezen with hand stretched out, to which a yawn of boredom was netted before Neos turned over the wand, which was soon coated in a light layer of one of the concoctions before laid carefully next to the body.

Unlike the last time, the wand first began to glow with a pale-blue light, a light Neos was actually surprised to see in this world. The light almost immediately spread to the dead woman, the glow illuminating even the feline ears and tail she had.

"The components are in place," the alchemist said after turning fully towards the slightly-stunned Neos, a note of hopefulness escaping through the appearance of calmness. "We should see a result within moments---"

"It will not be the result you desire." The pair looked up towards the source of the new voice, another woman with feline ears and tail walking into the Alchemist Guild with a serious look on her face, a Miqo'te Neos recognized as W'nahja's sister, W'bulea.

Severian also apparently recognized her, as he wound up stating her name in shock before turning towards her as well. Unfortunately, the human-faced feline looked stern as she approached him. "Return to me my sister's remains. You have had your chance, Severian."

Deciding that it would be wise to stay back and out of the potential crossfire, Neos took several steps back from the pair as Severian took a couple of steps towards the conjurer, arms out to either side. "The process was a success," he almost shouted. "Everything went perfectly! Even now, W'nahja struggles free from death's covetous grasp!"

The pink-haired-and-furred Miqo'te shook her head before looking back up towards him. "Why do you persist in deluding yourself?" Neos couldn't help but wince at that statement. "The gift of life is not within alchemy's power to give. That miracle belongs only to the gods."

During her statement, she looked towards the Hyur with a sad expression, though Neos couldn't tell if it was in pity or for some other reason. However, he became glad he backed away when Severian started swinging one of his arms in anger, and would have hit him with it if he hadn’t earlier. "I will not forsake W'nahja's memory as you have," the Hyur almost roared. "The limitless potential of alchemy is beyond your understanding!"

"Ugh!" Neos began to ready a shield to raise around Severian when the humanoid feline suddenly pulled from her back her staff. "You foolish, stubborn man," she screeched back at him, readying herself to strike with magic as a glow appeared in front of it.

"Are you both insane," Neos finally responded, rushing between the two. "This is probably the worst place to---"

"...stop..."

The faint unknown voice seemed to have stopped whatever was about to happen, for W'bulea ceased her building spell and Severian turned back towards the still-glowing form. Neos turned as well, just in time to see the once-dead form open her eyes and look towards them. "Stop fighting...all of you..."

W'bulea rushed up towards the laying body, shocked upon what she was hearing and seeing. "W'nahja?! Is it truly you," she asked, unable to keep the shake out of her voice when she did.

Instead, her response came when Severian dared to approach, hands shaking as he did. "Severian," she asked upon seeing him with a smile on her face. "You look awful. Have you been up all night again? Some new subject of research?"

Severian did not immediately answer as he tried to keep his hands from shaking even more as he placed them flat on the table next to her, trying to steady himself above all else. "W'nahja, I..." At the last moment, he looked away from her, unable to look her in the eyes for the moment. "...I was working on something important. Terribly important. But I'm done with that now. I need to..." He breathed in and out for a moment before forcing himself to look towards her. "I must tell you how sorry I am."

Neos and W'bulea exchanged looks with each other before returning their sights back towards the pair. "When I think back on the days we spent together, I remember naught but your quiet smile as you listened to me blather on and on about my work. It was ever the same scene, repeated over and over."

"You gotta admit, that's impressive dedication," Neos whispered towards W'bulea, whom nodded in agreement.

"There was so much more I could have done for you. So many ways I could have made you happy. Please, forgive me..." At that moment did he lower his head, now made unviewable by both Neos and W'bulea as his shoulders appeared to shiver.

Though he jolted slightly upon feeling a familiar hand over his cheek, prompting him to stand a little more upright as he placed a hand over the hand on his cheek, W'nahja's hand. "But my dear Severian," W'nahja said softly. "That passion is what I love most about you..."

Neos swooped in to catch Severian as he fell forward, the glowing body vanishing in front of them all. W'bulea twitched an ear and her tail as she slowly approached the Hyur as well, daring to place a hand on his shoulder. "She... She's gone..."

"No," he whispered before allowing himself to stand upright on his own power. "She will never be gone. Not while I am here to remember her..."

Even after Severian asked if W'nahja's sister could have the wand, it still made the form-locked Ditto happy that, while didn’t make it happen directly, he made possible a momentary miracle…

[spoiler=New Lease on Life]“They’re holding the captured psykers on that vessel. If you want to try to save any of them, we will have to get on now.”

“Can you see when they will launch?”

“No, I am not granted that information.”

Neos was hiding from the view of the armored humans that passed every so often, usually bringing several people back to the space-faring ship that were often trying to escape despite the obvious difference in strength. He was fighting the urge to rush out and try to fight the army of tarnished blue to free the captured humans. Sure, he could have taken out one of the damnable Space Marines in a fight, but a group of ten?

Even he would have issues with that matchup, which meant that he had the annoying issue of waiting for a golden opportunity to get what he wanted done. Thankfully, one showed up soon as a decent number of Marines walked out of the ship, armed and ready for madness. Steadying his nerve, he quietly snuck away from his spot, leaving behind the girl he had been travelling with for the moment as he moved into the ship.

He had his eyes open for primarily two things. Anything that could free the captured people on this vessel and any more Marines or anyone else that could give him a hard time. Thankfully, he was able to get to where the prisoners were, though looking upon them sickened him. Each had been forced to wear a particular band around their wrists to prevent use of their powers, bands that signified that the wearers were to be sacrificed. Unfortunately, most of the ones wearing the bands were not even teens in most cases, meaning that almost all of them would be sacrificed before their full power could be realized.

Especially since the same fate almost befell him not that long ago.

A sudden ‘clink’ became heard, prompting him to look towards one of the cells to see a kid no older than 12 with bleeding hands and the imprisoning bangs on the metal ground with red liquid inside them. He was reaching out in one direction, straining as Neos felt a sudden shift of power nearby.

In the Ditto’s mind, it clicked that the kid was attempting telekinesis and didn’t have enough power yet to make use of it. Following the kid’s gaze, Neos soon spotted a switch in one of the nearby walls, nodding in realization as he hit it himself.

“Who the hell are you,” the kid swore at him, something Neos didn’t have the time nor the luxury to deal with as the many cells opened up to free the prisoners, though they still retained their bands for the moment.

“Prisoners are escaping!”

“Capture them!”

Neos growled as he swooped up the kid off his feet and made an exit himself, running as fast as his legs could carry him and his new passenger. Thankfully, even with the extra weight, he would still be able to easily outrun the Adeptus Astartes superhumans behind him. One of the things he thankfully kept in this reality was his speed. Before fully leaving, he summoned into view a crystalline blade, modelled into the form of a katana, and drove it deep into a vital part of the ship. Making the blade disappear without pulling it out, he ran with the wounded kid in his arms as the ship began a magnificent chain of explosions.

Soon joined by Faye during his run, the trio soon ducked into a nearby alleyway too narrow for the armored men to run into…

..and Neos soon found himself staring down the end of an energy barrel that hadn’t been fully charged yet.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t turn you in right now for the bounty on your head, renegade,” he heard from really close by. With a gulp, he dared to look past the weapon in his face, seeing a woman that could not be mistaken for anything else but the captain of her own vessel. Only to him did she look like the captain of a pirate ship, but he wasn’t far off with the silent comparison.

“Please,” he begged, hands up in the air so that they were visible. “Don’t let them take the kids, at least one of them’s already been fated to be sacrificed and I just did not have it in me to let anyone so young die in such a cruel way, even if for supposed ‘greater’ cause.”

Neon-green and steel-blue stared into one another, his own shaking slightly in silent pleading before the woman slightly lowered her weapon. She was silent for a few moments afterwards before finally opening her mouth to speak.

“Alright, renegade. If the kids are coming with me, so are you. If I’m saving your ass, you’re working for my crew. Do you understand?” He nodded after slowly allowing the male kid down onto his own feet, not daring to break eye contact while doing so. “I will say this only once. Betray me, and you will find yourself at the feet of the Imperium, bound and unable to escape again.”

Gulping, he watched as the woman waved at them to follow after her in time for the soldiers to pass the aisle they were in without noticing them before taking out a bandage roll and wrapping up the boy’s wrists.

A smirk appeared on his own face at the sight, a feeling of relief coming over after the thought that he just gave at least the boy another chance at getting to live a life, even if it is now spent being on the run for a portion of that time…

.

.

.

Then, at the very end of it all, when Clarent parted away, all of reality seemed to dissolve into nothingness. The throne room of Camelot was no more, and no more was its king as well.

In its place, the image of Arturia Pendragon stood before him, with her back turned, amongst pitch-black darkness. It was hard to tell if any of this was real.

"When you wake up, be not surprised if I am not there."

Her words echoed from afar, seeming to only get further and further away.

"Our paths must part, at least for the moment. We may never meet again, and if we do, it will be as changed individuals. However, before that, I must tell you something. As a member of the Counter Corps, and as the last of the Knights of the Round Table, you have earned the right to know.”

Her voice was shaky. Uncertain and feeble, so much unlike the King Arthur whom he'd spoken to not too long ago.

" The truth, the absolute truth, is that..."

… … … …

… … … … … … … … ...”

The words that came out of her mouth next were faint, but the meaning they carried could not be mistaken for anything else.

"What you make of it is up to you... I am certain that you will understand, even if you don't agree."

It was terrible and inhuman, yet at the same time, made sense logically. It didn’t actually come as much of a shock, since if anything, they were only confirming the suspicions he'd had along. However, to actually hear those deathly words-

"Should something happen to me, I implore you to carry out the will of the Counter Guardians in my place.

And if not, use your newfound power to prove us wrong with all your might."

"May ye be blessed with good fortune." Arturia wished him, and then the darkness shattered, leaving behind one final request, "Now rise, Sir Antonio of the Tree of Beginning."

Then abruptly, Neos woke up, finding himself lying face-first on the dusty stone floor of a tower that was, well, more quaint than royal. Emerald was right next to him, nuzzling under his hand to get his attention. A small smile crept onto his face at the little creature after he lifted his head before lifting his hand to pet the bluish-green creature. “I’m...alright...I think…”

With care and a shake to his step did he manage to get up onto his feet, almost losing his balance several times before finding himself against the wall while leaning against it.

“...I’m sorry, but not even you have the right to condemn so many to non-existence.” The sound of talons rustling through snow fell upon his ears before a familiar ‘kwek’ became heard. This prompted him to wearily lift his head towards the source, seeing the familiar ball of yellow feathering walking into the tower before shaking off the snow much like a dog. “...Rapidash?”

After the Chocobo moved over towards the false human, Neos gingerly got up onto the bird’s back before finally leaving the tower and heading towards the end…

Ending Point: C4

[Dad]

Kenpachi:  Prologous

 

"I think I'd rather give you a thousand reasons TO cut me. Come now Kenpachi... you can't have satisfaction if you don't give it your all" the spectre teased. "After all, if you're even allowing me the chance to strike you... then you aren't really trying."

 

Kenpachi grinned with satisfaction.  He could tell he was in for a good time.  "Then let's enjoy this!" he said, Nozarashi ripping into the space between himself and the Avatar, and removing it entirely, bringing them both ever so close together.  With an over head strike, he swung Nozarashi directly over his foe.

 

---

 

Killua:  Prologous

 

"You are aware that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" is an ancient cliché right? There is little reason for me to not destroy you ANDProtheus at the same time, it's just easier if the distractions are out of the way first. If you think the villains of your world are trouble, than they will have nothing on the man (in the loosest definition of the word) who has lived for millions of years, and has extinguished countless worlds. He had forgotten more than all the people of your world have ever learned. What makes you think you could even stand by me to face him? You would be a meat shield at best."

 

Killua shrugged.  He couldn't rightfully answer that kind of question.  After all, this was a fight he was destined to lose.  "I'm not concerned with me living.  I only care about Protheus dying.  If it costs me my life and restores balance, then so be it.  I'll either take you both on and lose trying to take you both down, or I'll throw my life on the line with my comrades, and try to utilize their help to be rid of that bastard."  

 

How selfish.  And Killua knew it.  Saying something like that basically meant he didn't value his own life, but he valued everyone else's.  It was a foolish, arrogant way to go about things.  But if it works. .. 

 

---

 

Kratos:  Prologous

 

"That is something that you do not need to know" the Avatar rebuked defensively.

 

Kratos knew the feeling, at least.  But as of now, he and the Avatar were at a stand still.  His thoughts and his mind were made up about getting to Protheus.  Still, something bothered him, that he probably already knew the answer to.  "If your desire is to be rid of Protheus, why haven't you pursued him?"

 

---

 

Revy:  Prologous

 

"Oi vei girl, I am NOT​ a counsellor, I'm sure you understand. Your problems are irrelevant to me even on the best of days. So what if you're human? You have funking guns! You can easily put a bullet into the head of the vast majority of "oh so special snowflakes" and they'll drop dead on the SPOT! So stop being such a little jabroni, and actually do stuff, alright? You're almost making me depressed with your bullshit."

 

"I still don't get how something like you even has emotions.  Though I can't do a damn thing trapped in here, right?  So what's a girl gotta do to get the hell out of your uh, creepy little cage?" she asked the Avatar aloud.

 

---

 

Yachiru:  Prologous

 

"Amusing notion, me loving someone" the Avatar snickered. "That would require me to even locate my heart so I could love something."

 

Yachiru, being the innocent little girl that she is, had to dig deeper into the Avatar and ask more questions.  No matter how simple they were.  "You have to locate your heart?  Did you lose it?  Did someone break it?" she said, feeling sad for the Avatar.  "That's not a nice feeling.  It hurts."

[Phantom Roxas]

[The Pathway to Truth - A6]

 

Sora vs Xion

 

”You can’t be serious!” Sora said. ”We just lost three of our friends! And that includes Roxas. I’m not going to fight you, Xion.”

 

Laughter echoed around them. ”Hmm, sorry, but it’s the rules.” In one corner of their hill - which they could still feel shaking below them, as the ground kept rising, albeit more slowly - there stood a young boy. Sora thought he was staring at a younger version of himself, but only because it was hard not to recognize his own face, as the rest of the boy looked completely different. All the spikes in his hair were pulled forward, revealing fur on the back of his ears. A crown sat behind his hair, and the boy’s hands were shaped like paws. His Keyblade was simple, as the blade resembled that of of simple sword, with an outer rim around it. The handle was still recognizably that of a Keyblade’s, as it had its own keychain in the shape of a lion’s head. Any shred of normality faded as a lion’s tail stemmed from the boy. ”You guys are all too same-y for the Pathways. Yeah, Zilyana and Kree’arra shared an enemy, but that guy had someone working for him. It ended up being a two-on-two match. But you guys and Roxas? You all fought Xansvita. Three on one just isn’t fair! Even if it took even more of you guys to bring him down back at the Sphere Forest, the Pathway to Death should have summoned more enemies. Let’s say Xansvita, or Vanitas, or Ventus, was meant for you, Sora. Since Roxas so desperately wishes for Naminé back, why didn’t Death summon the one who took her from him? And who could Xion have fought? No one, it seems. Death asked a question: How could a three-against-one battle be allowed? Here on Truth, we have the answer! It wasn’t three-against-one! It was very much a one-on-one fight. You’ve divided yourself up with Ra’s power to give your friends form, but remember what you are fighting for! You are on the Pathway to Origin. And you, Sora, will always be Roxas and Xion’s Origin.”

 

”That fairy called me a fake Sora,” said Xion. ”And… I should have expected something like this. The Organization had me fight Roxas. They only ever needed one of us if they couldn’t use you. So when I touched the mirror… I felt something.”

 

Sora’s Keyblade met the lion boy’s. ”This guy’s controlling you, right?” asked Sora. ”Then I’ll just go after him first and break you free! Just don’t let him get to you, Xion!”

 

”You’re catching on much more quickly than I’d expect!” The lion laughed at Sora. ”Unfortunately for you, there’s something else that fairy said.” He pounced back, as Xion brought her Keyblade to him.

 

”You won’t control me,” said Xion. ”I can fight.”

 

Xion tried to pull the helmet on her off, but black leather emerged from within it, wrapping around her neck and connecting to her armor, completing her uniform such that there was sign of skin. She was completely trapped within the armor. Lion Sora pointed his Keyblade, and the outer rim of its blade began to shift. It rotated around the sword, buzzing like a chainsaw. ”And you will fight for me.” Xion screamed in pain, but the construct kept laughing. ”You should be grateful that Roxas died back on Death! Even if he had survived, I would have controlled him as well! The only one I cannot control is you, Sora. You are your own self, after all!”

 

”And so am I!” Xion protested. ”I was a tool for the Organization. The memories of Sora and Roxas actually being friends with them, standing against 4Kids, and fighting at Kenpachi’s side… when we first came here, I forgot about that, and I didn’t even realize it. But as soon as I crossed this mirror again, I remembered it. Or at least, I remembered that it was something I forgot.”

 

The lion tilted his head. ”You’re confusing me.”

 

”These Pathways are meant to trick us! You deserve a taste of your own medicine”

 

Sora tried to remember what exactly happened with Xehanort, but there was nothing. Only ever the fear Mickey had that he would come back one day. Except if Terra couldn’t be brought back, then how could Mickey still be afraid? Sora and Kairi had moved on with their lives because they thought Xehanort was gone forever. ”What else did Isamy do?”

 

Sora’s copy smirked. ”You’re finally figuring it out then, aren’t you? That must have been why Emiya recruited you and Kenpachi! At some point, Isamy set your universes off course. So far off course, that they bled into each other! Your universe is big, but Kenpachi? I doubt neither his world nor even 4Kids were ever meant to be a part of yours. The entire universe you think you hailed from isn’t real! You defeated Hades and the Horned King, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing you could have done would stop the darkness. If you go back, will the darkness be gone? Can you bring back Roxas and Ven? Can you have your happily ever after with Kairi? Maybe you should be grateful for Isamy. Now you no longer have to fear Xehanort ever again. Doesn’t Arturia want to set things right?”

 

Sora’s hand was shaking. ”I think she does. That’s what the Counter Corps is for, right? To put our homes back the way they used to be?”

 

”Precisely! However, if your world was the result of a distortion, then is that any different from what the Madara showed you? You’ve already immersed yourself in a lie. Perhaps you would have been better off staying in the Infinite Tsukuyomi.”

 

”What happens if Arturia uses the Door, then?” Xion asked.

 

The lion pondered for a moment. ”Well, the universe you thought you were going to save will just disappear. You’ll go back to the way things were before Isamy showed up. Roxas and Ven would still be alive, and Terra may actually stand a chance of coming back. But you will still be trapped as a part of Sora, and Xehanort would then have a chance of coming back. Mickey’s fears would be right. And the True Organization XIII will be waiting for you! Not even Death could have predicted this future. As you are now, your future depends on whether or not you can find the Staff of Armadyl and fulfill your promise to Zilyana and Kree’arra. And you, Xion, you said you wouldn’t embrace your fate, yet you know you’re a part of something bigger. If you try to bring back the home you had, you might be happy. But it wouldn’t be real.”

 

”We’ll just wish for our friends back,” Xion said. ”Even if it’s not the same universe… it’s still the same people, right?”

 

”Of course not,” the false Sora answered. ”After all, what is it you said? That you remembered that you forgot what was in that world.”

 

Xion stood still. Those memories had to have been hers. She could remember everything Sora and Roxas remembered, even if she wasn’t there herself. ”Even if what happened back then was because of Isamy, it still felt real.”

 

”You can thank for the distortions for that!” The lion rolled along the ground, dodging several gusts of wind that Sora cast. ”You poor fools. Perhaps you should have gone to Remembrance first. Then, you might have been able to sort this stuff out. You would be able to sort out your memories. But on this Pathway, we sort the Truths from the lies. You need the distortions, Xion, but Sora does not. If you wish to use the Door’s power to fix Isamy’s mistake, then even if Sora’s life is reset, he will be safe. But you, Xion, will return to nothingness, and it will be up to Sora to save you. Whether or not you need saving is what supports apart who you are now from what you should be. My role here is to close that gap.” Xion spun on her heels and struck at Sora. Sora summoned wings from Ra in front of him as a shield, but Xion’s Keyblade cut through them with ease. ”That isn’t your power, Sora. The Egyptian Gods were granted to Eria, and though Ra found you worthy, is it any different from how you received the Keyblade only through Riku’s failure? You’re a backup plan, and Roxas and Xion have been backups to you. It’s time we thin the herd.”

 

---

Eria and Gagagigo

 

Gagagigo was holding Eria close, and the two stood up, looking up at the raised earth. ”Let’s be on guard,” warned Eria. ”Our enemies could be coming for us any-”

 

"Second?” Eria heard her own voice twice. Standing Eria and Gagagigo were… Eria and Gagagigo. The other Eria was dressed as the Clown from LERNA’s Barrier, the Blood Priestess of Sliferok, while her Gagagigo’s scales had a tint of red, his armor was gold, and draconic wings rose from his back. Gagagigo was reminded of himself when he was under Kozaky’s control.

 

”Your time serving Sliferok was all too brief,” the other Gagagigo sneered. ”Look at us, Gagagigo! Even when Kozaky fell, we served Xansvita! But only because our true master was denied to us!”

 

"You flatter me!” The Clown waved her hand, and water materialized in her hand as Eria usually would. However, the water turned black as it ran across the Clown’s finger. Now she was wielding the Mad Blood. "Look at us, Eria. You’ve tried so hard to hold yourself back. When Dorian and his butler turned you into me, they opened your heart. Wasn’t that the moment you began to love Arthur? You’ve been trying to live as yourself, and you and Arthur have done so much already to try and give each a chance. But was that ever you?”

 

”Do you guys have anything to talk to me about beside Arthur?” Eria flicked a bit of water next to the Clown, who pouted, but Eria ignored that. ”Even when I wasn’t myself when Frankram changed me, or when I was you, I’ve been able to think back on those moments. So there’s the ‘me’ with the dumb bunny ears?”

 

"Right to business, I see.” The Clown shook her head, and two streams of Mad Blood broke from the ground beside her feet. Eria called upon waves of water to clash against the Mad Blood, but the Mad Blood was not stopped. It splashed against her hands, and as the drips of blood hit the ground, they bounced back, wrapping around Eria’s hands, pulling her forward so that she was kneeling, and her hands were planted on the ground. "Do your job, Gogiga.” The Clown snapped her fingers, and the “other” Gagagigo flew at the original, grappling at each other. Gogiga brought an arm under Gagagigo’s, then wrapped the other arm around Gagagigo’s back. His arms beat down, and Gagagigo was carried upwards. The Clown walked briskly towards Eria, clicking her tongue in disappointment. "Of course there’s more going on here than our boyfriend. That bunny isn’t here because even when your mind wasn’t your own, there was a fundamental core about you that remained. You’re an optimist, Eria. We look at people like Arthur and Matthew, and forgive them for when they were in the Divine. When Emiya brought us into the Counter Corps, it was because he believed we could save Gagagigo, and we did.”

 

”Don’t you dare say ‘we’!” Eria tried to stand up, but the Mad Blood brought her right back down. ”You’re not me…”

 

"And that’s why I’m here. No matter what Frankram did, he could not change that you’re a good person who believes in second chances. Maybe even a third. But whenever you do that, it’s always someone else’s fault. Gagagigo lost his mind because he had to fight Erebos, and it was really Kozaky who changed him. Arthur made our friends his pawns because Isamy could have made him change the world. What you’re doing is blaming a higher power. Isamy and Kozaky made tempting offers, and you blame them for leading your friends astray. But you always find it in your heart to forgive your friends for when they fall for the temptation. You surpassed me, though! You were forced to become me, and even though you couldn’t help relying on the Gods that Dorian entrusted us with, you’re still yourself. I believe that we will defeat Protheus and Megiddo. But we have to keep getting stronger! And we must know what that is! If we’re satisfied with ourselves for even a second, and tell ourselves ‘This is enough’, it’s not. If we die against Protheus, then it means we didn’t do enough.”

 

Eria used some of her own water to freeze the Mad Blood, broke her arms free, shattering the ice. As the Mad Blood still swirled around her, Eria said, ”So what lesson am I supposed to learn here?”

 

"Nothing as annoying as what Emiya and Megiddo were talking, but I guess if you want to know what’s different here compared to there, how about this? On Death, you needed to learn why to fight, and you have. You know the future you want, a happy ending where you can be with Arthur. That illusion the Madara showed you? Maybe you can make it real, maybe not. I want to see how you fight. I’m not here to doubt us. You’re the one who’s here to prove us wrong.”

 

Eria smiled. ”You know, I’d probably enjoy beating myself up for ever worshipping Dorian’s muscle. And I do need every chance I can get to be certain that I’ll make it to the end.”

 

As Eria’s brand shined and the red aura of Slifer surrounded her, the Clown raised a finger. "Sorry! One condition, though. Slifer and Leviathan are powerful friends, yes. But this is about us, Eria. I want to see how you fight. So, I’m not exactly going to stop you from using them, but it’s totally going to count as cheating. Besides, it’d be embarassing to see Lord Slifer having to save you if you’re not good enough.”

 

Eria stopped channeling Slifer and the brand’s powers, as the light and aura faded. ”Alright, then. I’ll hold back, but only on my own condition. If I… if I don’t make it, you’re not going to help your friend hurt Gagagigo.”

 

The Clown clicked her tongue again. "Sorry, no can do! Even if you’re not here, do you think whatever is waiting at the end would spare Gagagigo? If we’re going to fight, then fight me because everyone else’s lives are on the line. But I’ll be generous. Give that Keyblade of yours a go.” The Clown summoned more and more Mad Blood, breaking out from the ground until a whole crater formed beneath them. Eria used her own water to stand and, but the crater began to expand, as more rumble began to sink into a pool of Mad Blood. "Dorian, Emiya, Megiddo have all called us a card. It’s time you understood what exactly that means. Let this be our duel!”

 

Laughter and moaning echoed along with the swaying of the Mad Blood, which surrounded the ground below them, as Eria’s pool formed a ring within the larger selection of Mad Blood. It was a puddle against a lake, and as the edge of Eria’s pool met with the Mad Blood, both liquids began to boil. Eria’s control over the water allowed her to stay afloat, but she could feel her feet warming up. She tried to command the water to cool down, and she a subtle change, but the Mad Blood was still trying to close in against her. As Eria met the Clown’s eyes, she gathered a majority of her water behind her, resembling the upper body of Gagagigo. The Clown matched the display, and made the Mad Blood to resemble Gogiga. Eria drew her Keyblade, declaring, ”Bring it on!”

 

---

Kairi

 

The same face appeared before Kairi. Naminé was looking up to the hill, unphased when Kairi held her Keyblade to Naminé’s throat. ”I wonder how they’re doing.” Naminé spoke kindly, and put her hand against the Keyblade. ”Don’t worry, Kairi. It’s really me this time. Well, at least as close as you can get in these Pathways.”

 

”You’re still hiding behind my friend,” said Kairi. ”Whatever you have to tell me, just say it.”

 

”Very well.” A book appeared in Naminé’s hand. ”I suppose that Sora is being asked the same thing. Tell me, how exactly did you get so strong? Where did you get the power to stand against Xansvita?”

 

”I trained with Yen Sid.” The words came out naturally, but Kairi felt a twinge of guilt. As though she was giving the impression that she had studied for a much longer time than she had.

 

”Were there some areas you found difficulty in?” Naminé was turning over pages in the book. ”Arthur has adapted to the Keyblade quickly, and Eria has just acquired her own. But you’re a unique wielder. You’re also a Princess of Heart.”

 

”The Seven Lights have to protect the Princesses. Snow White and the others aren’t strong enough to face the True Organization XIII, so if I can defend myself-”

 

”’Aren’t?’ You’re speaking in the present tense, as if Organization XIII - true or otherwise - has to be defeated. But aren’t they our allies?” Naminé was right. Despite standing with the Organization from 4Kids to Zero, Kairi wanted to fight them as well. ”And who are these Seven Lights?”

 

”Sora, Riku, Mickey, Lea, and I are going to save-”

 

”You mean Rika, and Axel.”

 

”No, I…” Zero had killed Naminé. He almost went to kill Roxas, but Naminé took the hit instead. But Naminé had disappeared before then. Before Sora and Riku fought Xemnas, Naminé allowed herself to merge back with Kairi. Naminé couldn’t have been separate, and neither could Roxas. But Naminé died. Roxas was separate from Sora thanks to Ra’s power. Even Xion was separate, after the battle with Zero had- Xion never even met Zero. ”What’s going on here?”

 

”There we go. You’re remembering two different lives, right? In one, Sora had to save you and Riku from Organization XIII, but in another, you were all best friends. Living your daily lives in cities, going on a cruise for vacation… it was nice. But the Princesses of Heart, their lights and yours… they’re all connected to Kingdom Hearts. It’s the heart of all worlds, but I think even that wasn’t enough. If what Arturia said is true, and your universe is gone, then not even Kingdom Hearts will help you now.”

 

Thunder and flame exploded in the distance. The hill where Sora and Xion stood was growing dangerous, and Kairi ran up. ”I don’t have time for this. Sora needs my help!”

 

”Go ahead,” Naminé shrugged. ”You’re both in this together. I’m only here as a messenger, and a witness.” As Kairi continued up the hill - which continued to expand and grow to the point that it was closer to a mountain - Naminé resumed reading her book. The pages depicted a wedding, Sora and Kairi’s from the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Arthur, Eria, and their own friends were all sitting on tables, but Naminé produced a marker from her pocket, and scribbled across their faces, white ink blotting them out. Although her eyes stayed focused on the book, Namine shouted to Kairi. ”Even if your currently reality is different, there will always be a future out there where you and Sora will be together! You just need to see if the road leading there is the right one.”

 

Kairi was close to the summit, but the barrier stretched over the edge. Kairi thrust her Keyblade at the barrier without any hesitation, focusing as much magic as she could into a single point. ”Blizzagun!” Frost recoiled against her face, and Kairi topped back onto the side of the mountain. Her vision was blurred, her eyes covered in ice and snow, but she could hear the crackling of ice. Whether Kairi was up against Zero or dreading Xehanort, it didn’t matter if Naminé sacrificed herself or if she went back to Kairi. Even if Roxas was gone, or Ventus, or Terra, or who knows where Aqua was, if Riku was Rika or not, she and Sora had made it through the first Pathway together, and after this one, there would still be another. Despite her blurred vision, Kairi could still recognize the barrier in front of her. She covered her face and fired another Blizzagun. There was another recoil, but she kept just enough of the frost from her face. Wiping her eyes clean, she blinked, and her vision had cleared. Dashing towards the ice, Kairi cut through, breaking into the inside of the barrier.

 

---

Arthur and MachGaogamon

 

MachGaogamon’s punched at the outer walls of the barrier surrounding Sora and Xion, but before his hand connected, he felt his arm pull back. Looking around, he saw a young man below him. MachGaogamon was holding Arthur in his hand, who shared a look at the young man. He looked like Arthur. His cloak was pure gold, the same as the one Arthur donned in the battle against the Madara, and his hair was brown, just as Arthur’s now was. He wielded a broadsword. Not a Keyblade, but a sword with several notches on each side, as though three flat fronts of a blade were lined up in front of each. With a flick of his wrist, the doppelganger’s sword generated five silver cubes. One was larger than the rest, which all rotated around the large cube, as it spun forward in place. A clear green sphere wrapped around the cubes, and as soon as Arthur saw the shapes appear, he could feel something pulling on his entire body. MachGaogamon’s hand moved towards the shapes, and his whole body followed. MachGaogamon said, ”Arthur, jump!”

 

As MachGaogamon drew closer to the doppelganger, Arthur jumped from MachGaogamon’s hand. Arthur stumbled on his feet, and pushing himself up, but the base of his hand was scraped. MachGaogamon brought both his hands together into a fists, focusing on the doppelganger, but a Reflect spell knocked him back. ”Deal with that one, Tamer.”

 

The doppelganger ignored MachGaogamon. Another figure appeared, also resembling Arthur, but as a teenager. He wore a plain black dress shirt and blue jeans. He brushed his hair away from his eyes, and shrugged. ”What do you expect me to do? My friend’s going to deal with this poser.” He produced a Digivice, and a Digimon materialized beside him. A purple anthropomorphic wolf, with straps buckled on his arms and legs. Despite being a creature, he looked as though he could pass for being in the same age group as this other Arthur. ”Alright, Strabimon. What do you make of this guy?”

 

The Digimon, Strabimon, scurried over to MachGaogamon, but MachGaogamon was five times his size, so Strabimon stopped himself. ”Scary. But I like him. I’d say I’m satisfied with becoming him, but he’s still missing a little… something.” Strabimon’s Arthur held up his Digivice, and hundreds of zeroes and ones flickered into the air, spiraling around Arthur and Strabimon. The numbers parted, and standing in Arthur and Strabimon’s place was a tall hybrid of canine and man. The slim gray face of a jackal bore red eyes at MachGaogamon. His body was covered in pale blue armor, his left hand wrapped in a gatling gun, while a long cannon extended beyond his right forearm. Rockets and the wings of a jet stuck to his back, lifting the Digimon into the air, both arms directed towards MachGaogamon. ”You and Arthur were once MagnaGarurumon! Don’t you remember it? We fought side by side. Not as you have ever done since you became Gaomon. Will you not reconsider parting ways? You must not allow us to be separated again!”

 

”When you will ever learn?” asked MachGaogamon. ”Arthur’s home isn’t the Digital World!”

 

MagnaGarurmon fired a few bullets from his gatling gun. ”Five years, Gaomon. You and Arthur trained with the Royal Knights. He adapted to Burgermon’s junk food! He lived, ate, and slept in the Digital World. We became his brother. We gave him a real home. The parents he looked up to were slain because we made the mistake of letting him go! He would have been next if it weren’t for his true father. He could have chosen life in that camp, but instead, he chose us! There is nothing waiting for him at Camp Half-Blood! You need him, Gaomon. And if you won’t accept that, I’ll show you how little your own power compares to what you once had. What you needed the Light Ancient’s will for.” MagnaGarurumon centered both of his guns, and pressed each trigger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

Arthur and his counterpart crossed their blades. ”That cloak of yours,” Arthur noted. ”I’m guessing you’re here about the Counter Corps?”

 

”It’s a noble goal,” his other self said. ”Even if you may not agree with Emiya and Arturia’s methods, what you and Lydia have shown the Corps is that reaching the Door of Origin may be possible. Emiya could not defeat LERNA, but Lydia brought hope. But not even she could defeat the Madara, nor Arturia, or Dorian. What kind of Counter Corps could you, could we lead?” The other Arthur screamed, as a crossbow bolt embedded itself in his foot.

 

”You wait your turn.” One more Arthur appeared. He looked as young as the Arthur with the Digivice, wearing a orange T-shirt, with the image of a pegasus in the center, and the words CAMP HALF-BLOOD printed above. ”You haven’t sorted yourself out either, Guardian. Don’t expect him to figure it out now.”

 

Arthur was seeing another version of himself. Even though the entrance was a mirror, the sight of more and more people who looked like him, even at different ages, made him swallow his breath. ”Guardian?” That was all he could ask. ”And he called the other one Tamer. Am I supposed to call you something, too?”

 

”Demigod,” the young Arthur shrugged. ”That one over there, fighting MachGaogamon? He’s you from when we fought the Demon Lords. I’m here because you showed Death that you’ve got what it takes to talk it out with dad. But this guy? He’s… an odd one.”’

 

”Tamer and Demigod have been forged by your pasts,” said Guardian. He grabbed the bolt from his foot, and tossed it aside, cursing as sat down, tearing a piece of cloth from his cloak to cover the wound. He crossed his leg, and spoke with a slight tension in his voice. ”We are all aspects of your life. You saved the Digital World, but rejected becoming part of the world of the Greek Gods. Your life was already split between two paths before Isamy recruited you, but in the moment Sora granted you the Keyblade, you branched out even further. When you faced Apocrypha, you were still just learning how to use the Keyblade. You used it to purge Apocrypha, and it allowed you the strength to defeat the Madara. But those two battles cost you a greater loss.” Arthur couldn’t remember what had happened after he stabbed himself with the Keyblade. One moment he felt something leaving his body, and the next, he was holding Eria. Guardian put his sword beside him. ”This sword cannot heal me as your Keyblade would. I cannot be made whole, as neither are you. When you split Apocrypha from you, there was more of yourself that went into him. You split your heart and soul, and when you slew Apocrypha, you destroyed that part of yourself. With your soul complete, I believe the Key to Origin deemed you imperfect. You were not allowed to take the Key for yourself. Protheus saw an opportunity, and claimed the Key. Even when you defeated the Madara, the Key was never going to be your prize.”

 

”So you’re telling me it was pointless?!” Arthur screamed. ”Figures. So what do you expect to tell me? That even when I do something right, I’m still going to screw up? Then why do I need two of you here? Because I’m also going to screw up talking with my father? What if I become a Counter Guardian, then? Am I going to screw that up do? Am I going to die like Emiya? Will I lie like Arturia, and let the people I brought in die because the odds are too impossible to do anything else?”

 

”Shut up!” Demigod said. ”You’re taking this too far. You think Emiya didn’t want to keep going? You think Arturia doesn’t care about how many people have died? We left Samuel and Baxter behind! We lost any right to think we’d be better than them the moment we went back to that dog!”

 

”I’ll find Pandora’s Box! Even if Sam and Baxter don’t forgive me, or Chiron punishes me for bailing, or my father won’t even give me a chance to talk, I’m going to make up for that.”

 

”Then you should allow Arturia to do the same,” said Guardian. ”Did you not see how much it pained her to even tell you the truth? I doubt that was out of any penchant she has for lying.”

 

”Then if I become like her, I’ll have to hide the truth? Then I’d still be running.”

 

”Running’s not so bad if you know where you’re going.” Demigod put his hand on Guardian’s bleeding foot. ”Sorry for the shot earlier. Just had to get your attention.”

 

Guardian sighed. ”It was necessary. We must hurry, though. I suspect that Heartless is on his way.”

 

A growl echoed in Arthur’s mind. ”Heartless?” The Guardian’s sword frightened Arthur. He felt that he wasn’t holding his Keyblade, but that sword instead. His hand went cold, yet he felt it burning as well. ”That’s the side of you that you need to sort out?”

 

”That we must sort out,” Guardian corrected. ”I am what you may become if you open the Door to Origin, but Heartless is why you might not be able to.” The hero from the Digital World, the demigod from Camp Half-Blood, a potential Counter Guardian, and now something else. ”You told Sora about how do you had free yourself from Jerii’s Agent. When Apocrypha took your form, it was the same as how Sora described Roxas. A Nobody. Which means that you, Arthur, would be a Heartless!” Guardian removed his cloak, as his muscles began to expand. His skin turned purple, as small wings appeared, demonic on his back, yet angelic on his arms. Horns sprouted from his head, and his eyes turned completely gold. His skin began to dry, tightening until his face looked closer to a skull. Guardian, or rather, Heartless, roared. Demigod fired his crossbow, but the Heartless parried the bolt.

 

”I’m supposed to be scared?” Arthur relaxed his hands. Heartless kept snarling, but Arthur’s attention was divided among the landscape. ”You said you’re me from when I fought Apocrypha, right? Then maybe you can answer something for me. I told Ogudomon and those Agents that I thought I was some normal kid. So why are there three of you here? Three of myself? What about that normal kid who came before you all?”

 

”You think you’re still normal?” Heartless asked. ”That little boy you once were must be lost on Remembrance. You won’t find him here, at least. Tell me, when you’ve used that Keyblade of yours, what spells have you been most fond of?”

 

Heartless lunged towards Arthur, but his sword bounced against a translucent shield. ”I find this sort of thing pretty handy, if that answers your question.”

 

”The Reflect spell,” Heartless mused. ”I see. That spell says a lot about you. Closing yourself off instead of fighting head-on. You used our father’s power against the Madara, turning the Infinite Tsukuyomi back on itself. And look at all of us! You are the son of Apollo. You’ve tamed MachGaogamon. Sora entrusted you with the Keyblade. And you may soon follow in the footsteps of Emiya and Arturia! You use that Reflect spell as a defense because you are a reflection! A reflection of your father, the parents you lost, the camp you abandoned, the beast you see as your brother, and the soldier who recognized his best friend in you. The normal boy that garnered the admiration of his classmates has grown up. You won’t return to his life again, but there is a future you’ve shown you can reach. Let MachGaogamon fight this battle on his own. Not that he doesn’t need you, but he defeated Apocrypha, so he must prove himself to MagnaGarurumon as well. If you’ll embrace your heritage, then work alongside with Demigod instead, and face me. You hold the Keyblade. Now reach for the Key of Origin, and show me that it will be you who opens the Door, not Protheus!”

[Kingdom Xathers]

[spoiler=Alexander & Umbris: For the First Time in Forever]

After what felt like a few brief moments of perpetual, claustrophobia-inducing darkness, Alexander finally “awoken” to a well-lit room, and a familiar room at that. “We’re… in my Soul Room?” Alexander uttered as he glanced around the area, finding himself standing on the top platform of the winding stair column, light shining down from above through the circular stained glass ceiling.

 

“You don’t think that mirror we walked through is connected to it in some way, do you?” Umbris asked as he emerged from Alexander’s shadow.

 

“If so, it must lead the one walking through it to their own,” Alexander replied, feeling uneasy as he continued to scan his surroundings. “It would explain why Alister or any of the others aren’t here… … … does something feel odd to you about the room this time?” he asked Umbris.

 

"Kinda. Can't exactly put my finger on it, though," Umbris muttered in response, also observing the surroundings. "Although I gotta say, your Soul Room does seem a lot more spacious than before. More brightly lit, too. Then again, this place was covered in ice last time I was here, but I digress."

 

"Yeah...," Alexander nodded slowly. "Heh. Funny how solving a few personal problems does wonders for your inner world."

 

“”Amazing” would be a more appropriate word, don’t you think?”

 

Alex and Umbris jumped at hearing the voice that spoke to them. They quickly turned their attention towards a simple armchair that was about three yards away from them, upon which demurely sat…

 

“... it’s me!” Alexander gasped out. Doffing his initial surprise, he quickly composed himself; “But, wait--okay, lemme guess,” he requested of his doppelganger. “You’re a part of this Pathway’s trial, correct?” Mirror!Alexander silently nodded in confirmation. “And this trial, I’m guessing, is to gauge how much of the truth I accept, including about myself?”

 

“Especially about yourself,” was the reply that came from Mirror!Alex’s direction, but was not said in his voice; the voice came from the Mirror!Umbris who emerged from the lombax doppelganger’s shadow. “Umbris, too, really, but this is mostly about you.”

 

“Thing is,” Mirror!Alexander spoke up, still reclined in the armchair with his legs crossed, “you already seem to have most of yourself sorted out at this point. A commendable accomplishment, really, though it is not yours alone.”

 

Alexander nodded. “Yeah… I could not have gotten this far without everyone’s help: Umbris, Ratchet, Alister… if not for them, I’d still be… … well, y’know….”

 

“Indeed, I do,” Mirror!Alex nodded in return. “There is, however, one more detail you must be made aware of, for you to truly--”

 

“--it’s about my body, isn’t it?” Alexander blurted out.

 

Mirror!Alex did a flustered blink, but otherwise maintained a stoic expression. “... partly,” he replied simply. “... the mirror that you walked through to get here… it revealed to you the truth, did it not?”

 

“Only the visual truth, yes,” Alexander answered, “but that was only after Umbris Shadowed me in order to enter along with me.”

 

“Hmmm….” Mirror!Alexander closed his eyes momentarily, as if putting his concentration into something. That “something” made itself apparent as parts of his body--more specifically, his fur--began to darken, including the right side of his face, his forearms, and left shoulder. Once the process was finished, Mirror!Alex opened his eyes, revealing that his right iris had also changed from green to blue. “Indeed, the mirror revealed only the partial truth, but as I am sure you realize, there is much more to what you saw, something that is beyond skin-deep.” The doppelganger turned his attention towards Umbris, studying the Neo-Spacian’s expression. “It would seem you, too, are beginning to remember, Umbris. I will ask you what you remember in a moment, but first,” he added as he returned his attention to Alex, “I’d like for Alexander to tell me what he remembers of that night over twenty years ago, the night the Center was attacked. More specifically… the moment that you fell.”

 

“....” Alexander fell silent, cradling his arms as his mind worked on remembering that fateful event. “... pain…,” he quietly uttered after fifteen seconds of reflection, his body trembling as painful sensations began to spread across his body. “So… much pain…,” he gasped, clutching his arms tighter to himself as he dropped down to a kneeling fetal position.

 

“ALEX!” Umbris yelped in concern, fearful for his suffering friend. The fear quickly made way for anger as he directed his attention at the lombax’s doppelganger, furiously screaming, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?!”

 

“It’s not my doing,” Mirror!Alex replied calmly. “It is his memory that is causing this pain--”

 

“I don’t care, just make it STOP!”

 

“We can’t,” Mirror!Umbris shook his head, “and even if we could, we shouldn’t. Alexander needs to re-experience what he went through in that moment, otherwise he--and you--won’t be able to fully understand why he’s in the state he’s in.”

 

“Wha-Why do I need to--?” Umbris stammered.

 

“Because you’re both connected,” Mirror!Alexander replied, “in more ways than one. Now, I suppose I should tell you what Alex is currently experiencing… or should I say, “remind you”?”

 

Umbris remained silent as he stood, confused. “As I’m certain you recall from your field trip with Alister into Alex’s memories, the Rehabilitation Center that Alexander was staying at was built at the edge of a seaside cliff. The height from the building’s rooftop to the ocean below was over a hundred yards. That was the distance that Alexander fell when he was forced off the roof by that flashbang grenade….” Mirror!Alexander paused to take a deep breath, as if trying to steady his own nerves for what he was about to say next: “... and that’s… before taking into account the rocky protrusions on the side of the cliff… that Alexander struck on his way down. By the time Alexander would’ve hit the water… he had lost a considerable amount of flesh from his body,” Mirror!Alex concluded, holding up his own forearms; as if to further accentuate this point, the darkened areas of the doppelganger’s body began to dissolve, revealing torn muscle tissue, broken bones, and a cracked, partially caved cranium.

 

This was proving far too much for Umbris, who had dropped to his knees with his hands clasped firmly over his muzzle. It was taking most of his willpower to not burst out in tears. “Of course,” Mirror!Umbris spoke up, consciously turning his gaze away from Mirror!Alexander’s mangled form, “had Alexander truly fallen into the sea, that would have been the end of his life, then-and-there. Instead, however, his Surinox Power kicked in at the very last possible moment, opening a rift into which he fell through just before hitting the waters’ surface. That rift left him to float, instead, in the astral plane between dimensions. The same place where you, too, had once ended up after your own body was nearly destroyed in your dimension. It’s… kinda funny, when you consider the circumstances,” Mirror!Umbris said with a mirthless chuckle, a finger stroking at his chin. “The two of you meeting in the space between dimensions, each with a torn-up body… there could not have been a more perfect timing, really. But it was the crossing of paths that ultimately saved Alexander’s life, for it was through the use of what remained of your body that Alexander’s was restored. Of course, there was still the matter--”

 

“Oooff~....” A quiet groan broke into the explanation as Alexander stumbled back to his feet, looking like he was in the midst of a sleep-deprived hangover after having gotten past his memory-induced phantom pain. “Guh… okay, that was a trip,” Alexander grumbled as he swayed on the spot, a hand held up to his forehead. “Could we, like, continue this impromptu therapy session, without any more sensory overloading? Pretty please?”

 

“Hmm… yes, I suppose we should,” Mirror!Alex casually nodded in agreement, morphing his body to be whole and un-damaged again. “I mean, it wouldn’t exactly do you guys any good to force you to experience your past pains while giving out exposition. That being said,” he added as he shifted to a related topic, “we’ll let you in on a little secret, given that we are part of the Origin’s test and all; while it is true that Umbris’ emergency “skin graft” managed to repair your body, Alexander, it didn’t quite settle in right away. Your body needed some time to settle before it could truly be completely whole again, but~ heh… there was something that neither you nor Umbris knew to take into account: your Surinox Power.”

 

“You know how your body would sometimes mimic that “white-noise” effect that CRT television sets make” Mirror!Umbris chimed in, “and how it would cause you pain when it did especially after using your power? Well, turns out that was due to your Surinox power interfering with your body’s composition. The use of your power over the years held back the Neo-Spacian tissue’s integration with the rest of your body, sometimes even undoing a bit of the progress.”

 

“... s-so, wait a second,” Alexander broke in with a hand raised, “are you guys basically telling me that, this whole time since me and Umbris had met… I’m basically part-Neo-Spacian?” His Doppelganger nodded in silent affirmation. “... huh… … so, Rayos was right about me. How ‘bout that.”

 

“And it does explain a few other things,” Umbris nodded.

 

“Indeed,” Mirror!Alexander replied. “Being integrated with Umbris’ DNA means that you’re technically part-pardus tenebris, and thus gain some of the perks. Also, you should be happy to know that your body is nearly stabilized. Consider that the one perk of being unable to utilize your Surinox Power during this war."

 

“I wouldn’t start getting happy yet, though,” Mirror!Umbris proclaimed, quickly souring the mood before it could get better. “There is still another matter that must be resolved before you two may proceed. A matter that focuses more on you, Umbris,” he added, his stare piercing through the Neo-Spacian’s soul.

 

“It has to do with what happened after Umbris had joined himself with you, Alexander,” continued Mirror!Alex as he adjusted his posture in his seat. “While your body was, for the most part, restored, your mental state was… well, it was in a very precarious state. And that was reflected in your Soul Room which was…, just barely holding itself together.”

 

“As you both know by now,” Mirror!Umbris explained, “one’s personality and mental state are reflected in the condition of their Soul Room, and both can be altered simply by rearranging and redecorating the Soul Room itself. Indeed, it was shortly after you had saved Alexander from death that you opted to refurbish his Soul Room, both to ease his tormented mind as well as to allow yourself a place to stay while you regenerated a new body….”

 

“... but, something went wrong, didn’t it…?” Alexander calmly asked the question that was on his and Umbris’ minds, knowing full-well that tragedy awaited them in the exposition.

 

Mirror!Umbris sighed deeply, his face neutral even as a single tear escaped the corner of his left eye, just as one fell from Umbris’ right, to the Neo-Spacian’s confusion. “Umbris… your intentions were noble and just, and yet… you could not have known just how unstable Alexander was still. When the reconstruction of his Soul Room started Alexander was fine, but as the rearranging continued, he… he grew irritable, agitated... the more the room was rearranged, the more unhinged Alexander became, until he... he lashed out.”

 

“I… attacked Umbris…?!” Alexander numbly uttered, glancing at the Neo-Spacian, who was now stone-still with shallow breaths. “But, I… I don’t even remember--”

 

“Came at him with a broken table leg, in fact,” Mirror!Umbris confirmed, much to the normal pair’s horror. “Even managed to land a few hits. It was in the midst of Alexander’s frenzied tantrum that, in a moment of panicked desperation… Umbris… you did the first thing that came to mind. You had meant to pacify Alexander with a spell, but the spell you had cast was too strong, and instead… you shattered his mind.”

 

He had only meant to pacify the lombax, to stop him from attacking, from getting himself hurt. What resulted instead would have haunted Umbris for the rest of his days:

 

All around them, the Soul Room fell apart with a resounding crash. Furniture fell to pieces, displays shattered, instruments imploded upon themselves. Cracks formed along the walls and ceiling as windows erupted in an explosion of glass.

 

And yet, even as all of this was happening, Umbris’ eyes were wide with horror as they remained locked on the stunned eyes of the lombax before him, the only feature of the fuzzy alien’s face seen from behind the hand Umbris had placed against it. The lombax’s eyes, too, seemed wide with shock, but as Umbris continued to stare, the lombax’s eyes began to relax, droop into an almost sleepy expression, the pupils dilating as his green irises grew dull, void of light. With a weak, near-inaudible whimper, the lombax dropped to his knees, his face slipping away from Umbris’ still-outstretched palm, before limply landing onto his side, his eyes half-open and lightless.

 

Umbris stared down at his hands, his entire being trembled as he remained stunned with silent disbelief, his mind struggling to process what had just happened. Failing that after a full ten seconds, Umbris uttered a yelp of “Oh Gods…!” as he scrambled frantically to the lombax’s side. “H-Hey, c’mon kid, get up,” Umbris croaked as he shook the comatose lombax, gently at first. As the seconds agonizingly ticked by with no response from the lombax, however, the Neo-Spacian was slowly being overcome with horror and grief. “C’mon, don’t… don’t do this to me, kid, ya gotta get up…! Kid…? Please, kid, say something, move, do something! Anything! Alex… Alex, c’mon, get up… c’mon, don’t do this to me... please wake up! I’m sorry! Alex, I’m sorry!! I’M SORRY!!! ALEEEEEX!!!!”

“Alex… please… I’m sorry….” As he was forced to relive the memory that he had forgotten, Umbris had fallen to his hands and knees, tearfully uttering the words he had said that day. “I’m so sorry… Alex… I didn’t mean to….” Alexander, meanwhile, stood dumbstruck as he watched his friend plunge headfirst into despair.

 

“... Umbris quickly realized,” Mirror!Alexander continued, picking up where Mirror!Umbris had gone silent, “that the only way to save your mind and soul at that point was to reconstruct your Soul Room as best he could, and quickly. By laying out a stable-enough foundation, he was able to keep you intact as he continued to work on the reconstruction. The process took quite some time, what with having to fix or otherwise recreate many of the objects that were originally part of your Soul Room, not to mention rearranging the room so as to keep you at peace….”

 

“... he felt wholly responsible for what he had done, accident or not,” Mirror!Umbris spoke up once more as he wiped away at his own stoic, tear-stained face. “The guilt was eating away at him; he felt that he couldn’t live with himself--much less with you--knowing full-well what had happened… he couldn’t forgive himself, and believed you, too, would share in that notion. In another moment of weakness, Umbris proceeded to gather both his and your memory of that accident, crammed them into a diary… and promptly had them destroyed.”

 

“Using your memory of your burning home, he disposed of the memories to the raging flames,” Mirror!Alexander explained as calmly as ever, if not the least bit uneasily. “Despite being a memory itself, the fire performed its intended role and incinerated the diary, the memories vanishing with it. As a result, both you and Umbris could not recall what had happened during that period; as far as you both knew, the reconstruction was done with minimal complications.”

 

“... … … so, the only reason any trace of that memory still remains,” Alexander inquired slowly and calmly, “is because time--or rather, the Origin--remembers that it had happened… correct?”

 

“... yes,” Mirror!Alex nodded just as calmly. “Everything is connected to the Origin, even memories. Even if one’s memories have been erased from their heart and mind, the event related to it had still existed--”

 

“It… it was all my fault…,” Umbris silently sobbed, his whole body feeling numb at this point. “I… I’m the reason… it was me… … I’m why your memories... were lost to begin with… I’m the reason you ended up the way you were….”

 

“... well, yes-and-no,” Mirror!Alex broke in. “It is true that your spell was what shattered Alexander’s mind… but it was Alexander, and his desire to be free of his pain, that had caused the spell to overreact in the first place.”

 

Umbris’ eyes quickly snapped wide open as a hoarse gasp escaped his mouth. Alexander, meanwhile, appeared to relax somewhat from this newest revelation. “I… I had figured I was partly to blame for that, too. Thank goodness…,” Alexander added quietly, a hand held to his heart.

 

“But…,” Umbris interjected, “... but I still… hid the truth from you, Alex. I hid it from both of us… … aren’t… aren’t you angry about that… about what I did…?”

 

Alexander shook his head, kneeling next to the Neo-Spacian. “No, I’m not upset over this, Umbris,” he explained in a firm sort of gentle tone, “and there are at least two reasons why that is, maybe three:

 

Number One: The fact that it was all just a huge accident--one that we both ended up causing and thus share the blame for.

 

Number Two: You were acting in self-defense. I could have possibly killed you had you not done anything, and if I had, we would’ve both been screwed.

 

And Number Three: … you could have done just about anything else after I had gone comatose. You could have rearranged my Soul Room to completely remake me however you had wanted. You could have even abandoned me then-and-there, left me for dead while you went off elsewhere to recover. Instead… you stayed. You stayed by me in spite of how I had acted, in spite of what you did, in spite of your guilt (even if you did later erase our memories of that moment to be rid of said guilt). You stood by me when I was at the lowest point of my life, you stood by me even after you had regained a body of your own… even when you had no reason to stay and every reason to leave, and at any time. You’re the reason I’m even alive today, Umbris, and for that I am eternally grateful,” Alexander concluded with tears in his eyes.

 

“Y… You still forgive me… after all of that…?” Umbris choked.

 

Alex nodded, placing one hand on the Neo-Spacian’s shoulder while the other hand caressed the panther’s cheek . “I’ve already resolved to not let the past have any sway over me, nor disregard it for how it hurt me. Besides… how can I not forgive the greatest friend I’ve ever had?”

 

Overwhelmed with emotion, Umbris threw his arms around Alexander’s neck, holding the lombax close as he sobbed into Alex’s shoulder. Alexander returned the embrace, love and forgiveness practically radiating from him.

 

“Alexander’s capacity for forgiveness,” Mirror!Umbris mused to Mirror!Alexander as the two watched the scene playing out before them with tears in their own eyes, “it has always been there from the very beginning, hasn’t it?”

 

“Not just that,” Mirror!Alex replied, dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief. “I daresay… that this is the Alexander that he always was before, and was always meant to be….”

 

“Truly amazing, indeed,” Mirror!Umbris nodded as the two doppelgangers vanished.

 

A few moments would pass before Alex and Umbris broke away from their hug, but the moment that they did, they realized that the Room they were in had since changed drastically, and perhaps for the better; they now sat by a large fountain situated in the center of a wide, festively-decorated courtyard, a vibrantly blue sky visible through the open circle formed by the courtyard’s walls. There were four gates at regular intervals around the courtyard’s walls, all open, as were the windows of the surrounding buildings. “... does this mean what I think it means…?” Alexander uttered in awe as he and Umbris studied their new surroundings.

 

“I’m guessing,” Umbris hypothesized as he wipes his face clean of tears, “that getting through the last bit of your forgotten memories and trauma opened your heart completely, if all the open doors and windows are any indication--

 

“Would it kill you two to not overanalyze everything?” a wise-sounding voice chuckled at the two. Alex and Umbris turned around to see two figures standing on the other side of the fountain; one was an older male lombax with white fur and crimson stripes wearing a red military dress uniform, and the other was a brownish lombax with heterochromic eyes wearing medical scrubs and a pale bandana.

 

“Dad?! Galen?!” Alexander yelped in shock. “Wh-what are you two doing here?”

 

“We just stopped by to give our congratulations,” Galen replied as he and Artorius walked around the fountain to reach Alex and Umbris, “just before we need to depart.”

 

“”Depart”?” Alexander repeated. “But… aren’t you two part of this trial, too?”

 

“No, my son,” Artorius shook his head, “Galen and I are the real deal, so to speak. We were brought into your heart as a means to help you overcome your demons.”

 

“But it seems we didn’t have to do much after all,” Galen admitted sheepishly. “It was pretty much all you, Alex. Actually, no, that’s wrong,” he corrected himself. “You did have help, from Umbris, Ratchet and General Azimuth. They were the ones that kept you afloat, especially Umbris.”

 

“And for that, he has our deepest gratitude,” Artorius beamed with a warm hug for the Neo-Spacian. “Catastrophic near-fatal accidents aside, of course. I’m willing to forgive that,” he added with a hushed whisper into Umbris’ ear, making the Neo-Spacian quite nervous, as if being interrogated by the father of his prom date.

 

“But… I don’t understand,” Alexander quavered slightly, his confusion quite tangible. “How did you two get here in the first place…?”

 

Artorius gave a silent, knowing chuckle before addressing his son: “T’was Kaden’s doing.”

 

“Ratchet’s dad…?!” Alex and Umbris piped in unison.

 

Artorius nodded. “He, too, resides within the General’s pocket watch, and had borne witness to the thousands of alternate timelines of this war, and as such, the many ways his friend had perished, as well as many others… including you.

 

“It would seem the spirit of Alister’s friend took pity on you,” Artorius continued, “and felt that, by helping you as well, the greatest possible outcome of this war would be far more complete. It is why he called out to our souls and brought us here, to try and support you as best we could.”

 

“But as was said before, we ultimately couldn’t do much aside from push you guys in the right direction,” Galen repeated, “... … but I guess it still helped in the long run, even if the impact was small--”

 

“Are you kidding?” Alexander cut in, doing his absolute best to keep his emotions under control. “The impact wasn’t as small as you make it out to be; seeing the two of you, whether it was your souls or mere illusions… it brought out so many emotions out of me, so many feelings and questions. It made me see things from new perspectives. It helped me to realize that all the things I’ve gone through in the past, for better or worse, made me the person I am today, and that having ever wanted to undo or ignore any of those things was basically an insult to everyone I’ve ever met that’s ever been the least bit decent to me. I used to make people forget who I was when I left their dimension because I feared their lives would have derailed or taken a different path just for having known me… but now I see I was wrong, for trying to distance myself from, and manipulating the lives of, others, even those who would’ve been my friend. Now, though, I’m through with running from my past, for now I see it has no power over me--”

 

“--we understand, Alex,” Artorius interrupted his son’s ongoing speech. “We’ve all seen the progress you’ve made. You’ve grown into such an outstanding individual during your journey, far greater than even I could’ve ever hoped for you.” Approaching Alexander, Artorius lovingly embraced his son. “I am… just so proud of you, Alex.”

 

“Artorius, it’s time,” Galen spoke up urgently, despite wishing not to break up such a beautiful father-son moment.

 

“Yes, you’re right,” Artorius replied, releasing his son from his embrace. “Alex, it’s time that we all depart from this place. Your friends are waiting for you on the outside. Once you leave this room, Galen and I shall depart.”

 

“We wish you two the best of luck in your endeavors,” Galen added as he and Artorius stepped away from Alex and Umbris. “Remember Alex; many doors await for you to open.”

 

On cue, the water fountain vanished into thin air, replaced a circular mirror on the floor--their way out. “Guess we’ll always be making leaps of faith, huh, Alex?” Umbris chuckled slightly as he looked down at his reflection.

 

Alexander, too, looked down at his reflection, taking note of how his fur looked as it should. “Yeah,” Alexander nodded, sneaking his hand over to reach Umbris’, intertwining his fingers with those of the Neo-Spacian. “And I’ll take those leaps with you, for as long as I can,” he added with a warm smile to his friend.

 

Umbris felt his face warm up as he returned Alex’s smile. “And I you.” With that, Alexander and Umbris leaped, hand-in-hand, through the mirror….

 

 

 

 

[spoiler=Gabriel: Box of Friends]

As everyone else’s trials were being played out from start-to-finish, we are instead introduced to Gabriel’s trial as it was already underway. The lion plushie had found himself in the middle of a wrestling ring within a cathedral, seated in the lap of a statue resembling his human self. Arranged before him were three similar statues, but each instead depicted an armored figure of varying decoration. The largest statue served as the seat for a proportionally large black teddy bear, in the smallest statue sat a white jaguar plushie, and the remaining statue served as the perch for a bright-yellow songbird plushie. These three plushies, FYI, are the plushie forms of Nigredo, Albedo, and Citrinitas respectively; they took their current forms as per Citrinitas’ suggestion to make Gabriel not feel alone about being the only plushie in the room.

 

“Regardless of what Death Path had shown you, Rubedo,” Albedo explained, his rather stoic expression matching the no-nonsense tone of his voice, “you needn’t feel that you must resign to whatever fate awaits you, whether it’s a few weeks from now or a few years; when your moment comes, you will know.”

 

“And who knows?” Citrinitas butt in, generating excessive bishie sparkles as he gestured with his finger-like wings “The moment may not even come, and there may not even be a crisis to avert. It is just a possible future after all, hun.”

 

“Still,” Nigredo timidly spoke up, the big teddy bear twiddling his forepaws together, “if it... does come to that… do know that… there would be many who would come to your aid, just as you would be coming to the aid of many. And… we three… will make sure that you never have to be forever separated from your life in the human world.”

 

“Just remember, Rubey,” Citrinitas added, “that despite what fate and destiny may have in store for you, you will always be you, whomever or whatever you choose to be.”

 

“... I appreciate that, guys,” Gabriel nodded. “Thank you.”

 

“Good. Now that that’s out of the way,” Albedo broke in tersely, “there is one more matter of which must be discussed.”

 

“What’s that?” Gabriel asked.

 

“We… know you may be facing Sayer soon,” Nigredo muttered, “and… well… s-simply put, we all knew of Sayer’s original self.”

 

“... what?” Gabriel coughed out in stunned surprise.

 

“That’s right,” Albedo confirmed. “We know of Kyros, Sayer’s original self. And we also know that that man has been struggling to preserve what very little humanity he has left. We felt it significant enough to tell you what we know about him, in the hopes that you or your friends may be able to reach out to him in some way, so as to put a stop to Sayer and the Leviathan’s plans.”

 

“... … well then,” Gabriel stammered, prepared to hear what his Brothers had to say, “explain away.”

 

 

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

Kazuya

Prologuous

 

"...This is going to take a while, isn't it?"

 

Kazuya had chosen to stay on the sidelines while the others were busy attacking the Avatar, as it withdrew itself into its shell. It seemed to be quite the laborious work - so far there was barely any changes on the shell after the attacks, and the shell only responded by creating shadow clones of the ones attacking it, which looked to be quite a bother to deal with. Of course, him only setting himself with mental complaining would not help the situation at all, and Kazuya realized it. He was just making sure that his plan was something that he could actually do well. He had discarded his COMP, after all, which meant that he'd need to rely on that certain thing.

 

"Well...I think it won't hurt to try attacking it once or twice."

 

Kazuya locked his gaze into the Avatar Shell, and took aim there with his outreaching arm. Channeling what had been inherited and buried within himself, he focused his mind to gather the outsider energy into his palm. By all means, he should just be a normal human and without his COMP, his action here wouldn't really do anything. However, the one buried within him responded to his call, and allowed him to manifest a magic circle before him. Demonic magic surged through his body like electricity, and then, within a moment, that surge erupted all at once with a single chant.

 

"Gomorrah Fire!"

 

Bursts of eternally burning hellfire started to rain down towards the shell. Perhaps if he's lucky it would be enough to start denting or melting the shell, though he was not really holding his breath over it. It was just supposed to be a test for himself, after all. It reminded him that he was supposed to be facing that certain angelic being that the Avatar summoned earlier, but with everyone returning to the proper Prologuous, it's nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it's for the better.

 

---

 

Reimu

Prologuous

 

"The hell's your problem, you creep?"

 

Blocking the barrage of razor-sharp tentacles coming from the second shadow Koishi with her barriers, Reimu tried to get herself some free room to retaliate with her amulets or needles, but while she managed to land hits on the clone, the clone simply attached and stitched the cut or wounded part back using smaller tentacles, practically reconstructing its body. Reimu's aware that she probably couldn't afford wasting too much energy here even with her having access to the sphere, as there was something more important that she's supposed to deal with, but the clone kept on attempting to corner her. It irritated her to the point of her considering to just attempt to disintegrate it by using her purification barrier again. It seemed to work decently well earlier, after all.

 

As the shadow clone missed her chest by a hair breadth with a rapid jab, Reimu decided that it's time for her to do that.

 

"Divine Arts: Omnidirectional Dragon-slaying Circle!"

 

Without wasting any beat as soon as she was able to gain a proper ground to initiate the attack, Reimu declared her Spell Card, and slammed a talisman to the ground. A ritual circle formed right under Koishi clone, and barriers formed at the edges of the circle creating a prison with another magic circle forming at the top of the prison. With an annoyed expression, Reimu then proceeded to do a hand gesture - and the entirety of the prison's insides was bathed with light once the signal was performed. Same as before, it was meant to purify everything caught within it, down to the atoms. Life and death is a form of impurity, so the essence of purifying is to remove oneself from that duality. And Reimu chose the way of disintegration.

 

But...even after she was done, a laugh can still be heard.

 

 "Chihihihiiiii~!"

 

---

 

"It looks like your bait just landed you a big fish! Now question. If you are a true clone....

 

...then.do you have a soul?"

 

"What's a soul? Is it something you can eat? It's tasty, isn't it?
 

Can I try one?"

 

The shadow Koishi was barely responding with the fact that she was going to be skewered and split in two with a sword, and was more fascinated with the dividual that was attacking her now. She continued to giggle as the sword came down, and just like before, she attached herself back with her tentacles in barely any time to return herself back to prime form.

 

"That hurts, you knowwwww?

 

Alright, it's my tuuuuuuuuuuuurn! Brambly Rose Garden!"

 

Cheerfully declaring her Spell Card, the cloned shadow started to flood the are with rose petals and thorns that attempted to bind Butlerok. The clone was seemingly aware of the power level of the being before her, but she minded it little as she continued to flood the immediate area all while she also confined herself and her target in a prison of thorny tentacles.

 

"It's our private playdate! Let's have some fun fun fun!

 

Light up the fireworks! Poor Man's Blossom - Miniature Rose Garden!"

 

Each of the raining petals started to glow, at first faintly but it becomes more and more brilliant. And then, all of the sudden, the deafening sound of explosion could be heard from around the confined space as the prison exploded, creating a rose-shaped cloud in its wake. The clone Koishi stood at a certain distance from the explosion, grinning like a child that saw such a spectacle for the first time as she reformed after being blown up by the attack. The blast was supposedly very poisonous to anything caught nearby, though, had the clone possessed the ability to think, it probably would be aware that there were only a little chance that it would work towards her target.

 

But even if it knew, it probably wouldn't care. She was there to see the spectacle after all. It's like new years all over again.

 

---

[Kingdom Xathers]

[spoiler=Alister Azimuth: Multiple Organisms]

… he had no idea for how long his mind had been in a haze, but as soon as it had lifted, Alister found himself in a different surrounding from before. Different, yet all-too-familiar. And he was by no means surprised; in fact, he was quite irritated at once again finding himself within the Pocket Watch Chamber. “Ugh… this again,” the General grumbled under his breath. “I swear, every time my mind blanks out, I end up here… … but, wait… wasn’t I looking at the mirror before…? Dammit, either I’ve been tricked, or I’m starting to develop Alzheimer's….”

 

Shaking off the thoughts of possible mental health issues, Alister took the time to scan the area, gradually realizing that no one--neither the Altisters or Kaden--has shown up to even say “Hi”. The whole place, in fact, appeared to be empty save for himself. “... now, should I be concerned, or am I free to break out the champagne and celebrate?” Alister joked to himself mirthlessly. “HELLO~? Any of you guys in here?” the General started to call out, his voice echoing throughout the spacious chamber. “Anyone at all? Can I at least get explanation as to why I’m here, AGAIN?! ANYBODY?!?! Dammit, would someone just--OOF!”

 

Not entirely focused on where he was going, Alister had make a quick turn to the left and promptly bumped against something rather large before falling on his ass. That something was mostly soft, save for the part that Alister’s face had smacked against, a piece of armor. Through the stars that danced before his eyes, the General could see a large, horned silhouette towering over him. “That was a nasty tumble, need a hand?” it inquired in a voice similar to his own, but a few octaves deeper.

 

“Huh?” Staring up into the face of the figure as it knelt down before him, Alister found himself being filled with a sense of confusion; the figure’s weary eyes were the same as his own, but somehow more troubled and guilt-ridden. His fur color was also the same as Alister’s, right down to the color and shape of the stripes on his ears, and he also had the General’s cheekbones, and yet these were the only details Alister recognized as his own. For one thing, this figure’s head had more vertical length to it (due to actually having a forehead, unlike Alister), and also sported golden blonde hair in the shape of an undercut, beard and handlebar mustache, with a rusty-red colored soul patch on his chin. His ears, while in the same general shape as the General’s own, hung limply and draped themselves on the figure’s shoulders.

 

And then there was the figure’s attire, which resembled Alister’s original uniform save for a few changes and additions; the sleeveless body suit that served as the uniform’s base had a shade of purple to it and, much like the General’s own, hugged the figure’s toned 10-foot body in its comfortably snug fabric. The pieces of armor they bore were also similar, but either had a different overall shape or had different details to them, their chestplate being the most obvious example; it was clasped differently, and the Holo-Symbol was shifted to the center and framed by two outstretched wings. Their armor had the addition of faulds that covered their pelvic region, and their hoverboots, curiously enough, were toeless, allowing the figure’s clawed toes to peek out. A brilliant, royally purple cape cascaded from his pauldrons, and atop his head, between his curved horns, sat a small, red crown. “Erm, are you okay?” asked the apparently-kingly figure. “You’ve been sitting dumbstruck for the past two paragraphs. Did you hit your head or something?”

 

“GYAH!” Alister quickly scrambled away from the large king and back to his feet. “Wha… What sort of Altister are you?!” he spat out spastically.

 

The giant Alister-like figure was briefly taken aback by the General’s reaction, but quickly and calmly composed himself with an awkward chuckle. “Ah, right, how rude of me. Lemme start from the beginning here,” he said with an embarrassed nod before turning his back to Alister briefly. After a deep breath, the figure calmly turned around, a warm smile on his face (or at least an attempt at one that ended up being slightly goofy).

 

(♫♪ “Enter His Royal Amalgamate” ♪♫)

“Howdy! My name is Aligore Azimurr, and I am sorta of an Altister, but not quite. This is because I am made of two souls, rather than one,” Aligore explained.

 

“... “Al Gore”?” Alister uttered, confused as to why this man had the same name as a politician.

 

“Al-i-gore,” Aligor reiterated. “See, my name, like the rest of me, is a combination of two originally separate beings: “Alister Azimuth” and “Asgore Dreemurr”. Alister, Asgore? Aligore? Get it?”

 

“I get that it's a rather unimaginative way to name a fusion of two beings,” Alister retorted flatly.

 

For a brief moment, Aligore seemed a bit hurt by the General’s comment (almost close to tears, in fact), but, just like before, he quickly composed himself. “Well, given that I’m fifty percent you, I didn’t hear you come up with something better,” Aligore replied huffily.

 

“Ugh… sorry, I just really have a lot on my mind right now,” Alister apologized. “If it makes you feel better, I guess the name at least flows well.”

 

“... thank you,” Aligore nodded with an appreciative smile.

 

“Still, this is the first time I’ve seen you in here,” Alister added. “I mean, I’ve more-or-less already met the other Altisters that have developed their own personalities and consciousness. How come you never showed up before now?”

 

“Well,” Aligore tilted his head in thought, “I guess I just wasn’t completely ready, but then, there are so many of us, it’s easy to lose track. Hmm. Say, I’ve an idea,” Aligore beamed. “How’s about we sit down for a cup of tea?”

 

“Cup of tea?” Alister repeated, wondering if this guy was serious.

 

“Of course!” Aligore nodded. “I can tell you a bit of my backstory while we do. Besides, I could use some company (that isn’t a recording of an alternate you, I mean), and, I’m sure you could use a drink. I think you will enjoy it, as I have a particular blend that’s quite good for calming one’s self.”

 

Alister mulled over his options for a moment, before eventually sighing deeply. “You’re right about one thing: I really could use a drink,” he admitted.

 

“Splendid!” Aligore chimed, happy to be able to spend time with someone genuine. “Okay, gimme a moment while I get this all set up.” With a flourish, Aligore pulled off his flowing cape and made as if to drape it over a table. To Alister’s surprise, the cape contoured itself into a circular shape, as if an invisible table was indeed underneath the improvised tablecloth. As soon as the cape had settled, a pair of chairs sprung up into existence, along with a tea kettle and a pair of teacups atop the table. A small vase with a bouquet of golden-petaled flowers sat in the center of the table, completing the minimal arrangement. “Please, have a seat,” Aligore politely requested as he took his own seat.

 

Alister’s chair was a bit higher than he would’ve liked, but was still mountable. Thankfully the table was the right height for him to sit comfortably, although it seemed Aligore hadn’t the foresight to properly accommodate himself, as he seemed to be having trouble balancing his larger frame in his own chair. He grunted a little, having found some balance, but it was tenuous at best. “So, ahem, tea,” Aligore grunted uncomfortably as he reached over for the kettle, carefully pouring some of its contents into each cup before placing it back down on its heater. “... D’ugh, dammit, I forgot the pie--”

 

“It’s fine, Aligore,” Alister assured his host as he picked up his teacup, holding it close to his nose as he inhaled the aromatic steam through his nostrils. “So, how exactly did you come to be, err, the way you are now?” he inquired.

 

(♫♪ “Aligore’s Memory” ♪♫)

 

Aligore “Mmm’ed” softly at Alister as he took a polite sip of his tea, apparently he was immune to the scalding hot liquid. “Well, in the incarnation of the Origin War that I fought in, all present were capable of performing fusion of some nature, and up to three people at once could be fused together. Speaking as the Alister side, I fused with the Monster King, Asgore Dreemurr in an hour of need, during the fight against the Witch of Infinite Possibility, LERNA. However, I didn’t quite anticipate the nature of Asgore’s soul, and we were permanently fused until the Sphere Forest of the Periphery, where we… I, perished in the fight against the Devil Gundam. As such, we remain permanently as Aligore in death, as our souls may as well be one. It’s not as terrible as you may think it is, I just have a much lower tolerance for bad puns now,” Aligore chuckled.

 

“I see… and, what about this “Asgore” fellow?” Alister inquired. “Would you mind telling me a bit about him? Just curious.”

 

“Ah? You wanna know about Asgore?” Aligore asked, intrigued by the General’s curiosity. “Where do I even start? I mean, I don’t wish to come off as a bit biased, since he is one of my halves. But, speaking as Alister, he was… such a well-meaning person, but, he had been put into a truly horrible position. He was of a race of beings called Monsters, who in their world had waged war with the humans. Monsters, being made of magic, were highly susceptible to violence, and as such lost the war. They were all sealed in a labyrinth within a mountain, unable to leave due to a Barrier. Asgore was the Monster King, and was one of two surviving Boss Monsters, alongside his wife queen Toriel. She was quite the looker too,” Aligore smiled fondly as he removed a locket from a hidden pocket.

 

With a light click it opened, revealing goat mom in all of her glory to Alister. “Yes,” Alister nodded, a light pounding in his heart, “she is quite attractive,” he nodded in agreement.

 

“Yes, she is,” Aligore smiled, a tear rolling down his face. The General-King sniffled loudly as he wiped it away, the locket stowed away in its hidden compartment.

 

“Umm, did she die?” Alister inquired uncertainly.

 

“Oh, no... well, yes... sometimes. Depends on the timeline,” Aligore sniffled.

 

“Dare I ask?” Alister questioned.

 

“Best not, you already have enough weird time sheet as-is, you don’t need Asgore’s as well,” Aligore rebuked.

 

“I’ll grant you that,” Alister nodded with agreement. “So, why was he put into a horrible position?”

 

Aligore cleared his throat awkwardly as he repositioned himself on his chair. His grunts were growing ever more frustrated until he finally got to what he deemed what comfort. “Well, Asgore had two children: One biological child called Asriel, and an adopted human child called Chara. Despite humans having been their enemies, Toriel and Asgore raised Chara as their own. However… a tragedy occurred and Chara perished. As Asgore and Toriel greaved, Asriel took up Chara’s soul and left through the Barrier, as you require both a human soul and a monster soul to do so. He took Chara’s body back to their village, and laid it in a bed of yellow flowers. The humans, they thought Asriel had killed Chara, and attacked him. He didn’t fight back as he fled, and was mortally injured before returning. When… when he came back to the throne room, he perished on the yellow flowers his family had tended to for years. Toriel, and Asgore watched their remaining child die,” Aligore explained, tears running down his face from the sheer misery of recalling the tragedy.

 

Alister turned away slightly, to hide the tears welling up in his own eyes. The idea of losing your progeny like that…, to never see them again. “Kaden,” Alister whispered under his breath.

 

“In his rage and grief, Asgore swore he would destroy the humans, every last one. It was a foolish vow made when his emotions were beyond his control, and everyone expected him to stand true to it. Even though he is king of the monsters, Asgore is not a violent soul, not at all. And, this is the Alister side talking, he’s a bit of a pushover, easily cowed into doing what you want if you apply enough peer pressure. Which is why he began collecting human souls. Unlike monster souls, human souls persist after death, and you need seven of them to gain enough power to destroy the barrier. Why seven? Because it was seven sages who created the barrier in the first place. In truth, Asgore could have gone into the human world with the first soul that was claimed, but, he didn’t want violence. He chose to wait,” Aligore continued.

 

“To wait? What, he just hoped that eventually six other humans would come along so he could take their souls? Weren’t they in a mountain? How did people even get in there? Through the barrier?” Alister questioned.

 

“Please, one question at a time,” Aligore said firmly, repositioning himself for the billionth time. Finding balance again, the general-king took a calming breath as he refilled his teacup. “Yes, they were in a mountain. There was a legend about it, saying that those who went there were never seen again. Naturally that attracted the curious and foolish, who would fall through a crevice into the inner part of the mountain. From there they would reach the Ruins, and begin a quest to New Home, where the barrier lies. But, after the first two souls were claimed, someone would begin to try and preserve the humans and keep them in the Ruins,” Aligore explained.

 

“Toriel?” Alister guessed.

 

“Bingo,” Aligore nodded. “Toriel, became cold and distant after the death of the children. And she grew disgusted and impatient with Asgore’s “wait and see” attitude. She left him, and went to live in the ruins.”

 

“So, wait, she left him? For trying to grant the monster’s freedom with as little bloodshed as possible?” Alister questioned.

 

“She, like so many others, forced him to hold true to his word, even if he didn’t want too,” Aligore sighed.

 

“Did she try to claim souls for their cause?” Alister inquired, before putting two and two together. “Wait, if she wanted the monsters to be free, then why was she trying to keep humans in the Ruins then? Why was she denying Asgore souls?” Alister questioned skeptically.

 

“She’s a bit of a hypocrite, and Asgore is a doormat. Nobody really calls her out on her own hypocrisy, despite her calling Asgore out all of the time,” Aligore shrugged, though, he did momentarily wince when he called Toriel a hypocrite.

 

“So, I imagine when Asgore entered the war, he was close to opening the barrier?” Alister inquired.

 

“Within a hair’s reach. He had fought and defeated the seventh human, and took their soul. When he was about to absorb all seven, time froze, and Isamy stole the souls, merging them into one soul, and then she left. Asgore was dumbstruck that the souls were lost, as well as devastated. All that hard work, all that misery and guilt, and he lost his chance to help his own kind. That was when Isamy also offered him the chance to join the Divine. We didn’t know about her theft until the Sphere Forest, which caused us to rebel from the Divine. Well, that was half the reason, as Alex helped us with our change of heart,” Aligore finished.

 

“Just Alex?” Alister inquired.

 

“Well, Umbris and Ratchet as well. All of our friends were there to help make the decision easier,” Aligore answered.

 

“So, I guess your run didn’t have a Red in it?” Alister hedged.

 

“A Red? Not that I know of. Truth be told given the people in the Divine we spent most of our time with each other, as we really understood one-another. We didn’t pay much attention to the other Divine, so if there was a Red, I guess we didn’t see one before we died at the hands of the Devil Gundam in the Inner Periphery,” Aligore explained.

 

“No Red, but instead my incarnation spent time with another suffering from a guilty conscience that would ultimately cause me to sway to the side of the Counter Corps. I guess I always come with some form of morality chain, in the shape of Asgore, Red, or… someone else in every timeline,” Alister thought to himself. “So, wait,” he uttered, a realization occurring to him, “the boss you fought within the Periphery wasn’t the Madara?”

 

Aligore uttered a joyless chuckle. “Now really, Al--I can call you “Al”, right? You of all people should know by now that events in one timeline can be vastly different in another. The fight with the Madara only happened for your timeline, due to the most freak irregularity ever, compliments of Isamy. Otherwise, the battles were either Madara himself, the Devil Gundam, the D-Reaper, or Ophelia and/or Sykes. Oh, and in Zayon’s timeline’s case, a Sayer-turned-Leviathan.”

 

“Say what now?” Alister uttered, thankful he didn’t have a mouthful of tea. If he did, he would have spat it out in shock.

 

“Nothing, nevermind,” Aligore grunted stiffly, his eyes shifting about. “Look, don’t worry about it. Like I said, events in different timelines tend to play out differently, so what had worked for Zayon’s fight against Sayer--Alister, WAIT A SEC!” the Lombax/Monster hybrid pleaded as Alister hastily left the table (and without excusing himself, too. How rude!).

 

“Look, nothing against you, Aligore, but I just remembered that I’m wasting my time here, when I could be out there putting a stop to Sayer--as well as my foot up his ass--”

 

“I didn’t think tea would be that big of a waste of time,” Aligore muttered in a hurt voice.

 

“Not saying that I didn’t appreciate it, either (really, it was quite good), but I really must be going now,” Alister declared as he turned on his heel and began focusing hard on leaving the Watch Chamber.

 

“... erm, Alister…?” Aligore spoke up twenty seconds later, trying to break up the awkwardness of Alister standing stiffly with his eyes clamped shut.

 

“Shush, Aligore, I’m busy,”

 

“You’re not in the watch, though,” Aligore said bluntly.

 

“What are you talking--of course I’m in the Watch! Why else would this room look the way it is--?!”

 

“You’re inside your effective Soul Room, Alister. It’s in the form of the Watch Chamber because the two are so closely related.”

 

“What…?!”

 

“You ended up here when you walked through the Mirror inside that corridor in Truth Path, remember? You’re here because this is a test put in place by the Pathways,” Aligore explained as he drank his tea. “Your tea is getting cold, so might as well enjoy it. You’ll probably be here a while due to the nature of this test.”

 

Alister quietly growled his frustration as he stomped back over to his teacup. “Another test, huh? Just what I needed,” he grumbled as he took a sip of his tea, a bit too upset to properly enjoy it. “So, what? Am I supposed to fight yet another representation of my psyche?” He took yet another sip as he scanned his surroundings again. “Do you even know where the other Altisters are right now?” he asked, growing quite suspicious.

 

“Now that you mention it,” Aligore began, genuine worry flashing across his face, “the Altisters were acting strangely a few moments ago. At one point they all just stopped what they were doing; like, either they could sense something was wrong, or something was calling out to them. Either way, they all just up and left without a word. Kaden also followed them, to see what was going on with them, but… well, they haven’t been back since, which left me to be the only one here to greet you. I felt it would be polite, since it would be rude for you to not get a proper greeting.”

 

“And you didn’t think to go after them yourself?” Alister pressed, his narrowed, glaring eyes practically piercing through Aligore’s SOUL.

 

“I-I--” Before Aligore could finish his thought, he was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Left-Eye and Vortex Al. Startled by their sudden appearance, Aligore emitted a frantic “GYAH!!”, dropping and shattering his teacup in the process. “GUYS, WHAT THE FU--?!”

 

“Hold that thought, “Lord Fluffytail”,” Left-Eye interrupted curtly, hold his hand up to silence the General-King. “We’re here for Azimuth.”

 

“What for?” Alister sniffed, his gaze fixed on the Altisters as he polished off the rest of his tea.

 

“We’ve got some trouble here,” Vortex Al explained (too) calmly, “and we’re gonna need your help dealing with it ASAP."

 

“It’s not that bastard Moony, is it?” Alister demanded, his eyes narrowed from bitter memories parading in his mind.

 

“YOU HAVE CERTAINLY HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, AZIMUTH,” I.T.’s synthetic voice confirmed as he strolled into the frame. “MOONY MANAGED TO ESCAPE, AND IS NOW CURRENTLY RUNNING AMOK WITHIN THE AREA.”

 

“... dafuq you mean, “managed”?” Alister blurted out. “I thought you guys smashed his limbs and sheet so he couldn’t escape!”

 

“He… recovered,” Left-Eye meekly replied. “And as soon as he emerged from his Recovery Mode, he confounded the Altisters guarding him in order to slip out of his containment cell.”

 

I.T. scoffed at Left-Eye’s statement, almost laughed, really. “I TOLD YOU WE SHOULD’VE ASSIGNED BETTER GUARDSMEN.”

 

Something wasn’t right. Alister couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but the way that the Altisters standing before him were acting was… off. I.T., especially.

 

He didn’t have long to ponder the issue, however, as Aligore made a sudden gasp. “Alister, we’ve been compromised,” he told the General urgently.

 

“I THINK THAT’S WHAT IS BEING IMPLIED HERE, YOUR HIGHNESS--”

 

“--since when do you use contractions…?” Alister cut in, realizing his suspicions being confirmed.

 

“Alister, listen to me,” Aligore plead with the General. “The Guards that were assigned to keep watch of Moony, it was these two--AUGH!!” The General-King was violently blown away by a dark, crackling energy blast launched into his side.

 

“Aligore--!!” Alister concern for the Lombax-Monster was cut short by a thick cord striking him in the center of his chest, followed by a surge of electricity running through it into him. The General cried out in pain as the shock coursed through his body. The horrible sensation lasted for all of five seconds, after which Alister crumpled to the floor next to Aligore. While his heart was in the process of finding a proper rhythm again, Alister could see, through his hazy vision, a few more Altisters joining Left-Eye, Vortex Al and I.T., all encircling Alister and Aligore, a sickly purple glow in their eyes as they all glared down on the two. All Alister could think at that moment was, “Why…?”

 

“AND FOR THE RECORD, AZIMUTH,” I.T. smirked as he removed his glasses, “I had never intended to be subtle with our deception. In fact, I wanted you to figure it out, if only to deny you the chance to do anything about it immediately after.”

 

“That’ll do, I.T.. That’ll do,” rang a voice from outside the ring of Altisters. A voice that, despite sounding like his own, grated against Alister’s nerves something fierce, and infuriated him even worse. The ring of Altisters parted, enough to allow Moony to show himself, along with the most smug smirk on his face that would make Sayer envious. “Hello there, Alister. How nice to see you again,” he grinned, his right eye twitching a little.

 

“Moony… you…!” Alister seethed with a bit of foam coming from his mouth, having recovered enough of his energy to prop himself up on his arms.

 

“Oh my, such hostility~ Now, is that any way to greet an old friend?” Moony questioned with a falsely sweet tone, the venom only starting to emerge as he stressed the last word.

 

“What… are you planning…?” Alister grunted between labored, furious breaths. “Why… are you… doing this…?!”

 

“”Why?” Alister... please,” Moony scoffed, dropping his affable facade faster than when Ratchet fell after taking that energy blast to the chest (WHOOPSIE~~<3), “do you honestly expect me, of all people, to tell you everything? I mean, if I were to tell you exactly what I have planned for you… well, I’d have to kill you… … … then again~” Moony added as his mouth began to curl into a demented grin, “in hindsight, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing really, heh heh heh. But spoiler alert, killing you is precisely what I aim to do. Though that isn’t much a secret or spoiler, now is it, hmm~? Oh… hang on, something seems to be missing,” Moony uttered while tapping a finger to his chin. “Now, what, oh WHAT could it possibly--AH! I just remembered! It’s definitely not a party without him! I’ll be just a moment~♪” Diving out of the circle for the moment, Moony went off to fetch something--or rather, someone. Within the minute, Moony strutted right back into the circle of Altisters, this time with a bound Kaden in tow. “Here he is! Now we can get the festivities underway~!”

 

“Kaden!!” Alister gasped

 

“Al, I’m sorr-”

 

“Oh please, stop that and get in there,” Moony sighed, tossing Kaden next to Alister roughly. “Now, don’t fret, Alister; aside from a few scrapes here and there, we’ve made sure that Kaden was taken care of properly,” he explained in as reassuring a manner as he could bother to muster.

 

On closer inspection, however, Alister could see that Kaden had a swollen eye and a split lower lip. SO not bueno. “You bastard,” Alister hissed as he shakily got to his feet, “I’ll erase you for this--!!”

 

“--ProTip, Alister,” Moony interrupted as he aimed the tip of a dagger before the General’s face: “When making a threat, be sure to do so from a position of strength, like where I’m from. Or where we all were back in the Great Clock. It helps in the long run, which is why your run will be cut short.”

 

“Why are you doing this, Moony?” Alister demanded once more, too furious to even flinch at the sight of the knife being held mere inches away from the tip of his nose. “Tell me why…!”

 

Moony scoffed once more, rolling his eyes. “Always so pushy, aren’t you? But, that’s to be expected, isn’t it? Fine, you deserve to know the truth; it’s the least we can do before you shuffle off your mortal coil… again. This is the Pathway of Truth, and it demands that one Alister Azimuth complete the trial, or fail. Well, take a look around Al, there’s plenty of Alister Azimuths here. Who says it has to be you specifically that has to complete the trial? Really, it can be any Alister Azimuth that does, the Pathway doesn’t really care which one. So, when I complete the trial, I’ll be able to take your body and continue on to the end of the Pathways, to complete what you’ve only barely started,” Moony explained with a sadistic grin. “Of course, to do so will require that you die, but I honestly don’t see that as an issue.”

 

“And you expect me to go along with it?” Alister snarled.

 

Moony chuckled derisively, the other Altisters joining him, some even pointing just for added cruelty. “Please, I don’t need you to do anything, except die. And I DON’T need your consent for that,” Moony sneered, the edge of his dagger pressed lightly to Alister’s throat. “We don’t need you anymore, Alister. It’s clear you’re just going to fail again, so why not let an Azimuth with experience take over? After all, with your list of funk-ups continuously growing, it’s not as if replacing you would make your situation any worse.” Moony gave a short pause, either to give Alister time to let his taunt sink in, or perhaps coming up with some other sadistic scheme. “... of course,” Moony purred, “if by some chance you require a little extra incentive to “play the hero” again, how about I hand you a little ultimatum to sweeten the deal, hmm~? I mean, sure, you’ll end up dying regardless of whatever you decide to do, buuuuuuuttttt~,” Moony took a moment to giggle with sick delight, “I propose that you give yourself up willingly… IF you wish NOT to see us destroy Kaden first!”

 

“... what….” Alister’s entire body went cold at that moment.

 

“funk you!” Kaden shouted angrily. “You know damn well that he’d give his life to protect mine! How dare--!!”

 

“--YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT I DARE!!” Moony shrieked through gritted teeth. “And knowing him as well I we do, he’ll do it! Because he’s “the Hero”! Because he “cherishes his dearest friend”! Because he’s so riddled with guilt over everything he’s caused he’ll sacrifice himself in the belief THAT IT WILL MATTER IN THE END!! But, therein lies the sad truth, Kaden,” he added, much more calmly. “In the end, no amount of self-sacrifice will ever make up for what he--for what WE did. At the very least, with him gone, a far more deserving Alister Azimuth will have a chance to--”

 

Moony’s rant was cut short by a small explosion, followed by a Wilhelm Scream as about four Altisters were blown away from the crowd. “What the funk was that…?!” Moony gasped in flat surprise as he turned to see what had happened. He quickly returned his attention to face Alister, but instead found a fireball floating before him. “... oh, fu-AAACK!!” he yelled as the fireball detonated right then and there, blasting him away, as well.

 

“Interesting,” Aligore uttered, now somewhat back together after the cheap shot on him from earlier, his hand outstretched towards the other Altisters. “He’s the, “hero”, huh? Then tell me, Moony, how are you the more deserving Alister Azimuth?” the general-king inquired wearily. “How can you call yourself “Alister Azimuth” when you would threaten even the life of your own friend? How could you even BEGIN to consider yourself worthy of taking Alister’s place when you would take the COWARD’S APPROACH to do so?! Nay, none of you villains know what it’s like to be a true hero, and you’re deluding yourselves if ANY OF YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU DESERVE TO TAKE HIS PLACE!!!!” he roared, unleashing a wave of fire magic at the congregated Altisters, scattering them all about the chamber.

 

“Al… igore,” Kaden uttered in surprise as flames burned away his bonds.

 

The general-king smiled to his old friend, his tired features seemingly evaporated from his… DETERMINATION. “It’s funny, old friend. That crackpot’s little speech had me thinking about what both parts of me had gone through. It got me thinking about Alister’s sins, and Asgore’s. It… it was interesting to have remembered Asgore’s self-defeating nature when he fought the seventh human. How he felt he didn’t deserve mercy, and thus he destroyed the possibility of it for him. Either he or the human would die, but neither would survive. And then there was how Alister sacrificed himself to fix the Great Clock, and to prevent a major catastrophe at the expense of his life. My two sides both considered themselves the villain; but, seeing what a real villain is like… I think we’re much happier playing the heroes,” he grinned goofily.

 

“Jeez, ruin my entry why don’t ya?” Zayon complained loudly as he appeared from seemingly empty space.

 

“Huh. I was wondering when you’d show up,” Alister said to Zayon.

 

“I was waiting for a good moment to strike, but King Fluffybuns over there spoiled that,” the somewhat-campy lombax pouted.

 

“Sorry about that,” Aligore chuckled, even though he wasn’t completely such.

 

“Eh, don’t be. Really, it was a lot more satisfying seeing that jackass get blown up with a fireball,” Zayon grinned. “Beat out what I had planned to do to him.”

 

“Either way, I’m glad you’re here now, Zayo-kun,” Kaden replied, his right hand emitting a bluish glow as he covered his swollen eye with it. A few seconds later, and the swelling was shown to have gone down. “Seems we’ve got a lot of problems on our hands. I think we’ll be able to handle this better if I take on a Support role to help you guys. Sound good?”

 

“Whatever works, K,” Aligore nodded, offhandedly snatching Moony’s thrown dagger out of the air before it could do any damage.

 

“... … sheet, that was my only dagger,” Moony meeped, finding himself unarmed and defenseless.

 

“ProTip Moony,” Alister declared with a mean smirk, “carry more than one weapon at ALL TIMES!” he declared, bringing out the Z-Wrench.

 

“Gah-ugh! We--Who needs weapons with pawns like these?!” he yelled as he turned tail and ran the other way. “GET THEM, YOU IDIOTS!”

 

““GET THEM, YOU IDIOTS!”” Alister repeated mockingly, striking an Altister square in the face with the Z-Wrench. “Are you even listening to yourself right now?”

 

“I don’t think he cares at the moment,” Zayon sighed as he tripped up another Altister, sending it flying into a group of three. “With that said, I’ll volunteer to be the “idiot” who goes after him.” Without giving the others time to approve or protest, Zayon dashed off after Moony, deftly weaving through the rest of the Altisters that were charging for Alister and Aligore.

 

( ♫♪ “Azimuth VS The World” ♪♫ )

 

“Here they come!” Kaden yelped out as Alister and Aligore proceeded to counter the stampede of Altisters, bulldozing through them like a, well, bulldozer. The two were steadfast against the tide, their weapons at the ready, albeit the general-king’s looking much fancier.

 

“Nice wrench,” Alister muttered, making a mental note to eventually get a trident wrench.

 

“Thanks. It came with the Fusion,” Aligore nodded. “Now, feast your eyes on THIS!” Stamping one end of his trident wrench to the ground, Aligore conjured a ring of twelve energy tridents, all rising up from the ground around himself and Alister--and impaling a few Altisters in the midst of their ascent. With a broad sweeping gesture of his arm, Aligore silently commanded the tridents to spread out into the Altister horde, taking out dozens in the process.

 

“Tch. Show-off,” Alister scoffed, despite being silently impressed with such a flashy display. His secret admiration was cut short as a hail of bullets rained down all around himself and Aligore, barely managing to miss them both. “... oh, great. Those two,” Alister sneered as he glanced over at the source of the bulletstorm: Left-Eye, accompanied, as always, by Vortex Al. “... why are you two always together, anyways?” he blurted out.

 

“Left-Eye” Azimuth - ATK/30 DEF/5

Gunkata Practitioner. Was never part of a musical trio.

Always hangs out with Vortex Al for some reason. Hrrmmm....

“Vortex Al” Azimuth - ATK/20 DEF/20

Has a sharp katana and a mean cybernetic vicegrip. His poncho is kinda snazzy.

Almost inseparable from Left-Eye. Suspectly so, even….

“... and just WHAT are you trying to imply, Kaden…?!” Left-Eye snapped indignantly, his pistol-bearing hands trembling a bit.

 

“Oh… nothing,” Kaden mewled with a coy shrug, turning away from the glares of Left-Eye and Vortex Al.

 

“... no, really, Kay,” Alister blurted out, curious and oddly miffed as well, “what are you implying here?”

 

“Nothing~ Forget I even said anything~” Kaden repeating dismissively, still with that coy tone. “I mean, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with… “loving one’s self”.”

 

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!!!!” Left-Eye and Vortex Al shrieked in exasperated unison.

 

“Oh! So you’re saying they may be an item!” Aligore chimed. “Now, this reminds me of a pair of Royal Guards that were under Asgore’s employ. Those two would always go out on patrol together, and--”

 

“WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA-WHOA!!! You canNOT be funking serious here, Kaden!!” Vortex Al yelped, dropping his katana in his embarrassment.

 

“Hey, like I said, there is nothing wrong with “loving yourself”,” Kaden defended himself. “Right, Al?”

 

“Kay, don’t make me smack you,” Alister grumbled, a bright fuchsia blooming across his cheeks.

 

“Hey, KNOCK IT OFF!” Left-Eye hissed furiously, throwing down his pistols in his anger. “Poncho and I are just really good friends, that’s all!”

 

“That’s right!” Vortex Al joined in, attempting to save face. “Left-Eye is my best bro, and TOTALLY means absolutely nothing more to me than that! Right, Lefty?”

 

“”Bro”?” Aligore sniggered, completely oblivious to the unsettling silence that Left-Eye suddenly fell into. “That’s how Royal Guard 01 used to talk!”

 

“Uhh… L-Lefty? You okay…?” Vortex Al repeated, put off by Left-Eye’s piercing, one-eyed glare and trembling face.

 

“Y… You…,” Left-Eye stuttered, his whole body trembling with emotion as he tried to form a complete sentence, possibly without letting said emotion(s) burst out first. “Y-You… YOU jabroni!!! What do you mean, “absolutely nothing more”?!?!” He howled with unrepressed ire.

 

“Wh-What?!” Vortex Al stammered, taken aback by his “bro’s” violent outburst.

 

“Wow, deja vu,” Aligore muttered under his breath.

 

“... oh, now I see what you were getting at,” Alister whispered to Kaden, who nodded with the most satisfied smile that anyone who had just instigated a quarrel between two lovers had ever mustered (“Not bad for someone who was just bluffing, huh?” Kaden beamed cheerfully). Alister, meanwhile, realized that this was his chance to kill two (love)birds with one stone… or in this particular case….

 

“I am sick and tired of you leaking your lubricant all over the place!” Left-Eye snapped at Vortex Al, the two of them having already descended into an almost comical shouting match, so engrossed in their quarrel that they were completely ignoring their opponents.

 

“Oh YEAH?!” Vortex Al rebuked. “That’s nothing compared to the INFINITE number of times I’ve had to pick up all of your underwear off the floor! News Flash: there’s a new invention called the HAMPER!!”

 

“UGH!! You are always so ANAL!”

 

“I’M ANAL?! FROM YOUR OUTBURST IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WANT TO GIVE ME ANAL!” At this point, the two Altisters had drawn so close to each other that they were now screaming mere millimeters from each other’s face. Meanwhile, Kaden and Aligore continue to watch on, a jumbo-sized bucket of popcorn shared between them.

 

“AND WHY WOULD I GIVE IT TO YOU NOW?!”

 

“Oh, but of COURSE! You’d rather get it on with that “Blue Azimuth”, don’t you?!”

 

“What the funk does Alizure have to do with this?!”

 

“OH, SO YOU KNOW HIS NAME, THEN?!!”

 

“WHAT DOES IT MATTER?!?! AND DON’T YOU TRY TURNING THIS BACK ON ME!! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO THINKS THAT WHAT WE HAVE MEANS “ABSOLUTELY NOTHING”!!!!”

 

“WELL WHAT THE HELL DID YOU EXPECT ME TO SAY?! IT’S NOT LIKE YOU WERE ANY MORE WILLING TO SPIT IT OUT THAN I WAS--MMPH!?!” Vortex Al’s fury was overtaken by astonishment as he found Left-Eye’s lips clamped tightly against his own, the other Altister’s scarred, bare arms drawing his cyborg body close. Vortex Al was prepared to shove Left-Eye away, but the unexpected feeling of dampness on his face made him pause out of curiosity. It took VA a second or three, what with their faces being so close together, but he came to realize that tears were streaming from Left-Eye’s clenched good eye. Vortex Al’s frame trembled along with his partner’s as unbridled emotion took over; wrapping his own arms around Left-Eye, he returned the one-eyed Altister’s kiss with a passionate advance of his own.

 

“... well, this is, erm… rather sweet…?” Aligore stammered, his jaw slightly agape with shock, as if having just witnessed a surprising plot twist from one of Mettaton’s soap operas.

 

“Either that or “awkward”, given the circumstances,” Kaden nodded. “... erm, Al? Whenever you’re ready to end this….”

 

“... er. Right,” Alister coughed slightly, his train of thought having been derailed by “Self-cest of the Clones Episode I”, if only momentarily. Before the moment could be lost, the General quickly retrieved Vortex Al’s discarded katana and, without further hesitation, drove the point of the sword through the skulls of both Altisters. “... so, uhh, sorry ‘bout that, you two,” Alister apologized, as if what he had done was more of a minor convenience than straight-up manslaughter.

 

“... … … ‘s a’right,” was all Left-Eye and Vortex Al could manage to utter through their locked lips before succumbing to their impalement, crashing to the floor as the two were forced into Recovery Mode.

 

“Okay, so that’s two established Altisters down,” Alister sighed out, trying to purge the sight he had just witnessed from his memory. “If we keep this up while getting rid of any of the Small-Fry Altisters, we should be able to--” The General took a pause as he noticed his breath becoming visible, as well as the air around them getting a bit nippy… … “funk, it’s Sniffles…!” He cursed out before jumping out of the way, just as a giant ice cube formed where he had stood, which proceeded to shatter seconds later.

 

“Spears,” Aligore grunted out semi-cryptically before jumping in front of Kaden, his Trident-Wrench engulfed in a verdant sheen as he near-effortlessly blocked a barrage of somewhat small (yet still very sharp) spears thrown in their direction.

 

Scanning the area for their attackers, Kaden’s gaze didn’t go too far; “It’s Sniffles, all right,” he spoke up, watching the ice-cold Altister approach them, gliding just a few inches off the ground. “And he’s brought Too-Dee with him,” the yellow ‘bax added, taking note of the crude scribble-like Altister. All eight of them. “Seems Too-Dee’s pulling the “Me’s A Crowd” Trope today.”

 

“Sniffles” Azimuth - ATK/27 DEF/-3

An expert of Ice Spells. Always wrapped in a giant comforter in order to stay cool.

He’s broken, in more than one way. Obvious aversion to heat.

“Too-Dee” Azimuth - ATK/5 DEF/5

A familiar created by LERNA. Can replicate himself, to an extent.

Cute as a button, but don’t let that fool you. “MEHOY MINOY!”

“Das wacist!” The crowd of Too-Dees (err, “sketchpad” of Too-Dees?) cried in protest, clearly unamused by Kaden’s last remark.

 

“S-S-S-S-Sorry,” Sniffles shivered, his face even more lifeless than usual, “but I’m af-f-f-f-f-fraid I must c-c-c-c-c-cut to the ch-ch-ch-ch-ch--oh funk it. MABUFUDYNE!" Sniffles’ blanket billowed like a cape as a sickly reddish-violet mist encircled him, before unleashing a frigid blast, intent on encasing Alister, Kaden and Aligore each in a block of solid ice. While he succeeded in freezing Aligore in place (and only because the General-King was tripped up by his own cape), Alister and Kaden both managed to dash out of his Mabufudyne's Area of Effect. “... darn,” Sniffles sniffed as he witnessed the results of his attack, “I g-g-g-got the wr-wr-wrong one. Ah, well, at l-l-least that’s one n-n-n-n-n-nuisance out of th-th-the way.” Ignoring Aligore’s pout/glare, he turned to glance in the direction that Alister and Kaden had ran. “T-Too-Dee,” he addressed the crowd of paper dolls, “c-c-could you, perhaps, distract them, s-s-so that my spells w-w-won’t miss next time?”

 

“WAH-JUH!” The Sketchpad of Too-Dees saluted dutifully as they ran off, spears in hand.

 

Meanwhile, Alister and Kaden were weaving through the shambling hordes of Minor Altisters, disabling them while keeping as far away from Sniffles’ range as possible. “Shouldn’t we find a way to free Aligore while we’re at it?” Alister asked as he struck four Altisters out with one swing of the Z-Wrench.

 

“We could,” Kaden replied as he tossed a Cryo-Mine into a small group of 5 Altisters, freezing them all in place before shattering them with a well-placed Comet-Strike, “but somehow I get the feeling that issue will end up solving itself, given a few moments--YIKES!” The yellow lombax yelped as a crude spear struck the ground before his feet; reacting quickly, Kaden grabbed Alister and yanked him back, just as another spear landed right where Alister was just a second before.

 

“... someone needs to tell Too-Dee that it’s not polite to throw spears at people…!” Alister growled, having almost suffered a heart attack from that little stunt. Turning to see wherever (a) Too-Dee was, a cold chill ran up the General’s spine as he caught sight of Sniffles slowly gliding towards them, flanked by about three Too-Dees armed with a spear in each, err, “hand”. “Great, just what we needed: MORE things to dodge!”

 

“And dodge we must,” Kaden added. “If we get hit by any of Sniffles’ Ice Spells, we’re boned…!”

 

“Then Mr. Zurkon will give a distraction to the Cold One,” chimed the Z-Wrench as it tore itself out of Alister’s grip, spinning in the air as it morphed into Mr. Zurkon Mode. “Time for Mr. Zurkon to break the ice!” The Synthenoid buzzed with mirthful menace as he zoomed off to confront Sniffles.

 

“... well that’s all good and all,” Alister blurted out once Mr. Zurkon had run off, “but now how am I supposed to defend myself without a weapon--oh...!” He looked down at his hands, in which landed a slightly rusty, one-ended OmniWrench, then back up at Kaden, whom had thrown the wrench to him. “... well, there’s one issue resolved.” Prepared to kick it old-school, Alister and Kaden continued to fend off the lesser Altisters, each with a wrench in hand.

 

“You cannot run from Mr. Zurkon, Scaredy-Popsicle,” Mr. Zurkon taunted as he chased after the now-fleeing Sniffles. “Mr. Zurkon does not appreciate being given the cold shoulder.” To punctuate the period of his statement, Mr. Zurkon fired an energy round at Sniffles.

 

“B-Bufulakaja!” The blast did not hit its intended mark, however, as a crystalline, icy cage had suddenly formed itself around Sniffles, blocking the round that was shot at him while barely having a crack put into it. “I’m af-f-fraid I’m n-n-not one for inter-r-r-raction,” Sniffles replied from within his frosty barrier.

 

“Aww, don’t be so shy,” Mr. Zurkon mewled with false sweetness, “Mr. Zurkon only wants to play~ It’s just that Mr. Zurkon plays a tad bit on the rough side,” he added as he continued to fire at Sniffles’ icy barricade.

 

“N-N-N-No thanks, I’m good,” Sniffles snipped, quite content with playing the hihikomori as Mr. Zurkon’s barrage had very little effect on his frosty encasement (much to the Synthenoid’s irritation). “... w-w-wait, wh-where’s Too-Dee…?” the Altister realized as he looked past Mr. Zurkon and towards where Alister and Kaden were fighting off the Lesser Altisters, noticing that Too-Dee and his replicas were among their numbers. “... well, at least th-they’re being a d-d-distraction. N-N-Now, if only they w-w-w-weren’t so one-track-m-m-minded….” A loud THUMP! caused him to nearly jump out of his blanket; the source of the sound came from behind him, in the form of a large slab of ice that had slammed into the back of his barrier. “... Wha--?” Sniffles gasped in disbelief as he saw just who had thrown the slab: a recently-de-thawed and freed Aligore. “B-B-B-B-But h-h-h-h-how did you--WHAT THE funk?!” he shrieked, having lost his chill.

 

“I defrosted myself,” Aligore replied bluntly, “or did you honestly forget that I can control fire? And just what are you doing, shutting yourself inside that igloo like that?” he added in a disapproving parental tone. “A guy like you shouldn’t be stuck inside all day, y’know.”

 

“I-I-I’m good,” Sniffles snipped, trying to see if he could extend his barrier’s thickness.

 

“Really now, Sniffles,” Aligore said with a shake of his head as he proceeded to plunge his Praetorian Trident into the thick ice of Sniffles’ barrier, “you’ve no idea of the fun you're missing.” As he continued to speak, the prongs of his trident began to rapidly heat up, aiding in the accelerated melting of the icy wall and the trident’s further penetration. “After all, it’s such a beautiful day outside; birds are singing, flowers are blooming…!” With a powerful explosion, Aligore shattered Sniffles’ barrier into pieces, leaving the Altister scrambling to remove his now burning comforter from his frozen, slightly-shattered body. “Indeed, ‘tis a perfect day,” Aligore concluded with a knowing smirk, “to play Catch!”

“Wha… … ?!?!” Sniffles only had enough time to turn around to face a droning sound behind him, and see that the sound came from Mr. Zurkon, in flaming Omni-Wrench Mode, hurtling towards him as a wheel of fire, before said wheel of fire crashed right through the frigid Altister, turning Sniffles’ body into a shower of partially-frozen gibs, save for his head which bounced a little before rolling over to Aligore’s feet. “... heh… heh-heh… tried to… give ya the… cold shoulder,” Sniffles’ head chuckled feebly, “but… looks like… I… got burned… … … thank you, by the way… … … …,” he added with a slight smile before entering Recovery Mode.

 

“Ugh,” Aligore cringed at the puns uttered by the fallen Altister, “that was almost as bad as when Tori was on her pun-addiction.”

 

“Mr. Zurkon shares in the fuzzy monster’s sentiment,” Mr. Zurkon chimed in before zooming off to return to Alister’s aid, with Aligore following after him.

 

Meanwhile, Alister had just finished forcibly folding Too-Dee into an origami crane while Kaden had dispatched of both a human Altister (“Hugh Manuel Azimuth”) and a genderbent Altister (“Alison Azimuth”) (“SERIOUSLY?! THERE WAS A FEMALE ME AT ONE POINT?!” Alister had shrilled with utter disbelief. ”WHAT THE FORNICATION?!?!”). Once Too-Dee had been completely folded, he found that he quite enjoyed looking like a “birdie” and proceeded to fly off to engage in some aimless shenanigans. “Christ, how many more ARE there…?” Alister seethed under his breath as he caught the Z-Wrench upon its return. “This is going to take forever…!”

 

“THEN YOU MAY REJOICE A LITTLE, AZIMUTH,” I.T.’s voice blared as the hooded Altister trudged into view, dragging Trigger’s lifeless form by a thick cord wrapped around his neck. “I HAVE TAKEN IT UPON MYSELF TO DISPATCH MANY OF THE OTHER ALTISTERS IN THE VICINITY, FOR THE SAKE OF WEEDING OUT THE COMPETITION WHILST ALSO SPEEDING THINGS ALONG.”

 

“You’re helping us?!” Alister blurted in shock.

 

“NOT QUITE,” I.T. answered, his mouth turning into a twisted smirk. “AS I TOLD YOU, I WAS WEEDING OUT THOSE WHO WERE WEAKER OR OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE GOTTEN IN MY WAY… ...,” I.T. paused dramatically as he removed his glasses, revealing glowing, sickly-purple irises, “... … of eliminating you myself.”

 

“Why, though?!” Alister demanded fiercely. “What the hell could you possibly gain from taking my place?”

 

“Well, the opportunity to finish what the D-Reaper started, for one thing,” I.T. explained, idly manipulating the cable wrapped around Trigger’s neck to decapitate the corpse rather viscerally. Sighing loudly, the cable went limp for the moment. “All life is ultimately worthless, these Altisters are proving that quite well. So, I figured I might as well pursue my original directive, and your body would be a prime way to do that. With your enhanced time powers, none could stop me at I mete out their true destiny.”

 

“You funking snake,” Alister hissed furiously, “you were planning something like this all along, weren’t you?! And to think I was starting to trust you--”

 

“Except he wasn’t,” another voice called out, this time coming from a quite-smug Moony. “At least, not before I got my hands on him and the other Altisters. Of course, I.T. took quite a while to reprogram compared to the others, but all that trouble should be worth it in the end, hee-hee~”

 

Kaden looked around briefly, trying to find any sign of Zayon or Aligore; while the General King did arrive at that moment, Zayon was still nowhere to be found. Despite fearing two of the worst possible outcomes, Kaden swallowed hard and proceeded to ask Moony what was on his mind: “So, how exactly did you manage to escape, if you don’t mind my asking? Also, I would like to know how you were able to manipulate so many Altisters at once, and in such a short span of time.”

 

Moony breathed out a heavy, irritated sigh. “For the record, Kaden, I DO mind you asking,” he sneered, pausing a moment to slowly let his expression shift to jovial indifference, “... buuut, seeing as we ARE friends, I suppose I can spare some tidbits. Well, maybe not about how I escaped--I wanna keep that a secret--but as for how I could control all of the Altisters in the pocket watch, well, maybe a visual demonstration shall suffice~” Moony giggled a bit as he snapped his fingers; an eye-like sphere poofed into existence on cue, positioning itself right at Aligore’s eye level, its iris glowing a sickly purple as it undulated hypnotically. “You see, there’s one little tidbit about my death that you may have forgotten, Kaden; the true culprit behind my suicide was none other than Sayer himself! He was the one that influenced my mind whilst I was under the effects of Madara Uchiha’s Infinite Tsukuyomi, manipulated me into believing that death was the only way out, guided my hands to perform the act of snapping my own neck! Sooo~ naturally, that manifested itself into my ability, and my personality: a manipulative son of a jabroni who goes out of his way to make everyone else’s life misery… AND LOVES IT!

 

“And that’s exactly what I am doing right now to that simpleton Aligore,” he added gleefully, “subjugating him to my whim with a little bit of hypnosis so that he may--*BONK!*--OW!!” To his shock and utter dismay, the EYE Moony had conjured to hypnotize Aligore had instead unceremoniously knocked him upside the head. “Wh--What the fornication?!”

 

“Sorry,” Aligore chimed unapologetically as he lowered the hand that had flicked the EYE aside, “but it looks like your hypnosis hocus pocus just doesn’t work on me.”

 

I.T. chuckled slightly in spite of himself--or perhaps it was to passive-aggressively spite Moony. “There may be much more to that, actually. While it was possible for you to manipulate the otherwise empty and soulless Altisters, it would seem that your Manipulatory Alteration has no effect on those with a soul, or in this case, SOUL. Meaning that, despite being trapped here with the rest of us, Aligore is, in fact, NOT an Altister.”

 

“... but, wait,” Alister gasped, horrific realization dawning on him, “that would mean that Zayon--!”

 

“--that’s right~!” Moony chimed with insidious glee. “I was able to re-write that miserable queer into yet another of my pawns!” At that moment, Zayon reappeared, his gait stiff and almost zombie-like as he armed himself with his Praetorian OmniWrench. “I think my re-writing went rather well this time around, considering none of you chuckle-fucks were able to even tell the difference since he first appeared moments before!”

 

“He was indoctrinated this whole time?!” Kaden yelped in horrified shock.

 

“Uhh, that’s exactly what I said,” Moony snipped. “Golly, Kaden, what’s the point of me explaining this sheet if you’re just gonna repeat everything I just got done telling you, you dumb funk?!”

 

“Oh, that is IT!!” Alister roared angrily. “You can be a manipulative bastard all you want, Moony, but insulting Kaden AND messing with Zayon’s head?! Your ass is GRASS now, you piece of sheet! And the fact that you’re practically Sayer Lite is just gonna make your beatdown THAT much more satisfying!!”

 

“And your death, Alister,” Moony retorted, engulfed with a dark purple aura as he conjured more EYEs, “will make all of this suffering WORTH IT!”

 

“Ahem,” a voice declared from behind Moony, a hand tapping him on his shoulder.

 

“Ugh, what is it? I’m trying to kill Alister right nowARGH!” Moony irritably began, before getting punched in the face by a red claw.

 

Its owner, a familiar red dragon, seethed in pain as he shook his hand about. “Well, urgh, that was dumb. I should’ve figured that someone who smiled smugly all the time would have a tough jawline,” Reid groaned.

 

“Reid?!” Alister yelped in shock. “You’re still here?! How the--?!”

 

“R… Reid…?” Zayon uttered hoarsely, signs of life flickering across his face as the possession over him began to falter.

 

“It’s okay Zayon, I’m here now,” Reid uttered supportively, making sure to step on Moony on his way to his beloved. Holding him by one arm, the dragon tapped his pocket watch heart. Opening up, the hands of the watch were going berserk, spinning about in reverse time. Eventually, they locked at 12 o’clock, firing a bolt into the Altister’s head. If not for Reid supporting him, Zayon would have been knocked down by that. “There, good as new.”

 

Zayon shook his head, trying to clear his vertigo. “Ugh… this again… it’s official, I need to stay away from the likes of Moony,” Zayon muttered as he gradually regained his balance. Looking up into Reid’s eyes, though, helped to make him steadier. “I owe you big time, love.”

 

“Hey, you brought me back, it’s only fair I’d do the same,” Reid smiled fondly, his claw gently caressing Zayon’s cheek..

 

"Hmph... well, I suppose it's safe to drop my charade now," I.T. announced as he dispersed his sickly dark aura, the glow of his eyes returning to their original yellow. "That's the thing about trying to hack a hacker, Moony," he taunted: "I have enough defenses to safeguard my own circuitry from your Alteration. I only made you believe that your Alteration was a complete success so you would be none-the-wiser to my eventual betrayal.”

 

“WHAT?!?!” Moony irately shrieked.

 

“By the by Al, you might wanna be genre savvy here, before any more monologuing goes on,” Zayon pointed out.

 

(♪♫ Honest Eyes ♫♪)

 

"WAY AHEAD OF YA!" Alister growled out as he rushed down upon Moony, the Z-Wrench morphed into Razor Claw Mode. Before he could bury the claws into Moony, the lunatic parried the strike with one of his EYEs, allowing him time to scramble to his feet before Alister swatted away the EYE.

 

"Aww, but the monologuing is the best part!" Moony protested as he guarded against Alister's next attack with his own Praetorian OmniWrench, using the moment to attempt another attack with a handful of EYEs launched at the General. Thinking quickly, Alister kicked Moony away from him in order to slash apart the offending EYEs. As Moony stumbled backwards, he found himself in the path of an oncoming electrical blast, which he impulsively blocked with another EYE.

 

“Oh, darn,” I.T. pouted emotionlessly as his initial sneak attack failed, “I missed. But since I have your attention now….” I.T. fired off a volley of electrical blast whilst simultaneously lashing at Moony with two thick cables extended from the base of his tail.

 

Forced into the defensive, Moony conjured a circular field around himself, shielding himself from I.T.’s assault. “You’re all ganging up on me?! That’s not fair!” he protested. As he was focused on I.T., Kaden circled around to his blind spot and slammed his palm against Moony’s shield, somehow having the effect of shattering the bubble. “What the--?!” Moony managed to yelp out before getting whipped across the face by one of I.T.’s cable tails.

 

“Right, us ganging up on you is “not fair”,” Kaden retorted calmly with a smirk on his face as he repeatedly swung at Moony with his OmniWrench, “and yet sending over forty-thousand goons to kill us was completely fair game, right? I see what game you’re playing.”

 

One of Kaden’s swings knocked the OmniWrench out of Moony’s hands, forcing the lunatic to block the next swipe with his bare hands. “Oh, what do ya want from me? I’m the villain type, of course I’m gonna be the one to play dirty--HEY!!” he yelped suddenly as he was grabbed by the scruff of his neck by Aligore’s big hand.

 

“For the record, Moony,” Aligore began as he threw Moony into the air before juggling him with his Praetorian Trident, emphasizing each hit with a word from his mini-rant, “I, DO, NOT, LIKE, BEING, CALLED, A, SIMPLETON!!” After the last hit, Aligore grabbed Moony by the face while he was still in the air, his palm burning white-hot. “WE GOT ENOUGH OF THAT FROM TORIEL!!!” the General King shouted furiously as he blasted Moony away with a point-blank explosion of fire, sending the lunatic flying towards Zayon and Reid.

 

“My turn,” Zayon growled darkly as he grabbed hold of Moony’s ear and swung the lunatic around before flinging him towards Reid with a “Hold this for me, would ya, hun?”, which Reid complied to by catching and holding tightly onto Moony. With the lunatic securely in place, Zayon stomped over and delivered a fierce backhand to Moony’s face, with enough force and anger behind it to momentarily dislocate Moony’s jaw. “THAT was for calling me a queer!”

 

“Excuse me, he called you a WHAT?!” Reid’s nostrils flared as he glared down at Moony, his eyes blazing with the fury of a thousand suns. “DON’T think for a moment that just because you have my hubby’s face does NOT mean I won’t turn yours into mincemeat!” the dragon roared as he proceeded to once more punch the Altister square in the face, sending Moony flying toward Zayon again, where the lunatic was struck in the back by Zayon’s OmniWrench.

 

Now that he wasn’t within arm’s reach of Alister or any of his other foes, Moony retaliated with a barrage of EYEs, hurling many to explode at the group’s feet while some other fired lasers. I.T. anticipated this by erecting a digital barrier before the group, shielding them from Moony’s assault. Despite this, Moony kept up his attack, an insane laugh escaping his lips. “I’ll destroy you… I’ll destroy you all… I’LL TEAR THIS WHOLE PLACE TO THE funking GROUND!!! AHH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA--ARGH!!” Moony’s assault was interrupted as numerous Too-Dee Cranes began flocking around him, distracting him with their pecking beaks and threats of papercuts.

 

Kaden took this opportunity to observe Moony’s EYEs, noting that they weren’t focused on the group. “Hmm… I think you’re right about Moony being “Sayer Lite”, Al,” he said. “His attention’s too divided for him to control his constructs. It also seems that he doesn’t know how to see through his constructs.”

 

“Then he won’t see at all,” Alister replied darkly as he armed himself with the Razor Claw Mode once more; firing up his Hoverboots, Alister rocketed himself forward, Claws gleaming as he took one swipe at Moony’s face, faster than any normal eye could see.

 

“Hu… wha--?” Moony stammered, his eyes wide with confusion. Seconds later, he let loose a horrified scream as his eyes erupted in a geyser of blood, spasming as he lashed out wildly, unable to see a thing.

 

“Yikes, Al,” Aligore gulped, his eyes transfixed on Moony as if watching a wounded animal in its death throes. “Savage much?”

 

“Not savage enough, if you ask me,” Zayon seethed.

 

“Now, honey, that’s the anger talking,” Reid cautioned his husband. “Take a few deep breaths, okay?”

 

“On the one hand,” Kaden spoke up, “I do pity Moony. I mean, he’s only like this because of what Sayer did to him… … on the other hand, he is an jabroni.”

 

Alister, too, turned to briefly glance down at the flailing Moony… but something about what he was seeing wasn’t right. As he continued to look, he noticed that the blood leaking out of Moony’s eyes was starting to turn darker, as well as gush out in greater volumes and intensity (seriously, Moony should’ve bled out completely by now from how much blood was coming out). And yet the blood kept gushing out, kept getting darker, all while Moony’s screams became far more frantic, even inhuman. “Al, get away from there!!” Kaden called out, snapping Alister’s attention away from Moony. The General proceeded to make a mad dash away from the growing pool of dark purple “blood”, only to be tripped up by something grabbing hold of his ankle. As Alister fell, he turned to look behind him, expecting to see Moony’s mitts wrapped around his ankle. What he saw, instead, was far more terrifying.

 

Formed from the dark pool was a skeletal limb, its talons wrapped around Alister’s ankle. Beyond that, a gruesome form began to emerge from the pool around Moony. A long skull, coated in oozing black blood stared at Alister with glowing purple specks for eyes filled with contempt. Rising slowly upwards, two bony wing frames emerged from the puddle, scattering blood everywhere as they flapped about to test for mobility. The undead dragon steadily emerged from Moony’s body, its claw going from gripping Alister’s leg to outright pinning it. Somehow, its owner managed to sneer with contempt and malice, despite only having a skull to express emotions with. Eying Alister, it only gave a few precious seconds to inspect the others, before returning to the lombax general. “Keff~ Did you think you would be free of me so easily?” the dragon snarled as his muscles and scales began to reform.

 

(♪♫ Recurring Demon ♪♫)

 

Alister, for the first time since as long as he could remember, was utterly horrified beyond belief. He could barely breathe, let alone form the word that was on his mind: “A… A… Ad--!!”

 

“Adrastos!!” Reid and Zayon shrieked in unison.

 

“This… doesn’t compute…!” I.T. uttered, genuine fear evident in his synthetic voice. “How is it possible? I thought Titan had ousted the Dark Gem corruption from Alister’s body--”

 

“--except that all happened inside Red’s mind,” Kaden realized. “Adrastos wasn’t just trying to poison Al’s body with those Dark Gems; he was trying to spread his influence into Al’s mind and soul!”

 

“I would have too, had that ridiculous Elder not intervened,” Adrastos bitterly admitted as his regeneration snaked down his back, his wings reforming with fresh membrane. “But I sensed that a loss was imminent, and with my darkness polluting you, I took a chance to peer into your watch, and I found my out. Even though your clones were spread across the battlefield, that watch binds them all together to you, and thus my darkness spread through ALL OF THEM until I found a single, oh so delicious pyre of contempt and hatred. It only got better when I found poor Moony being kept so weak and feeble; it was easy to corrupt him, to use him to store myself for when I could rise again in a fresh and new mind. Really, I should thank you for all of this, as… I couldn’t have performed that kind of cruelty towards him better myself,” the dark dragon cruelly praised.

 

“No…,” Kaden whispered feebly, realizing that everything Adrastos had said was true; he and the rest of the Altisters were the reason the Dark Dragon’s plot was a success.

 

“... goddammit,” I.T. seethed, his fists clenched tightly as his anger rose over having been outplayed by an outside party. “We laid the foundation for Adrastos’ second rising…!”

 

Adrastos laughed wickedly, his rebirth complete with a heavy whiplash of his tail on the ground. “And the third, and the fourth, and the fifth, and so on. I, like the rest of you Altisters, am now engraved into that watch. I can rise eternally, through the regret, the jealousy, the anger, the rage, every negative emotion that all of you past incarnations treasure so much. You strike me down, and I’ll just poison another regretful Altister and rise again. I will be free to continue to corrupt every last one of you on a whim,” he boasted, his wings spread to show the grandeur of his plan. Chuckling again, Adrastos stared down at Alister, who was still beneath his claw. “And I owe it all to you, Alister. Because you had to play hero, you granted me a chance to escape a failing mind, so that I could corrupt thousands more. And to think, if I kill you now, your body would be free for me to control. Imagine that: My powers, your arsenal. Nothing would be safe, especially not once I “upgrade” a few things. Those Razor Claws of yours is fancy, but imagine what they could do if they could leave behind Dark Shards from even a slight graze? Or a rocket launcher set to fire fragmentation shards? Imagine how many I could poison at once with your ever so delightful toys. The possibilities are endless, as are my rebirths. I’ll strike down every clone that gets in my way, until I reach you. It is… inevitable, Alister.”

 

A mental image flashed through Alister’s mind all too clearly; the sight of his companions, his allies, his friends, his loved ones, all succumbing to the Dark Gem’s poison, either twisted into evil shells of their former selves, or being slowly killed from the inside. No, he couldn’t let that happen! He couldn’t let himself--even if it was his body being possessed by an evil monstrosity--be the death of people he cared for. Not again! His fear quickly making way for fury, for determination, Alister let out a vigorous battle howl as, with the Z-Wrench morphed into Brawl-Knuckle Mode, he forced Adrastos’ talons off his body by a few feet.

 

“Keff~ Seems you have chosen defiance to your final breath, eh?” Adrastos scoffed, finding a bit of morbid amusement from Alister’s show of bravado. “Then perhaps I’ll just skip straight to killing you--”

 

“BANISH!!” The Dark Dragon let loose a shriek of pain as a burst of holy energy struck him across his throat, tearing away some of his scales and flesh. Seething as his wound quickly restitched itself, Adrastos glared straight at Reid. “RrrrrrRRRRR…! Even as a mere construct, you still insist on defying me?!”

 

“To the end!” Reid declared adamantly. “Neither I nor Red fear you anymore, and we will not hesitate to fight you to the death if necessary!”

 

“And you say you’ll destroy any Altister that stands in your way?” Zayon added as he assumed his battle stance. “Well, I’m right here, pookie, so you had better come at me, too!”

 

“As am I,” I.T. joined in with a terse declaration and electrified cables.

 

“I will lay my SOUL on the line,” Aligore volunteered bravely his his Praetorian Trident armed and fire magic ready, “if it means keeping your darkness at bay!”

 

“As long as even one of us remains, Adrastos,” Kaden concluded as he stood before the others, arms held wide in a defensive manner, “there will be no darkness that Alister cannot overcome!”

 

“Is that right…?!” the dark dragon snarled, abandoning Alister as he prepared to obliterate the last remaining defenses of Alister’s soul. Claws tapping idly, the dark dragon slackened slightly, and he just sighed wearily. “Hero types, keff~ They don’t know when to quit. Very well, you will all die this day, and not even your ashes will remain once I am through with--WHAT?!!” Adrastos suddenly found himself bound by numerous glowing chains that seemed to have appeared instantaneously, binding him tightly and pulling him to the floor. “How did you--Who is responsible for--?!”

 

“That would be me,” a voice echoed throughout the room, accompanied by the sound of numerous ticking clocks. A few seconds later--3.1415926535897 seconds, to be exact--a stream of fine sand trickled down from above, slowing forming a pile before Adrastos’ face; as the sand pile grew, it began to shift and adhere to a more complicated form, until the sand took on the form of a lombax. The form solidified, allowing more distinct features to be seen, those of Alister Azimuth. Or, in this case, Alpha Azimuth.

 

“Alpha?!” Alister blurted out as he scrambled to his feet. “But I thought you weren’t part of the pocket watch!”

 

“To be honest, I wasn’t. At least, not originally,” Alpha acknowledged. “It was only after our duel in the Death Corridor that I managed to slip myself in, so as to keep an eye on things. Hope that answers your question.” With that, he turned his attention to Adrastos, heaving a weary sigh. “You’ve made quite a mess, Adrastos, I hope you know that. Then again… … you wouldn’t even be in here if not for me; I’m the reason Moony became the vessel through which you enacted this whole scheme.”

 

“Oh, I’m sure that tears you apart so much, keff~” Adrastos drawled sarcastically as he struggled against his bindings, yet finding no success.

 

“It… does, actually,” Alpha admitted humbly. “I always seem to be the start, that slight push that results in disaster, in tragedy. Huh… thus my moniker has another meaning.”

 

“Keh heh heh, and it becomes no mystery as to how I was so attracted to Moony. All of you Altisters are so wonderfully broken inside, it’s like my torture methods aren’t even necessary when you break your own minds for me,” Adrastos sniggered gleefully.

 

Alpha’s sad expression quickly snapped to one of annoyance. “Yeah, shut up.” With a snap of his fingers, a Chronoscepter-esque staff fell from above, the shaft piercing through Adrastos’ throat, further pinning the beast to the floor. “Y’know, I did promise myself that I would not interfere in Alister’s affairs beyond that duel, but it’s obvious now that I must make an absolute exception here, especially considering that you’ve gone and derailed the actual Trial Alister was meant to have here by killing off his Mirror Doppelgänger. True, the theme still fit, nonetheless, but you still hijacked the whole damn show for your own machinations.”

 

“Keh heh heh, keff~ And what will you do because of it? Destroy me? You can’t! You can’t erase the darkness, and you can’t cleanse so many troubled souls of sin. I am a permanent addition now Alpha, and I will continue to ruin things as I see fit. You can’t erase what I am, and you can’t stop me. It is an unfortunate truth, Alpha, but this dark dragon is here to stay,” Adrastos boasted.

 

Alpha blinked a few times, completely silent as he seemed to mull over Adrastos’ claims… until he let out a jolly “mweh-heh-heh-HEH-heh-heh-hee”. “I’m afraid you’ve no idea whom you’re dealing with here,” Alpha replied with a slight smirk. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, then; I just so happen to be a Chrono Guardian, designated to watch over all of time on the outside. Consider it my “punishment” for trying to tamper with time for my own goals. While I won’t go into the more complex details, I will tell you that the position grants me access to many time-based abilities--much more powerful and plentiful than the ones you’ve been using, Alister,” he added with a slight nod toward the General. “For instance, I can dilate time, which allowed me to bind you in those chains. But, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I can fast-forward, create after-images--”

 

“Do get on with it before a century passes,” Adrastos sighed.

 

“Feh, a century is barely even an hour to me by now,” Alpha retorted with a snort. “But you’re right, for once. I’ll get to the best bit, which is this: Like you said, you’re a “permanent” part of this watch now, but that’s only because you’ve had time to settle in, so I’m going to rewind you out of this pocket watch!”

 

Adrastos smirked, his eyes hiding a key piece of knowledge. “Fine, I’ll allow you to do that, but only if you feel content to strip another of their happiness as well,” the dragon gleefully declared, nodding at Reid. “He came after me, and if you rewind this watch to before my invasion, then the watch that makes up his very existence will be reduced to only possessing the very worst of Red’s memories, and thus hardly fit to recreate him perfectly, ~keff. Try to be rid of me, and you’ll destroy the very existence of my prior pawn, which is more or less the same as killing him. So, I’ll accept that loss, but only because someone else will suffer far worse than I would,” he leered gleefully. “Please, I dare you to get rid of me by rewinding the watch Alpha, just so that in my last few precious seconds of life, I will watch with glee as Zayon loses his last chance at being with the one he loves!”

 

“And I’ll let him, too!” Reid snarled out, shocking the others in the room. “As far as Zayon and I are concerned, I’ve already completed the role I was created for, so giving up what time I have left to see you erased for good is just fine by me!”

 

Zayon heaved a sad sigh before adding his two cents: “I agree. I mean, Reid and I here, we’re just constructs. What is our happiness compared to the happiness of our real selves, let alone the safety and well-being of Al’s soul? I’ll take the risk, even if it means breaking both of our hearts….”

 

“If only there were some other way…,” Alister muttered sadly.

 

Everyone’s dramatic tension was interrupted by an incredulous laugh coming from Alpha. “Wow, you guys really are quite bleak in your views, aren’t you?” he asked rhetorically, still coughing up a few giggles. “I mean, no offense, Zayon, I do appreciate your willingness to give up your happiness for the greater good and all, but there’ll be no need for that, I promise you. Reid will be safe.”

 

“How, then?” Adrastos hissed, confused and irate. “How do you intend on rewinding this watch without affecting him--?”

 

“I never said anything about “rewinding the watch”,” Alpha corrected the dark dragon, “just you. I have you and your influence completely isolated by that Chronoscepter I went through the trouble of piercing you with, which means I am free to reverse your life; I’m “un-birthing” you.”

 

“Keff~ Wouldn’t interfering with time in such a way have grave consequences? Even I am not foolish enough to try and situate time to simply one spot and expect everything to be consistent afterwards,” Adrastos remarked without much fear.

 

To that, Alpha merely smirked. “Well, it’s a good thing I, with nothing more to lose as an Altister, am willing to put all of my energy into ensuring that it does. You should be happy, Adrastos,” Alpha added as he pulled up a virtual console; “Someone will be sacrificing themselves to see you gone: ME.”

 

“Self-sacrifice, the most foolhardy of ventures, ~keff” Adrastos smirked with a hint of nostalgia in his tone; “but what of it? I will not beg for my life, for I do not fear for it. You might erase my influence, but the marks will remain. Those affected by me will never be the same, and Moony will carry on in his deluded and corrupted way. You CANNOT be rid of me, because you CANNOT be rid of the darkness. You might erase the conscience aspects of this memory, but the effects will carry on until this watch is shattered. That is what is so delicious Alpha, not your pointless sacrifice.”

 

“Ye of little faith,” Alpha shook his head as he busied himself typing inputs into the console, “you’re too focused on what effects you will have on this watch after you’re gone, that you’ve overlooked what effects the rest of us will have on it, especially once this war is over. Alister,” the Chrono Guardian turned to direct the General, “you know of the mistake made by Zayon that led to Moony perpetuating the cycles. Make sure that the Altisters find peace before you continue on with your own life. That is all that this man, who began it all, asks of you, who shall end it.”

 

“Chii, such blind and obnoxious hope and faith, how disgusting, ~keff,” Adrastos gagged in disgust.

 

“... heh,” Alister scoffed, a smile on his own face. “And you wonder why such a young dragon managed to defeat you. Okay, Alpha, do your thing.”

 

“You know, I actually feel a little sorry for him,” Reid remarked in aside to Zayon.

 

“Aww, it’s so cute that you care even the teensiest bit,” Zayon purred sarcastically as he tickled Reid’s chin.

 

The dragon didn’t react, much to the lombax’s surprise. “No, it’s not that. It’s just, tragic, when you think about it. He’s the way he is because he grew up in the Shadow Dimension, alone and surrounded by darkness. It’s no real wonder that he ended up becoming so demented when he only had shadow monsters and the Dark Gems for company; he didn’t even have his own dragonfly. It’s more tragic when you consider the fact that there may not be ANY Adrastoses that grew up under normal conditions. I know what he did to me, I can’t forgive him for that; but seeing him tied down, facing his own execution with complete stubborn defiance, I can’t help but feel pity for him considering everything that made him what he is,” the dragon explained in hushed tones.

 

Hearing Reid’s reasoning for his pity, Zayon went silent as a thought--a set of memories, actually--played in his own mind. His posture slackened a bit as he silently reminisced a sad, regretful story.

 

Alpha’s entire being began to glow, radiating a distorted aura as he placed both hands on the holographic console before him while a clock face-like sigil formed underneath the bound Adrastos. “Time to say “Happy Birthday”, Adrastos,” Alpha quipped.

 

“I won’t grant you the satisfaction,” the dragon coldly replied.

 

“Whatever you say, “Amon Goeth”,” Alpha chuckled as he initiated the Rewind Erasure Paradox; the clock hands of the sigil began to wind backwards, increasing in speed until they became a bright blur, almost resembling a vortex that had opened up beneath Adrastos. The dark dragon laid completely still even as his body began to reduce in size and change in shape, a sign that his age was being regressed; first to the peak of his adulthood, before returning to a younger adult, then an adolescent. Alpha’s own body was starting to form glowing cracks that wound their way up his arms and legs as particles escaped his form, and yet, in spite of the intense agony he was feeling he gave no sign of even the slightest discomfort as he continued to focus on his task; Adrastos had now become a young whelp, still tied down by his binding chains, and he was growing younger still.

 

“I can’t watch this,” Reid gagged, turning about so he didn’t have to watch what came next. Aligore, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, joined in Reid’s sentiment, shielding his and Kaden’s eyes with his cape just as the fetal Adrastos was encased in a dark purple egg shell, which, too, began to shrink, becoming soft and pale. Becoming smaller still, the egg became translucent, briefly revealing an embryonic dragon attached to a yolk, before it dwindled away to, becoming something nobody wants to see unless they were morbid and had a microscope. At this point, it was safe to say that all traces of Adrastos were completely gone from the watch.

 

“He is completely gone,” I.T. confirmed bluntly, being such individual morbid enough to study the miracle of birth from the finish to the absolute start. “Nothing remains, not even the ova and--”

 

“URGH, SHUDDUP!” Aligore demanded, forcing back the urge to vomit.

 

“That was, urgh, dreadful,” Reid gagged in disgust, still not turning back around yet.

 

“I regret not looking away,” Alister hoarsely muttered, silently praying to be given some brain bleach, or at least a palette cleanser.

 

“Yeah, well, I’ve no regrets,” Alpha replied weakly, his body slightly limp as it began to crumble slightly. “To be honest, I think such use of the full extent of my powers was definitely warranted, considering the current state of time itself.”

 

“Are you…,” Alister was about to ask, but realizing the obvious answer, backpedaled and started over, “So, you’ve exhausted all of your energy?”

 

“Yep,” Alpha nodded, a piece of his ear falling off and turning into dust in the process. “Of course, this being an Altister, it was to be expected; were I the real me it wouldn’t be so bad, though I’d probably get a heavy reprimand for doing so. Anyways,” he added just as a few of his fingers crumpled to dust, “I’d say that… this Altister has just… a few short moments before he’s... gone for good, so I might as well… give my thanks and… congratulations to you all,” he said as he turned to face Kaden, Aligore, Zayon, Reid, and I.T.. “You’ve helped ensure… that Alister has a chance… to help save the future.” With a huge smile--well, as huge as his crumbling face would allow--he turned to face Alister one last time, reaching out what remained of his hand to the General. “And to give you a chance to live your life again… me bending the rules… will be worth it… ….”

 

“... thank y--” Alister began to say as he reached over to touch Alpha’s hand, only to see the replica Chrono Guardian completely crumple to dust; not even the Pocket Watch heart remained.

 

The group was quiet as even the dust rotted away, leaving no trace of what had transpired here, beyond some painful memories. As the silence continued, Kaden turned his attention towards the spot where Moony’s corpse still laid. Feeling pity for the poor thing, Kaden strode over to the corpse, kneeling at his side. “... you poor thing,” Kaden quietly spoke to the lifeless, eyeless form. “To have been manipulated into being this way, by both Sayer and Adrastos… you never deserved any of this….” Placing a hand over Moony’s empty sockets, Kaden began to glow with a calming blue energy, some of which transferred over to Moony. After a few silent moments, the glow faded as Kaden removed his hand, revealing that Moony’s eyes, though closed, had been restored. “I pray that the kindness that laid dormant in your heart can now shine through….”

 

“Are you… trying to heal his heart?” Alister asked Kaden as he and the rest of the group gathered by his side.

 

“That’s the intention,” Kaden replied as he got back to his feet. “I’ve been in this watch for a long time, Al. I’ve seen many timelines, seen many tragedies… I learned many things so that I may help as best I can, even if it’s something as small as giving solace.” He looked down at Moony, who now looked as if he were in a peaceful rest. “... Moony was only made the way he was because of how he was killed; manipulated and tortured into killing himself by Sayer, then corrupted by Adrastos when he was at his weakest. He may have went out of his way to torment everyone else, but all he ever wanted was to be free of his pain.”

 

“That sounds familiar,” Reid remarked, splitting off from the group to kneel where Adrastos had lain. “Think Adrastos was the same?”

 

“Anyone would be driven to try and alleviate their pain, or to make others share in their suffering” Aligore spoke up, “even if it meant losing themselves in the process….”

 

“It’s strange. When one thinks of revenge, one thinks it’ll be a satisfying victory. A true chance to be smug and supreme, as the one who tormented you gets what’s coming to them. But I couldn’t even bear to watch it all. I… don’t think Adrastos deserved that,” Reid admitted, much to his own surprise.

 

“Adrastos’ erasure wasn’t about revenge, however,” I.T. reminded the others. “It was for the sake of Alister’s soul that the evil was banished.”

 

“Not for you it wasn’t,” Reid retorted. “You haven’t experienced him like I have. For a long time, I entertained thoughts of ending Adrastos, until I found something, or rather someone, to think about more,” the dragon explained, a wistful look spent on Zayon. The lombax returned the dragon’s gaze, giving him a weak, yet loving smile. “But he, Adrastos....,” Reid sighed, “he had nobody ever since he was born. Necron cast his egg into the Shadow Dimension, so that it was beyond the reach of the other Ancestors. He was bred to be evil, but not born to be. He had no guidance, no dragonfly, nothing but shadows and Necron’s only gift of Dark Gems. The nightmares there would have erased anyone’s kindness and good nature, allowing it to be twisted into evil and malice. He could have been so much more, had he not become a bastion of anger, hatred, spite, and malice. I used to fear him, but now that I think about it, I pity him more.”

 

“T’is a shame that nothing more can be done for him,” Aligore nodded solemnly. “We may all wish to turn back the hands of time, to a simpler time, and make things better… but that is but a mere fantasy,” he relented, a tear rolling down his face. “The reality is not so simple, and never will be.”

 

“I know, and it’s a shame because of it. It’s a fool’s hope to actually think he could be better than what he is, but he would be too stubborn to try and accept anything. I just hope that one Adrastos out there got a chance at life, if just to make up for the hundreds that spent their youth and life in that dreadful dimension,” Reid sighed lethargically.

 

Again, Zayon fell deathly silent as he became occupied with his own thoughts. Wordlessly, he pulled himself away from his beloved dragon as he shuffled his feet over towards Alister. “... … you still wanted that talk… right…?” he whispered softly into Alister’s ear. Taking the General’s hand, Zayon led Alister away from the rest of the group, in hopes for some privacy to have their chat.

 

“... is this about Rex?” Alister asked Zayon as soon as they were a good distance away from the others.

 

“Yeah…,” Zayon croaked silently, the dour look on his face a sharp contrast from his usual jovial, if not flamboyant, personality (which Alister secretly wanted back as opposed to this current expression). “I figured that’s what you had wanted to discuss.”

 

“Well, yes,” Alister agreed, “but maybe at a better time when you’re not… Zayo-kun…!” he uttered in concern as Zayon’s body trembled from his stifled sobbing.

 

“I… I’m the reason he hates us, y’know,” Zayon stammered between sobs. “I should have spent more time with him, I… I should’ve been a better parent. I was so concerned with his future, that I NEVER gave his present the time it needed. I failed him… I failed him as a father….”

 

“Zayon, take it easy on yourself,” Alister said calmly, trying to be as reassuring as possible, yet having no clue how to get Zayon out of his depression.

 

“... I “never deserved to be a parent”... that’s what he told me…,” Zayon muttered in a low, almost emotionless tone, his head hung in absolute shame. “That’s what he said… the day he left. He and I had a massive argument, after he had failed all of his exams… on purpose. He had hated being forced to attend the Military Academy, hated it from the very beginning. From the teasing he got over his appearance and lineage, the “tedious hours”, the isolation aside from the short vacations he was given… … … and then there was Reid and I, not giving him the attention he deserved… heh, Alexander--our Alexander--, was more of a proper parent to Rex than we ever were... he was the only one Rex felt truly comfortable about opening up to about anything, because Alexander listened. Alexander cared about him… and all Rex ever got from me or Reid were letters asking him how his education was, never mind asking him how he was feeling at the time. I can’t believe we never stopped to think about how those sort of letters impacted him. “Hello son, how’s school? Love dad and dad”. We might as well have been writing to him to ask for a sports score for how much they related to his personal well-being,” he hysterically scoffed.

 

“That fight he and I had… that was when all my failings were made evident to me, clear as day. I couldn’t do anything, not with the truth being thrown in my face… I was so paralyzed, I couldn’t even turn my eyes to look at him as he stomped past me to leave the room, couldn’t react when he hissed in my ear, “You were never truly my father”... I didn’t react… not until he was long gone….” Zayon held onto Alister for support, to keep his legs from failing him as he fully descended into a sobbing fit.

 

Alister wrapped his arms around Zayon, trying to better support and comfort him, all while trying to suppress his own compulsion to empathetically burst into tears.

 

“I--I don’t know-*hic*-I don’t know if--if we’ll ever get him back…!” Zayon managed to sputter through his tears. “I--I--I want to--to make it up to him… I--I miss my… baby… ….”

 

“ZAYON!”

 

Moving at a speed you wouldn’t think a dragon’s stumpy legs would manage, Reid helped his husband back up, supporting him with one hand while giving Alister a livid glare. “What the HELL did you two talk about?” he snarled angrily.

 

Alister was quite startled to find himself on the receiving end of Reid’s Death Glare, and felt it best to not say anything that would exacerbate the dragon’s mood any further.

 

Zayon, on the other hand, was crying a bit more comically now, his tears streaming down in twin waterfalls. “We… we were just,” Zayon blubbered, “just… talking about mah baaaaaaaabeeeeeeeeehhhh…!” Now the tears were blasting out in twin geysers (like jeez, you’d think he’d dehydrate himself that way, right?).

 

“Oh for the love of… Zayon, you know you’re not ready for that yet,” Reid sighed.

 

“I know, I--I just,” Zayon continued to blubber, “I just--*hic*--with you… talking about Adrastos--*hic*--and how… how he lived all alone--*hic*--it just… I just… WAH-HA-HAH, I CAN’T EVEEEEEEEN...!!”

 

“Oh dear… he’s been such a mess ever since Rex left,” Reid explained to Alister, “although I’m sure you’ve already realized this by now.”

 

“”Mess”?” Alister repeated, having rediscovered his own voice. “That’s more like a building imploding upon itself.”

 

“Try “a city”. Much more accurate,” Reid suggested. “Alright, you, cut off the waterworks before you flood this whole room and/or short circuit I.T.,” the dragon demanded of his husband.

 

“WHO IS TALKING ABOUT ME, YOU funkers?” I.T. blared as he slid into the frame.

 

“Now WHY would anyone waste their time talking about you?” Reid snipped evasively, giving Zayon the opportunity to quickly wipe away the tears from his face and recompose himself in record time. “Zayon… I know it was hard when Rex ran off on us without saying anything, but the time for blaming ourselves has passed. There is little we can do about it now, beyond hoping that maybe he’ll come round one day.”

 

“... I hope so, too,” Zayon nodded slightly.

 

“We’ve all made mistakes, Zayon,” Alister chimed in, placing a hand on the Altister’s shoulder, “but that doesn’t mean that we can’t rise back from them, from the shadows of our failures. As long as we have that hope, that determination, that love… we can overcome the darkness, and form a brighter future for all.”

 

“Speaking of brighter futures, aren’t you supposed to be having a trial right now?” Kaden remarked as the rest of the Motley Crew approached.

 

“Wha? Kaden, what’re you talking about?” Alister blurted out. “I thought Alpha said Adrastos overtook the Trial?”

 

“But you didn’t beat Adrastos Alister,” I.T. pointed out. “Nor did you encounter the doppelganger you were meant to meet.”

 

“Who, as it turned out,” Kaden added, “was killed by Moony as soon as you had entered the mirror. For the record, it was a doppelganger formed by the Pathway itself, not an Altister.”

 

“Wha--So NOW what?!” Alister fretted. “Am I supposed to find its corpse or something? How…,” Alister trailed off as he heaved an exhausted sigh. “Now I’ve got a headache….”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” a voice spoke up suddenly; yet another Alister-like figure came into the picture, carrying his decapitated head under his arm. “I happen to be the doppelganger Kaden speaks of,” the doppelganger confirmed.

 

“Jeez, Moony certainly had a field day with you, huh?” Alister cringed at the sight of Mirror!Alister’s laser hole-riddled body.

 

“Yep. No biggie, though,” Mirror!Alister shrugged as he plopped his head back onto his neck-stump, adhering it back in place as the laser holes sealed themselves up. “I’d say Adrastos made a bigger mess than anything I could’ve mustered on my own, so we can forego any combat and whatnot.”

 

“Gee, thanks,” Alister replied flatly.

 

“As for what that Alpha guy said,” Mirror!Alister continued, “your confrontation with Adrastos did sorta fit the theme of the Trial I had meant to put you through; overcoming the darkness within your heart, for one thing. Although, it might have helped if you were the one doing it, of course.”

 

Alister grunted out yet another sigh. “Yeah… I kinda screwed up a bit with that, huh?”

 

“Not to say that what effort you did make wasn’t acceptable,” Mirror!Alister added. “You were willing to stand up to Adrastos, even while he had you pinned down, when you realized how far his plans were going to go. You were prepared to fight tooth and nail to ensure that you wouldn’t be someone else’s tool for spreading more tragedy. I’d wager that, had Alpha not stepped in… you would’ve lasted about five minutes, fifteen if you were really good and lucky, and that’s with help from the others.”

 

“Again, “thanks”,” Alister sneered flatly.

 

“It’s fine, you were willing to stand up to it. But then, that’s not the point of this. Facing your own inner darkness did somewhat match up with the theme, but it’s more something you’re supposed to do in your own time. The point here, the real point, is to find the “real you”, so, which is it?” Mirror!Alister inquired, his arms sweeping about. “I see plenty of different Alister Azimuths here, with many of them vying to be the Alister Azimuth. So, it does beg the question as to who and what Alister Azimuth is, doesn’t it?”

 

“That is true,” Zayon chimed in. “I do remember that some of the Altisters were screwing with your head earlier, even though most of them had good intentions… … what~?” he blurted out in response to the glare Alister was giving him.

 

Alister shook his head at Zayon, letting out a slight chuckle despite himself. “I admit, I was having trouble figuring out who the “real” me was for quite some time,” he replied to his doppelganger. “I had my fears, even, that I might lose myself in the process, whether it was due to one of the Altisters taking over, or from the pressures of this whole war shattering me. For all I know, I myself may be different from the Alister Azimuth who had originally died at the Great Clock, as is the case with Zayon and many of the other Altisters. As far as this current timeline is concerned, though, I am me, the true Alister of this timeline, and I’ll have plenty of time to decide for myself who I am,” he concluded, giving a quick sideways glance towards Zayon.

 

“Hmm… I see,” Mirror!Alister acknowledged. “You’re right; once this war is over, and if you’re still alive, you’ll have time to live your life more completely, during which time you’ll discover more about yourself and your friends, maybe even be able to… heh, well, like you said, you can decide for yourself. But, at this moment, you are aware of who you are, and you’ll do whatever it takes to ensure no one takes that away from you… not even me,” he added with a warm smile as the doppelganger faded out of sight.

 

“And so, a long chapter ends,” I.T. sighed with relief as a reflective portal appeared before Alister.

 

“That’s your way out, Al,” Kaden nodded to his friend. “Beyond that mirror, your story continues. I’m proud of you, y’know,” he added as he walked over and hugged Alister goodbye. “Good luck out there, Al, and try not to end up in this watch again, ‘k?”

 

“That’s a promise,” Alister chuckled as he returned Kaden’s embrace, holding his friend for as long as he could.

 

“If you ever find yourself just visiting, though,” Aligore added joking, “feel free to join me for another cup of tea. Seriously, though, we’ll be rooting for ya.”

 

“We’re putting all of our faith in you, y’know. Myself, included,” I.T. asserted as he adjusted his glasses. “So, don’t let my newfound faith be misplaced.”

 

“Go get ‘em, tiger,” Reid encouraged.

 

“And thanks,” Zayon joined in, giving Alister a quick peck on the cheek. “I know I annoy or irk you at times, but I appreciate the support you’ve shown me, regardless of that.”

 

“Ah, don’t worry about it, Zayo-kun,” Alister shrugged as he gave Zayon a hug. “Besides, if anything, I should be thanking you. For having me think about, and understand, a few things.”

 

Zayon, and the rest of the Motley Crew, were taken aback as Alister, without warning, snuck a quick kiss on Zayon’s nose, pulling away before anyone had time to process what they saw (and felt, in Zayon’s case). “A--Al…!!” Zayon stammered as his cheeks rapidly turned rose-colored.

 

“Like Kaden said,” Alister chuckled as he rushed over to the mirror with a final wave goodbye, “nothing wrong with loving yourself!” A second later, and the General was gone, slipping through the mirror to the outside world.

 

“... … well,” Kaden spoke up, breaking the stunned silence the Crew fell into, “it would seem Al might be slowing coming out of his comfort zone.”

 

“That’s good then, considering Red is going to quite possibly bring up the idea of them having their own Rex in the future,” Reid smirked.

 

“If so,” Zayon uttered slowly, lightly touching his fingertips to the spot Alister had kissed, “I only hope that they treat their Rex right from the start….”

 

“I know they will, I did indulge Red a little, but then, I probably didn’t need to. They’re not us Zayon, and, well, I think their very awkward relationship would make them better parents than we were,” the dragon wistfully sighed.

 

“Yeah… … good luck, Al,” Zayon whispered aloud, “whatever fate may have in store for you….”

 

 

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian Prologuous:

 

~Butlerok~

 

It was amazing to see the regenerative capabilities of the clone but Butlerok decided not to let that shake him. It seemed like this person was one of the stronger members of the Counter Corps, but she wasn't on the level of Kenpachi and Kratos. He "should" be able to take her. 

 

Alright, it's my tuuuuuuuuuuuurn! Brambly Rose Garden!"

 

Butlerok looked on as his opponent proceeded to enclose the immediate area with a litany of tentacles creating some kind of one on one prison. Interesting, he thought as this might not have been the best strategy. Though it became abundantly clear that she actually had some sort of plan. 
 

"It's our private playdate! Let's have some fun fun fun!

 

Light up the fireworks! Poor Man's Blossom - Miniature Rose Garden!"

 

Butlerok could only look as he buffeted with an astonishing Kamikaze of explosions. What was hilarious though was that she reformed after the explosions and decided to marvel at her work. When the smoke cleared Butlerok stood strong wielding Ragnarok in his hand but his visage was clearly distorted. Patches of his face and body were clearly just black showing where the attacks did their damage. Slowly his face started to look the way it was as he had to regrow what could possibly have been skin with the help of the Rukh. He cracked his neck and looked at the snickering clone. 

Well now I hate to say this, but you're strong. That means I won't be able to take you lightly. Ragnarok in his sword form started laughing and started to spit fire. Turn the world of creation into smoldering ash...Ryujin Jakka! Ragnarok was then consumed with fire. Butlerok took a stance similar to that of a tennis player about to deliver the most wicked return. Taimatsu he said intently as he waved his blade and sent a massive wave of fire at the Reimu clone. 
 

~Dorian~

 

"Divine Arts: Omnidirectional Dragon-slaying Circle!"

 

Dorian was busy trying to figure out ways he would be able to help out everyone else since attacks on the Avatar would just create more of him. When he heard that attack. He looked at the shrine maiden and tilted his head at exactly how that move was performed. It seemed like some sort of purification ritual. He looked back at the new composite version of himself and Rhadamanthys running amuck and realized that this maiden may be of some use to the cause. Dorian immediately erupted a pillar of fire between the combatants and then have flew down next to the original. 

 

He looked on at his hand. Hello new friend. I see you're fighting against your other self. Mind if we switch partners for a second. I think that you'll be much more helpful fighting the super combination of my comrade and I. What do you say? Trade?

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

Reimu

Prologuous

 

"Hello new friend. I see you're fighting against your other self."

 

"Eh? It's not my other self, it's the other self of that girl over there, the one that's currently hovering around the shell-like thing." Reimu pointed at Koishi as Dorian went towards her to start a conversation with her. She was not really sure about why she was confused with the kooky satori, but perhaps it was due to their sleeves. And the heat of the battle probably didn't help either. This man was supposedly a member of the Divine, but at a time like this, it's not something she would really be minding about. Well, perhaps later if he and his friends started to move for the Key or the Door, she could try exorcising them, but not now.

 

"Mind if we switch partners for a second? I think that you'll be much more helpful fighting the super combination of my comrade and I. What do you say? Trade?"

 

"Well...I guess that wouldn't hurt. That thing pretty much creeped me out anyway, so it's better off if you're the one handling it." Reimu nodded to show her agreement of the switch, and immediately left the premise so Dorian could fend for himself against the shadow Koishi. She went to look for this "super combination" that the man was referring about, and not long, she managed to locate it. It was facing against someone with an armor, one of the guests that Yukari earlier invited to her tea party. Rhadamantys, was it? Either way, Reimu went to his side, and readied herself.

 

"Yo, you there. Your friend and I decided to swap places, so I'm here to help you out. That's not an offer tho, so even if you don't like my presence here...in that case, sucks to be you."

 

The fusion she was now facing was not as grotesque as she expected, but it was not exactly pretty either. Looks wasn't important here though, and whether it looked just like a normal person or like a two-headed horse-human combo abomination, she'd still have to exterminate it. She considered her options a bit. This fusion would be, by definition, something quite a lot more powerful than the Koishi clone she faced earlier, especially since its components looked pretty powerful too. Thus, she considered to go all out and used her most powerful spell cards right out of the gate. However, she wasn't sure about the nature of it in the first place, so there's a potential to waste precious amount of energy.

 

With that in mind, she decided that she'd use her amulets for now. It's not like her needles would do any good against something like this, and smacking it with her orbs would need the confirmation that it was not actually the assimilative-type first. And using the sword, as much as she liked the idea of, wasn't even an option. Firing them as projectiles towards the fusion, Reimu sprinted around the entity as she continuously doing so from different positions, hoping to cover more areas of the shadow with her amulet. Once it's done, Reimu uttered a spell to activate the inscription on them - allowing them to explode and bathe the shadow with holy magic.

 

"It really wasn't much...but let's see how impressive you are now, shadow."

 

---

 

The shadow Koishi looked at Dorian funny after Reimu swapped her place with him earlier. The shadow was supposedly had been obliterated down to the atoms, but it managed to survive by virtue of utilizing its tentacles to act as regenerating shields as she was still stuck in the barrier prison earlier. It didn't come out unscathed however, and it had to use other materials to restore herself into a full fighting body once more.

 

"Who are you, who are you? You're here to play with me?

 

How niiiiice! What games will we play? Does it have murder in it?

 

I like murders! Especially when I'm the one doing it!"

 

The shadow then suddenly disappeared from sight for a moment, only to reveal itself being above Dorian after a few seconds had passed. It appeared to lunge towards him, but it soon disappeared however, and was replaced by a surge of heart-like projectiles forming a pillar like structure, all falling down towards Dorian. It reappeared on the ground behind him, and repeated the same attack all over again, and again from multiple different positions before she summoned her tentacles from the ground in an attempt to keep Dorian in place.

 

"Happy birthday!"

 

---

 

"Well now I hate to say this, but you're strong. That means I won't be able to take you lightly. "

 

"So you'd take me darkly? But you can't see anything when it's dark...?"

 

The other shadow Koishi was confused, though ultimately was ecstatic at the promise of her opponent showing off more of his stuff. Like a kid eagerly waiting for the new episode of their favorite show, it watched and watched as her opponent readied themselves to attack him, and soon, they did just that as a massive torrent of fire was unleashed towards her. She didn't even dodge it, choosing to eagerly stand her ground and embraced the heat.

 

Once it was done, only a charred remains of the clone persisted, but even then, the body that supposedly should've been a corpse now gave off a smile with the unnervingly white teeth that contrasted its burnt body a lot. The body dissolved into the darkness slowly afterwards, and reappearing behind Butler, still with its stupidly cheerful smile.

 

"That hurts, but I like it! Pain is good, pain is good!

 

I'll make you feel good too!"

 

Ignoring how ridiculous it looked, the shadow started wielding its tentacles like a pair of swords, and it soon took a leap backwards before sending waves after waves of similarly-exploding rose petals towards its opponent. Wasn't the most inspired attack, but it was something that was really born out of impulse rather than anything else.

 

"The fun is on!"

 

---

[Phantom Roxas]

[Truth A6] - Sora & Kairi vs Xion & Lion-Sora

 

”Took you long enough,” said the Lion-Sora. ”How’s Naminé?”

 

Kairi was baffled by the cat-like duplicate of Sora. As she spoke, she tried to hold back a laugh. ”She’s down there, waiting for us all to stop you.”

 

”You, deal with her.” Lion-Sora charged at the real Sora, while Xion went for Kairi.

 

”Wait, Xion!” Kairi guarded, but where Kairi and Xion’s Keyblade collided, golden light and silver shards burst out, knocking Xion back. Kairi remained standing, as the shards all seemed to point towards Xion. ”Xion, hold on!” Kairi cast Cure, but instead, Kairi felt a soothing aura around herself. Her bones felt less stiff, and she could feel from energy flowing from her lungs to her legs, making up for the climb up the hill. It felt good, but Kairi couldn’t enjoy it. Xion was slowly getting up, and Kairi prepared another Cure spell, but Xion summoned a bolt of Thunder from the sky. Kairi summoned a small barrier around herself, and the Thunder spell hit the barrier, booming, but ultimately damaging nothing. ”Why are you doing this?”

 

”It’s not me!” Xion said. ”That beast is controlling me. But I’m not going to let him win.” Xion charged again. Kairi stepped to her left, but a column of pillar sprung beside Xion, striking Kairi. ”Please, Kairi. I can’t ask you or Sora to go easy on me. I’m sorry for the spell. When I was knocked back, I lost control. That other Sora is forcing me to fight, but all I can do right now is hold back. I have to fight you, but I’m not going to kill you.”

 

”Then I’ll help Sora break you free!” Kairi felt gravity itself throw her. Lion-Sora cast Transcendence, pulling Kairi, Sora, and even Xion into the anti-gravity field. They were launched up and down, their faces hitting the ground, bodies dragged through, pulled back up, and thrown against each other. When the spell ceased, the three landed like a pile. Lion-Sora waved his Keyblade, and Xion was pulled back onto her feet.

 

”Don’t get me wrong,” said Lion-Sora. ”Even for a backup plan, you’re a good one, Sora. But with you and Kairi here, what’s the point of Xion? You don’t need any more reminders of what’s on the line here, like your friends who died on Death. But when someone reaches the end… what difference does it make if it’s you or Kairi or Xion?”

 

”That’s while we’re all going to make it together,” said Kairi.

 

”Fine with me,” Lion-Sora laughed. ”But Xion can’t come with you. She is the product of Sora’s memories, memories of you. She’s a half-baked replica of you both! Why allow a fake like her when the real ones are right here?”

 

”I am not a fake!” Xion turned her Keyblade on Lion-Sora, but her hands stopped as she closed in. ”Just them go. Please.”

 

Lion-Sora sneered. ”If you insist.” His sword revved as he motioned to slash Xion, but Sora and Kairi each brought their Keyblades up, severing the Lion-Sora’s arms. He screamed, blood splattering from where his arms once were. ”HOW DARE YOU! Why do you both care so much? Leave her behind!” Silver shards stemmed from the stumps on Lion-Sora’s body, forming together like skeletal arms. Xion cried out, as the Lion-Sora was screaming, coughing, and laughing. ”Very well. If you’ll take my arms, I’ll just show you all that Xion is: Spare parts!” Xion’s hands began to crystalize, more shards breaking off and drifting towards Lion-Sora’s own arms. Sora and Kairi kept slashing, but Lion-Sora pounced back.

 

”Sora!” Xion called. ”I’m… I’m sorry. I lost as soon as we stepped on this Pathway. Please, you have to-”

 

”Don’t say anything!” said Sora. ”Hold on just a little longer.”

 

Xion felt as though she could close her fists. Sora and Kairi threw Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder spells out one after another, Sora cast Faith, Kairi used Transcendence, throwing Lion-Sora around the air as he was bombarded with magic. Through his grunts, it still sounded as though he could still manage to laugh. As Transcendence subsided, Lion-Sora’s arms began to cover themselves in muscle, and he landed on his hands and feet, but his hands shattered as quickly as they had been formed. ”More… I need more!”

 

”That’s enough!” Xion had reformed her right arm. It shimmered as the silver shards making up her arm seemed to struggle to stay still. She opened and closed her hands, sighing in disappointment. ”No Keyblade… guess this is it, then.” She saw Lion-Sora’s chainsaw sword lying in front her. She had managed to pull back just enough of her own power, enough parts of herself, back from the Lion-Sora. She was not going to waste it. She picked up the sword. Sora ran to his reflection’s left, while Kairi went to the right. Lion-Sora kept his eyes on Xion, and feeling that glare made Xion feel like her heart was going cold. But feeling something in her heart was enough for Xion. ”Even if the Organization made me… even if Isamy’s distortions made it more than impossible to live my own life… I don’t think there has to be a choice between me, Roxas, or Sora. But you, these Pathways, you’re forcing us to make a choice. If I have to play by your rules, fine. But only so that my friends can break them in the end!” As Sora and Kairi stabbed the Lion-Sora’s sides, Xion brought the chainsaw blade against its own wielder, piercing his chest. The wings of Ra spread from Xion’s back, then faded away. ”Are you happy now, you monster? Sora can have my power. The part of himself that made me, and the power of Ra… I’ll give that to Sora and…” Xion’s eyes shut, and she began to stumble. Sora and Kairi caught her, as the Lion-Sora screamed. His entire body crystallized in seconds before completely crumbling, and the barrier covering the hill dissipated.

 

”Xion…” Sora led Xion down the hill with Kairi. Xion’s hand was breaking down. ”This shouldn’t have happened Xion. But when I bring back Roxas, our universe, you’ll be there, too.”

 

”Promise me something, Sora.” Xion slipped in Sora and Kairi’s hands, but they each kept her standing. ”Even if our… your universe looks better, it’s something Isamy changed. Even if things look worse at first, you’ve got to put everything back to normal. Whatever Isamy did, whatever Protheus wants, they’re the ones who started this fight. If you accept that universe… that means they did something right. So please, change everything back, and make the worlds better your way.”

 

Xehanort couldn’t come back. But neither could Terra, or Ven or Roxas. Organization XIII was their friends, but until Isamy came, they’d been enemies. Zero was the enemy. ”We promise, Xion,” said Kairi. ”Whatever happens, we’ll make things right.”

 

Arturia had the answers. And wherever Itsu was with that Staff, Sora could make Zilyana and Kree’ara’s world right, too. ”I promise,” he told Xion. ”This isn’t the end, Xion. Just wait a little longer.”

 

”Thank you.” Tears dripped to the floor. Xion raised her head, looking up to the darkened sky. ”That other Sora tried to make me a part of him. Roxas and I can be ourselves one day. Maybe not today, but after Protheus is gone, we’ll have our chance. I believe you guys can do make it through. However long it takes… alright. I’ll wait. Until then, this is goodbye.” Her body glowed in golden light, and Xion began to fade. Two small gold spheres appeared around here, one hurling to Sora’s chest, absorbing itself into him, while the other flew away.

 

With Xion gone, Sora took Kairi’s hand. ”They’ve been dying for my sake. I don’t want to let them down. I can’t.”

 

”Sora, if… if anything happens, I’d put myself on the line for you too.”

 

”I can’t ask you to do that. I don’t need to lose you, too, not after you saved me from Xansvita.”

 

”Which is why I’m not going to do it. This is on me, too, you know. That… thing thought we were both the problem for Xion. Like we were more ‘important’ than her. We’re in this together.”

 

”Always. I’m going to keep us both safe.”

 

”For Xion.”

 

”For Xion.”

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian: Prologuous

 

~Dorian~

 

Okay so maybe he was wrong about the whole fighting her evil doppelganger idea. Though to be fair it all guys look alike in the end..right? Nevertheless he looked on as his opponent acknowledged that he was now her opponent. 

 

"Who are you, who are you? You're here to play with me?

 

Dorian put up thumbs up and simply smirked. Dorian's the name.

 

How niiiiice! What games will we play? Does it have murder in it?

 

Sure whatever the lady wants.

 

I like murders! Especially when I'm the one doing it!"

 

Oh well let's not push our luck now. But it was too late as Dorian looked on as the shadow woman disappeared and reappeared above him. Oh this is going to be arduous isn't it. He could only look as the woman shot multiple volleys of heart pillars at him and soon he was nailed to the ground. To add insult to injury it a series of tentacles came out of the ground and bound him to the ground even further. 

"Happy birthday!"

 

After ten seconds of just being held in place Dorian and the previous attacks were consumed in a massive spire of fire. Another second later he stepped out of the spire and looked at his opponent with his hand on his jaw. So...you aren't going to go down quietly huh? Sad face. I was hoping you were one of the weaker ones. Guess that isn't going to happen. Dorian's hand started to glow purple and then he pointed it at the shadow copy. Since we're exchanging gifts. Dorian fired a massive torrent of flaming feathers at his opponent.

 

~Bulterok~

 

T'was a tad disconcerting that the creatures rejuvenation was so rapid. It was almost instantaneous. She once again disappeared in the darkness and appeared behind him.

"That hurts, but I like it! Pain is good, pain is good!

 

"I'll make you feel good too!"

 

Butlerok quickly tried to grow spikes out of his back but creature had quickly dodged and started attacking again with the same exploding petal trick as before. Luckily Butlerok was already ready for this tactic. Butlerok waved his non-sword hand and the flames of Ryuujin Jakka that he had previously launched came at his opponent once again to burn the petals this time and scorch her once again. 

 

If you're going to lock me inside a space you're just trapping my fires here as well. Meaning you're now in a perpetual oven of your own design. Butlerok waves his sword once again launching more fire at his opponent. Butlerok figured that there has to be some limit to this creatures regenerative capabilities. No better test than a stress test to try this out.

 

~Rhadamanthys~

 

He was going nowhere fast as it was clear his opponent was just playing with him. It was clear that he didn't even feel pain anymore. Rhadamanthys knew that the Shadow Fusion was hoping that Rhadamanthys would simply try hard and therefore expend valuable energy and be weakened in the future battles. This was definitely something he didn't know how to handle. That was until it looked like he had an unexpected visitor. It was the shrine maiden from the tea party. Now what form of idiocy was this?

"Yo, you there. Your friend and I decided to swap places, so I'm here to help you out. That's not an offer tho, so even if you don't like my presence here...in that case, sucks to be you."

 

Friend, what foul fool would send this weakling to aid me? He thought to himself as he didn't really respond to her as she pressed her attack. For a second he looked and saw the pillar of fire and noticed that Dorian was fighting now. This made Rhadamanthys curious. The boy was definitely one for devious tactics so sending this woman meant that he surely didn't mean to use her as an ineffective meat shield. 

Shadow Rhadian simply tilted its head at the new arrival. Well...a new guest is always great...parties must have more attendees. But wait everyone here was already invited to this party. And everyone is already here. Maybe I should make refreshments. It wasn't long as the woman proceeded to attack and surrounded him with a barrage of armaments and then caused them to explode supposedly bathing him in holy light. 

Rhadamanthys just looked on as he realized an attack of that caliber couldn't even scratch a surplice. She might as well just donated her energy to shadow creature. 

"It really wasn't much...but let's see how impressive you are now, shadow."

 

Really, "impressive" she might just have killed herself with that move. As the smoke cleared Rhadamanthys was on the ready to intercept was clearly going to be her death blow. However, what he looked at was a dome of fire that soon dissipated and revealed Rhadian scratching his chin. Well that was different. Or maybe it was the same...I don't know. Do you know? Maybe we can figure it out together... The shadow Rhadian clapped its hands and the skies grew dark and from a pillar of purple energy that consumed the creature he looked on laughed...Or separately! In the skies now was a massive dragon composed completely of fire and it came down to eat Reimu whole. However, before it could bite down on Reimu a massive purple Wyvern came and knocked it out of the way saving the girl. 

Rhadamanthys floated by her side and took an oddly protective stance around her. He laughed as he had got some kind of hint of why Dorian sent her over. How frequently can you use that form of magic you just used? I think you might be able to do an extensive amount damage if your abilities were timed precisely.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

Reimu Hakurei

Prologuous

 

"How frequently can you use that form of magic you just used? I think you might be able to do an extensive amount damage if your abilities were timed precisely."

 

"More often than I'd like."

 

Reimu stared at the man in the armor. The difference in latent powers between them was really clear, a big gap of power separated the two. Even with the Sphere, she was unsure whether she could have any chance of matching him, raw power-wise. Not that it mattered to her. He seemingly was still doubting her, which would be understandable. It's probably not every day for someone as powerful as him to be approached by a cocky girl who pretty much only fired some needles at the opponent.

 

:"It's weird how he had to protect against such attack. My intent was just to provoke it with minimum amount of aggression, as to gauge how would I need to deal with its attacks.

 

Geez, I guess I have to see more of him then.

 

Fantasy Seal -Blink- !"

 

Reimu disappeared from her previous position, and appeared some distances away from the fused shadow where she started to fire several of her ofuda amulets at it, and then she phased to another location. Readying her purification needles, she launched a volley of them towards the shadow, before disappearing again, reappearing right above the shadow. She uttered a passage of prayer, and erected a cubical barrier that covered the fused entity below her. As she did that, seven multicolored orbs were summoned from the Yin Yang Orbs orbiting her, and they grew in size and power in seconds, becoming more and more brilliant before she hurled them all at her target below. She soon phased away from her position above ground, and reappeared not too far away from Rhadamantys.

 

"I wonder if this could make the shadow do something bigger?"

 

---

 

"If you're going to lock me inside a space you're just trapping my fires here as well. Meaning you're now in a perpetual oven of your own design."

 

"Oooh! Are we baking a cake? I love cakes!"
 

Her opponent managed to dodge her attack well, and in turn launched a series of flames towards the shadow. The Shadow Koishi grinned, and stood its ground as it was baked by the heat. It burned on for long long while, and once the flame dissipated, there was only a charred corpse left behind, still standing firmly and clearly with a smile on its unrecognizable head. The tentacles soon covered the shadow, and with that, the shadow simply disappeared once the tentacles dissipated.

 

"You know what's great alongside a cake? Inviting people to eat them with you~!

 

Symbol: All Ancestors Standing Beside Your Bed!"

 

Within a moment, Butlerok was attacked by specters of many different peoples from his past. Those weren't really proper constructs, just the physical manifestation of buried memories. The shadow Koishi watched him from some distances away, gleefully seeing the constructs doing their jobs. Its essence was clearly less stable than before, with it being the third time it had to rebuilt, but the shadow didn't seem to mind it much.

 

---

 

"So...you aren't going to go down quietly huh? Sad face. I was hoping you were one of the weaker ones. Guess that isn't going to happen."

 

Dorian survived the shadow's attack, seemingly by burning all the roses and tentacles with his fire. The shadow looked at him in a funny way, seemingly attempting to figure out the best way to assault him next.

 

"Since we're exchanging gifts..."
 

Before she could attack however, Dorian fired a series of flaming feathers towards the shadow Koishi. It tried its best to dodge and protect itself from the projectiles, but some managed to land on it and the shadow was clearly affected by it, the fire burning what it touched into crisp. But the shadow was still alive and well for the most part, as it avoided the brunt of the attack.

 

"My turn now! Gran Koi Breaker!"

 

Her tentacles formed a big conical shape as she declared her attack, and without wasting much time, the shadow had the cone started to spin before ramming it towards Dorian's position. Whether it managed to land a hit or not was not a problem. Even if she didn't hit anything, the drill would just explode and send smaller tentacle drills everywhere, which could then be aimed towards Dorian when she relocated his position.

 

---

[Tesability Black]

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

Rapidash soon stopped in front of what looked like a pair of kids, kids that Neos was starting to become more and more familiar with the sight of from his travels though the Path. A slight groan left the false human's face as he leaned back, realizing that the Chocobo was not gonna move forward just yet.

"What do you two want now," he let out before allowing his eyes to fall on them. "Jace and Faye, right?"

"You remember, but you do not," the girl in the gold-lined black dress, Faye, remarked with a sad smile as she glanced over him with violet eyes.

Somehow, he missed the boy of the pair, Jace, jump onto the bird behind him, getting himself comfortable as Neos turned to face him. "C'mon! Hurry up! I want to exist again!"

"Easy, Jace. Things are as they should for now," he heard before seeing Faye slip onto the bird's back as well, to which he was starting to feel a slight shake to the Chocobo's legs.

"Wait a bloody second, I don't recall agreeing to give either of you a li---iift!"

Without warning did Rapidash start to fulfill his namesake, bolting forward in a speedy sprint that almost launched the false human off. Once he collected himself, Neos looked ahead to spot a couple of things. One of them was Gemini looking at something in his hands while holding Jace's cloak under his arm for some reason. The other was a pair of people ahead, one of them looking like she would have belong among the Izzet if she actually wore blue anywhere on her person and the other...

...even without his cloak, he would recognize the mindmage.

"Jace," he belted out after cupping his hands in front of himself to better be heard.

~~~~~

~??? - Path of Remembrance - Gemini's POV~

The multiple tentacles swishing about behind him as he swam deeper, Gemini narrowed his eyes at the cloak as it slowly fell down through the water, weighted down by the cube held within it. He did not dare to allow himself to wonder why, for apparently the second time, his mind wasn't flooded with various memories that he had supposedly forgotten.

That was the point of these waters after all...right?

After one more thrust forward, he grabbed the heavy blue cloth with two of the tentacles, reaching through its hidden pockets before finally pulling out of it the familiar box that brought them all here.

It was shaking in his grip.

"Well, something wants out," he muttered to himself in a way native to his form before swiftly swimming up towards the surface without losing a beat to his pace. Upon the box breaking the surface did the sounds of shifting reach whatever passed for ears, prompting him to look down towards the tentacles holding the box to see it open up and reveal...

...something thin and flat from within. It looked somewhat like thickened paper, but it seemed colored brown on one side while remaining completely white on the other.

Gemini allowed himself to quickly shift back to his human form upon swimming to and walking out of the edge of the waters, cloak in one hand, cube in the other as he stared at it with critical eyes. "Why would a card from a game be in something like this and a blank one, no less," he asked of himself upon recognition before hooking the blue under his arm and grabbing the card with his now-free hand, looking back and forth between the two sides. "Well, now I have a better idea of what ruleset will best be followed in the future," he muttered to himself before glancing up towards the two 'walkers without actually lifting his head in thought.

"But how would that work for those whom don't come from that particular universe?"

"Jace," he heard belted out in a voice similar but not quite like his own, prompting him a sigh.

"Damn, he's here," he muttered before looking ahead. "Meh, I might as well check in on what's happening before they start to move forward again."

And his gaze unfocused for a moment...

~??? - Prologuous - Gemini's POV~

He faded into view, eyes closed as he focused on solidifying into his extra surroundings. Once he dared to open his eyes to his surroundings, he spotted what looked like someone within a shell, though he couldn't make out whom. Surrounding the shell seemed to be various battles taking place, most of them consisting of someone fighting against what looked like a darkened variant of themselves.

Which meant he needed to look out for a dark colored variant of Neos for himself, most-likely.

"I...have obviously missed things here," he muttered to himself before summoning to his hands a pair of crystalline blades in anticipation of an attack.

[The Warden]

[[Another Time, Another Place: Prologuous]]

 

Kazuya's attack struck the shell, absorbing it like before and releasing a Shadow Kazuya that splattered in front of the original yadayada. In response to this, the Avatar's Shell bubbled viscerally, large wads of darkness moving to the surface. It was almost like a pot of water, or well, a pot of weird shadowy but not actual shadow liquid/gas(?) Whatever, the point is is that the shell bubbled, increasing to aggressive levels before expelling a large pulse of energy, rejuvenating all of the shadow clones at the cost of resetting the countdown.

 

Countdown: 15 turns

Shell's HP: 50/100

 

.:Shadow Koishi #1:.

HP: 1000/1000

Attack: 500

Defence: 500

Speed: 1000

 

.:Shadow Koishi #2:.

HP: 1000/1000

Attack: 500

Defence: 500

Speed: 1000

 

.:Shadow Rhadian:.

HP: 2000/2000

Attack: 1500

Defence: 1000

Speed: 1000

 

.:Shadow Kazuya:.

HP: 500/500

Attack: 800

Defence: 800

Speed: 2000

[Merci]

~ Protheus Maximus ~
Pathway to Death
 
The entire area of darkness at the end of this particular Pathway, was in absolute ruins, lit by lamp-posts that were barely, if miraculously still standing. Whatever had transpired had been utterly brutal – it was as though a rabid animal had been placed into the mind of a god. What with craters and holes spread about everywhere, alongside huge streaks of fire that refused to die out, tornadoes that raced about uncontrollably, and orbs of energy that were whizzing everywhere without a target to chase after, it was clear that something had gone on. Not too far away, the corridors had caved in, and it seemed like even the Pathway’s self-repairing ability was struggling to make up for it all. Perhaps it had been a battle fought by two or more incredibly powerful individual. Or perhaps merely the temper tantrum of just one, venting in an isolated environment.
 
Indeed, the reason was simple. The Key of Origin, his key to true immortality, had been stolen away from him just like that…and just when he thought he’d cornered the culprit, it turned out to be fake. FAKE. The real wielder of the Key of Origin had already, somehow, gone ahead of him. So naturally, his first course of action would’ve been to quickly progress onto the next Pathway, bombard it with ‘The Truth Of Souls Upon Death’ to destroy everything within just to make sure, said culprit included, and then retrieve the one thing that would remain intact – the Key, indestructible as it was. It was a very straightforward, if brutish plan, with a high chance of success.
 
Alas, there was one oh so minor obstacle in the way of that.
 
‘Are you willing to embrace your fate’?
 
At the end of the Pathway to Death, an impregnable force-field stood separating him from the dark stone tablet, and it wasn’t about to give way any time soon. Unable to advance, the self-absorbed man had exploded into the utmost fury, going forth to unleash most of his power to wreak havoc on his entire surroundings. Random, mindless destruction, eventually moving from the tablet to razing the whole ground, great in magnitude but meaningless in effectiveness. There was nothing of note to describe about it. All that needed to be said was that the man, who’d mostly remained cocky up until now, had finally found himself in a dangerous situation. And no matter what he did, he just wasn’t about to get out of it.
 fee
The silver-haired lich, despised by far too many, floated high in the black sky. Destruction continued to fill the air, its loud, thundering booms dwarfed only by the curses of the man responsible. He kept on screaming insults to the Pathway with each subsequent attack, the occasional word of sorcery mixed in to maximize his efforts. Forty Duel Monster cards spun around his Impure Future blade, still projecting blasts of all elements at the barrier as he stubbornly refused to accept his fate. And yet their intensity wasn’t nearly as much as they were before. Was he getting tired due to pushing his immense strength to the limits, or was he actually beginning to resign to the possibility that he would never leave this place? Only the man knew.
 
Considering how little progress he had made in his mind, it was quite the miracle that he had made it past Truth in the first place. Maybe the Origin had only allowed him through because it recognized that in order for him to be able to answer even one of the three crucial questions, he needed to gain a certain quality that all the others already had – a quality that one Pathway alone simply could not make him recognize.
 
“YOU SHALL BOW BEFORE MY MIGHT, WRETCHED REALM! I, THE HERALD OF DARKNESS, DESTROYER OF ALL THAT HAS BEEN AND IS TO BE! HOW DARE YOU LET THE INSECTS ADVANCE BUT LEAVE ME, THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTER IN THIS SLOW-MOVING PLAY! WE ALL KNOW HOW THIS ENDS! WITH MY POWER! WITH MY VICTORY! WITH MY ASSURED IMMORTALITY! THE LORD MAXIMUS SHALL NOT FORGIVE YOUR TRANSGRESSION AGAINST JUDGEMENT! FOR EONS I HAVE EXISTED! FOR MILLENNIA I HAVE IMPOSED MY WILL ON THE MULTIVERSE! ALTHOUGH SO MANY HAVE ATTEMPTED TO STOP ME, EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM FELL! MORTALS, MACHINES, SPIRITS, EVEN GODS! AND YOU, OH ORIGIN, ARE NO DIFFERENT! I SHALL PREVAIL, AND YOU! SHALL! FALL—”
 
hickory dickory dock
 
It all came to a stop.
 
the mice ran up the clock
 
As if someone had pressed the ‘stop’ button, all the destruction and the shouting – just like that, it all ceased to be.
 
the clock struck one
 
“…how?” Protheus whispered.
 
and then
 
For the very first time in so long, there was fear in his voice.
 
there
For the very first time in so long, he didn’t understand what was happening at all.
 
were none
 
hickory dickory dock
 
An old English nursery rhyme, twisted creepily for no particular reason, other than to perhaps present a warning… Why would something as impartial as the Origin ever do something like that? There was only one answer; it wouldn’t. Something had hijacked it. Something of incomprehensible magnitude had hijacked it, and whoever it was, it could only be far, far greater than he. Something that exceeded the boundaries of imagination. This was an eldritch anomaly that was doing the impossible and distorting the very fabric that made up reality. The message was clear enough. A creature was lying in wait beyond all of this, for them.
 
After a few moments, it came to his attention that there was the unnatural noise of a clock echoing throughout the realm, ticking incessantly, as though counting down to that inevitable event. He looked down at himself, and found that his hands were shaking. A sign of fear, of uncertainty, of hopelessness.
 
“…”
 
His very core was throbbing in pain, a sensation he wasn’t used to. Anything could happen to end him, and the prophecy foretold as much. A massive doom like this looming overhead was not a prospect he would like to entertain.
 
“That’s not me! Of all the people who could be messing with the system, it’s not me! What else could possibly…?!”
 
Protheus drifted down by the stone tablet, and as his feet touched the floor, he turned his attention to the tablet once more, the anger of losing the Key no longer as prominent as it was mere moments before. He hadn’t resigned himself to defeat, not nearly close, but simply remaining patient, letting hatred flow into his mind rather than his body…
 

It wasn’t that long ago when Protheus received a message from a familiar, troublesome individual, requesting his presence. It was cryptic, almost laughably so if it weren’t for the fact that it apparently entailed his future. His intrigue enraptured, alongside a slight foreboding concern, he proceeded to summon a portal before being transported all the way back to the location where he first encountered that priestess.
 
Only a few thousand years ago, he’d been seeking for information on something he and his allies had been referring to as the ‘Door of Origin’, something supposedly with the power to recreate all of reality. There was no clear source on where it had come from, no clear explanation on how to access it. Just that hints had been scattered throughout the infinite musings of the multiverse, not unlike an unconscious conspiracy. He did believe at first that he was being delusional, seeing patterns where there weren’t any, but a chance encounter with Alpha made him believe otherwise. As a result, he followed up on it anyhow on an off-chance.
 
If there was any entity which could certainly confirm or deny the existence of such a Door, it would've been his Master. The One Master. One problem though – hE no longer existed. Killed, by none other than Protheus himself.
 
There was once a time, before Isamy, when all of time and space was being wrecked in an event that would come to be known as the Paradox War by the few that remembered it. A disaster predating the Origin War. The dark magician had been drawn into the conflict, and midway through it he saw an opportunity to free himself of the troublesome dark lord that kept limiting him time and time again, with mysterious purposes that seemed to lead nowhere. Being a member of the one power that may be able to help - a massive extradimensional organization by the name of DATEA - he showed them the way to reach the One Master’s impenetrable domain in the Shadow Realm, and they in turn deployed a ‘something’ into hiS core, permanently destabilizing hiS existence. It wasn’t much of a story, really.
 
Protheus opened his eyes to find that he was standing on the Black Planes of Methuselah, before him a massive white temple. There was no air on this planet, the ground bubbled, and acid droplets rained from the sky. Four girls followed close behind him, manipulating the four elements to prevent his body from being burnt by the ridiculous weather, each similar yet with different-coloured hair; red, green, brown, and blue. With a sigh, he started climbing tall steps that vastly dwarfed those of the Crimson Tower.
 
Anyhow, the point was that the One Master was essentially out of the way. Yet there was still one other servant that had survived, who may have had some of the Master’s vast knowledge. Nox, said to be more ancient than the gods. Having expanded its lifespan to the very limits, Nox had been reduced to a ghost constantly needing new bodies. It tracked down one of the greatest prophetesses to exist, employing her as an assistant so it could use her powers to find the best of the best. And soon enough, the very perfect sample would come knocking on its doorstep, wanting information about the Door of Origin...
 
When one has lived long enough, hours may feel like seconds, if not even less. It must have several hours at least, a week at most, but eventually Protheus reached the top, now standing on a platform suspended in a corrosive black sky, lit only by the stars further away.
 
Protheus ended up ambushed and possessed by the demon for quite some time, before being freed by, ah, questionable allies. Nox put up a great fight against them, using the power of the Dark Ones, but it fell, and Chardonnay took over as if it had been what she’d planned all along. Only then did the two of them properly meet.
 
“Man of Judgment.” A white-robed blonde woman bowed her head towards him, the elements pelting her but otherwise seeming to do no damage.
 
Since that point, she had acted as Protheus's personal prophet.

 

Never providing advice, but rather, pointing him in the direction of what must be.
 
“Chardonnay.” He responded coldly. Behind him, the four girls were utterly exhausted, but they had no choice but to keep on protecting their master, else they lose their lives. Or worse, their will. “This better be worth my time coming all this way. Get it over with.”
 
The priestess understood, knowing exactly what kind of man he was, and proceeded without further prompt. Her mouth moved, and the words that came out were far too powerful to have belonged to that feeble form of hers—
 

Within the theatre of living nigh
Raindrops pour to feel their sky

Nature extends to a superior strange
From distrust, despair, slumber, never change

The seconds stop at a broken heart
For a hero to find the will to restart

With one apology, Judgment may be no more
And in either wonder or home shall Death be drawn

Protheus narrowed his eyes, but just as he was about to speak, Chardonnay continued.

There was more?

When all the cards have fallen---

 

 
“Embrace your fate, you say.” He spoke out, now amused by the question presented towards him instead of furious. “Hmph! Why do you think I’m here? I understand without a doubt that if I’d continued as I was, I would be good as gone by now. Prophecies are rather unusual, a looking glass across an otherwise unpredictable stream of time – and the thing is, I have heard far too many prophecies come true to doubt them. Especially when they are foretold by one such as Chardonnay.”
 
As though defying the Pathway, he thrust another beam of dark energy at the tablet, perhaps hoping that his speech would’ve taken it off-guard. No such luck, the attack was immediately deflected away, causing another explosion in the black sky moments later.
 
“I’m not interested in decoding the prophecy, because I’m not going to stick around for those events, whatever they’re supposed to be, to happen. The lines about Judgment are telling enough – and that’s what I’ll negate with the Door’s power. I’ll make sure to cement my immortality, so that such a thing never comes to pass. My apologies if I’m saying this too many times, but it seems to me that you aren’t getting the f***ing POINT! I told you before, and I’ll tell you again…” The dark sorcerer withdrew his blade into its sheath, and as he did, the various cards all retreated back into his pockets.
 
“In the name of myself, Protheus Maximus, I hereby declare thus—I will never accept my fate to be no more.”
 
A grand silence followed. Like a standoff between two different extremes of darkness.
 
…
 
... …
 
… … …
 
Then, at long last, he appeared to be drawn into the tablet by a crimson energy. Had some sincerity finally entered his words? Or had the Pathway just given up at his sheer stubbornness? The power that was involved in bringing him back to the starting point was unbelievably violent, destructive, akin to a blazing hellfire attempting to consume his very soul out of complete and utter FRUSTRATION, grinding and stabbing him in every direction and, yet none of that affected the smug smile on his face.
 
“Haha… Hahahhahaha…. AHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHH!!!”
 
Each sensation was something he’d already become very much acquainted with, and it was especially minor compared to the one clear fact. That he completed Death. That he was almost at his goal. That he may yet become truly eternal, to the point that he could outlive the very stars themselves.
 
So what if the Key of Origin had been taken away?! He would take it back in a heartbeat, not like there was anyone else who possessed the power to stand against his entire might. He would crush anything and everything that dared to be in his way, rewrite reality in order to shatter that prophecy, and emerge VICTORIOUS over ALL OF TIME AND SPACE! Even that anomaly, whatever it happened to be, would fall before him. If anything, perhaps he should thank it for snapping him back to his senses.
 
To conclude... Protheus Maximus was ready to destroy.
 

Ending Position: White Room
 
 

 

As he left the Pathway to Death, a young girl in rags watched from afar, her arms crossed.
 
“Almost.”

[Dad]

Falling.  Falling.  Falling.  Unknowingly through what felt like an infinite darkness, Kenpachi, Kratos, Revy, Yachiru, and Killua were silently stumbling through blackness, as the Avatar disappeared.  And just as things were getting interesting too.  When the sudden trip ended, Kenpachi's zanpaktou was still raised, and was brought down towards Kratos.  His reaction was swift, raising his blades and blocking the attack.

 

"Kenpachi!" he roared, as surprised as he was insulted.

 

"Kratos?" Kenpachi said softly, confused.  He drew back his zanpaktou, and placed it on his back.  "I. . .where's the Avatar?"

 

"You dare--!?  Wait.  The Avatar?  You fought with him?"

 

"Yeah.  Just now.  I was midswing, and the slimy bastard disappeared," he said with a grin.  "Things were gettin' fun too.  I was hop--oof!" Kenpachi was tackled to the ground as Yachiru used all of her power to bring him down with a great, big hug.  "Kenny!" she rejoiced, burying her face in his chest.  "Heh.  Glad to have ya back, Yachiru."  Holding her up with one hand and standing up straight, Kenpachi hugged his best friend.  "Gotta stick together.  Can't go gettin' lost on me.  It'd take too long to find ya," he chuckled.  

 

"Hey.  Sorry to break up the reunion.  But I found the Avatar," Killua spoke up.  His finger pointing to the series of shadow clones in the distance, Killua confirmed that this was the work of the Avatar.  

 

Revy was helped to her feet by Kratos, as she too had a revelation.  "Yup.  That's gotta be him," she said noticing the dark black shell.  "And the party started without us.  Maybe we should crash it," she said feeling much more rejuvenated.  

 

An excited Killua remembered his conversation with the Avatar.  It was intelligent.  Dedicated to its cause.  He understood why the Avatar was doing what it was doing.  But that was one more reason they had to win.  He smiled, lightning dancing across his skin.  "Sure.  I'll bring the party favors."  A heavy hand on his shoulder made Killua peek over his shoulder, seeing Kenpachi and Yachiru grinning down excitedly at him.

 

"Easy, sparky.  The Avatar is still strong.  And they look like they're strugglin'.  Don't run in and get yourself killed," he said stepping in front of Killua.  Kenpachi looked on at the chaos that was ensuing before him, his heart beat growing fast as he became enthusiastic about the next fight.  With a sinister grin, he turned back to Killua.  "That's my job."  Turning around, Kenpachi exploded away, Kratos took Revy's hand, and carried her as he chased Kenpachi.  Killua shook his head, following closely behind the others.

[Phantom Roxas]

[The Pathway to Truth - A6]

 

Eria and Gagagigo

 

The water projections of Gagagigo grappled each other, and Eria held her Keyblade against the Blood Priestess calling on the Mad Blood. We are the Water Charmer,” said the Blood Priestess. ”That’s the most important thing in this war!” Eria formed a giant fist out of water, punching the Blood Priestess. Although the Blood Priestess doubled back, she seemed only to be soaked. She pulled on her hair, squeezing out some of the water. ”We have mom to thank for that. So why didn’t Emiya recruit her?”

 

”Don’t call her that!” Eria blocked more Mad Blood, the pure water steaming. Eria could feel a cold shiver running down her spine, and sweat dripping from her brow. She howled in laughter, her eyes gazing at the dark sky, but her hands reached up, cupping her mouth. ”Don’t…” Some chuckles escaped from her mouth. ”She’s my mom. I won’t let you talk as if she’s yours, too.”

 

”Remember what Lord Megiddo said? He would bring us to another us, and combine our memories, our experiences, our minds into one! And I was created in this war, Eria. We had the same parents. We’re still that same girl who went to LERNA’s Barrier. And for what? To let Lydia take the spotlight from us?”

 

”But without Lydia, we wouldn’t have gotten the map. That’s what’s important.”

 

”What difference did it make, though? The Divine still found the forest. Protheus still took the Key.”

 

”How many times do you have to remind me of that?” Eria’s voice cracked. Mad Blood rose from the pool, coiling together, and extending forward, burrowing into Eria’s leg. Eria screamed. Her voice was a constant expression of pain, before shaking into a laugh, then to a cry. ”These Pathways… you’ll never let that go, will you?”

 

”You want to help Arthur, don’t you? Then why wasn’t that enough? Why couldn’t we take the Key?” The Blood Priestess stepped forward, walking along the pool’s surface. ”Butler awakened us, and Dorian trusted you. Why don’t we just leave this to them? If they’re telling the truth, then aren’t we just a game piece? We’re pawns. We don’t get to play the game ourselves.”

 

It was the same lies. This was all that they could throw against her. Either Eria was just a card, or she just wasn’t enough for Protheus. But Eria had her own game in mind. ”Do you believe that?”

 

”Everyone else believes it. Why should we think they’re wrong?”

 

”Because we can think they’re wrong!” Eria threw the Blood Priestess back with more water. The Blood Priestess blocked with Mad Blood, and Eria spun her wrists, causing more walls of water to spin, pushing against the Mad Blood. ”Gagagigo and I have stuck together. Arthur doesn’t see us as a card.”

 

”Don’t rely on Arthur!” The Blood Priestess shrieked, looking up as her Mad Blood replica of Gagagigo was thrown over to her right, exploding into a puddle of the liquid. As she looked to her left, the real Gagagigo landed, dragging the winged Gogiga by its tail.

 

Gagagigo looked over at his water clone. ”That’s always going to be a little creepy,” Gagagigo said with a laugh.

 

”At least the real you is still here,” Eria smiled. ”We have our own dreams. Goals we want to fulfill. If you want to talk about my mom, then shouldn’t that be proof enough that I have a life? I have parents still waiting for me! My friends to go back to! And a teacher who I still look up to. Emiya’s right, he could have brought them here, but… I think I get it now.” Eria held her breath. If there was anything she learned from Lady Doriado, it was humility. ”I’m sorry, everyone, but… I hope you’ll forgive me for a little bragging.”

 

”What are you blubbering about?” the Blood Priestess asked.

 

Gagagigo cracked his knuckles, but Eria raised her hand. Gagagigo nodded, stepping back while Eria met the Blood Priestess’s approach. Eria’s wounded leg held her back, but she held her head up. This had to be her fight. ”I’m my parents’ daughter. I’m Lady Doriado’s student. And I’m Hiita, Wynn, Aussa, Darc, and Lynna’s friend. They’ve all helped me grow up. If any of them would have made it here, back on Death, would mom or dad have seen me? Wouldn’t they want to see how their little girl grew up? Wouldn’t Lady Doriado want to see her students becoming masters in their own right? I didn’t see my friends, though. Not from the Pathway, at least. Dorian’s friend showed me Wynn… I’m going to kill Dorian. Him and Protheus.”

 

”Funny. When we swore we’d kill someone, we met Arthur. And how well did that go?”

 

”That was before I met Arthur. But Dorian, and Protheus? I know enough. I know that I’m going to stop them. If they think I’ll just sit around and play their games, then it’s time I make them play mine. Losing the Key just means I have to fight twice as hard to take it back.”

 

The Blood Priestess blinked. She laughed, but there was no malice behind it. Not a hint of the Mad Blood controlling her actions. She reached out with her right hand. ”Good answer! But, do you know how to do any of that?”

 

Eria looked at the Blood Priestess’s hand. Eria raised her own to meet it, but she looked at Megiddo’s brand. Even if the Blood Priestess was only a creation of the Pathway, Eria couldn’t ignore that she looked just like her. Would it be enough to activate Megiddo’s curse if they shook hand? She couldn’t risk it. She pulled her hand back and closed her fist. The Blood Priestess smiled as Eria spoke. ”Dorian and Butler will be tough, but I’m willing to push my magic past my limits. But Protheus is going to be tricky, like LERNA or the Madara. I’ve survived this long, though. I’ll just stay alive long enough to think of something.”

 

”You really have no idea what you’re getting into, do you?”

 

”I don’t. But I also refuse to believe to give up now, so I’m okay with seeing how far blind luck will carry me.”

 

The Blood Priestess opened her arms to Eria and Gagagigo. ”Then I wish us all… I wish you both the best of that luck.” The Mad Blood evaporated, and clear water sprung from the ground, swirling around the Blood Priestess. Her body went transparent, clear as the water itself, before she disappeared. Eria spared a moment of silence for the Blood Priestess, and led Gagagigo further through the wasteland.

 

---

Arthur & MachGaogamon

 

Arthur cast a Reflect spell, but it could not stop Heartless’s sword, which phased through the barrier as though it simply was not there. ”That won’t help you anymore,” Heartless warned. ”The Pathways are where we lay our souls bare. I see you for what you are. Back when you went to Locomon, you were running away from your life. Now you run towards it, yet you’re still hiding behind whatever you can to limit the pain.”

 

”And what’s wrong with trying to protect myself?” Arthur asked. Demigod was holding his crossbow close. Heartless turn his eyes towards Demigod, but Arthur stepped between them.

 

”I could kill him,” Heartless said. ”Isn’t that why you joined the Divine? It was only the other day that you wanted the Door to make you mortal again. Even if you won’t make that wish now, remember why you wanted to in the first place. The boy who managed to defeat the Demon Lords is up there against MachGaogamon, away from your own fight. I think that’s proof enough that you’re willing to let him fight on his own. But a part of you is still in that fight!” As Heartless raised his blade, a ball of fire blasted his hand.

 

”A part of me.” Arthur stood shoulder to shoulder with Demigod, as another Fire spell shot from his Keyblade at Heartless. ”You said neither of us could be made whole. So is that the trick here?”

 

”That’s right,” Demigod said. ”But look at him. He’s a Counter Guardian and that Heartless… thing. He’s already two different sides of you.”

 

Arthur clutched his chest. He could still feel his heart beating. After what he had seen on Death, Arthur was disappointed that he couldn’t figure out what exactly that trick was here. ”Well… you’re a side of me, too, aren’t you?”

 

”Yeah, but… wait, what do you mean?”

 

”You guys are trying to tell me that you’re all different. I refuse to believe that. I told…” He could feel that he was about to say Apollo. His father had said he could have passed the test on Death if he called him something else. ”I told Dad that I’m indecisive. Megiddo saw that. Even Sora said it when I couldn’t. You’re all the different choices I’m supposed to make. But the kid who beat the Demon Lords is not who I am anymore. Or at least, I’m not going to be just that. And I’m not going to be just a demigod. I’m not going to just settle for understanding Counter Guardians or the Throne of Heroes or leave it up to the Keyblade. I want to be everything I can be!”

 

Demigod smiled. ”We’re always going to be the son of Apollo. Let’s see if we’ve got the room for everything else.” He took Arthur’s hand, and Demigod’s whole body glowed. Not only was Demigod surrounded by golden light, he was the light. His form grew less solid and detailed, until the light seemed to spiral around Arthur, before directing itself towards Arthur’s Keyblade.

 

The sword began to shift in Arthur’s hand. He could feel it slipping through his fingers, like the handle was growing thinner. The whole Keyblade seemed to be thinner, but it grew longer, curving backwards and upwards. As Arthur held the weapon, something brushed against his arm. He grabbed at it with his other hand, and felt his fingers pluck at a string. No longer holding his Keyblade, Arthur now wielded a golden bow, with crimson knocks in a sequence of three ornate curves. As Arthur’s hand pulled on the string, the shape of an arrow formed within his grasp. ”My quest is to find Pandora’s Box. Even after it was opened, after it unleashed so many terrible things, the one thing that remained was hope. Lydia brought hope to the Counter Corps, but I’m bringing back hope to my own world!”

 

”Excellent!” Heartless cheered. ”But you’ve only reconciled your lineage. You won’t be capable of restoring hope to your world until you are whole!”

 

”Don’t rush me.” Arthur let go of the arrow, firing it straight into Heartless’s head. The monster screamed in pain. The bow felt so easy to use. Arthur saw only the bow in his hands. It felt stronger than his old crossbow. The bow suited a son of the god of archery. Heartless’s screaming calmed, his wings lifting himself into the air. Arthur nocked another arrow.

 

 

 

 

***

 

MachGaogamon’s Howling Cannon blew up most of the missiles before they could reach him, though a couple large ones continued on their path. ”Winning Knuckle!” MachGaogamon sped past them, concentrating his fists on MagnaGarurumon. As he struck, a loud BOOM rang around the Digimon.

 

MagnaGarurumon stood still. ”You’re too weak, Gaomon. You’ve grown over the past few years, but not enough to keep the power you once had. But you’ve still managed to use it with Arthur’s help. Don’t let him go. What right does his father have to claim him now when he gave him up before?”

 

”He has no claim! But what else am I supposed to do? Keep Arthur protected from his home forever? He’s lived in the Digital World long enough. He’s ready to go to Camp Half-Blood!”

 

”If you’re willing to let him go, then let’s see if you can survive at all without him.” MagnaGarurumon fired once again. More missiles rained towards MachGaogamon, but MagnaGarurumon dropped his guns. Reaching behind his back, MagnaGarurumon drew two metal rods. Beams of light extended from them, forming into sabers. MachGaogamon spun around his body, fast like a tornado, spiraling around the missiles as several of them crashed into each other. As he soon as he looked back at MagnaGarurumon, his opponent vanished. It was a style he recognized. MagnaGarurumon was flying faster than he could see, and before MachGaogamon could defend himself, he burn the burning slashes of MagnaGarurumon’s sabers crossing against his back. MachGaogamon, unable to keep his body up, fell to the ground and crashed.

 

***

 

Heartless dodged Arthur’s next arrow, instead turning its attention that the figure that fell nearby. MachGaogamon lifted his head, but MagnaGarurumon stepped to the ground, planting his foot on MachGaogamon’s head to keep him down.

 

”Already?” Heartless groaned. ”You’re making this seem too easy.” An arrow flew just above Heartless’s shoulder, only barely scraping his skin. ”Look at him, Arthur. He’s too weak to stand. But he can still fight. When you first summoned the Keyblade, your Digivice became a part of it. I wonder, now that you’ve made your bow, can it still use it like the Digivice?”

 

”I’m sorry…” said Arthur. ”I should have done this before. I know you don’t want MirageGaogamon to just be something you can switch on and off.” Arthur held up his bow. ”But now you have to evolve!”

 

”Don’t!” MachGaogamon shouted. MagnaGarurumon stepped back, and MachGaogamon began to lift himself up. ”If you use that now… we fail. We can beat them with our own power, but there’s more here than just brute strength, right? We can still be friends. Comrades. I’ll still rely on you for the Burst Mode. We’re going to fight side by side, but if I can’t even do the bare minimum of what they expect, to be able to fight for the sake of the Digital World with my own power, then I won’t be satisfied.”

 

”But what if your power isn’t enough for Dianamon?” MagnaGarurumon asked. ”Apocrypha tried to ask you about her, but you wouldn’t listen. Are you trying contain your feelings? The only person who doesn’t know how you feel is Dianamon herself.”

 

MachGaogamon managed to stand up. ”You think I want power just so she’ll love me?”

 

”But you do love her, don’t you?”

 

”Of course I love Dianamon! Is that what you wanted to hear? I look at Arthur and Eria, and…

 

”You wanted that kind of relationship for yourself,” MagnaGarurumon said. ”So you’ve confused idolization with attraction, so you think if you reach her level, there might be more to it.”

 

MachGaogamon wanted to lie. He felt that he could, even on the Pathway to Truth. But he couldn’t. ”Yes. But that would be shallow and arrogant, wouldn’t it? To be a hero to all simply to impress just one person?” As he straightened his stance, the wound from MagnaGarurumon’s sabers strained his body, and he doubled forward. But the pain was only brief. MagnaGarurumon held out his sabers, but the beams of light vanished, and the metal crumbled to dust in his hands. MachGaogamon smirked, and as he stepped forward, MagnaGarurumon stepped back. ”I have no idea what I would say to her, but it certainly won’t be bragging.”

 

MagnaGarurumon screamed. His head shifted, now donning a wolf’s mask, while his jaw turned entirely human. His body was now wearing white, gold, and violet armor. His hands were before with gauntlets, each with three golden claws. Now he was Beowulfmon, a much weaker form of his past self. ”What are you doing?” he asked. ”We’re supposed to work together!”

 

”Would you stop trying to say what we’re supposed to do?” Arthur fired an arrow at Beowulfmon, and it hit right in the shoulder. ”We’ve done enough already. We’ve got one more Pathway, and whatever is after that. But looking at you just reminds me that I have to go to Camp Half-Blood. I don’t… I don’t know how to say it. I don’t want to never see you again.”

 

”But you time in your world,” said MachGaogamon. ”I understand that. Maybe we’ll see each other again. Some day.”

 

”As friends. Not some idiot kid needing somewhere to hide.”

 

MachGaogamon smiled. ”I’d like that.”

 

”Stop ignoring me!” Beowulfmon shouted. He swept his claws at MachGaogamon, but stopped as MachGaogamon whole body began to glow.

 

”Don’t worry,” MachGaogamon said. Grid lines formed over his body, as the details of his body seemed to “peel” away, revealing a blue silhouette of himself. ”I’m just getting ready to Round Two!” MachGaogamon grew, his hands covered with his own claws. A red cape extended from new body armor. MirageGaogamon loomed above Beowulfmon, who screamed once more as he fell on all four, his face turning completely back into a wolf’s. Beowulfmon had regressed to KendoGarurumon, whimpering at the sight of MirageGaogamon. ”I’ve passed your test,” said MirageGaogamon. ”And Arthur… thank you. This is who I am now. This is not the power of the Digivice. This is my own.”

 

Heartless scoffed. ”I’m surprised, Arthur. For him to look like that means that he is only MirageGaogamon’s opponent. You’ve absorbed Demigod and erased Tamer. Hmm. I suppose you have it takes to fulfill your promise on Death after all.”

 

”This isn’t over!” KendoGarurumon howled.

 

”You know the rules, KendoGarurumon.” Heartless shook his head. ”We only worked together to see if Arthur and MirageGaogamon can be independent. You’re on your own now.” Heartless swung his sword through another of Arthur’s arrows. ”Let me speak. MirageGaogamon, for all intents and purposes, the Pathway has recognized your abilities. But you are not entirely done yet. There is still more for you to do, more for you to see… unless KendoGarurumon believes otherwise?”

 

”Face me!” KendoGarurumon leapt up at MirageGaogamon, but the face on MirageGaogamon’s torso opened, firing a Full Moon Blaster. KendoGarurumon was obliterated in an instant, leaving a hole in the ground.

 

MirageGaogamon folded his arms, looking down at Arthur and Heartless. ”I suppose, in a way, I still need your help, Arthur. But I’m relieved. Before, when I could only assume this form temporarily, I felt like there was this timer on the back of my mind. That in a moment, I would turn back to MachGaogamon, and I had to ignore that. It’s strange, though. Now I have to believe that I don’t even need to ignore it. I am MirageGaogamon. As for you, the other Arthur. It seems it’s two against one.”

 

”You go on ahead,” said Arthur. ”I’ll catch up. After you won your fight on your own… well, you’d probably make this too easy, right?”

 

”If you insist,” MirageGaogamon shrugged. ”Don’t go dying on me.” MirageGaogamon turned away, dashing until even his giant form faded beyond the dead trees.

 

”Two against one…” As Heartless turned his back on Arthur, Guardian stepped forward, as though he had only just been standing behind Heartless. Guardian held the same sword as Heartless, who walked back to his side, as the two faced Arthur. ”You will not take the Key.”

 

”But you must open the Door,” Guardian added.

 

Arthur aimed his bow, debating whether to shoot Guardian or Heartless first. ”It’s going to feel weird hurting myself so much. But I guess I should be used to it.”

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

Komeiji Koishi

Prologuous

 

“…We’re going nowhere…”

 

Yukari had seemingly disappeared, perhaps to think of something that could harm the Avatar without creating more clones, most of which had recovered themselves to full health at the cost of the Avatar shell’s own. Koishi herself was confused with all the clones the Avatar made for her, all who were fighting someone else at the moment. It seemed like it would be pointless to deal with them. Despite the Avatar would end up sustaining damage from recovering the wounded clones, there was no way attacking them would be more efficient than dealing with the Avatar upfront.

 

Koishi couldn’t simply use another Recollection to do something that’d deal satisfying damage to the Avatar.There was one attack she hadn’t tried to recollect, but assuming that it would work against it would be something naïve for her to believe. She could try reading other’s mind for something else to recollect, but doing that would be rude and sis would scold her for it. And so, she simply summoned her Embers of Love familiars, and as the elongated danmaku familiars started to swim around in the sky, they fired a hail of bullets towards the Avatar. That was the best that she could do right now, and unless she figured out something else, that’s all that she’d do for now.

 

 

Kazuya Minegishi

Prologuous

 

“Great…now it made a clone of me.”

 

Kazuya was not exactly amused when he saw that the shelled Avatar created a clone of himself, and he started thinking of what he should do to deal with it. Although…thinking about it, the clone would probably not have the thing necessary to be much of a threat. After all, he had smashed his useless COMP earlier, and it probably would not have access to the Bels inside of it. But once again, Kazuya was utterly unamused when the clone showed his own copy of the COMP, and started calling out to two other shadows that were fighting the other people. The two almost identical girl-shadow with funny-looking hat and clothing gleefully responded to the shadow’s call, and then it booted the COMP and went to a menu Kazuya was all familiar with.

 

“…is it actually seriously going to-?”

 

“Initiating Fusion.”

 

“This is going to be an issue…”

 

The three of them disappeared into a vortex of light, and what came out was something akin to an abomination heralded by one of the shadow girls, now looking a lot more pale than before with a more solemn grin instead of a childish one. The heart-shaped abomination then fired several thorns towards the ground, and those thorns manifested just below Kazuya and the shadow’s previous attackers as giant impaling spikes that almost skewered Kazuya had he not move away as fast as he could.

 

“Let us all play together now!”

 

 

There was a warmth she felt on her back. At the heat of the battle against the fused shadow alongside Rhadamantys, Reimu felt a peculiar warmth that was not there a moment before. It was as if it’s calling for her, inviting her. Remembering what she stored there earlier on Yukari’s world, Reimu hesitantly wondered whether it would be best for her to respond to its call. It was something made in heaven, and without being a heavenly host, if it’s active she would’ve been burned if she dared to touch it. Yet, the warmth continued to invite her,and Reimu decided that it wouldn’t hurt that bad even if it ended up hurting her.

 

So she grabbed it from her back, and pointed it towards her opponent. The Sword of Hisou was glowing with life once more, its golden blade shone brightly, the carved runes on it became visible. The sword seemed to have chosen her, and so, in that case, Reimu would show it that she’s worthy of holding it.

 

---

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian: Prologuous 

 

~Butlerok~

 

Butlerok was busy dodging attacks from the miscellaneous specters of all of his past victims. Granted there were a lot but that wasn't the problem. He looked over at his opponent and for a split second she was seemed to glow. Butler looked annoyed as he surmised that the Avatar might actively be boosting its shadow creatures. This would accelerate the time table of having to deal with it, however there was a good sense in the air as well. Butlerok could tell that the Kenpachi faction was on the move. He snickered as he no longer felt he had to conserve energy until the old captain reminded him of the situation at hand.

You do realize that if they attack the Avatar and fail to actually kill it we will have much stronger copies to deal with. Yamamamoto commented.
 

Well don't you know how to ruin a good time. Rhagnarok quickly clapped back. 

Thought the old man was right there was only one thing to actually discuss and with that Butlerok proceeded to take the Ryuujin Jakka and point it at the girl. BANKAI! The flames that had filled the orb mysteriously disappeared and Butlerok unleashed a deluge of Mad Blood but before it can flood the creative thorn prison it starts taking shape into an army of skeletons who then light themselves ablaze. 

Zanka No Tachi, Minami: Kaka Jūmanokushi Daisōjin 

Butlerok waved his hand as his army went and attacked her army and the little shadow maiden on the other end.

 

~Dorian~
 

Seriously! He exclaimed as he jumped back and dodged the massive tentacle drill and with that he thought he was safe as the attack exploded. From the smoke arose a bunch of small tentacles that started following him no matter where he tried to fly away to. Similar to his opponent he tried to shoot down some of the tentacles but couldn't stop all of them. Constantly exploding Dorian was just bracing for impact at this moment. But when the smoke cleared he his eye was twitching as pieces of the top layer of face were clearly missing. However his opponent would see not exposed muscle tissue it would be pitch black like his teammate's. 

The sad part was that his skin wasn't regrowing so he just stayed there and rolled his eyes as he noticed that his opponent was somewhat glistening like something good just happened to her. 

 

So you gettin' help now! I guess we can't play nice anymore. He said with hands on his hip's. Dorian was then consumed by a pillar of fire and it quickly dispersed with him fully decked out in his surplice. He clapped his hand and made his classic flaming arrow. 

I admit, I've gotten pretty fond of this trick. He fired the arrow at blinding speeds straight at the shadow creature meant to take her heart right out of her body.
 

~Rhadamanthys~

 

As the new women unleashed her fury of holy magic Rhadian simply stood still so this priestess could see how feeble her attacks were against him. It looked like someone throwing pebbles at giants. Rhadian broke out into laughter and looked at the Rhadamanthys. 

 

Don't you see, your victory was not meant to be

A loss is all the future has for you

Give up give in, you know its true.

 

Rhadamanthys only raised his eyebrow as Rhadian proceeded to talk and then most devilish smirk came across his face. 

Well let's see who going to break first then. Rhadamanthys added as he was about to attack the creature. Of course it was at this moment that the grand reset happened and Shadow Rhadian shook his head as if he was leaving a trance. 

Oh look, I guess we can say my victory is as good as guaranteed. But look, more guest are going to be coming pretty soon. I can't wait for the party! Rhadian had pointed to Kenpachi's group. Rhadamathys was about to reengage the shadow beast, but it looked like his partner may have been taking this fight seriously now as well. 

So a new weapon. Interesting, this fight is going to end quicker than I thought. Rhadamanthys spoke to his partner.

Really, I thought you both would have put up a fight before you eventually concede.

 

:Shadow Rhadian:.

HP: 2000/2000

Attack: 1500

Defence: 1000

Speed: 1000