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

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian: Final Round

Dorian and Butlerok only had shocked eyes as their flames fed the beast to the point that it overpowered the Rhadamanthys' attack. They both looked at each other knowing they ruing his time to shine and that they would probably never hear the end of this. As the ice kept coming and coming Rhadamanthys broke free of his own attack and managed to dodge the massive dragon and regroup with the other two.

YOU IDDDIIIOOOTTSSSS! He justifiably exclaimed. Could you not just let me have that one? We would've been done with this by now! 

Okay look to be fair, Butler new the boy had Ice powers so we thought this would work. 

A lot has happened since we initially met. I forgot about the black flame part. 

So you two thought after possessing an Ice Queen and being bombarded by four fire users she would jump into ANOTHER ICE USER. 

Well she kinda did. Dorian added with a slight shrug. 

The group couldn't afford to do more arguing as the situation kept getting more and more dire. The dragon came at the group and while they all split up to dodge  they all saw the unspeakable happen. Kenpachi had fallen and became one of her Heralds. 

Now this is unfortunate. Butlerok says flying through the skies. We definitely cannot handle them by ourselves. 

There's a whole separate squad of good guys over there I'm sure they can hold Kenpachi down. Dorian said trying his best to dodge dragon fire and black ice shards. Let's focus on the beast in front of us and then we can see where to go from there. 

Rhadamanthys clapped his hands and summoned forth his sword of the Hades God cloth. We're no knights...

...But we'll have to slay this dragon. Butlerok concluded as he had Ragnarok in sword form. 

Both Rhadamanthys and Butlerok crossed their blades and as the two swords glowed two distinct shades of purple the energies began to overlap. 

SCREECH OMEGA! Both members swung down and launched a might "X" shaped attack at the massive dragon. 

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

The battle continued to rage on.

 

From where Bel was, he saw his Megidolaon landing unopposed as Isamy's dragon was caged in a strange box-shaped barrier. It seemed that its size and power ended up making it more vulnerable, but he couldn't let his guard down just yet. Some of the former members of the Divines rained fire towards Isamy and the Dragon, but with her current ability, she absorbed all of it to the point that it was able to withstand the rest of the attacks. The barrer continued to contain the dragon, but it seemed that its own attacks went around unimpeded.

Bel prepared for another Megidolaon, but before the attack was able to be prepared, the dracolich summoned many wyverns around. As big as Culebre, at this moment Bel was getting himself ready to attack it instead before those wyverns were able to reach him, yet they disposed of themselves quite a distance away from him. Their self-destruction led to a cloud of black flames aimed towards him and Culebre however.

"Curses!"

 

The black flames emitted an intense heat even from this distance. Bel felt that even his supernaturally-generated COMP would melt should the flame hit. With one yell, he casted Shield All to protect him and Culebre, but the barrier summoned in this manner only managed to slow down the flames a little. The unnatural flames eat away the protection before continuing on their way. Fire immunity ddn't work for this flame. Bel prepared to dodge the blast alongside Culebre, yet, without him ordering to, Culebre dived downwards ater shaking him off its back. The dragon demon collided with the flames, engulfed and destroyed in a matter of seconds, but opening a way for Bel to avoid the attack.

 

As he fell down, his gaze was locked at the scene above him.

 

"So, it really felt a bond to that boy, huh? That Amaterasu too...

 

Well, I suppose he really is a worthy vessel."

 

That thought made Bel smile with pride as he turned around midair to look at Isamy and her dragon. Another Megidolaon was fired from his palm  The battle had become more and more heated. One of his allies had decided to change sides. it was not the time for him to relax.

However, Bel decided to test one of his hypothesis. Should his judgment about that boy was right, then he would not need to do anything yet for now.

 

Someone else would take his slack and participate on his regard.

 

---

 

"So many temperaments..."
 

The sparks of everyone's feelings and actions all funneled into the nameless girl's blade. Taking the form of tiny scarlet orbs, each were absorbed into her as she prepared for the next attack. Everyone's passion in this battle really did make her somewhat envious. All of them had their own reason to fight with all they had against Isamy, yet all that the nameless girl fought for was her own self-satisfaction and personal closure.

Those were of course very important to her, but even then, ultimately, she couldn't help but wonder at the romantic idea of fighting for something one truly believed in rather than just for a short-time personal satisfaction.

 

Analysis of Gula Dracolich and Isamy Maximus: 70%

 

Each attacks that landed. Each hit that Isamy suffered. Even those that she shrugged off and absorbed, it all helped the nameless girl to understand her more and more. More than even sincere words, the temperaments told her more about the nature of the two's existence. Identify, adapt, exploit. She watched as the dracolich constantly shifted between black ice and black flame to cover itself as its assaulted another wyvern despite the barrier locking it in. She had seen how Dorian and Butlerok's flames only made it stronger. All of those felt like meaningless gesture, but for her, it was of utmost value now.

 

Analysis of Gula Dracolich and Isamy Maximus: 80%

 

"Just a little bit more. A little bit more, and I will unravel-"

[ W H O A R E Y O U ? ]

 

A psychic assault invaded her mind. It was a lot weaker than Isamy's previous one. The nameless girl attempted to shrug it off, igorng it as she continued to charge her attack.

Yet it refused to go away. A persistent echo, hard to see whether it was Isamy's own power or the nameless girl's mind that kept refusing to let the question disappear. Like how she was going to exploit Isamy's structural weakness, right now Isamy had managed to exploit hers.

 

"You really are persistent, aren't you?"

 

At first, she simply smiled in response. The nameless girl smiled at Isamy, at her own thoughts, at the utter mess that was her own existence. The smile started out small, but it became wider and wider until she suddenly broke into laughter out of nowhere. Why would Isamy ask this now? Why would she think that it was something that would slow the nameless girl down now? That was all felt like a complete joke, as much as a joke as the nameless girl's own existence in the first place.

 

Analysis of Gula Dracolich and Isamy Maximus: 85%

 

Amidst her laughter and the constant question echoing inside of her mind, the nameless girl spoke.

 

"Who am I? What sort of answer do you want to hear from me anyway?"

 

A member of the Counter Corpse, the shinigami that she knew Reimu was an associate of, had decided to change sides at the last second. The nameless girl simply nodded at his decision. That man was strong. Way stronger than her. He would surely be a threat to her and to anyone else. The situation had become more hopeless. But the nameless girl continued to laugh.

 

Laughter was liberating. Laughter helped clear her mind. Laughter helped her realize just how sick she felt about the question Isamy imposed to her now.

 

"You can call me Tenshi. Call me Nanashi. Call me an impostor, a faker, call me with any name you wanted. You can treat me as her alternate counterpart, her sister, her daughter, or her lover. I don't care a bit." As she said this, Dorian and his friends had rebounded since their failed attack attempts. "I'm just myself. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm going to be the one that define what that means, and I don't have any obligation to tell you anything about the conclusion I'll draw one day."

 

Butlerok and Rhadamantys launched their best assault at the Dracolich, in the form of a mighty and earth-shattering X-shaped combination attack. It was soon followed by the appearance of a figure. A goddess-like figure, rising from the snow. She rushed towards the Dracolich before her very essence became engulfed in a sphere that was reminiscence of the sun itself. The words Megidolaon came across the girl's mnd as she witnessed the attack. Acknowledging their actions, the nameless girl aimed at Isamy instead. The shinigami that had chosen to change sides was a massive threat to her and to everyone, but the Nameless girl had to engage him in combat one by one to be able to start exploiting his weakness, and that would make her start from zero again.

 

That would be quite disappointing, wouldn't it?

 

The analysis of Isamy Maximus (Ed Garith) had been completed.

 

"If you want an actual answer, then I guess here it is."

 

As the mental voice inside affirmed the fact that the preparation was complete, the nameless girl regained her composure and her serious expression. She brought her sword forward, and from all the temperament that it had absorbed, it started to spin wildly mid-air. From the nature that she had read from Isamy, the energy of everyone's spirits had been reshaped into a form that would strike at any vulnerabilities the hollow being might have.

 

"Who am I? Just someone that will bring you down, somehow."

 

Following her words, a great blast of deep crimson beam was fired from her spinning sword, threatening to turn anything in its path, most notably Isamy and her dracolich, into dust.

 

---

[Dad]

Abyss Watchers

 

"You can call me Tenshi. Call me Nanashi. Call me an impostor, a faker, call me with any name you wanted. You can treat me as her alternate counterpart, her sister, her daughter, or her lover. I don't care a bit."

 

Finite turned to the sound of this voice.

 

"I'm just myself. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm going to be the one that defines what that means, and I don't have any obligation to tell you anything about the conclusion I'll draw one day."

 

Kenpachi frowned.  "I..."

 

"If you want an actual answer, then I guess here it is."

 

Finite growled.  "Cannot..."

 

"Who am I? Just someone that will bring you down, somehow."  Following her words, a great blast of deep crimson beam was fired from her spinning sword, threatening to turn anything in its path, most notably Isamy and her dracolich, into dust.

 

Finite drew back Nozarashi and appeared before the crimson blast.  "Allow this."  He reached into the void of space and time with the tip of his weapon and thrust it forward to meet the blast head-on.  A swirl of blacks, blues, and purple lights clashed at the tip of Nozarashi in its Bankai state, then began to push back.  With another mighty push, Finite shoved Nozarashi forward and divided the beam in half, splitting it in two and sending it careening to opposite ends of the forest.

 

"...Kenny..." a whisper in his mind.  A ghost?

 

Finite lowered his weapon and hovered back to the ground.  Before he could muster another movement, a bolt of lightning whizzed past his skull.

 

"Big guy!" called Killua from the shores of the forest.  "You've made a big mistake."

 

Finite frowned still.  "As have you."

 

 

Severance

 

Kratos managed to free Killua and Gon and from their icy prison thanks to his own magical flames.  They had watched from the shore as the man they as Kenpachi, betrayed them all.  Perhaps he was lost.  But nonetheless, he had made a grave error in turning his back on his allies.

 

"I'm going," Killua said to Gon and Kratos.  "He's a big problem.  And if that bigger monster is controlling him, we could be in trouble."

 

Gon nodded.  "I'm with you.  Let's bring him down.  Let's save him."

 

Kratos snarled.  "We cannot save Kenpachi.  He has given his existence away to that creature."

 

"But--" Gon started.

 

"No, boy.  We have one task now," Kratos said as he drew forth his dual weapons.  "We must kill Kenpachi."

 

 

Killua and Gon looked to each other, then looked at Kratos.  With a nod, they raced forward and Killua began his assault with a violet bolt of lightning.

 

Finite turned his head to look in Killua's direction, and Killua could feel his hairs stand on edge.  "Big guy!" he called.  "You've made a big mistake!"

 

The enemy turned to Killua, Gon, and Kratos.  "As have you."

 

"God speed," Killua recited before blinking away in an instant.  As he reached Finite, Killua realized he was at a distinct advantage.  It's eyes were staring directly into Killua's, even at this speed.  Killua was met with a giant foot to his chest and the wind was knocked out of him.  He sailed backward and tumbled into Gon, knocking them both off their feet.

 

Finite marched forward as Kratos leaped toward him.  Both blades drawn, Kratos brought down a fiery plume over Finite's head.  But the blades only glanced off of Finite's face, angering him.  He snatched Kratos' chains and drew him forward before flinging him easily over his head, into the bedrock.  Finite continued to march toward Killua and Gon.

 

"Everything has a limit," Finite claimed.  "You have met yours."

[The Warden]

"Everything has a limit," Finite claimed.  "You have met yours."

 

"Then, my lost little lamb, allow me to assess yours."

 

Descending like a flock of doves, the many Hapshiels stared at Finite, and then, there was only one. One was enough, and it was fair; fair as he stood between children and their would-be butcher. The angel regarded Kenpachi, and his juicy purple lips curled into a very displeased grimace. "How ugly" he commented. "How very, truly, ugly."

 

In a flash of light, and a flutter of his wings, the angel stood ready to fight, clad in brilliant golden armour, his wings spread at their full, rather impressive size. Hand to his waist, Hapshiel drew a simple sword, marked only with the symbol of infinity on its guard. "We all have our limits, butcher. Let us test how far you can go before your delusions break" Hapshiel hissed with deadly venom, his sword raised and ready to defend.

 

---

 

Lydia observed the battle unfold, each new fold revealing more ugly creases and other stains. It seemed insane really, to fight something that just kept changing like this. One moment guns, another ice, and now dracoliches. Yeah, she was very aware of the ugly bony thing circling around her tower, just waiting for her. But... why? "What a despicable excuse of a dragon!"

 

The girl's eyes widened as a familiar presence returned to her mind. "Avalon, you're back!" she uttered with relief.

 

"I was never gone! Something severed our bond, leaving me lost in your consciousness momentarily. I have only managed to find one of few cracks that allowed me back in."

 

"Could it have been Isamy?"

 

"It might have been as a consequences of that attack on our existences she used. But, something was impeding my return. I have had my apprehensions, but I think you should discard that sword. It is... unnatural, and has clearly been having an impact on your fragile senses!"

 

"Discard Hopeless Black?" Lydia uttered, only just now realizing she held that sword in her grasp.

 

"It is an unholy amalgamation of despair and arrogance. I was a fool to even suggest that we craft the thing. No, can I even call it a thing? It is clearly... alive, somehow, filled to the brim with the essence of that Witch. Discard it, and let it fade away as we worry about that sorry excuse for a dragon outside!"

 

The girl stared at the sword, and it seemed to stare back. The hand that held it, it felt like ice. She could barely part with the sword, as if it had become part of her. Gritting hard, her stubborn fingers slowly bent, and Hopeless Black fell to the floor, an inert blade. And with a sudden cry, Lydia kicked it to the other side of the tower room. "Why did I... feel so angry all of a sudden?"

 

"It was clearly poisoning you, and now you feel the emotions it had been repressing. Leave that ugly thing behind now, and focus. We need to destroy that Dracolich and then Isamy, so this madness can end."

 

"Okay, let's slay them both, or die trying" Lydia said with new confidence as she leaped through the window, her wings catching the cold air. "What would I ever do without you Avalon?"

 

"Die, clearly."

 

"After what happened with LERNA, dying would have been better to the alternative" the Sorceress Supreme admitted as she faced off with the dragon whose attention was all hers. "Get out of my sight" she commanded, channeling Avalon's haughtiness.

 

With a hand raised, she fired a searing beam of light, intending to annihilate the disgusting undead with one pure burst. And as she did, Hopeless Black faded from the tower room.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

"I. Cannot. Allow this."

 

"I see."

 

The brilliant light that was meant to vanquish the hollow giant had been split apart by the new Herald. Kenpachi Zaraki, no...he was now something else entirely. The Herald of Isamy, Finite. There was no sign of his former companion, the adorable girl that was always on his back. Ah...this was quite unexpected. The nameless girl had decidedly ended up being too arrogant on this battle. The new Herald should have been something she dealt with first. But ah, the milk had been spilled and she had lost all that temperaments that had been fired by her earlier.

 

Even with the analysis result that had been given to her, an attack of such a scale would be a bit too unfeasible without taking for too long now. The nameless let out a groan, but she was then disrupted by a familiar voice.

 

"Hey, you!"

 

"Oh, Reimu! You're well, right?

 

...I see. At least you're still adamant on fighting."

 

Before her was Reimu, having lost half of herself, though somehow still retaining grace in her movement. How enviable...She was still looking very eager to join the fight on top of that. In fact, the barrier that held the Dracolich was made by her. If only the nameless girl was any skilled in healing magic, then she would've attempted to heal her. However, Reimu's wounds seemed to be...strange, in some way.

 

"What are you going to do now?" Reimu yelled. "The barrier not going to hold it for much longer at this point, the Dracolich's going to move around again soon."

 

"Hm...do we even have any other option? No? Then, let's just try our best in ending this fast." The nameless girl smiled. "It has been so short, but ah, let's savor this last moment by drowning them with our love."

 

"Aaalright, I guess?" Reimu looked confused, before shaking her head. "I assume you're speaking Marisa-ese and you mean that you're going to blast it with a huge beam."

 

"Large beam is a form of an equally large love, so yes."

 

"...Whatever, go do that." Reimu turned around, towards the sole remaining Herald, who were now being confronted by Gon, Killua, and Kratos. "I'll help keeping him busy in the meantime."

 

With a silent nod to indicate their agreement, the two girls flew separately, fully intent on performing the plan in their mind.

 

---

 

Marisa? Reimu shook her head as she flew away. That word came to her mind as if on instinct. Perhaps it was the name of someone that she used to know, but it shouldn't be relevant in this situation, right? Perhaps it was a friend, but ah, she couldn't remember at all. The blue-haired girl sure was acting close to her too. That probably meant that she too was supposed to be her friend before this place. Or...really? Reimu didn't really feel anything strong about her. In fact, her words creeped her out. She really only went close to her since she fired the large beam earlier, but she kind of wished that she hadn't done that.

 

Reimu stopped herself, reading the previous posts to reassess her situation. The new Herald, Finite now was going to attack two boys, but a vulgar-looking angel came to protect them. Well...vulgar as he was, the angel was magnificent in his own way. No, he was truly magnificent now, clad in his armor with his wings in full view. The expression he had was dignified too, rather than what she would've expected normally. It was strange. In a way, Reimu felt that she wished to be able to get the chance to talk to him someday just by looking at him now. But, as it was unattainable for the time being, Reimu chose to instead dismantle the barrier around the Dracolich and reformed it around the Herald and angel. In the meantime, another girl, wings fluttering as she flew, fired a shining beam of light towards the Dracolich, just as the barrier around it had been dismantled.

 

Reimu decided to keep an eye on the Dracolich for the time being. Or so was she told herself, but yet her flight drifted away. Her body was drawn downwards, towards near the barrier she had erected around Finite and the angel. It was like an obligation. Something inside of her seemed to want to do smething there, even if she couldn't understand it at all. She walked on air in silence, her own disfigured form floating lightly as she approached the two boys that had been attacked before.

 

"Are the two of you alright?"

 

---

 

With no temperament to spare, the nameless girl had decided on her sole target. The hollow giant herself, Isamy Maximus. As light bathed the Dracolich from the laser, she flew forward at full speed. The grand culprit to this grand war stood not too far away from the Dracolich that had been protecting her. The black sword that Isamy manifested from devouring the nature of another fighter was still held on her side.

 

As per usual to her, the nameless girl smiled.

 

"Here I am. I am the nameless girl that somehow ended up in the midst of all of this." She spoke so openly, as if she did not fear death. As her voice did not reach Isamy earlier, she thought of repeating it again, That was surely the polite gesture to do here. At least from this distance, there would not be any need for her to ever repeat it again. She performed a curtsy. "Happy to meet you."

 

At that same time, light started to gather on her left arm. She was fine if even this attempt failed, and a point blank attack like this was all that she was able to do to annihilate something like Isamy fast. As the last of her words left her lips and disappeared into nothing, the nameless girl leapt forward, with the hand holding the light cocked to her back.

 

 

 

"Take this! My love, my anger, and all my feelings!"

 

Nature analysis had been completed. As Isamy devoured another Origin, her own nature changed. The nameless girl had been unable to maintain a constant ability to exploit her weakness, and now at this rate, she might end up getting screwed should this Isamy managed to find another opportunity to eat another one.

 

The only solution would be, complete internal annihilation. The nameless girl started to laugh. This was the sort of solution that she loved.

 

With a wide smile, the nameless girl launched the attack.

 

 

 

"Nameless Sign: Shining Rupture!"

 

Her palm met the surface of the hollow giant. The attack's plan would be to break apart Isamy from the inside using her own energy by overpowering her spirit using all the structural weaknesses that the nameless girl had analyzed before from her. It was not dissimilar to the attack she used as the turning point to defeat the fake Arturia back in Death, yet instead of using the excess energy as an annihilating, the nameless girl contained it inside of her enemy's form before it inevitably burst.

 

She was fine if she's struck down after this. If the attack was unsuccessful, that'd be a pity, but ah well. Such was life. But right now, with the promise of the battle's end, Nanashi pushed forward driving her palm deeper and deeper as she infused more and more of her own energy to combat Isamy's.

 

---

[Merci]

---

---

---

 

The Forgotten Forest

D4 - Center of the Lake

 

Broken mask, decrepit soul, collapsing power. Her best efforts, even employing the ability of Void Inclusion to sway the tide of this battle, weren’t enough to push back the efforts of the cast. Two of her Heralds had ended up lost beyond her reach. Ravnica escaped her grasp. Even though reality had blessed Hollow Isamy for an instant with a brand new Herald of Order, with the cold power of Finite, it was undeniable that she was pushing her own existence to its very limits. And her hope to potentially model Koishi into yet another Herald, her hope to take advantage of that moment of weakness - lost, since the girl had fallen into a deep slumber. She knew for a fact that there weren’t going to be any further opportunities like this. From their point of view, she was an overwhelming force. Yet from her point of view, it was an uphill war against near-invincible soldiers.

 

Despite everything, Hollow Isamy still thought of herself as a hero. Even in the face of such impossible odds, she was refusing to give up. She would continue to fight. She would continue to advance. She would continue this story until it arrived at HER desired ending. She already died long ago. Her soul, refusing to give up, transformed into a Hollow the likes of which had never been seen before - and yet she was still being backed into a corner. Revy’s power hadn’t been enough. Elsa’s power hadn’t been enough. Even now, even after she was maximizing Ed’s capabilities to the height of their potential, it still wasn’t proving to be enough. The black flames that composed Gula Dracolich were gradually beginning to dissipate away. Void Inclusion could only be maintained for so long until the foreign existence started to reject her own. How much further could she push herself to endure their attacks? How much longer until her spirit broke apart?

 

“We're no knights…”

 

As the corrupted Herald continued to put up resistance, she sensed that Reimu had released the barrier holding her Gula Dracolich. Yet, before she could command her creature to do anything, at that exact instance, the God of Death and Butler-Ragnarok struck forth. Gula Dracolich was not only unprepared to take on a direct physical assault of their kind of magnitude, but with its massive size and current lack of momentum, had absolutely no method with which to evade. Its attempt to counterattack with a blast was too late.

 

“...but we'll have to slay this dragon.”

 

Both Rhadamanthys and Butlerok crossed their blades. As the two swords glowed, two distinct shades of purple the energies began to overlap. With that, they declared SCREECH OMEGA! and both members swung down, launching a mighty "X" shaped attack at the massive dragon. Their combined strikes cut through the black flames, wrecking Gula Dracolich’s very skeletal structure.

 

[ A H ]

 

Hollow Isamy let out a distorted gasp as the two-pronged attack connected with her Dracolich, sending it crashing down, its body tearing through the trees of the Forgotten Forest before smashing into the snow. The flames surrounded it started to wither away, revealing that the majority of its bones were now cracked.

 

Still, even though it had been severely weakened by this point, it wasn’t quite dead yet. It was indeed still moving. And as an undead, it didn’t feel any pain that might’ve otherwise slowed it down. Hollow Isamy understood there was still a possibility of everything working out. She just needed more people dead! All she needed was to kill someone else, and a new path to victory might be unlocked!

 

[ M U R D E R

H I M ! ]

 

With that, Gula Dracolich blasted off the ground one final time in a fury of black flames. Its eyes fixated on its previous attackers, Butlerok and Rhadamanthys at first…before bursting past them, enduring their assaults in a last-ditch, kamikaze attempt to fulfill its command. Its target was clear: Dorian von Schroeder. Opening its mouth, the zombie unleashed a concentrated black laser straight at him.

 

That man, Dorian, was supposed to be the one who was guaranteed to accept her invitation. However, he, this selfish man of all people, dared to defy her will. Just the idea of him caused extreme hatred to flood into her. She couldn’t even remotely understand it. In her corrupted state, it hurt her mind to try and understand it. Dorian was the ideal Divine, the ideal Herald of Order, yet he refused her. If that were to be the case, then such a hypocrite didn’t even deserve to live! If she absolutely must, then she would take his soul by force. Besides, not only was he one of the weaker targets, but his flame control could be especially useful in a Void Inclusion. And the Distortion within may even prove to be valuable to her-

 

That was when a searing beam of light was fired from one of the towers. Having been too preoccupied with taking on Bennu Dorian, the Gula Dracolich was pierced from the side by its greatest weakness. The beam of pure light had drilled through its half-hearted defense, eradicating every trace of darkness it touched.. In its final moments, the Gula Dracolich’s crimson eyes were locked onto the flying Dorian with a seething hatred, as if to convey Isamy’s inner feelings, as if to say ‘you are the monster’ - before being disintegrated into dust.

 

[ L Y D I A . . .

T H A T B I T C H ]

 

The beam had come from her. That insane lady, why couldn’t she have just been consumed? Or stayed corrupted? Now that Sorceress Supreme had regained her power, there were very few available powers to counter her. Hollow Isamy watched in horror. That was it, wasn’t it? Her lesser wyverns were being exterminated too. Even as she wielded multiple copies of Ed Garith’s Zanpakuto, Kiotso Kurokoriwa, the metal that composed them was starting to crack. These were not naturally-occurring Zanpakuto, but forced through the Inclusion of Ed Garith’s soul. Of course they would only last so long. She was running out of options.

 

Then, left exposed, one more challenger was charging across the lake’s surface to seize this opportunity flying forth across the surface of the lake. They just kept coming, didn’t they? "Here I am. I am the nameless girl that somehow ended up in the midst of all of this." The blue-haired Nanashi spoke with a bizarre smile, as if she did not fear death, before performing a curtsy. "Happy to meet you."

 

There was no way left to occupy her elsewhere. That girl and her weapon, more than many of the others, were one of the most dangerous things against a Hollow. To think that she was drawing so close… Did she need to call back Finite for support?! But then again, perhaps this was the perfect opportunity!

 

[ Y O U R S O U L

I S

M I N E ! ! ! ]

 

Desperately attempting to prolong herself even a little longer, Hollow Isamy swung all four of her Kiotso Kurokoriwas, blazing towards her target in trails of dark fire. At the same time, light started to gather on the nameless girl’s left arm, no doubt planning to conduct some sort of point blank attack. As the last of her words left her lips and disappeared into nothing, the nameless girl leapt forward, with the hand holding the light cocked to her back. Yet it was futile. There was no way she was going to survive with such a reckless charge! If anything, this must be reality blessing her with an opportunity. This foolish being was underestimating how much stronger she still was, and her decision to go for an all-out attack would backfire. Indeed, her powers would be perfect to turn the situation around! Victory remained within reach.

 

"Take this! My love, my anger, and all my feelings!"

 

However, before the four giant Zanpakutos could even slice through the reckless warrior… they shattered. Zanpakuto shards showered the nameless girl, inflicting damage no more significant than paper cuts. And on that note, Hollow Isamy experienced horror as Ed Garith’s existence vanished from her own. The Void Inclusion, her final available Void Inclusion, had been pushed too far beyond its limits. No! No! NO!

 

Then, the nameless girl started to actually laugh. Why? Why would she possibly be laughing at a time like this? Did she take the grand superiority of Isamy Maximus as a joke?! Yet, with the Hollow’s assault having failed, she’d drawn far too close to be pushed back now. There had to be another way! There had to be another method with with the tables could be turned! Another lost existence that could fill her Void! There was no time to think. Even if it was beyond the boundaries of the realm of the Door of Origin, even if there was a high chance it would fail, Hollow Isamy decided something had to be done!

 

[ V O I D I N C L U S I O N :

A R T U-]

 

Too late. With a wide smile, the nameless girl’s palm met the surface of the hollow giant.

 

"Nameless Sign: Shining Rupture!"

 

Just like that, foreign energy tore through Hollow Isamy’s form. There wasn't even an opportunity to see if the Void Inclusion succeeded. If it were a laser or other kind of magical force, then there would have been a possibility to defend against Nanashi's attempt, but somehow, in some inexplicable way, this felt far more like a virus that had just been injected within. This virus ate through her Inclusion and her whole essence in general, stealing away her own energy to break apart her compositional nature from the inside, overpowering her spirit, somehow knowing of every structural weakness that existed within. How? How long had that nameless girl been analyzing her?!

 

The virus was coalescing within, building up, preparing to burst from within the titanic Hollow. She was being forced to dedicate every inch of her power to resisting this overwhelming pressure, this alien force. Summoning the strength to move, she lunged forth at her own ribcage, where Nanashi continued to drive her palm deeper and deeper with infused energy. The process couldn’t be stopped now, but at the very least, she could take this one with her! Hence, without mercy, Hollow Isamy balled her two most titanic skeletal hands into fists and them smashed into herself, hoping to take Nanashi with her!!!

 

On that self-destructive note, Hollow Isamy let out a piercing shriek, echoing across the Forgotten Forest. It didn’t sound human. Regardless or whether or not she’d succeeded in ending the nameless girl, uncontrollable light started to erupt from every corner of her bones, of her black flesh, and especially from her exposed faced.

 

She was losing control.

 

Her very composition was losing shape.

 

Her face was burning, and to the warriors, it looked as though the heavily-damaged monster was actually melting into the Lake beneath…

 

Was this it? Was this how the great Herald of Chaos and Entropy going to meet her end?! Finite couldn’t possibly do it on his own, not with that many enemies surrounding him! She couldn’t accept this! SHE ABSOLUTELY COULD NOT ACCEPT THIS RESULT!

 

[ A A A A A A A A A A A A AA A A A A A A A A A A A a a a a a a a a a . . . ]

 

The shriek slowly decreased in power,

 

until there was no longer a giant shadow cast upon the Forgotten Forest.

 

For the first time, a sense of calm, was all there was in the land. Dazed and exhausted, many of the warriors started to head over towards the Lake’s shore, staring at where the final boss just melted. Even her one remaining Herald, Finite, found himself stopping in shock at what just happened.

 

Each of them wondering one thing.

 

Was it over?

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

...from within the body of water, tiny ripples started to rise at a certain point in the Lake’s shore. Those ripples were soon joined by air bubbles, and just like that, a certain, all-too-familiar body emerged. She crawled, shivering, breathing harshly, surfacing out of the cold waters of the Lake. And onto the colder land of snow. Her form seemed ephemeral. Yet tarnished. A spirit barely clinging onto this plane of existence at all. In the end, the thorough disintegration of the corrupted beast had let its Hollow soul revert to a Plus soul, revert to its original form, or at least what was left of it. She could hardly be called ‘alive’ at all, a thin, black robe being all there was to cover her exposed body. With her pearl-white skin and teal hair, there was no mistaking who it could be.

 

And with a desperate look, she collapsed directly at his feet. Right before the Keyblade Warrior… Nero.

 

~ Dive into the Heart? ~

 

 

What a sorry sight she was. Isamy weakly held her head up, to meet his eyes with her own grey eyes. Her expression was strained, sad. Cracks covered her face. It was almost sad, until he considered the fact that this fragile girl was the very monster who started this all due to her twisted, misguided beliefs, who CAUSED this Origin War, who DESTROYED his world, who KILLED far too many of his friends. Yet there she lay, vulnerable and powerless.

 

And she whispered to him, of all things,

 

“H͝el҉p.”

 

Nero looked down at Isamy. He felt a rush of emotions surge through him. Fear… hate… anger… She was indeed responsible for this war. She was responsible for everything that occurred. And what was more, it was because of her that he lost his heart to darkness that was Xansvita and Ivero.

 

Within a split second, the Keyblade Master thought about ending this woman’s life once and for all. He could do it and stop it from ever happening again. He had the key to just end it...with the X-Blade, he could just very well do it.

 

However, something stopped his initial thoughts. What was strong enough to stop the master from striking her down? His heart. For all his worth, he couldn’t deny what he was initially feeling. Though she was the one to cause this cursed war, she was the one who ended up forcing him to return to the place he truly needed to be. Since he fell into oblivion the day of the Keyblade War, he was haunted by the fact that he couldn’t stop what occurred. That he had failed everyone… But it was oddly enough, through this war that Nero found his path again. And what was more, he reclaimed the X-Blade and had it at his side.

 

So there he stared down at Isamy, hearing her whispers. Nero spoke not a word, until he let out a loud sigh. “You want help…?” he simply asked, before closing his eyes. “Isamy, out of everything you’ve done, you simply think that anyone will help you? That in the current state you find yourself in, that no one would think twice about ending you?” Nero slowly looked upwards, seeing the standing still snow around him. “...why after all this would you want help? And from those who you’ve scorned and hurt.”

 

It might’ve been his imagination, but had the snow paused in midair all of a sudden?

 

”...” The destroyer’s look faltered somewhat, but did not avert from his stare. ” Thi̷s ̕e̡x̴i̧sténc͡e.͡.̛.̷is uns͢tab̧l̶e̷.́ I have put it through too much. If I pass now, I’ll simply...pḩase ̀ou͞t̷ of e̸xiśt́e͡n͏ce͢. To be frank… That’s a little scary. If nothing else, I want to die properly.” Her hands slowly clawed through the snow, clenching together. ”I was a hero once. But obviously I fell. Hurting any of you, that...that was never my intention. All I wanted was your salvation. Your happy endings. Your smiles. In time, evil rooted itself into my thoughts. Darkness rooted itself into my heart. But now?” She coughed, struggling to continue speaking. ”Watching you all vanquish the Hollow taught me a valuable lesson about what I believe in... Now, I no longer feel any of that. Your determination has shown me great things. I will give up on the Door of Origin. I just want this to end. I want to end, peacefully. And only you can do t́hat̀..”

 

Her eyes moved, slowly, to Nero’s hands. To the legendary weapon they could summon. ”I absorbed the Key of Origin right into my heart. There’s nothing I can do to remove it. I beg you, please, use your X-Blade...release my heart from this unstable form of darkness. Take what’s yours. Free me from this pain.”

 

Was that a smile on her face?

 

“I know I have no right to ask it. I have done too much that cannot be forgiven, taken away so much. But please… grant me this one wish. He̕lp̶ ̛me,̛ ̨Ne̷r̵o̡..”

 

Nero looked at Isamy before glancing down at his hands. She wants me to...release her heart with the X-Blade? he thought. Lowering his hands he glanced down at Isamy. ”Why me though? Out of anyone else, you came to me. If a Keyblade was what you sought, then Sora would’ve been suitable for this. Is it just because I possess the X-Blade?”

 

”No. No, not at all.” The dying Herald choked out. ”I... know you’re kind. You’re really kind, and you have a good heart. I understand you must hate me with every fiber of your being, but in the end… You’ll do the right thing, Nero. I guess I didn’t know as much about you as I thought, somehow, I just know… That you possess the X-Blade is proof of your strength of heart.” As Isamy let out a breath, she began to watch the vast sky above her. As though awaiting the end to come. Looked like she was genuinely close to it. “I̷ can͠ be̡l̀i͡e̕v͢e i͏n yo͏u̴. To͢ ḑǫ ͡t̡he͠ ŗi̕g̴h̡t̕ ́t̴hin͞g.͟ To̧ ͏g̷ra͝n͟t ͜me t̛h҉i̸s ̶las̸t, f̨in̸al,̷ f͝oo͏lish wi͢sh͟ ҉o͠f ͝m̴in͠e...”

 

Another sigh escaped Nero’s lips, his fists clenching tightly. Releasing a captive heart from Heartless was one thing...but releasing a heart from someone was something he wasn’t used to at all. His fist was trembling lightly, until he slowly began lift his right hand into the air and summoned forth the X-Blade. As Isamy laid on her back, she watched him from the corner of her eye.

 

In her current state, she was nothing but the severely-damaged spirit of an incomplete Omni strung together through will alone, forcing the Key of Origin to stay within her incompatible body. One way or another, she certainly wasn’t going to last another minute like this. She had no other options. This was the last remaining path available to her.

 

”Isamy...” Nero began to speak, doing his best to calm his breathing. ”What you’ve done to everyone...it is unforgivable. No one will be able to forgive you for what you’ve done to them.” He slightly moved the X-Blade from his side to straight in front of him. ”...I pray that...your heart and soul can find rest.” Nero exhaled slowly, before beginning to bring down the X-Blade towards Isamy’s chest, right about where her heart was. Isamy’s eyes closed in anticipation, silently welcoming what would come.

 

Around the duo, all of reality had come to a standstill.

 

Nero took the X-Blade and let its tipped edge touch Isamy’s chest, initiating the release of her heart and the Key of Origin. An intense light radiated from her chest as soon as contact was established, the X-Blade reaching within, the mightiest of keys entering into her...

 

”...find solace and rest, Isamy.” he sighed.

 

And then, as if to unlock that lock deep within,

 

he turned it.

 

…

 

………

 

………………

 

”I knew it.” Isamy whispered sweetly, opening her eyes again. ”I knew I understood you... Nero.”

 

And thus, at that very moment,

 

Nero understood that he’d just funked up. Horribly.

 

 

.

.

Y̸̢͉̘̘̻̼͇̓̌̾̾̐Ȏ̴̡̞͖͙͇̯̓̊͊͡ͅÙ̶̮̠͇͓͓̍͋̏̓̚͢ F̸̡̲̰̦͖͇̹͍̰͊͊̋̄͌͝Ȏ̷͕̜̗̺͚̳͐͗̉̾͗͑̂͝O̗̖̗̩̬̐̋͋͆̒̏̒̇͐̀L̵̛̝̟̠̤̭̬͊̓̈́͌́͜͢ͅÏ̧̳̻̘̣̰͔̀͐̀̉͛͢͠Ş̨̢̲̹͉̯̰̖̄̑͛͗͑̍̉͗͐̕H̶͎̝̪͕̟̺̫̗̙̀̈́̍̐͋̊̊̃͘͡ Ï̷̧̞̝̫̫̮̳̏̿̔̓͠͞D̸̨̨͓͙̞͈̖̀͑̃͘͢͟͝ͅI̴̛̺̟̘͂́̌̓̈́̋̅̽͜͢͝Ō̶̢͈̬͕̦̿̄̓̒͐̑͢T̴̨̨̗̮͓̱̭̭͂̃̇̔̓̒̍̀̚͠

.

.

 

What emerged out of Isamy’s chest first was darkness. Pure DARKNESS. Was this manifestation of evil truly her Heart? It couldn’t be. This Heart was empty, its contents destroyed five years ago for the sake of power, its remnants drained by the mindless rampage of a Hollow. In unlocking her Heart, the X-Blade had unlocked something else in the process, someplace deeper, darker, beyond the confines of her existence. In the midst of the spreading destruction, one might glimpse her body convulsing, forcing a different power to stay within, refusing to let the Key of Origin leave her soul. None could have possibly retrieved it as the darkness surged outwards. Enveloping Nero in an instant, it consumed the Lake, then the rest of the realm, dragging EVERYONE and EVERYTHING with it as the reality of the Forgotten Forest collapsed in on itself, and as the surviving warriors all knew that the battle was not yet, in fact, OVER.

 

within that darkness, Heart and Soul can be seen dancing together

 

 

 

 

---

 

---

 

---

 

 

113 years ago

 

Once, there was a little girl.

 

As far as the girl herself was concerned, there wasn’t anything special about her. She was just one of a great many people in the world, to live, to die, and to be forgotten.

 

Her mother had abandoned her at an orphanage when she was just a baby, and as she grow up, having never set foot outside the orphanage, she believed that it was all there was to the world, not once stopping to question what was beyond its walls, or even who her parents were.

 

Rather, the main thought that occupied her mind was ‘how can I help everyone?’

 

Growing up, she was surrounded by dozens of other unfortunate children, and seeing them, even feeling their sadness came to be all she knew. Everywhere in the orphanage was a place filled with dark emotions, and their suffering constantly pained her as if it were her own. If someone was crying, she would want to cry too, and if someone was screaming, she would want to scream too. Even if she’d never experienced the sensation of being taken away from her family, even if she didn’t know what it was like to be loved no more, it was as though she could understand those feelings. And it tore away at her every hour of every day.

 

At first, she thought it was only normal, but every now and then there would be moments of bliss – such as when new toys and clothes were donated to them, such as when they got to try delicious food, like freshly-made cake, and such as when a good family came to visit, perhaps even adopting one of them – that made her want to cry out of sheer joy, and question whether this perpetual gloom truly lasts forever.

 

I want everyone to be happy.

 

With a motive as pure as that, she decided to fight against the suffering. Soon, she found herself able to understand the feelings of those around her much better, and it became her goal to bring as much happiness to them as possible, to prolong each and every one of those moments. She tried her best to cheer up those who were depressed, interfered whenever anyone was being singled out and picked on, and came up with her own little plans to brighten the atmosphere whenever something bad had happened.

 

To the orphanage, she came to be like a superhero, a symbol of hope maintaining peace and order. And for a time, she was under the belief that she could defeat suffering, that she could make every last person in the world happy. An ignorant belief.

 

As the years went by, the girl matured. At the age of ten, her field of vision had expanded further, and she was already beginning to realize just how childish she’d been. How long and impossible the road she was walking on was. Her definition of ‘everyone’ changed from every child in the orphanage, to every citizen on the streets, to every person in town, to every single living being in the world… By then a part of her had already become aware that there may not be any end to her journey, that she had doomed herself to walk on a path filled with the despair of others.

 

And yet, she still walked on, helping as many people as she could within the scope of her power, hoping to make as big a difference as she could. Instead of lamenting that it was impossible, there was only one thing on her mind.

 

I’m just…not strong enough yet.

 

Though she was able to sense the emotions of others, making her aware if anyone was feeling down, she did not possess the power to instantly make them happy. It took real effort from her, as a frail, short human being, and the older she got, the more complex the solutions became. Each day was like that, dedicating her life for the sake of others, not leaving any time for herself in the process. One could even call it a meaningless life.

 

Even then, she knew that the only people she was helping were those in her own sight, those she could understand. What could she possibly do for the ones far beyond her reach.

 

…

 

One day, on an impulse, the girl snuck out from the orphanage and ran off into the streets.

 

Although it was spring, snow was beginning to fall from the skies. That night was particularly cold. An ominously dark night sky hanging above. If anything, she seemed to be the only soul outside for miles, and as she wandered through the streets on her own, she was shivering immensely. Every now and then, she would stumble, sometimes hitting the ground face-first as she got further away from the safety of her familiar home. There was a bit of fear in her eyes, but mostly, she seemed to be determined about something. Having made up her mind. It wasn’t that she was escaping her home or anything, but that she had a duty to attend to. As a self-proclaimed hero, she couldn’t possibly ignore it.

 

Not too long ago, a massive swirl of negative emotions, more intense than she’d ever experienced in her life, had materialized out of nowhere. Even without understanding what it was, even though she wasn’t sure if it was even possible for a human, she knew that she was doing what she’d always done – going to help someone in need. She’d never left the orphanage on her own before, but this… This had to be some sort of emergency. She couldn’t ignore that titanic surge. Her footsteps rhythmically moved through the unending darkness, with nothing but streetlamps lighting her way as she headed towards the source. It might’ve been her imagination, but as she got closer, the lights seemed to appear dimmer and dimmer…

 

Then, seeing an alleyway, she took a deep breath and held the plastic bag that she’d brought along tightly, before walking in.

 

It was then that she met him.

 

There was nothing flashy about it, for it was only a meeting between two people. A single moment in the sea of time, to come and pass, remaining only in memory.

 

Before the girl, an old, homeless person lay against a wall, his figure obscured by the shadows the alley cast, which appeared to warp around him. By what little she could make of his face, he seemed to be staring out into space with a vacant expression, ignoring his surroundings as though they were irrelevant.

 

More importantly were the feelings within him. A terrifyingly dense nexus of negative emotions was swirling around him, and just by standing where she was, she felt like she was being suffocated, like it was trying to wring the air out of her lungs and crush them into dust. An impossibly large amount of hatred and regret was being channeled from him into her, the intensity of which was unlike anything else she’d ever encountered before, and clearly, it was destroying her. She could not comprehend it, these feelings were too alien, too far beyond the scope of what she was used to, she did not even know what she was feeling, what were these emotions, what was this, this, this emptiness that was eating away at her body, beginning from her toes and fingertips and spreading further on, he couldn’t turn back even if he wanted to, and on through her arms and legs until they reached into her chest, he wanted to die but refused to die at the same time, and seeped into her skin, living eternally for no purpose, turning all of her organs to dust dust dust, caring too much about things that only disappear, her nerves were being consumed as his was and her bones were being consumed as his was and her heart was being consumed as his was—

 

However, she didn’t care. The pain was all only in her head. It was overwhelming for sure, but as long as she could move, as long as she could talk, it wouldn’t stop her from doing what she always did. Shaking her head and clenching her hands to endure the incomprehensible torrent, she took a step closer towards the mysterious stranger.

 

“Um, hello?” The girl greeted, shyly waving at him with her free hand.

 

At first, he didn’t react.

 

“Hello? Hello, sir? Or are you a madam? I’m sorry, it’s a bit dark so I can’t, uh, really tell.”

 

“…” A minute passed in absolute silence as the girl waited for a response.

 

Then, at last, his gaze turned to meet hers, acknowledging her existence for the first time.

 

“What?” he asked, in a deep, rough voice that was unnaturally devoid of emotion. Even though the tone implied bitterness or annoyance, she sensed that there was little beyond those words. Only void. Frankly, it wasn't like anything she'd ever experienced before. But she stayed silent, and carried on.

 

“Oh, you are a sir after all! Sorry, so sorry.”

 

“...”

 

“Really sorry. But, but, if it helps, your hair is really pretty, you know! I thought it was covered in snow, but it’s actually silver, isn’t it?”

 

His expression was confused, and with those narrow, sharp eyes, he stared at her as if questioning his own grasp of reality. “...who the hell are you?”

 

“Right. I, um, live at the nearby orphanage.” The girl responded. “You probably know it, it’s the one with that colorful sign down a few...dozens blocks? Or maybe not? I’m sorry I said anything...”

 

“...”

 

“Hey. Sir.”

 

Normally, the emotions of the people she spoke to would fluctuate during the course of a conversation. Children or adults, they always felt different things even if they were attempting to hide it. But this man was completely unaffected by her appeals. Even his gaze showed that he saw her as nothing but a strange curiousity, rather than a person worthy of actual conversation.

 

Whenever she attempted to look into his mind, all she could sense was a maelstrom of emotions. Pain, regret, frustration, hatred. The shivering cold she was feeling felt insignificant in comparison. Just what had he gone through? Just why was he experiencing something so horrible? It terrified her, to the core.

 

“Here, I brought some bread. Ale had a stomachache so she couldn’t eat it! Since we’re always so low on food, I thought it was good to keep for a day or two in case something came up, and well, looks like it’s your lucky day!” Forcing a positive attitude, the girl opened the plastic bag that she’d brought, taking out a loaf of bread before holding it out towards the stranger.

 

He stared down at the loaf in her hands as if it were a foreign object.

 

“Come on, it’s just bread! You should take it before the snow makes it all soggy, or um, whatever snow does to food.”

 

“…”

 

“Okay, so I’ll admit it’s wholegrain, which means it has a lot of carbs, and I think stuff like that can make some people pretty fat, but trust me, it’s okay every once in a while! It’s not like you’ll suddenly inflate and become a massive balloon, so you don’t need to be scared about that! Wait, that’s probably not your concern, is it? I’m really sorry, right, um, it’s definitely not infected or anything. It’s not food out of a trash can or anything, so you won’t get sick from eating it!”

 

He proceeded to stare at her as if she were a foreign object. “...why?”

 

“Well.” The girl laughed nervously. “That’s hard to say.”

 

“...”

 

“You seemed like you were in trouble, so I came to help you.” She added awkwardly.

 

His confusion only deepened. “Trouble?”

 

“Well, you’re feeling sad, aren’t you? I know it’s not much, like, probably nothing at all, but um. I came to help however I can…”

 

“...”

 

It was clear to her that he was simply going through the motions. Acting out his ego, behaving in a cold manner to shut himself off. He seemed like the type who was projecting an attitude that didn’t care about anything, yet this huge amount of emotion radiating from him was unmistakable. Even though she was struggling just to be near him, just to maintain her sanity, she forced herself to.

 

“Feeling sad?” He asked after a few minutes.

 

“Yeah!” He hadn’t taken the bag in her hands yet, but finally, he’d spoken more than one word! “I mean, I don’t really know how to explain it, but looking at things logically, it must be hard, right? Being homeless and all, unable to fend for yourself-”

 

“Homeless.” The mysterious, cloaked hobo frowned. “Homeless. Insulting… How insulting. Do you have any idea who you’re even talking to?”

 

The girl gasped. “Whoa, you can speak in full sentences after all!”

 

“...”

 

“Well, homeless or not, you’re here. It’s freezing cold, it’s in the dark, and you’re out here in the middle of nowhere.” The girl started to relax. Even with his hostility, he was beginning to communicate with her. If anything, it was progress. Maybe this could actually work out. “If you ask me, that doesn’t sound like something a normal, rational person would do.”

 

Without being invited, the girl sat down next to him. He didn’t stop her.

 

“Are you not cold, with that frail body of yours?” The man glanced to his left where the girl was, as if trying to work out what she was. In any other situation, she would’ve found it creepy - but she could read his every emotion as plain as day. He didn’t care about her. Yet, at the same time, he was trying not to care about a lot of things.

 

“Nope!” A bold-faced lie, considering how her whole being was shivering in the cold of spring. Her thickest coat could only do so much.

 

"Hmm. Neither am I then. Go away.”

 

“No.” The girl shook her head. “You’re in pain.”

 

“You’re a bother.”

 

“Maybe a bit.”

 

“You’re an actual bother.”

 

“I’m known to be.”

 

“Leave.”

 

“Not til you tell me what’s wrong, yo.”

 

“My patience has limits... insect.”

 

“Too bad, I’m here. Deal with it.”

 

“A zygote such as yourself could not even comprehend it.”

 

“Try me.”

 

“You’re seriously pissing me off, you know that?”

 

“And you’re trying to scare me off. Cut it out already, I see through you.” The girl remained resolute. Being so close brought on an intense feeling of nausea - but still, she fought the urge to vomit and carry on. She was trying to help this man. It wouldn’t do good if she showed any weakness here!

 

He eyed her from the corner of his eye.

 

“...what do you even have to offer, young human?”

 

“Well,” she smiled. “what do you have to lose, old man?”

 

“...”

 

The man didn’t respond for a while,

 

instead opting to stare outwards, at the stars.

 

“...ugh.”

 

For a moment, it looked like he was asking the many stars, ‘was this okay?’.

 

“Reflection.” The dark sorcerer spoke, his tone softening. “That’s why I came to this backwater universe you call home.”

 

And in that same moment, words slipped from his mouth.

 

“It’s not something I normally do, mind you. I move on, and on, and on, and yet…with every passing century, I feel myself disconnecting from the multiverse that much more.” He paused. Perhaps wondering why he was speaking to this insect. But somehow, it didn’t matter anymore. “When you live forever, it becomes impossible to fill up all your time. You can build empires up and tear empires down with that amount of time, and it won’t feel longer than a second. You can seek out power and riches, and attain them, and stack them up to become greater and greater still, but in the end it’ll all just be pointless. Eventually, you find yourself with nothing to do. There’s only so much you can do. You can spend lifetimes removing your every shackle, dreaming of a beautiful freedom, but for me, even freeing myself from my own Master did naught but take away any purpose I might’ve had. Life simply gets boring, you understand? Thoughts catch up to you, memories and fears return to you. You’re reminded of crimes you committed, things you never stopped to think about before. All these troublesome feelings... attempting to be acknowledged. How should I describe it? ‘Soberness’? Periods of ‘soberness like’ this that could last anywhere between days and centuries. I can’t operate as a Herald, as Protheus Maximus, with such nuisances in the way. So here I am… To think.”

 

“Uh…” The girl couldn't help but be silent for a while.

 

His words were not only alien, but nonsensical, as he talked about things beyond her world. She couldn’t help but question his sanity then. But still, she stayed. Whether what he was saying was metaphorical in some manner, or literal, or he was delusional, or whatever the case was, it was undeniable that he was in a lot of pain right now. As a human being, and as a future hero of justice… she couldn’t ignore that.

 

“I don’t really understand. Living forever, Masters, soberness, all that... But um, it sounds like you've gone through a lot, huh, Mr. Maximus?”

 

“Hmph.” He’d opened up to her the tiniest bit. “It matters not.”

 

However, the maelstrom within his heart hadn’t been affected one bit, burning out of control. It was nothing like she’d ever sensed or experienced before. It was driving her mad. It was almost even making her feel angry, at him, for whatever reason. Still she stayed steadfast.

 

Time passed without either of them saying anything. The time was filled up by the passing of the wind, and the gradual falling of the snow. Somehow, her body was beginning to get used to this unnatural cold.

 

“So.”

 

Once half an hour passed, the girl broke the silence. Moonlight started to pierce through the thick array of clouds above, through the sky of darkness. Amidst this white wasteland, she held out her arms to him with a determined look. Offering the loaf of bread once more.

 

“You gonna continue your story or what? Don’t keep me waiting, old man.”

 

Protheus, the Herald of Darkness, remained silent as his eyes moved to meet hers once more. This time, he was neither scoffing nor frowning. He simply stared at her, as if he were, only now, noticing that she was an actual, living being. Although his face was youthful, he seemed to have the mannerisms of an old, wistful man, like some sort of bitter grandfather. To him, just the fact that a young stranger offering to help him, and trust him, and stay by him, was so bizarre that he had no idea how to react.

 

His entire way of life, the path of annihilation and death he paved in his wake, the attitude with which he assumed treating all other forms of life. He reasoned that she could act this way because she was unaware of his true nature - but the suspicion he had about her psychic Empathy contradicted that. If she indeed had such a skill… Then she could surely see through his destructive nature. And still she stayed. His very understanding of humans was being contradicted in this one instant. Even the past five millennia’s worth of lifetimes couldn’t have possibly prepared him for the girl. For she, who was fated to one day become his successor.

 

Ultimately, he reached out and snatched the loaf of bread away from her for a bite,

 

at which point her smile grew bigger.

 

“How awfully persistent...”

 

In that alleyway, surrounded by darkness snow, the fact that she brought a smile to a man like this - ESPECIALLY a man like this - made her feel like anything was possible.

---

 

---

 

 

 

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Just as it seems like you have achieved victory against the ultimate enemy, you are unexpectedly picked up by an invisible force and shoved through a tunnel of continuous, swirling golden energy, which appears to go on for ever and ever. Within, you realize that your mind is being bathed in a soothing sense of clarity…

 

…and then, you sense two locations. One high above, another far below.

 

Beyond your own control, separating you from various allies, a violent force pulls you into either:

The "Illusive Sky." A dreamlike, seemingly infinite sky, with a sea of clouds blocking all from the view below. Were it not for the rainbow nimbus clouds floating about, standable and controllable for convenience, one would plummet towards the ground a thousand feet below.

The "Shadow Cavern." A nightmarish, barely-lit, enormous cavern, with crimson earth enclosing all from the outside. Were it not for the glowing fog, covering the ground, nothing would be visible.

 

Both battlefields are empty at first. There are no mooks, no enemies, only your allies...and a number of them seemed to be missing. Being in this realm that resembles Truth, you may begin to feel an uncertainty upon you. Random glitches at the corner of your senses are making you question reality, causing you to hesitate, and only through sheer conviction can you keep yourself together.

 

This, however, is rendered negligible by what happens right after your arrival. If there was any remaining hope that the battle had ended, they were crushed as vortexes materialize at the center of each realm…

 

And in each one, she arrives.

 

In the Illusive Sky, a humanoid of the Soul emerges, glitching as it stumbles onto a nimbus cloud not far away. Its blank left eye stare into the distance, as though she is a philosopher mesmerized by the fake world’s beauty. The KEY OF ORIGIN is radiating from within her chest, and energies of chaos make up her body. Anyone looking at her would be met with a strange sense of guilt, as if interrupting her would cause her to jump off.

 

In the Shadow Cavern, a dracolich of the Heart emerges, clawing its way out of a vortex in the ceiling. Its golden left eye moves around the floor in caution, and in silence, as though she is a queen paranoid of her every subject. An ALMIGHTY DARKNESS is seeping from her every fiber, and energies of entropy make up her body. Anyone looking at her would be met with an overwhelming sense of terror, as if attracting her attention would cause her to viciously attack.

 

Everything that made up the Pathway to Truth has been absorbed by them, and the power they possess chills you to your core. The monster you are facing, be it the Humanoid or the Dracolich, seems statistically weaker than Hollow Isamy. And yet, there’s an undeniable dread that’s gripping you even stronger this time. As if something is going to be different this time. Uncertainty grips your mind. Where did half your comrades go? Why could you sense an equally terrible power not far away? And how much longer could you keep up the fight?

 

The atmosphere remains heavy, and the possibility of victory dwindles evermore. All that you have gained, as well as all that you have lost, suddenly seems worthless in the face of this genuine dread.

 

And yet, you know you must continue to fight.

 

Everything you have worked for lies just beyond.

 

Therefore,

 

go forth,

 

and WIN!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINAL BOSS BATTLE

S T A G E   D E U X

 

 

---

---

---

 

[spoiler=Illusive Sky occupants]

 

Lydia @@The Warden

 

Hapshiel @@The Warden

 

Dorian - @@Love of Ghibli

 

Jace @@Tesability Black & @@Reinforce

 

Chandra @@Reinforce

 

Nero @

 

Reimu @@Maeriberii Haan

 

Alexander @@Kingdom Xathers

 

Alister @@Kingdom Xathers

 

Red @@Kingdom Xathers

 

Bayonetta @@Kingdom Xathers

 

Jeanne @@Kingdom Xathers

 

Ratchet @@Kingdom Xathers

 

 

 

[spoiler=Shadow Cavern occupants]

 

Butler-Ragnarok @@Love of Ghibli

 

Rhadamanthys @@Love of Ghibli

 

Darcy @@Reinforce

 

Kazuya-Bel @@Maeriberii Haan

 

Koishi @@Maeriberii Haan

 

Satori @@Maeriberii Haan

 

Short-Haired Tenshi @@Maeriberii Haan

 

Atsuko @@Kingdom Xathers

 

Kyros @@Kingdom Xathers

 

Gabriel @@Kingdom Xathers

 

Finite @@Dad

 

Killua & Gon @@Dad

 

Kratos @@Dad

 

[The Warden]

 

The Shadow Cavern

 

Entropy. That one word defined this creature. Her near-empty heart, although thoroughly shattered five years, had now let in an ancient, ALMIGHTY DARKNESS. With open arms she embraced this pain, this hatred, this pure evil for herself, and thus it flooded into every fiber of this foolish heart. Driving her desperate desires down into a new level of depravity. This mysterious source of power had resided within her heart ever since she first obtained her Omni powers, but she never quite understood what it was. However, nor did she care. In this state, her nature had been amplified more than ever.

 

It didn’t matter if she had to become a monster, a Heartless… Now she had the power to destroy. And though it seemed pointless, she knew she had more than the power to destroy, as now she had more than enough power to make them see her way. Those beautiful, delicious hearts. They will offer them to her, or be destroyed instead. That was her ultimatum. There is no other way now. The head of Isamy's Heartless twitched erratically, gruesome cracking noises coming from her neck as she clung to the ceiling of the Shadow Cavern, her new home, her new kingdom. An even nastier CRACK! resonated as her head completely did a 180, now looking at the barely lit ground below. And with one good eye, a beam of yellow light issued forth, scanning the doom and gloom for her first victim. "Defying me is pointless" the Heartless spoke to the cavern's occupants. "Please see this. Fighting me will avail to nothing. Just give in, and you shall have a merciful end. It is better than resisting and being annihilated."

 

The light continued sweeping, searching for the first heart it would take, or destroy.

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian: Final Round Par Deux

 

It looked like the attack worked alright. It seemed the dragon zombie creature thing was down for the count. The team looked at each other and gave themselves a collective head nod of congratulations. Unfortunately, the creature made a direct move to keep the attacks coming. It was struggling. It was desperate. It was coming like it had something to prove. The team was making evasive maneuvers and then something weird happened. The drago-lich completely moved passed the Rhadamanthys and Butlerok. The two looked confused as they turned around and realized the truth.

Dorian put his hand on his mouth and tear almost came down his face. 

Oh this is for me, she's hurt. Dorian said somewhat sad. As it fired a black laser of death at the spectre Dorian was contemplating on taking it, but as a beam of light shot from the other side of the lake. It seemed that Lydia creature came down and blasted that creature. How cruel. 

Dorian looked around and it seemed like that was the kill shot that took out the beast. The Dragon gave one last disapproving look at Dorian and it did hit his heart strings sort of.

I know boss lady. We made a good team. Dorian proceeded to flashback to all of his interactions with Isamy and for the most part they weren't unpleasant. But he respected the boss. Especially after that little Hive Mind thing she did so she was able to learn about how many times she tried to take down that Avatar. That level of perseverance is admirable. But heralds essentially lost the part of them that made them..."them" they became a part of the collective. Dorian couldn't have that. Of everything he loved. He had to love himself.

 Nevertheless. It looked like we were at that stage where everyone was winding down. The team collectively looked as another Isamy came out of the water in the last throws of life. They watched on as she crawled up to the warrior with a keyblade. 

Really? Dorian said inquisitively. 

The team watched as Isamy pleaded her case to the warrior and team just let the boy have the last kill. 

Sooo he's going to shoot her, right? Dorian asked. Rhadamanthys just moved his eyes and was slightly confused as to why Dorian and Butlerok looked pretty scared. 

"Something is wrong." Butlerok stated as he put his hand in his inner pocket. 

Dorian looked as the boy pulled out his keyblade. BUTLER SHOOT THEM NOW! Butler pulled his Desert Eagle out and shot bullets straight for the kid. But it was too late. The bullets were in midair  when the boy pierced Isamy's heart with the keyblade.

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

A journey through the vortex later Dorian opened his eyes and he saw that he was somewhere in the clouds. He looked around and saw that some of the combatants were not there. Like his two compatriots. Dorian stood and saw the new Isamy like creature before him. 

"Soooo what did Butler call this. I think he said that this would be the Nobody? I don't know. Dorian looked around and wanted to see who he was with. Well at least I have a couple of heavy hitters on this side. 

It was a this moment he looked around and noticed there was simply a lack of a certain presence. Oh this is bad. 

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

Butlerok and Rhadamanthys slowly came to in the darkest of caves. They then collectively surveyed the area. 

Well there is the new boss monster, as Dorian would say. Butlerok added. 

Rhadamanthys then looked at the other dwellers in the cave and then tapped Butlerok on the shoulder. I think we have another pressing concern. Butlerok turns around and he senses Kenpachi turned Herald as one of the people that got divided into this cluster of masses. 

Which do we aggress against first? Rhadamanthys asked.

Well, we should first see if that Kenpachi has reverted. Technically the creature that created that Herald should not exist anymore. So maybe he was reverted back to normal. Butlerok theorized. 

Are you saying we should wait at this stage in the game? Rhadamanthys exclaimed. 

We don't have many options here. Butlerok concluded.

[Maeriberii Haan]

 

 

The Illusive Sky

 

Chaos. That one word defined this entity. Her unstable, dying soul, thoroughly ravished during the previous battle, had desperately reached out to the only physical object in her possession in order to survive. The KEY OF ORIGIN. Her life was faint, her thoughts scattered and distant, and without a heart, she could no longer feel any sort of desire. Had she not attached herself to the Key like a parasite, she would have faded into oblivion. Although she understood more about it than most people, she didn’t understand exactly how it worked or what it would do for her. However, nor did she care. In this state, she was closer to Origin than she’d ever been.

It didn’t matter if she was now an unstable existence, a Nobody. Now she could continue her purpose. The unstable, vaguely humanoid form that she took shook and convulsed. Above the nimbus, her existence seemed to be so fleeting and fragile, as if a gust of wind would be enough to scatter her. Yet, she continued to latch onto the Key, and her form remained. The entity gazed over her adversaries before nodding to herself. And with that, her pathetic existence unraveled.

 

"Please, lay down your weapon and hostilities, there is no longer any reason for us to fight."

 

To the ones who oppose the entity, they would now perceive someone that they held very close of, talking to them personally amidst this sea of clouds. Drawing from the Origin of each of these individuals, the Entity used those memories as her form, talking to her foes, pleading at them.

 

"Please give in. There is no other way. Otherwise, everything will be ruined."

 

The entity still remained in its position, not showing any sign of being hostile for the time being. 

 

"Together, we can make everything better. Together, we can reach a world without sadness.
So, why should we fight each other like this?"

 

---

[Dad]

Justifying the Ends

 

There was a tall, beautiful man standing in its way suddenly.  He kept mumbling something about beauty or ugliness or something Finite didn't care about.  

 

"You're in my way, servant of gods," it recited.  But before it could act, a barrier was erected around itself and Hapshiel.

 

Behind Hapshiel, Killua and Gon were confronted by Reimu.  Though she was concerned for their well being, both the boys were quickly on their feet.

 

 

"Are the two of you alright?"

 

"Fine," Killua said coldly.

 

"I'm okay, thanks," Gon added.  "I'm just a bit surpri--"

 

"Hey!" Killua began screaming, approaching the barrier.  He stood just at the barrier's outside center between Finite and Hapshiel.  "You're pathetic," he said pointing at Finite.  It turned its head to look Killua in the face.

 

"We fought together.  Side by side.  We fought to get here to stop that monster from wiping out universes and destroying our futures.  And you just gave in."  Killua punched the barrier, a fist full of lightning shimmering against it.  "You almost died at their hands, but now you've willingly given them your soul.  But that's not even the worst part!" Killua snapped.

 

"Killua--" Gon attempted to interject.

 

"Your best friend gave her life for you!  She killed herself to save you!  And you--you've tarnished her memory!  You spit in her face and said thanks for nothing!  You are the single most vile, unforgivable piece of garbage I've ever had the displeasure of meeting.  And for harming Yachiru's will and her spirit, I will never forgive you," Killua said with his fangs bared.

 

Finite's sword was drawn back suddenly and its tip pressed against the barrier near Killua's hand.  "Do not speak her name!" it screeched.

 

"You failed her!  You let her sacrifice go to waste!  You never deserved Yachiru!  Never!" Killua screamed.

 

A crack began to form in the barrier as the space and time cutting power of Nozarashi began to take effect.  "Silence!"

 

"She should've left you for dead!" Killua screamed again.

 

Then, the barrier shattered.

 

 

"Get away, boy!" Kratos barked as Finite grew more enraged.  Kratos sprinted forward and tackled Killua to the ground as the barrier was destroyed and Finite stepped out of it.  It swung its blade wide and narrowly missed the back of Kratos' neck as he and Killua fell.  They rolled into the bedrock and out of Finite's reach.

 

It stomped into the bedrock and sent a rippling quake in every direction, propelling Killua, Gon, and Kratos into the air.

 

Kratos righted himself quickly just as Finite brought its blade down.  It made contact with the Golden Fleece, and the strike was, somehow, completely repelled.  Killua and Kratos quickly got to their feet to defend themselves, ready for the enemy’s attack.  Finite stormed forward with a quick march and readied its weapon.  However, it stopped in its track as Hollow Isamy suddenly began to fall apart.

 

It’s entire objective changed in an instant.  It had to protect Hollow Isamy.  But it was far too late.

 

 

Before Finite could act further, a violent force began to separate it from the existing plane and pulled it into a new, darker, more sinister realm.

 

A blackness surrounded Finite, Kratos, Killua, and Gon like reaching the depths of empty space.  Inside of this blackness, something radiated.  It was Isamy, in a new, dreadful form.

 

Kratos, Killua, and Gon looked into Isamy who had somehow changed into this thing before them.  But as they stared into her eyes another shadow stood up before them.  Finite was present too.

 

It whipped its sword out violently and spun it around in a wide arc.

 

“None shall stand before her,” Finite declared as it pointed its weapon at Kratos first.

 

“Kneel,” Finite demanded.

 

Kratos clutched tightly onto his weapons as flames engulfed them.  “I kneel before no one,” he replied.

 

“Then your head will be removed.  And you will be lost to time,” Finite answered.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Nero - Keyblade War Master / The X-Blade's Wielder ~ Illusive Sky

 

”I knew it. I knew I understood you... Nero.”

 

MASTER NO!!!!

 

But Divine Remnant's warning was too late. Nero turned the key and watched as nothing but darkness...pure darkness. The same type of darkness he was all too familiar, except this one seemed even more fierce than the darkness he was used to. Nevertheless...he was engulfed by it, the darkness consuming all those nearby.

 

A deafened scream would escape Nero's mouth, but the darkness all but muffled and silenced it...and then...nothing.

 

Nero stirred slowly, as he slowly opened his eyes, starting to see light. It was almost blinding as he held a hand out to brace his sight. As his sight began to return the Keyblade Master began to take in his surroundings, he was now in a dreamlike, seemingly infinite sky, with a sea of clouds blocking all from the view below. Were it not for the rainbow nimbus clouds floating about, standable and controllable for convenience, one would plummet towards the ground a thousand feet below.

 

Master! Master are you alright?

 

He looked over and saw Divine Remnant's spirit knelt down. Letting out a small sigh, Nero shook his head. "...something tells me I didn't do it..." he muttered, before seeing Divine Remnant shake his head. "...I figured as much..." he sighed, finally standing back up and looking around. Right now, he was in the presence of newer individuals. He didn't see Kratos nor Kenpachi...so meaning he had to work with some newer individuals. Oh boy...here's hoping those two don't too much of anything with me or Sora not around for them... Nero thought. "...and to think...all this happened just because I spoke to that shady individual in the black coat...claiming to be the Master...and he just brought me to everyone..."

 

Don't blame yourself, Master Nero. After all, at least you made it to the others.

 

"Yeah...and had Isamy do this..."

 

"Please, lay down your weapon and hostilities, there is no longer any reason for us to fight."

 

Nero heard the voice as he looked around, trying to find the voice. Though the voice at first sounded like Isamy...it almost shifted slightly...and it sounded like Yenna's.

 

"Please give in. There is no other way. Otherwise, everything will be ruined."

"Please give in. There is no other way. Otherwise, everything will be ruined."

"Together, we can make everything better. Together, we can reach a world without sadness.
So, why should we fight each other like this?"

"Together, we can make everything better. Together we can reach a world without sadness.

So, why should we fight each other like this?"

 

The Keyblade Master's fists began to clench tightly. He knew this wasn't Yenna. When he knew her, she never spoke like this...she never spoke any way like this. He was furious that this entity wanted to use her voice like this to get to him. However, Nero only let out an audible sigh, before looking outwards towards the clouds. "You aren't Yenna...you aren't the Princess of Radiant Gardens..." he spoke out.

 

"She wouldn't speak that way." Nero shook his head. "I'm not giving up...I may have done this...and I will have to live with what happened. But for right now, I will make sure you never use Yenna or her likeness in such a manner again!!"

[Dad]

Push

 

Kratos lashed out with the fiery chains of his weapons and let loose a cross-shaped burst of fire which appeared to consume Finite.  However, the enemy continued its approach.  Finite clutched Nozarashi tightly in its right hand, pointing it at Kratos as it marched forward.  This was to let Kratos know that he could not win with magic alone.  

 

Kratos accepted this challenge and charged at Finite with his weapons ablaze.  He drew back his right arm and extended his left forward, tossing the flaming blade directly at Finite with a slight curve.  The blade made contact with Nozarashi and Kratos immediately retracted his left weapon in favor of extending the right.

 

Finite parried both strikes, pushing Kratos' attacks away.  But Kratos was relentless.  His strikes began to gain in speed and ferocity, each one more violent than the last.  

 

While Finite could keep up with each strike's speed, he could only parry for so long.  The flames of Kratos' weapons grew hotter every second, and they were beginning to singe the hairs on Finite's arms.  Finite twirled Nozarashi rapidly, deflecting Kratos' strikes and causing him to pull back.  As Nozarashi twirled, the space between Finite and Kratos began to distort, revealing a realm apart from their own.  As Kratos gazed into this new space, Isamy appeared before him again, but in a different state.

 

"What is... " Kratos pondered as the humming of Nozarashi stopped.

 

"She has divided herself.  Her being split in two.  Her natures revealed and her heart settled," Finite replied.  Finite blinked around the portal and seized Kratos by his throat, catching the Spartan off guard.  "Would you like to see it?"

 

Between Two Worlds

Finite tossed Kratos through the portal and sent him tumbling to the ground.  Kratos rolled and rolled until he collapsed at the feet of a young man.  He quickly jumped to his feet, but he was too late.  Finite was closing the portal behind him.

 

"Kenpachi!" Kratos roared.

 

 

Pull

 

Killua and Gon quickly realized what Finite had done.  After successfully separating Kratos from the fight, Finite turned its attention to the two boys.

 

Killua and Gon immediately readied themselves in combat stances as the enemy stormed toward them.

 

"You need not suffer," Finite said softly.  "Kneel, and you will be spared."

 

Lightning crackled over Killua and a surging aura poured over Gon.

 

"Not a chance," Killua replied quickly.

 

"You don't have to do this," Gon said to Finite.  "Friends shouldn't fight friends," he pleaded.

 

Suddenly, fear struck Gon and Killua at the same time.  Killua found himself unable to breathe and rattled with pain.  Gon found his lungs empty, his eyes wide with horror, and his mouth dry.

 

Finite raised Killua into the air on his blade, having pierced through the boy's stomach.  Gon's heartbreaking cry shattered the silence as Killua held on for his quickly fading life.

 

"KILLUA!!" Gon cried out with a horrible, shrill shriek.

 

The ability to move through time and space and shatter distances between foes put Killua and Gon at a very severe disadvantage.  Finite's movements were all but unpredictable.  And it had just cost Killua his life.

 

"You... bastard," Killua said as he pointed two fingers at Finite and shot a violent bolt of lightning between Finite's eyes.  Finite's head reared backward as it was struck, but the resulting attack was merely a sting on Finite's forehead.  The monster looked Killua in his eyes as blood trickled down the young man's mouth and belly.  

 

"Your life is forfeit," Finite said at last.

 

"KILLUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian: The Shadow Cavern

As blood trickled down Killua's belly the little assassin's clothes started to turn completely black as if he was being baptized in black ooze. Soon eyes started popping up everywhere and then they looked at the new Herald. 

"We happen to agree with the young lad. Friends should not fight friends." Butlerok spoke at as he walked up behind the Herald oozing madness. He then pointed upward. 

LET THE ENEMIES DUKE IT OUT! Rhadamanthys dove down on the Herald blasting a torrent of energy. 

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

Team Dorian: The Illusive sky

Dorian looked as Remnants of his past decided to come and try to convince him to stay. While nothing may have truly been there he definitely set that definite space ablaze. 

"Oh another one of these mental projection types. We've gotten pretty attached to that gimmick since this journey has started." Dorian looked around and saw that the boy with keyblade had stilled his will. 

"But this is your fault ain't it." He said a little bit under his breath. Thought what Dorian had a problem with was he did not know how he should go forward. How does anyone actually fight this thing. Does the whole hit it till it breaks thing work? Can they talk it down? Probably not. 

"Alright, let's start with the our first option then." Dorian waved his hands and peppered the entire body of the massive nobody with a series of explosions. 

[The Warden]

 

The Shadow Cavern

 

"FINITE!"

 

It wasn't a cry of distress, but something of a command. "Do not toy with them, toying is pointless. End them quickly, so they may become one with Origin. They refuse us. They refuse ME! They refuse all that we stand for. Do not toy, just end them and make it quick. Their suffering should not be long."

 

Bone cracking, Isamy's light shone directly onto Butlerok and Rhadamanthys. The Heartless observed, and then unleashed a piercing cry of rage and anguish.

 

[Void Inclusion: Veigar, the Tiny Master of Evil]

 

Eye-light glowing more intensely, Isamy's Heartless let out another roar as the air of the Shadow Caverns filled with large black balls, hundreds of them, potentially thousands. With another roar, they all scattered, aiming to pound every last inch of the Caverns to draw those fools out, with many aimed specifically at Butlerok and Rhadamanthys, but also indiscriminately at Killua and Gon as well. And you better hope you don't take damage~ Isamy's now stacking Phenomenal Evil stacks to amp up her power.

 

Isamy's Heartless

Phenomenal Evil Stacks: 0

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

 

 
The Nobody continued its attempt. In its desperation, it called out to everyone present. In its throes, it wanted them all to understand her. For them to give up, for them to join her without further fights. Such wishes were childish. Naive, childish, and impossible from the very beginning. The warriors, all who had defied many things, all who had defied the offers of Isamy Maximus before, had no reason to accept such a weak plea.
 
The Nobody knew.
 
Its form continued to change in an erratic manner. Like a television suffering from poor signal, the form became static noises almost on each second. Its voice became more and more distorted as it shuffled through the many different identities at once. "One that is most important to me." Such was the indicator of what she attempted to emulate to no avail. Some voices raised up, defying its feeble attempt of making an argument.
 
"I'm not giving up...I may have done this...and I will have to live with what happened. But for right now, I will make sure you never use Yenna or her likeness in such a manner again!!"
 
"There is no reason for us to fight. Even though fighting like this would bring unhappiness to you... why do you continue?" Nero's refusal was firm and unshakeable. There was no chance that the entity's words to be able to get through him.
 
"But this is your fault ain't it."
 
"Perhaps. At the same time, I can still fix it. I can still save everything. So, please stop."
 
"Alright, let's start with the our first option then."
 
At the same time, Dorian had decided that his action would be that of violence. Explosions peppered off the Nobody's body, and for a while, smoke covered the area. Yet, as the smoke subsided, the Nobody still stood strong in the middle. Its form still unstable, yet it was clear that it was not hurt by the attack. It was as if it possessed quite the level of durability, or perhaps there were something else going on with it.
 
"Please. I will repeat this until you accept. So please..."
 
The Nobody's form gradually settled. As if it was in response to the attack, the clouds started to move, encircling the Nobody in the middle. As it happened, a large ring-like light formed around the Nobody. In the middle of all of it, the form that the Nobody had decided to take became clear. It was that of a male, a bespectacled one standing a bit short of 6 feet. With an all familiar voice, the Nobody continued.
 

"...Give up. You have no chance to win. I make the rules here."

 

The Nobody, having taken the form of Dorian von Schroeder, made a prideful smile as the ring of light in front of all the combatants bursted into a series of explosions.

 

Nobody Isamy's HP: 99.99%

Understanding Level: 1%

 

---

[Dad]

Obedience

 

Killua's body slid off of Finite's weapon.  Before his body touched the ground, Finite kicked the boy's body violently at Gon.  Killua's body crashed into Gon and sent them both flying.  Finite flicked Nozarashi at the ground and slapped some of the blood of Killua to the ground.  And not a moment too soon.  There were two persons approaching it now: Rhadamanthys and Butlerok.

 

"You're both much too loud," Finite remarked as it stepped through space and walked away.  "I have no interest in you.  Not yet."  Finite emerged just inches away from Gon and Killua, sensing something miraculously powerful growing inside of the now emotionally shattered Gon.  Gon sat upright, holding Killua's dying body in his arms.

 

 

"Gon," Killua whispered.  "I'm sorry about that," Killua said with a weak smile.  "I got blindsided.  My emotions got the best of me.  It's unbecoming of an assassin."

 

Gon's tears landed on Killua's forehead.  "Save your strength, Killua," Gon said, his eyes hidden beneath his matted hair.  "I should've sensed him coming too."  

 

Killua could feel it too.  Gon's unbridled rage.  "Gon.  A while back... you made me a promise."

 

Gon was silent.

 

"You told me... I would never have to see you like that again," Killua said, choking on his own blood.  "Please.  Gon.  Don't die..." Killua pleaded.  "Don't die... for me."  Killua's placed a bloody palm on Gon's right cheek, staring into his best friend's face.

 

"... you were my best friend in the world," Gon whispered.

 

Killua held his smile.  "Stupid."  Killua's hand slid from Gon's face and fell gently to his side.  Killua was dead.

 

 

Gon gently laid Killua's body to the ground and folded Killua's arms over his chest.  He shut Killua's eyes for the last time and stood still, silent.

 

It was in Gon's silence that he spoke the most.  A brilliant, radiant, orange glow surrounded the boy, sending his energy soaring to new heights.  This glow illuminated even the darkness of Isamy's cavern, with nothing escaping its light.  Finite stood still in Gon's energy and watched the boy's body transform.

 

From a young pre-teen, Gon's rage turned his body into a young adult, swollen with power.  He stood six feet tall now, with an incredibly toned body.  His hair grew to impossible lengths, reaching some six or more feet in the air.  Gon's eyes lay now upon Finite, and his fury continued to grow as he stared the monster down.  Gon closed the gap between them in an instant, forcing Finite to block the attack with its dominant hand.

 

"Perhaps," Finite breathed.  "You haven't found your limit after all.  You're still a growing boy."

 

Gon drew back a fist.  To a normal person, it would seem Gon's arm was only retracting once.  However, in reality, Gon had already prepared this punch over a thousand times.  Each punch almost appeared in slow motion as the speed in which Gon threw these punches was completely inhuman.  Each punch, however, was blocked or dodged by Finite in a similar fashion.  The monster finally caught Gon's right fist and brought the punches to a stop.

 

"My turn," it decreed.

 

Finite flipped Nozarashi around and smashed its hilt into Gon's stomach, launching him into the air.

 

 

Kratos found himself on a new battlefield.  This time, a different Isamy was his enemy.  He had no way to cross the divide of space and time at will, so he had no choice but to aid those here.

 

As he stood, a ring of light around the enemy burst into a series of explosions, causing Kratos to raise his Golden Fleece in defense.  The explosion sent him skidding to the ground, despite trying to protect himself.  Fortunately, Kratos was relatively unharmed, save for a few scrapes.

 

"I grow tired of gods doing as they please with our lives," Kratos remarked as Isamy took the shape of an ally:  Dorian.  "You will pay for your transgressions!" he barked.

 

With a flurry of his blades, Kratos threw forth a cascade of magical fire at Nobody Isamy.

 

 

Gon and Finite met in mid-air, and Finite had put its blade away.  They were going blow for blow.  Every punch that connected between Finite and Gon sent a ripple of energy through the world, shaking its core and causing fabrics of its space-time to unfold for mere moments.

 

These ripples allowed temporary glimpses into Nobody Isamy's world and was likely a result of Finite's space-time warping abilities.  

 

Nevertheless, Gon and Finite's battle had not yet come to a head.  So far, Finite had the edge but Gon's fury kept him in the fight and prevented him from falling.  Gon let loose a prepared Rock punch which caused a violent explosion in the air, allowing smoke and fire to overtake both himself and Finite in an instant.

 

They both stood glaring at one another silently in the smoke and fire, both of them practically unharmed.  

 

"He was good to you, wasn't he?" Finite asked.

 

Gon remained silent.

 

"She was good to me," Finite said.

 

"Yet, you tarnish her memory," Gon finally spoke.

 

Finite tightened the grip on its weapon.  "I had no choice."

 

"You had every choice!" Gon snapped as he charged Finite once more.

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian: The Illusive Sky

SERIOUSLY! Dorian exclaimed as he was face to face with some ethereal copy of himself. He quickly deduced that it was one of these learning type bosses. The more that he attacked the more it would learn. That made this situation rather difficult. Initially Dorian thought about just mixing his attacks with someone elses and hopefully that would be enough. But of course the likelihood of that working was very small. Especially since this might be the final boss battle. 

As the rings of better explosions started to come his Dorian clapped his hands and his eyes displayed a spectrum of colors. At this point he could see the movement of atoms and he was able to slightly shift the explosions away from himself. It was annoying to say the least but now he didn't know what to do. If this was a test of aggression then he would probably fail. If there was some kind of way to crack its defenses. Unfortunately Dorian did not come up with anything. 

There was this other option that he wasn't sure if it would work, but with only him and this keyblade warrior seemingly ready at the helm then he would have to think on his feet. He focued his mind on the task at hand and took a deep breathe. 

"So if you make all the rules then what is the point in playing the game? Isn't this exactly why the everyone lives happily ever after thing didn't work out for you?"


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

Team Dorian: The Shadow Cavern

And just like the two feared, the hollow proceeded to aggress against them. This was logical. It not like the other combatants have made their moves but it seemed like Butler and Ragnorok were going to actually be forced to engage with this...thing. As it launched a series of random black spheres everywhere bouncing off the caves Butlerok quickly cast Borg putting a protective barrier on himself and Rhadamanthys. Then he followed up by shooting each of the sphere with a stake made of Mad Blood. Butlerok might be a Kishin deep in the throws of Madness but he was still a good marksman. 

Rhadamanthys was looking around and noticing that Finite was about to square off with a transformed boy. If that was to be the deal then fine. It seemed like this monstrosity was going to constantly interfere anyway. 

Butlerok looked at the creature and raised his eyebrow. Rhadamanthys I have an idea. The God of Death looked back Butlerok slightly confused but he was going to have to trust the bald mad man. 

Butlerok pointed at Heartless and simply stated: Bloody Eclipse. 

A torrent of Mad Blood came oozing out of Butlerok and proceeded to flood the cave. Causing it to resume its original pitch black appearance. Butlerok and Rhadamanthys were nowhere to be seen. And like clockwork the eyes of the Kishin were everywhere littering the cavern. Then a massive beam of purple seemed to blast from the ground aiming for the Heartless' face. 

[Phantom Roxas]

{Anamnesis}

[spoiler=The Pathway to Remembrance]When the Origin War began, Arthur Ancyl had longed for nothing more than to reject the gods. To wish upon the Door of Origin, and wish that he had never been born a half-blood. Now, there was so much else that he wanted, he couldn’t ask for just one thing from the Door. He didn’t want to forget the friends he had now, not after he had left enough people behind.

The Door of Origin was just out of reach, and for all the wishes he could make, what he wanted most was to still mean something to the people who meant everything to him. He wanted to keep them close, and be worthy of them. He wanted to deserve MirageGaogamon’s faith that he could be a hero. He wanted to deserve Sora’s trust to give him the Keyblade. He wanted to deserve Eria’s love, and not just be someone who could help her survive this war. He wanted Hiita, Aussa, and Wynn to all forgive him, and only if he deserved that, too. Not by wishing that the Door could simply do that for him. He had to earn it all himself.

If anyone was watching him, would they think he was good enough? Could he be a hero that people could depend on? Finding out what he could be was why he needed to kill Protheus. It was more than just life or death. There was still so much that Arthur, that everyone here could do. Protheus was living on borrowed time, and with even the Twilight One fighting against him, this was their final chance.

The light surrounding Arthur’s group had solidified into a golden Reflect barrier. Even while Protheus was preoccupied, that didn’t mean any of them were safe for the moment. Whatever time Arthur had to go over his plan wasn’t going to last long. “The best Drives I could do usually came from combining powers with two people,” Sora explained. “If this is going to work, I’ll have to merge with Kairi and Arthur.”

“It’s best if our Drives are overlapping,” Arthur suggested. “Protheus was able to dispel my own Drive with Eria and MirageGaogamon just after we finished the Madara. If all of us are using Drives together, it might take it tight. Like a tangled knot he’d have to unweave first.”

MirageGaogamon stroked his chin. “He wasn’t able to stop us when I went within Pure Edge, and he’s countered most of my attacks with his own power. I suppose calling it ‘Arcane Manipulation’ gave it away, but it’s safe to assume that he wouldn’t be able to cancel a Bio-Merge the same way he could with a Drive. Adding that on top of the Drives should add another layer he’d have to break through.”

“And we have the Staff of Armadyl to help even more.” Eria studied the orb within the staff. The energy concentrated within it always seemed to be gathering towards the center, as if it was constantly finding the smallest sparks of mana around them. “I believe its best use is for melding elements together, which sounds like exactly what we need. However well a Drive and your Bio-Merge might go together, this should keep them bound. I believe Protheus doesn’t know the staff as well as some of your other techniques, so despite its arcane nature, even he shouldn’t be able to manipulate it.”

“So this whole fusion is definitely going to stick together,” Kairi concluded. “The next question is, once we’re all fused, how do we keep fighting him?”

Arthur raised a hand. “That’s where I come in. Even if we destroy his body, he’ll just keep regenerating. We need something that can destroy his soul. While MirageGaogamon and I were on the other side of the lake, we met someone. Chardonnay. She said she had no stake in this war, but she also said that she’s here to observe a prophecy she called ‘The End of Darkness’. If that happens, maybe that means Protheus could be destroyed.”

Gagagigo narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “And you would trust her? We’re making enough assumptions as it is. A prophecy could be too good to be true, and would cost us dearly if we get it wrong.”

“I drank from the lake,” said Arthur. “I saw for myself when she first told Protheus about the prophecy, and I have to believe that he was scared. Everything he’s done in this war, it’s all been so he could get to the Door and wish that the prophecy never comes true. Either he wishes away the one thing that might kill him, or we make that prophecy come true so it does its job.

Eria wiped her hand across her forehead. It hadn’t hurt too badly when she drove that shard into herself to see her other half’s memories, but there was a sensation that still lingered. If Arthur had looked into Protheus and Chardonnay’s memories, it wasn’t entirely unlike what she had done. “Then this prophecy is our best shot. Do you remember what exactly it said?”

“Of course.” Arthur took a deep breath.

“Within the theatre of living nigh
Raindrops pour to feel their sky
Nature extends to a superior strange
In 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
When all the cards have fallen
Embrace the fate that you have chosen”

Everyone stood quiet for a moment as they let his words sink in. Taking a glance at how his barrier was holding up, Arthur cast another Reflect to reinforce it before facing the others again. “MirageGaogamon and I worked with Chardonnay to figure out what it all means. First off, he’s close to the Door. He has to die here, right before he can win, because prophecies love tragic irony like that. The only problem is… even if he does die, it’s because he has some kind of purpose. The Twilight One kept calling him ‘Judgment’, and it’s because Protheus isn’t the real ‘Herald of Darkness’. He has to pick Isamy to become that Herald, and the moment he does, it doesn’t matter what happened back in the Sphere Forest. Isamy is going to come back.”

When everyone offered only dead silence, Arthur almost wished there were a few groans. “Which is where this gets especially complicated, if it wasn’t already. He obviously doesn’t care for Isamy. He’s not going to want her to take his place, so there’s all the more reason for him not to do what he has to. But if he do kill him, that means-”

“We can’t bring Isamy back!” Gagagigo stopped himself just short of throttling Arthur. “Arthur… you and I should know better than most not to bring her back. I won’t allow that, even if we must kill Protheus. There must be another way.”

“Gagagigo, it’s okay,” Eria assured him. “I imagine that’s going to be one of the biggest problems with this prophecy, but there’s one more thing you mentioned. ‘With one apology, Judgment may be no more.’ What is that supposed to mean?”

Arthur grit his teeth. He knew exactly what it meant, but he couldn’t stand to ask Eria for this part of the plan. “I think the only way to do that is to try and make him remember something he regrets. We have a whole lake around us, so if we could just find a way to use it on him…”

“You mean, have me use it against him,” Eria realized. When Arthur looked away, it was all the asnwered Eria needed. “…Maybe it could work, but I don’t know if I could handle it. The water here is… different, of couse. I admit that my other self… no, I was able to use it to help restore him just before the rest of you came here, but controlling it for that purpose, I had to be precise. All I can think of is I could cast my Charm on him again, but he’ll be expecting that now. If your plan is to make him apologize for something he feels guilty about, I wouldn’t know what to look for. And even assuming I could manage to use the lake to stir up a bunch of memories, I can’t control how he’d feel about them. He could laugh it off, treat it like something embarrassing that he’d rather ignore, or it’d just make him even angrier, if that’s somehow possible.”

“…The lake reminds me of the river Mnemosyne in my world,” Arthur explained. “Drinking that water was supposed to bring back memories you’d lost, but it’s not something you’re supposed to dunk your head in.”

“And yet you swam through that lake just to save me.” Eria smirked. “Thank you for that, Arthur. It…” She stopped herself. Their time had to be running out. “Please tell me you have something in mind, then?”

“Maybe.” Arthur’s answer was more of a resigned sigh. “It’s another longshot, but those are all we’ve got. Earlier, he actually seemed… annoyed, when I was singing? Not because it was completely inappropriate - which it was - but he actually I thought I was my dad for a moment. I’m not really an expert on music theory, but something I’ve thought about is how songs make you feel.”

Eria nodded. “It is weird, but I think I get what you mean. When I used my Charm, even though I wanted him to kill the Twilight Ones, I had to phrase it in a way that he would agree with. Do you think you could do the same?”

“You said your Charm might not work because he’s expecting it, but since we’re already planning to mix so many other things, we could try both your Charm and my singing. Besides, I have… a certain song in mind. It’s been a while since I’ve listened to it, though.” Arthur looked beside him and saw a bubble the size of his head beside him. “…Hold that thought, Eria. If I’m right, then while you get ready to flood him with memories, I’m going to sing a song. Something to make him feel regret. That way, we’ll get his apology, one way or the other.”

“I don’t like this plan,” Sora confessed. “I mean, everything you two have in mind, I understand how it’s going to work. But it sounds like there’s way too many chances for this to go badly.”

“If we don’t get this right,” Gagagigo added, “And I mean, perfectly right, either Protheus gets to the Door, or Isamy comes back. Either way, we lose.”

“And fusions are always a double-edged sword.” Even MirageGaogamon had doubts about this plan. “It makes us a single target. No one else is here to bail us out of this, after all. You and I have already been in this situation once before, Arthur. Even then, I’d only say we didn’t defeat the Demon Lords ourselves. We merely survived them.”

Arthur winced at that, but MirageGaogamon wasn’t wrong. It was great to be regarded as the hero who defeated the Demon Lords, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Lucemon had absorbed all of the Demon Lords, and then absorbed Arthur and MirageGaogamon when they were a part of Susanoomon. It was Ytidens, as DreadKaiserdramon, who had defeated them, fighting the Demon Lords until they all survived. Arthur and MirageGaogamon got far more credit than they really deserved. “…It’s been five years, MirageGaogamon. And over these past few days alone, we’ve gotten stronger than we were back then.”

MirageGaogamon sighed. “You really think this is going to work?”

“It has to.” Arthur readied his Keyblade. “I don’t think I can give any glorious speech that’s going to rally you guys into trying this. I just know that if we don’t do something now, we’re going to die anyway. It’s barely a plan, but all I can do is bet everything on it.”

“And so will I.” Eria took Arthur’s hand, as both of them held their Keyblades towards Gagagigo and MirageGaogamon. “I’ve taken too many risks already because I believe that, somehow, we have to be able to win. If you think this can work, Arthur, then I don’t see any other choice.”

Gagagigo knelt down before Eria. “Gagagigo, we have a lot to talk about,” Eria told him. “That… ‘other’ Eria, she had lost her Gagagigo. He became a mindless beast that slaughtered everyone around her. In a way, I’m still her. And she’s saying that she wants nothing to do with you. But… the Eria that you know, she still cares about you. Trying to keep believing that we can still save everyone. She- I can’t do this without you.”

Gagagigo lunged towards Eria, pulling her into an embrace. “I’ve caused you too much pain already, Eria. Whether in this life or another, I would spend a hundred, a thousand more until the day you can forgive me.”

Eria looked between Arthur and Gagagigo. Either one of them could keep wanting to redeem themselves to her, but both of them? It was easy to just say that this was to be expected, that people around her would either suffer, or be the ones causing that suffering.

“I guess if anyone could understand what regret feels like, it’s you and me,” Arthur told Gagagigo. “Let’s teach Protheus a bit of that.”

“Not the argument I would have expected,” Gagagigo huffed. “But I suppose you’re right. I still have my concerns, but let’s do this.”

“Well… you were right that we’ve grown, Arthur,” said MirageGaogamon. “We did not defeat the Demon Lords ourselves, and we failed to stop Ogudomon at first. But when we overcame Apocrypha, for the first time we could truly say that we had defeated the Demon Lords.” MirageGaogamon bowed before Arthur. “If you believe this will work, then count me in.”

Sora chuckled. “You know, if I had known we’d all be fighting together like this back when this war started, I would’ve expected to be the one leading you guys, but you’ve both been carrying us through this. Arthur, I’m glad the Keyblade decided you were worthy. It wasn’t just my choice. You earned that. And Eria, that staff has been the one thing I’ve been looking for ever since we got on these Pathways. After everyone who… I need to do what I can with that staff. I won’t let them all have died for nothing!”

“Ophelia summoned Sliske and I to stop you,” Kairi added. “So I’m all for using that staff on Protheus instead. Come to think of it, Ophelia’s really the one who made it possible for us to stop Protheus. Arthur, Eria, our Keyblades were meant to follow you both. I’m ready for whatever we need to do!”

Sora and Kairi aimed their Keyblades at Arthur and Eria, who in turn aimed at MirageGaogamon and Gagagigo, and the six of them cried out all at once.
 

“Bio-Merge Activate: Overdrive Evolution!”

---

In the darkening skies of Remembrance did twin forces clash. Protheus Maximus and the Twilight One, locked in a state of conflict.

It was a clash that demonstrated ‘hit-and-run’ tactics at its greatest height, with both combatants focused on delivering strong attacks whilst evading their opponents’ as much as possible. A singular blast would disable the other in an instant - a single blow may very well spell defeat. Rainbow lightning and blasts of pure darkness were exchanged with one another.

They battled. Again, and again, and again, occupying one another in a war to determine true superiority. Unaware, or rather, uncaring of what was occurring at the Lake below them.

Protheus Maximus, the Herald of Darkness, had selected quite the troublesome opponent. He was being relentlessly pursued across the clouds by his four opponents, given no room for breath or thought. Their combined efforts had forced him to abandon his body three times in a row, being far more strategic about where and how he would reform. He had to evade the majority of the attacks, putting up a shield wasn’t even an option against such ridiculous strength, and They weren’t about to give him a chance to blast Their napes again. They possessed the means of soul destruction, so he couldn’t let Them pin him down no matter what. He’d stupidly barred himself from his true form, had no time for a Karma Bomb, and knew too well using that would be a death sentence against these monsters. His own magic prowess and his ingenuity was the only way he could win this.

The Twilight One had various advantages over their enemy. Despite all the damage that had been inflicted upon Them, these four vessels were still more than a match for him, and their edge in this battle was forcing him to take evasive maneuvers. Firstly, They had superiority in numbers; each phoenix dispersed across the sky to block off this one man’s movements, constantly surrounding him, coordinating to close in on him. Secondly, They knew exactly what he was capable of; it would take him time to charge up something that could actually penetrate Their immunity to magic, that could actually be harmful to a vessel, and Their constant bombardment left no such chance. Thirdly, They were gods. The tricks he pulled against the rabble, that ‘Arcane Manipulation’, was useless in the face of raw, divine might!

Yet, he had advantages of his own. Firstly, he was a single, tiny target compared to their enormous sizes, his speed unable to be matched, slipping past their lines of vision again and again. Secondly, he had no sense of honour, no qualms with doing whatever it took to achieve victory; targeting the Twilight Ones’ wounds in the split seconds he could let him unleash half-assed blasts that widened those wounds, causing Them to cry out in pain, whittling Them down further. And finally… He had long, long since anticipated this battle.

Considering the many millennia he’d spent entertaining the possibility of taking on all the Twilight Ones at once, facing just these four was nothing to him! Why, They surely thought They had him on the run, that They were backing him into a corner, that They were winning, but in truth he was simply gliding past such pathetic attempts to murder him! Sure, They could surround him, yet Their blunt attacks, Their rain of steel feathers that tore his body apart again and again, could do little but annoy him, but force him to regenerate. The only thing that was genuinely dangerous to him was Their divine lightning, yet They had no method of aiming properly at such a fast-moving target, especially when he had the freedom of the whole sky to choose from.

Still, murdering the Twilight One’s four vessels was proving to be a difficult task. Even though he could avoid Their bombardment, he needed to continuously enhance himself with magic, to maintain his speed and awareness of time. Staying on the run took all his concentration - he couldn’t perform a proper counterattack, a decisive blow, until he was granted just enough time to prepare for one.

In other words, the Twilight One could not possibly land a hit on Protheus. Yet Protheus was being given no time to kill the Twilight Ones. They were locked in a state of conflict, which could only be broken should the other make a mistake. And these immortals were not known for their mistakes.

Then…

That happened.

The Twilight One paused all of a sudden in mid-flight, Its four vessels stopping Their bombardment for a mere moment, turning towards the Lake of Remembrance with a sense of shock. Protheus was confused at first, but would not let this random chance go to waste, pouring mana into his right arm for a death strike… Only for him to stop as well! Widening his eyes, his face snapped downwards, to where the Twilight One was looking-

“What… What the funk is this?!”

Just like that, these monsters of destruction were given a reminder that they were involved in a greater battle. A sudden surge of tremendous, unignorable power emerged… Coming from the Lake of Remembrance?!

---

~ Victorious Eagle Warfare ~

A pillar of light shot through the barrier surrounding the Counter Corps. Rising from the center was a figure whose six angelic wings unfurled to reveal a suit of golden armor. Their boots ended in talons, while their gauntlets displayed familiar faces; MirageGaogamon’s helm was grafted into its right, while Gagagigo’s visage adorned the left. Holding the Staff of Armadyl with both hands, the masked knight, crowned with the face of an eagle, summoned four Keyblades to their side.

“Protheus Maximus,” the knight called in several voices that seamlessly blended together. “We are Aetos. With all of our power together, we will destroy you, once and for all. Now: Horakhty’s Flame!” Pointing a single finger, the Keyblades beside Aetos all aimed, and lasers of pure white light fired, each Keyblade targeting the remaining Twilight Ones.

The Twilight Ones’ crime had been taken completely off-guard by the appearance of this stranger, in a state of shock. What was this Aetos? Where did they come from, and how could they possibly possess such power? Had such an entity been cooperating with those foolish warriors this whole time?

ЩΉΛƬ…
KIПD ӨF MӨЯƬΛᄂ ΛЯΣ YӨЦ?!

No, there was no time to consider such strangeness in an event like the Origin War. Whatever this being was, the Twilight Ones were still gods, and They would deliver judgment to this blasphemer who dared to oppose Them! Charging physical retribution within Their bodies, each of the four vessels retaliated against the lasers with a devastating blast of rainbow-coloured, divine lightning. But just as They did so, Aetos swiftly flew directly towards the center of where the Twilight Ones had gathered, spinning in midair before sending their Keyblades straight into the nape of the Twilight Ones’ necks.

Unrelenting, Aetos charged again, drawing water from the lake and snow far below to form blades of ice along the top of the Staff of Armadyl, bringing an improvised axe down on Protheus. They had to stick to their plan, but until they were fully prepared, knowing that this fusion would work in sync, they would have to rely on brute force. Besides, even if the Twilight Ones had been fighting Protheus, they couldn’t wait for either side to kill the other first. Aetos would have to defeat all of them.

“What the hell?!” The dark sorcerer Protheus was equally confused, yet their sudden assault gave him little opportunity to process everything that had just happened. As the axe came down upon Protheus, he manifested makeshift mana blades in his hands and enhanced his own strength, just barely parrying it away.

Once his blades shattered on impact, without a second thought he immediately clapped his hands together - having to perform a serious spell, actual hand movements, against the mortals for the first time - and six arms of darkness briefly burst out of his back. In synchronization, these mysterious arms launched their fists unto Aetos' armour with great strength that would’ve shattered any normal target into pieces. Aetos was sent flying further into the sky, although Aetos managed to right themselves with their wings after a few seconds.

Meanwhile, the Bass Twilight One had steeled its nape, and so far had remained miraculously unharmed. Yet It understood that It was now the final vessel. It stared at the other three black phoenixes, the smaller ones, as they plummeted from the skies. Already wounded from Protheus' initial betrayal and the battle that followed, the warrior’s sudden strikes had been death blows to the Tenor, Contralto, and and Soprano. Their napes spurted with divine blood as Their bodies ultimately crashed into the Lake of Remembrance, and sunk, and broke apart into ash. Its crimson eyes locked onto Aetos with a silent, deadly vengeance. For now, This One would remain in the background. Let them fight.

“Urgh… Those insects on the ground are gone? What’s going on here?” Protheus muttered to himself, using this moment of reprieve to analyze the sudden changed situation. Turning towards the Lake, he expanded his senses. Although yjr ‘Alister’ who watched their fight from far away was still there, there was no one else to be found. No Apollo, no Digimon, no Charmer or her pet, no Keyblade Warriors. They’d all gone missing for some strange, peculiar reason. Only this mysterious ‘Aetos’, who’d materialized out of nowhere.

“I can’t work this one out… What the hell is this energy signature?” He was centering his attention entirely on this newfound opponent; Aetos could somehow feel dark tendrils touch their mana, peer into their very spirit, as the Herald was trying to figure out exactly what this was. “Did the Counter Corps sacrifice themselves to summon some almighty warrior? That might explain it. I can identify elements of a few of them coursing through this one… But then again, could it be a fusion? They’re individually so different, from wholly different universes, so it can’t be this stable, can it?”

The sorcerer was musing to himself, watching the golden knight from a distance. His playful attitude had disappeared entirely. This opponent was a complete ‘unknown’, and had demonstrated great strength, having downed three gods in an instant. He was cautious, on-guard, analytical and attempting to anticipate what Aetos' next move could be. “Whatever you are… Of all the things you could’ve worn, it had to be golden armour, huh?” His fists balled up. “I’m getting really sick of brats in gold armour, you know?! First that Lydia girl, now you…” The six shadow arms behind him seemed to grow more and more - Protheus barely looked human with those things attached. His expression had warped just as much, twisting with uncontrolled negative emotion. “When I’m done with you, I’ll make you SUFFER! With pain beyond your COMPREHENSION! And make you long for a sweet death!!!”

With more of the Twilight Ones fallen, there was now only one phoenix left, as well as its (former) partner. Despite Protheus’ confident boast, Aetos couldn’t help but to chuckle, just a little. “‘Protheus.’ Your name reminds me of a Titan from my world. Prometheus.” Arthur’s voice spoke alone this time. “He made the first humans, and gave them the fire that he stole from the gods. But the king of the gods, Zeus… my grandfather, he had Prometheus chained up to a rock because of it. An eagle would eat Prometheus’ liver, but since Prometheus was immortal, he’d regenerate it every day, and the eagle would keep coming back to feed all over again. So if you’d be Prometheus, then I couldn’t think of any better form to face you with than an eagle. Let’s finish this, Pener.”

Protheus remained silent, glaring at Aetos. His Terror Aura flared at maximum capacity. Materializing even more, the energy surrounding him now almost looked like the screaming silhouettes of endless lifeforms attached to his body, melded together, reaching out in a crazed anguish, emitting a surge of fear on a wholly other scale from what came before, in an attempt to affect this Aetos being.

This was no time for questions - right now, all Protheus cared about was murder.. There was going to be no playing around here, no holding back. From here on out, he intended to fighting his enemy with everything he had.

“ Ｗｅｌｌ，Ｉ ｄｏｎ＇ｔ ｓｅｅ ａｎｙ ＲＯＣＫＳ ａｒｏｕｎｄ ｈｅｒｅ．"

With that, the Herald of Darkness blasted into action. Quite literally, a mana blast exploded behind him, hurtling the man at Aetos, rapidly closing the distance between them. From his six ‘darkness arms’, a total of sixty miniature black orbs detached and circled around the flying Protheus. Then, just as he stopped himself five meters away, he clicked his fingers. Each of the sixty orbs acted as a bullet - from such close range, they fired at the golden fusion all at once.

Sora took command of Aetos this time, recognizing Protheus’ strategy all too easily. During his and Riku’s final battle against Xemnas, the Nobody had commanded a far more significant array of lasers, but Sora and Riku were able to repel them all together. Spinning all of their weapons, the Keyblades zipped around Aetos like a blur, while Aetos spun the Staff of Armadyl in their hands. One by one, each of the bullets were struck before they reached Aetos, popping into sparks of light. Charging all of the Keyblades with the Staff of Armadyl, those same lights gathered around each Keyblade, their tips crossed in front Aetos, before firing a concentrated beam of pure light, empowered with divine energy, right at Protheus.

At first the Herald grinned, reaching out his own arm as if to control the beam with Arcane Manipulation. However, as he peered into its contents, he was met with an overload of unknowns, the blend of mana being far more complex than he’d anticipated, and the mixture of divinity put it beyond his comprehension - it couldn’t be diverted! “Hmph, that Staff is a troublesome thing… I shall have to take it from them when possible!” In a desperate maneuver, he released two of his artificial arms, pulled them in front of him, and unleashed them as a blast of pure darkness. It clashed with Aetos' light mightily, causing shockwaves to emanate from where they were connected. For a moment the two beams were locked in a state of equilibrant destruction, sparks of white and black flying into the air, Protheus and Aetos looking at one another from both sides. At last, the attacks canceled one another out.

As soon as the beams of light and darkness faded, Protheus launched himself back towards his opponent. If bullets weren’t going to do any good, then he would simply have to take an even more direct approach. Behind him, huge black swords - exactly like the one Viligance used to carry - materialized using his Terror Aura. Each one was gripped by his four remaining artificial arms. Using ridiculous speed and precision they slashed at Aetos, aiming for their waist, left arm, right ankle, and neck!

“Gaoga Tornade!” At MirageGaogamon’s call, Aetos pirouetted against each swing that Protheus took. While they able to dodge most of the swings, the sheer proximity towards the Terror Aura was slowing Aetos down. If any of Protheus’ swords were to hit them, they would all die; that was the fear the Terror Aura was preying on. That because they were so afraid of dying so sloppily, it was sure to happen.

“What’s wrong, hero?! I’m only GETTING STARTED!” Protheus grinned, maintaining his assault even more, gradually increasing the amount of strength he was pouring in. As mighty as the warrior facing him was, they would surely have to trip up eventually. Even their combined stamina was still not infinite, after all! As long as he kept them on the defensive, he could gain an edge and ultimately separate Aetos from that Staff-

Kairi pressed a hand against her chest. “Eria, get some of your magic ready, because this one’s gonna hurt!” Light pulse around Aetos, allowing the gestalt warrior to dodge more of Protheus’ swings. Kairi was still a Princess of Heart. As long as she could rely on the light inside of her, she could resist the Terror Aura long enough for the next attack. Gliding backwards to gain some distance, Kairi cried out, “Blizzard Raid!”

The four Keyblades, coated in auras of frost, launched in an arc, each one slicing clean through Protheus’ four shadow arms. Where the Keyblades had struck, even the shadows themselves seem to freeze over. Surprised, Protheus looked back for just a second. Upon closer inspection, Protheus could see that this itself was merely an illusion; it was that damned Eria once more using her Charm to form a connection with Protheus. As four blue threads slithered towards Protheus, Aetos flew above Protheus, dipping the Staff of Armadyl between the threads. Twisting the staff in place, the threads wrapped around the staff, which twirled in Aetos’ hands until it had gathered the threads tightly, connecting Aetos through the staff, then through the threads, to Protheus himself. With a mighty roar, Aetos swung the staff above them and pulled it down, tugging on the threads in an attempt to catapult Protheus directly into the lake.

The Herald of Darkness’s eyes widened as he was violently flung downwards, his body treated like some sort of toy, his field of vision being fully overcome by the sight of the expansive Lake below them… The waters that recalled memory… While he didn’t understood exactly what they were attempting, he knew too well that those waters could be dangerous, especially to someone like him who’d lived for millennia! “OH? So THAT’S YOUR PLAY, HUH?! AETOS?!??!?” Plummeting fast, he was trapped by those annoying blue threads, and the body of clear water below him was growing ever larger. This state was too vulnerable. There was no escaping this situation! He’d been a complete fool! Left with little choice he tore the fingertip of his right hand out of the threads and pointed it at himself.

And thus, his own body was annihilated. A beam of darkness annihilated Protheus Maximus from the waist up, and what remained of his body turned to dust moments before landing on the surface of the Lake of Remembrance.

Mere feet above Aetos, an orb of darkness materialized, expanding like a balloon, until it finally popped - to reveal a newly-regenerated Protheus Maximus beneath. Creating a new body this time took less than ten seconds. The threads were absent, and there were no wounds on his body. His mind seemed far more fortified this time, anticipating Eria’s Charm at any given moment. And it seemed he truly was immortal. Yet, the crew had seen him commit suicide just to avoid the Lake - it could very well be that they were on the right track.

“What the hell are you planning?! Whatever it is, it is FUTILE!” The four dark arms burst right out of Protheus' back again, now seeming somewhat more distorted, more monstrous in form. All four arms thrust straight downwards. And, as he poured vast amounts of mana through them, four intense beams of Terror were unleashed - converging on Aetos directly from above. If both bombardment and swordsplay would both place him in danger, then he may as well go ahead and vaporize the enemy with his own raw, unmatched power.

Aetos didn’t dare try to counter the beams with their Keyblades. Instead, they stayed in place, pulling their left hand behind them. Protheus knew their plan, but they had not given away everything. He was expecting them to drown him in the lake’s waters. If Arthur’s plan was right, that he needed to accept what they wanted him to see, then they needed to show their hand just a little bit, to be sure that it could work.

Gagagigo would test that theory. “Eria. Give me a boost here.” Water wrapped around their left hand, allowing Gagagigo to welcome memories himself. He remembered Raoul and Freed, who had seen him at his worst, fought him like he was a monster to be hunted, only to welcome him as a brother in arms, before he gave in to the monster once more. If even Protheus could know what that would feel like, that would be the hope they could bet on. As loathe as Gagagigo was to admit it, this battle hinged on his and Arthur’s ability to sympathize with Protheus.

As the Terror beams collided, Eria’s enchantment on Gagagigo allowed Aetos the sheer strength to punch them all with a single strike, setting off a vicious explosion that consumed Aetos. It was almost disappointing, for them to put up something of a fierce battle, only to welcome annihilation all too suddenly. And yet, from within that explosion blew a gust of wind, as a shockwave burst through the smoke to hit Protheus head-on. As the dust settled around Aetos, the warrior was clutching their left hand. The gauntlet had been battered, even crackling with divine energy, but it seemed to be the only damage that Aetos had taken.

Gagagigo’s voice snarled. “I will take this pain… and return it a thousand fold!” Aetos flew straight towards Protheus, clenched their left fist as a Reflect barrier manifested around it, before they punched the Herald of Darkness, unleashing another shockwave as the gauntlet met his face.

Protheus narrowed his eyes and attempted to desperately project a shield, but there was too little time; it smashed through his defenses and connected before any decent resistance could be put up. His expression changed to utter horror an instant before his whole skull was smashed to pieces. Just like that, his body fell still, and started to fall. As it did, it turned to dust. Yet, the fusion knew too well that this wouldn’t be the end.

Directly behind Aetos, a flesh-like skeleton appeared out of nowhere and grasped onto their limbs, trapping their arms and legs together with incredible strength. It appeared that he’d had rushed his regeneration for this opportune moment; dust was still coming together to form his flesh and clothing whilst he violently held Aetos in place. Using his right arm, he simultaneously attempted to wrestle the Staff of Armadyl away from them in the middle of the deadlock.

“You DARE?!” Protheus screamed in the fusion’s face. Although they couldn’t see him, his incomplete face showed him for what he truly was. A zombie, a lich. And his level of hatred, of lividness, was only rising. “I can accept a Celestial managing to destroy my vessel… I can accept that sorceress tricking me into destroying my vessel… I can ACCEPT the God of Osiris repeatedly destroying my vessel! And I can certainly ACCEPT my very own Twilight One destroying my vessel! And of course I can’t complain if I destroy my own! But YOU! A MORTAL! A NONSENSICAL FUSION! YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO DESTROY MY VESSELS? DESTROY ME?! YOU THINK THAT’S ACCEPTABLE?!”

Protheus' regeneration had finally concluded. The four black arms burst out of his back once more, possessing the full freedom to move and murder. Having caught Aetos off-guard, it was time to finish this. At this close range, and with them trapped so, there was nothing they could do. He would destroy them. He would destroy these Counter Corps once and for all, and show them just how superior he was, and show them just what the CONSEQUENCES were for threatening THE LIFE OF A MAXIMUS-

At that very moment, the sky turned black
 

JЦDGMΣПƬ . . .

and flashed purple.

ЦPӨП YӨЦ Λᄂᄂ!!!

As the final Twilight One soared high above the clouds, high above the two combatants, Its wings spread so far that the mighty phoenix had blocked out the sun. It became obvious very, very quickly that this was the one enemy neither of them should have ignored, and with all the time they’d allowed, It had waited for the perfect opportunity to annihilate them both at the same time. And this moment, this instant, was perfect. With all the divine might that this god could muster, the Twilight One screeched out and let a single bolt of divine lightning blast from the clouds.

The blackness of the sky was penetrated by light, tearing apart reality in Its descent to its targets. The Twilight One had invoked whatever remained of its original domain and poured it into this one final attack, the Judgment of Melek Taus, designed to inflict certain death on all those who happened to be caught in it. This was Its last act as ruler, to bring justice to these blasphemers, and this Twilight One was far too desperate to fail now.

“That f***ing servant!!!” The Herald Protheus cursed, knowing that that attack could be a danger even to him. Left with no choice, he tore his own head off using his shadow arms and committed suicide once more, collapsing into dust against Aetos' golden armour. And, just as this bolt of divine justice came crashing down, Aetos was left the sole target in its path.

---

~ It’s My Turn ~

Thunder. Always the thunder. As Arthur, Sora, Kairi, MirageGaogamon, and Gagagigo all pushed for Aetos to move, Eria felt as though her heart was being dragged down against her will. Even the sound of the lightning gave her pause, never mind what the thunder would do.

She collapsed upon a platform of crystal. Her companions were standing around her, each with a ring around their feet, as plain lines of gold on a white surface converged at the center.

“Eria!” Arthur was calling out to her. Of course he was. She pressed her hands on the platform, struggling to lift herself up. It was strange, to feel both her own body moving as well as Aetos desperately trying to survive the lightning. The bolt pierced through several layers of Reflect barriers that Aetos had cast around them, before striking Aetos at last. Eria, and all of her friends, screamed in agony as their gestalt form was thrown into the lake.

Electricity crackled over Aetos, shocking them as they convulsed in the lake. Not yet, Eria begged of herself. Just a little bit longer!

Not yet? This is nothing! The other Eria yelled at herself in response. That thing calls itself a god, but I’m pretty sure that’s not one of our gods!

Lightning coursed through their spirits, their very lifelines within the fusion. A greater power had commanded them to die, and it was taking everything they could to resist that command. If any of them gave in, even for an instant, it would all be over. Eria could feel the other Eria, the Void Eria, grasp onto her hand. Even as their outer body writhed in the Lake, memories started to arise. Precious memories. Irreplaceable memories. You have… No. WE have all these things to protect… after all… DON’T WE?!

Eria had cradled Gagagigo since he first hatched from his egg. Doriado had welcomed her as one of her apprentices. It was with them that she had met Wynn, Dharc… to find more people she could call “family”. But Isamy, LERNA, the Madara, Solasiro, Megiddo, and now Protheus had all pushed her into just giving in, time and again. To accept that the only choice left for her was to die.

She had to live. For Gagagigo’s sake. To let him find happiness, so he could earn forgiveness not just from her, but from the whole world. Eria had so much more to learn from Doriado, or share with the other Charmers. If she could become this powerful, so could the others. Together, they could all keep protecting their world from anyone who tried to threaten it.

She had to keep herself thinking, even through all the pain. She accepted her other half’s hand, reaching towards her. Perhaps she was not really there with her, physically, but she could still feel her. “I thought you’d have given up, too,” Eria said weakly. “Or just scold for me being weak again…”

Void Eria turned away for a second, scratching her head. “Don’t get the wrong idea, me. You are weak.” She responded matter-of-factly, gritting her teeth as she too endured the pain with a straight face. “But… There’s no shame in being weak. It’s… not wrong to hate what’s happening to you right now! To us!”

Memories floated behind her darker alternate self. However, these weren’t memories of war. They weren’t dark memories, but memories Eria recognized all too well. Of cradling a newborn Gagagigo, of being welcomed as an apprentice, of meeting the Charmers who would eventually become her friends… The memories they treasured in their hearts were exactly the same. It was the War and the many monsters she encountered that took that all away. Day after day, the losses, and the deaths, and the pain pushed her into just giving in. To accept that the only choice left for her was to die.

“I almost forgot… I used to be happy, didn’t I?” Void Eria said with a fragile smile. Eyeing the Gagagigo memory especially, with mixed emotions, with a crushing sadness.

“My War took that away. Your War is taking that away. It’s not wrong to be weak…” She tightened her embrace, almost as if to help bear with the pain. “…but Lady Doriado taught us to be brave. To never give up. At the end of the day, we’re still Charmers…!”
 

On the surface of the lake of Remembrance, Aetos began to stand, their feet perfectly planted above the water. Within their heart, Eria was rising up, lifting her other half with her.

“This whole plan is all about regret,” said Eria. “I’d say it’s about being weak, but… the worst kind of regret to me is doing something you can never make up for. That you can never change. But changing is exactly what we’re supposed to do as Charmers, isn’t it? To keep growing. I guess what I’m most afraid of is whether I have it in me. How can I keep pushing forward? There has to be a limit somewhere.”

She couldn’t help but smile. After all the bitterness and rage between her two selves, it was a strange way to find some self-confidence now, especially coming from the one that had suffered a ‘War of Darkness’. “If you don’t mind me asking, I’d like to know what your biggest regret would be. The more we think about that, the better our Charm should be. You said you used to be happy, but you still can be.”

The other Eria looked upwards, hesitant. “I try not to think about a lot of the things I’ve done. But, there is one thing. It’s probably obvious.” She forced a smile in response to her other self, pushing onwards. “The night it all went wrong. When Lady Doriado left us to get help… I remember wanting to go with her. It wasn’t anything special, I just wanted to see Endymion for myself… I wish I insisted on it. I wish I’d gone with her… I don’t know. Maybe I could’ve saved her. And in turn, maybe, just maybe she could’ve stopped the War from getting so bad? Yeah… I guess that’s my biggest regret.”

Eria had almost hoped that it would have been about Gagagigo, but she knew that would have been asking too much. “I promised you that when we reach the Door, we’ll make sure that the War of Darkness never happened. If I can let you go back to that moment, to go help Doriado… I don’t know if it’s a guarantee, but you’ll have a chance. You’ll know what will happen, and you can stop it before it all goes wrong. Would that be enough?”

“Ehe…” The pain coursing through her, somehow, seemed to be gradually disappearing away. “Was I really this kind once? Or…did you grow kinder?” Void Eria’s eyes glistened, just the tiniest bit. “Thank you. I’d, like that, yeah… That War brought nothing but misery to us, and to everyone else. It’s everything I’ve been fighting for. I…guess I finally have something to look forward to. Thank you, really. Um,” then, her eyes met with Eria’s, “Just as importantly, you can’t forget about yourself. What happened to your village. Everything the distortions did. I won’t forgive you if you settle for anything less than fixing all that!”

Eria’s smile grew wider. “I promise I’ll save everyone. My village will be better than ever. Mom and Dad will be okay, and the distortions won’t affect my world, or yours, or anyone else’s!” She could go home. They could both make everything right. “Let’s fight for our brighter futures.” With that, the two Eria’s faded together into a single person once more.

“I think we’re ready now,” said Arthur. Judging by his smile, he understood what Eria needed to do. Both of her selves were fighting as one, as Eria as the Water Charmer, and as a part of Aetos.

On the outside, Aetos’ armor was repairing itself with the help of Cure spells and the Staff of Armadyl. After the damage from taking Protheus’ Terror beams and the Twilight One’s Judgment, they could not afford to jump right back into the fight until they properly recovered.

“If there was any ‘upside’ to getting dunked in the lake before we could do it to Protheus,” Arthur grumbled, “It’s that I remember the song. I guess we’ll have to rely on my singing alone, though. Not like we’ve got a full band or anything.”

As if on cue, Sora shifted his hold on his Keyblade, with one hand resting on the hilt, and the other at the top, as if it were the neck of an instrument. “Okay, this is going to sound weird, but I once met this little alien named Stitch, and-”

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “You’re right, that does sound weird. I’m guessing you’re going to use your Keyblade like it’s some combat ukulele?”

“You know it!” Sora seemed remarkably proud of that idea, without a hint of self-awareness. Not that Arthur could complain. Weirdness was exactly what all of them needed. “But seriously, if you need music, one of my Command Styles should give you a boost. I can hold it for a few minutes, so hopefully your song won’t be too long.”

“After all that singing with Ariel, I would think you could join in on the singing, too,” Kairi teased.

Sora laughed somewhat awkwardly at that remark. “Well, it’s probably not something I would know. What do you have in mind, Arthur?”

Arthur took a deep breath. “I could call it rock or something that sounds cooler, but mostly we just call it ‘emo’… Don’t ask. A couple of my friends have said it’s a little whiny, but I don’t exactly care. It’s a song that got me through a couple of hard times… at least, whatever a stupid teenager back then would’ve thought was a hard time.”

If this situation was less dire, maybe he could have gotten stagefright at worst, but there was no backing out of this. He made his bed, and it was time to lie in it. “Eria, can you use that water so Sora knows what to play?”

“…Sure,” Eria answered dubiously. Even though they were interacting from within the fusion, Eria could draw on the lake’s powers to the inside. Holding a bubble in each hand, she tossed one at Arthur, then the other at Sora. Arthur and Sora groaned for a moment as the brain freeze kicked in. Considering when Void Eria had shown the other Eria her memories of the War of Darkness, it stood to reason that sharing Arthur’s memories of the song with Sora would work the same way.

“Okay,” said Sora. “I think I got it now. It’s all on you, Arthur.”

With another sigh, Arthur whispered to himself, “I hope you’re watching me, Dad.” With the snap of a finger, Arthur pointed at Sora. “Let’s roll.”

Sora plucked his fingers along his Keyblade, and musical notes resonated from it, despite there being no strings to create any sound. Arthur tapped his foot to get himself into a rhythm.

In the outside world, Sora’s Keyblade was resting midair next to Aetos, spinning like a music record. Here on the Pathway to Remembrance, the battle between the Counter Corps, the Herald of Darkness, and the last shadow of Melek Taus would end with a song.

---

How inconvenient… and how frustrating. Somehow, despite all odds, they survived a direct blast from the Twilight One?!

The titanic phoenix stayed in the skies, Its massive form eclipsing the sun; majestically watching the battlefield. This one mortal had done the impossible, had taken on its divine lightning head-on and survived. Yet, none could tell what was going through the god’s mind. Its eyes flashed as It observed Aetos quietly, as though daring this blasphemer to make a move against them. And as though guaranteeing their death if they did.

“Seriously,” Protheus cursed. “How have they brought me this far? Why aren’t they dead yet?!”

Protheus himself reformed his body at the Lake’s coast, distanced from the battlefield for the time being. Every time he was about to deal a serious blow to those lower-tier enemies, something inconvenient would happen that spared them just a little more time, and gradually, little by little, they had gotten to the point where they actually posed a legitimate threat. He’d been stripped of his favourite weapon and horde of servants. He had only one remaining Karma Bomb use, which needed to be conserved for the Counter Guardian and the rest of the cast that were waiting beyond. Right now, between this ‘Aetos’ and his former godly servant, he simply couldn’t be careless. What was the best approach to this troublesome situation? Power? Fear? Trickery?

It all depended on what Aetos would do. With extreme caution, Protheus trained his eyes on the golden warrior, anticipating what their next move might be. He’d kept track of what they were apparently capable of - the individual abilities of all the Counter Corp members he faced, possession of quadruple Keyblades and the Staff of Armadyl, and capabilities enhanced to match his own in a one-on-one battle. With his life potentially on the line, this ancient warrior had to draw upon everything he learned in the past ten thousand years, all the experience he had facing memorable opponents… Who would Aetos attack first, and how would they do it?

Needless to say. Of all the things he was anticipating, this most definitely was not it.

 

~ Famous Last Words ~

“Now I know
That I can't make you stay
But where's your heart?
But where's your heart?
But where's your-”

“………………………excuse me?”

Bafflement. Confusion. Protheus found himself at a complete loss at the display before him.

Was this a threat? Was this Apollo’s doing? The words being sung certainly emanated with magic that he vaguely identified, with a voice that couldn’t possibly belong to a mere mortal, yet their ineloquent tone and apparent youthful appeal made it difficult to take any of it seriously. He dismissed the thought immediately; not only would a god be incapable of fusing with these mortals like this, but they wouldn’t possibly perform such a ridiculous 21st century musical track! If he approached it more logically, one of Aetos' components, that Arthur boy, had probably just been a demigod of sorts. Yet, what was the point to this act? He couldn’t help but narrow his eyes in a state of caution and confusion, watching on.

Despite Arthur’s own misgivings about this - especially with how much he would have to concentrate for these next few minutes - he continued his song nevertheless.

“And I know
There's nothing I can say
To change that part
To change that part
To change!”

The lake trembled as Aetos charged forward. Three of their Keyblades shot towards the Twilight One. Rather than relying on a variety of spells, the Keyblades were focused on pure brute force. For as powerful as the Twilight One had been, it was still growing weaker. Even in a battle of pure attrition, they wouldn’t dare underestimate the Twilight One, but they couldn’t completely focus on It either. The least they could do for now was stall It long enough that they could finish off Protheus, but they would have to be more aggressive the longer this lasted.

As the Keyblades were left to deal with the Twilight One by themselves, Aetos closed in on Protheus. Eria led Aetos’ movements as they swung the Staff of Armadyl. The Keyblade was certainly a strong weapon, but wielding a staff came more naturally to Eria. Blending the staff’s divine energy with her own, she called on the lake to strike. At first Aetos stopped suddenly in their charge, but icicles sprung out in an attempt to impale Protheus, followed by the water itself launching over her to crash down on Protheus.

He regarded the Lake’s use with extreme annoyance, yet wasn’t too surprised considering their previous attempt. This assault was a scenario he anticipated, unlike the weird singing that was going on at the same time. The incoming icicles shattered ten feet before they reached their target. He’d cast a multitude of landmine-esque wards before this, nearby dots of shadows for intercepting any surprise projectiles. Especially frozen Remembrance.

But more than that, there was a theory on how to counter it that he needed to test. When Aetos sent a whole wave of Remembrance down on Protheus, his surrounding Terror Aura suddenly solidified, morphing into a dense shadow shell. As Remembrance violently crashed against it, a distorted scream blared out from where the forces collided. “Terror, tear apart these memories!” Like endless voices expressing their pain, remnants of life remembering the terror that had once been inflicted upon them. And that very terror was being harnessed to harden his defenses even more. From within, Protheus grinned slightly. To think his Terror Aura would be so useful against the waters of Remembrance - finally, this chaos of a plot had blessed him for once.

Eria had to keep her movements in check. If Protheus was protecting himself against the Charm even now, then he’d likely be able to resist the memories they needed to uncover. Just as with the Twilight One, that defense was something they would have to whittle down. It would be pointless if Protheus was dumped in the water all at once while he still had his defenses up. There could be a chance that it would overwhelm his defense, or he would just shake it off; then they could have wasted their moment. Before his whole defense could be broken, Eria would have to crack it first. It also didn’t seem to hurt that Arthur had found his rhythm.
 

“So many
Bright lights that cast a shadow
But can I speak?
Well, is it hard understanding
I'm incomplete?
A life that's so demanding
I get so weak
A love that's so demanding
I can't speak!”

If Arthur could make it through the song, it would all be worth it, but next was the most important part: the chorus. It wasn’t important just because of the plan, but it was the part that would stick to him out of habit if he ever felt like singing something to himself, to keep his mind off of anything else. Besides, it was catchy as hell.
 

“I am not afraid to keep on living
I am not afraid to walk this world alone
Honey, if you stay, I'll be forgiven
Nothing you can say can stop me going home.”

For a moment, the words hung on Arthur’s lips. He was doing more than just reciting the lyrics to the song as if this was karaoke. It was a direct challenge to Protheus: Just try to stop us. With a wave of their staff, Aetos fired a flare of sunlight at Protheus’ face. It was a brief flash of light in the all-consuming darkness, yet Arthur felt as though he had called the light with the flick of a wrist. Somehow it felt more comfortable, more right for him, than when he used the Keyblade. Maybe, just maybe, his father really was watching out for him in this fight.

When the flare entered into range, the Herald’s Terror Aura hardened directly in front of his eyes, a dark wall taking on the brunt of Aetos' attack. The man himself simply stared onwards with a continued look of confusion. It couldn’t be a distraction, could it? But this ridiculousness couldn’t possibly be an incantation either…
 

“Can you see
My eyes are shining bright?
'Cause I'm out here, on the other side
Of a jet black hotel mirror
And I'm so weak
Is it hard understanding
I'm incomplete?
A love that's so demanding
I get weak…”

“What… are you doing?” Protheus couldn’t help but ask, to no answer. As Arthur repeated the chorus twice more, the Maximus was beginning to float towards Aetos, towards the performance. It seemed that whatever they were doing, they were approaching the end of this, this utter bizarreness. And the fact that he had no idea what it was, was worrisome to him. After everything that had happened thus far, he knew far better than to underestimate these inferior insects. Whatever, WHATEVER this was… Better that it be stopped now.
Sora kept strumming his Keyblade, forming heavier sounds at an accelerating pace until they crescendoed with the rhythm of rock and roll. “We’re halfway there,” Arthur assured Sora, who let the song command him to keep playing, while Arthur kept singing.

“Set.” From within Protheus' body, thirteen of his shadow orbs emerged in response to that word. “Set.” With another word, each of the thirteen orbs themselves separated into thirteen more, forming a hundred and sixty-nine in total. “Set.” One more word, and just like that there were over two thousand black dots littering the skies surrounding the Herald of Darkness. While it was true that he was pouring an insane amount of his mana into these triplicate attack spells, if he could tear apart this foolishly stationary target with unexpected force, it would all be over. He watched coldly as, even now, the singing went on. Their plan, whatever it was, would not see the light.

“These bright lights have always blinded me
These bright lights have always blinded me
I say-”

Then Protheus thrust both his arms downwards. At the Lake below. At where Aetos and his musical accompaniments were positioned. “Now, TIME FOR THIS RANDOM CHARADE TO END. DIE!” And with that command, the two-thousand, one hundred and ninety-seven orbs of darkness cannonballed themselves at the performance of ‘Famous Last Words’. Together they formed a rain of destruction, launching from Protheus towards Aetos and wherever they might try to dodge. These meaningless lyrics, these childlike demonstrations, and this WEIRD SONG was coming to an end now.

This assault was on a far greater scale than what Protheus had unleashed before, and even that had been a struggle to parry it all. Aetos called their Keyblades back to them to repeat the same ferocity as before. Bringing their wings before them, Aetos called out in MirageGaogamon’s voice, “Ultra Crescent Mirage!”

Arcs of light shot forth from each of Aetos’ wings, hoping to destroy even more of the orbs. Holding the Staff of Armadyl close, Aetos prepared to cast another Reflect spell, but it was too late. Despite their efforts, they had barely cut through even a fraction of the orbs, the majority of which bombarded Aetos in an explosion of pure dark energy. There were no screams. No desperate cry for help. If there was, it was silent amidst the continuous explosions that would ensure that Aetos, and all of those pitiful children who had formed it, would finally, and most assuredly, perish after this battle had dragged on long enough.

---

Arthur laid flat on the platform with the heart of Aetos. His body could barely move. As the darkness was destroying Aetos’ body, he could feel that same darkness calling to him. Would Arthur just be another voice among the countless many that fueled Protheus’ Terror Aura? All of them, they would just be drops of water in a sea of false hope, ghosts that failed to be heroes, who couldn’t save themselves, let alone an entire universe.

He was sinking. Of course he was. Whether it was barely surviving the Demon Lords, or swimming to save Eria- No. This was the fear that Protheus kept preying on. No matter how many times he and the others denied Protheus, that darkness kept inviting them in. But what point was there in putting on the same brave face, over and over again, so long as they would face the same result every time? By all rights, they should have all been dead. Arthur could never survive against something like that. It always ended the same way, surviving by the skin of his teeth.

He could hear some of the others still trying to stand, but their pained breaths just sounded… pathetic. All their power, particularly Sora and Kairi’s own Keyblade Armors, gave Aetos enough resistance to withstand Protheus’ attacks, but only so much. Even if they weren’t completely obliterated, it was simply becoming too exhausting to keep fighting. It would only be a matter of time before all Protheus needed was one last push.

“Come on, get up,” Arthur begged himself. He couldn’t be another one of the voices. If he could just get through that Terror Aura, Eria’s Charm could work! Protheus couldn’t possibly keep up his own defenses forever.
 

“I see you lying next to me…”

It… it couldn’t be. Okay, yes, Arthur had shared some of his music with MirageGaogamon before, but he couldn’t be singing, could he?
 

“With words I thought I'd never speak”

Arthur regained some feeling in his hands. Oh gods, yes, MirageGaogamon was actually doing it. Not that it would help, of course. They were all going to-

The darkness began to melt below Arthur. There was still some light emanating from him. Little by little, he could pick himself up from the floor. He didn’t have to face MirageGaogamon, even if he could. He could hear MirageGaogamon’s hopeful voice encouraging him to keep standing.
 

“Awake and unafraid

With everything that Protheus kept throwing, it was almost as if the lyrics were a bit too spot-on. Finding his voice once more, Arthur’s singing became a desperate scream. “Asleep or dead!”

Finally, they were almost at the end of the song. MirageGaogamon took on singing the backing vocals, repeating the same lines again and again as Arthur slowly found the strength to walk. On the outside, when the explosions covering Aetos began to subside, the first thing Protheus could see was the lower half of the Staff of Armadyl fall to the lake. Aetos was still holding on, if barely. They had lost the most of their wings, with wings remaining on their right side, but even they were still charred, and missing many feathers. Aetos’ armor was broken and worn, having lost its luster. Pieces of their arms and chest were completely gone, revealing not flesh, but golden light mixed with glitching data. Blood just barely visible was dripping from their body.

Three Keyblades surrounded Aetos. In one hand, they held the broken Staff of Armadyl, crackling with energy; it still had some use left. In the other was Sora’s Keyblade, glowing with energy, and practically humming. Rhythm Mixer was fully charged.

“Foolish. So foolish.” Protheus Maximus started to descend, grinning in satisfaction at the amount of damage he’d inflicted. For a moment Protheus glanced upwards. It’s gone? He’d been too distracted by the song to have paid attention to that creature. Whatever had happened to It? Still, there was no time to wonder. This was his moment, and he was going to enjoy as it as much as he could.

“This is all you ever were. Those Counter Guardians named you ‘Counter Corps’, but that term doesn’t mean anything, I’m sure you are aware? I bet they never cared about your fates. I bet they considered you meatshields. This land isn’t your world, and the story here won’t go according to your will… Unfortunately, there’s simply no room for heroes here. Especially not when you’re facing me.”

For the moment, Arthur stopped his song, as the gestalt warrior spoke to Protheus directly. “I know the Counter Guardians considered us expendable,” Aetos said. “But there will always be a time for heroes. This isn’t about the Throne, or whoever asked us to follow them. All that matters now is that we joined this war anyway. Most of us have always been a part of it, since the beginning. And we’ll see it through to the end, too.”

Two more orbs of darkness formed, one in each of the Herald’s hands. The overwhelming power within him seemed to have actually dwindled - having used up a vast amount of his mana in that bombardment - but it mattered little to a man who understood the operation of magic too well.

“A nice thought… I’m sure.” Protheus replied. Though it was hard to tell, he seemed actually tired for once. “Now, ‘Aetos’, was it? For what it’s worth… It’s been a long time since I met an opponent like you. Your individual components advanced so far it’s almost a shame we had to meet here. Some of you might have made useful experiments. Still, the goddess of luck was on your side, and it still took combining everything you had and more just to push me this far. This is clearly your limit.”

In his hands, the dual orbs started to rotate on their own axis, faster and faster, generating enormous power through their velocities. The wind was being pulled in, generating incredible currents that made it impossible just to be near them, causing the darkness within to increase more and more. To be hit by either would surely tear most things apart. But, what was their true purpose? The two orbs seemed to be gradually levitating out of his control and up into the sky.

“In recognition of your efforts, Aetos, I shall grant you what you seek.” He spoke, slowly, taking pleasure in this turning of tables. His eyes closed, as he breathed for the first time in a while, as he let his emotions flow and his soul awaken. “You say you wish to see things through ‘to the end’? Then I shall show you… a very rare sight…”

They flared up into raging blazes, possessing such brightness that they were blinding to the normal eye, as they reached out. To a separate nexus. To another darkness. Protheus held out his arms in welcoming, grinning with pure malice. “My greatest treasure. And your end.”

Suddenly, the air around him ignited. The twin blazes shattered into a multitude of dark infernos, each one containing the power to render a forest to ash in an instant, as they coordinated with one another in a mysterious dance, as they appeared to be aligning with one another for whatever reason. After a few seconds, it perhaps dawned on them obvious that this wasn’t just an attack. This was something more.

This was… another summoning?!
 

“Oh my blood, do you feel this barren land?

Oh my vision, do you see these dead stars?

Oh my comrade, the time has come for ye to transcend mine past ten thousand years, bring forth the netherland, and annihilate all undesirable futures!”

The individual blazes shot forth towards a spatial, pitch-black vortex that had materialized high above, striking its core with all the violence of a comet. And when it was struck, shadows erupted from the collision, from the ruined vortex, causing it to wash over all those who happened to be nearby. A wave of darkness consumed Protheus - and before they could appropriately respond, it consumed Aetos as well.
 

“One last time I must call upon you!

Chaos Xyz Summon! Ascend now—

RED-EYES OMEGA VOID DRAGON!”

---

The Lake… where had it gone?

Was this… the end?

Aetos immediately found that the scenery around them had changed utterly. The ground had turned uneven, with unpleasant puddles of some kind of poisonous liquid everywhere, as well as dead trees scattered about. The smell was terrible. The sky was now visible, if covered with endless clouds, with a vague hint of purple. And most of all, the trait that exposed it for what it truly was, was the unnatural pressure that they could feel weighing down upon them. A pressure they were… somehow all too familiar with… Darkness. Pain. Agony. A pressure they now had to endure without Emiya’s Sanity rings. They knew this place. Each and every one of their components knew it too well.

However, all thoughts of that were lost to the wind, as they noticed something strange, out of place in a land so desolate and empty, yet at the same time, far too fitting.
 

The dragon was positioned at the center of a particularly large body of water, resting atop a large floating skull. It was in the shape of an ancient obsidian dragon, its hulking form distorted with barely any trace of what its former self may have looked like, now appearing so ferocious that there was no possible way anyone could hope to face it without feeling some level of fear. The amount of power it emitted only reinforced how much of a destructive force it was, which came from ten thousand years of being continually exposed to the darkness, of adapting to a terrible corruption. Even though it couldn’t possibly be on the same level as the Twilight One, the very fact that it had persevered this long, in such a hostile environment, all on its own… was chilling to the core. This was a different kind of power altogether. There was no intelligence to be found here, no soul to be manipulated or reasoned with. There was only a mad creature with a thirst for survival, and for destruction. Nothing should be capable of lasting that long. And yet, that thing had.

Just looking at it, one would know. This creature was the representation of Protheus Maximus’s true nature. It had been stained in the colours of his soul, and now, it was everything that he was.

“Welcome… to my Soul Room.”

From behind the dragon stood the dark sorcerer. His hands stroked the scales of his rabid monstrosity without a trace of fear. Here, he knew he was invincible. Here, victory was a certainty and loss was a foreign concept. He eyed the wounded Aetos with an expression of childlike glee, as though looking forward to the inevitable slaughter that would follow.

“Or as you might call it, my reality marble. But I’m sure you need no introduction to my home. You’ve all been here before, haven’t you? Most of you know what this world is. What its name is.”

There was no mistaking this. This was the Shadow Realm.

This was where the Origin War began. Where all but one of them had entered, and fought, and suffered for the sake of their original goals. So much had changed since then, yet it was as repulsive as ever. It even had a void creature- No. This couldn’t be anything other than the strongest void creature in the multiverse.

“While I’m capable of bringing my Ka out on its own, that Lake certainly seemed to be convenient for you, and troublesome to me. Now, you’re in my territory. Any chance of victory you had is gone. Whatever you were trying to do with the waters of Remembrance, and with that song… It really doesn’t matter anymore. Not here.” Protheus delivered a mocking bow to his enemy. To his soon-to-be victim.

Aetos was incredulous. First, they were gone from the lake. That alone completely destroyed their plan. It hinged entirely on the lake, and unless they could go back, their only option was to improvise. There still had to be a way to fulfill the prophecy.

“This couldn’t possibly be the Shadow Realm,” Aetos insisted. “Isamy destroyed it!” They had to remain calm and inquisitive. Demanding answers would at least stall Protheus and his dragon for a few moments, as long as Protheus felt like bragging. Not that it would be much time.

“So ignorant… Your understanding of the Shadow Realm is vastly limited, mortal. Didn’t your Counter Guardian debrief you on this? Shouldn’t it be obvious?” Protheus voiced, letting the dark reinvigorate him with egotistical passion. “No matter. What you visited was the Shadow Realm Prime. First created by the One Master, it feeds corruption throughout the multiverse. There exist many Shadow Realms in the multiverse, but what the Prime did was link them together, feeding corruption into them, accelerating evil in the multiverse. When I was made Herald of Darkness, I too was linked to the Shadow Realm Prime. The One Master remodeled my soul in its image. You could call this Shadow Realm a replica, but it is as genuine as the original. Those who fall here are corrupted, turning into void creatures over time… It’s a truly convenient location. Throw worthless servants within, gain disposable pawns like the Dark Ones in exchange. Just like the Prime, there’s no hope to be found here. Only death.”

In response to that, the body of the resident dragon rumbled with visible red energy as its muscles uncoiled under its scales, its deep crimson eyes opened up, and it viciously arched its head in Aetos' location.

“Now then… Kill, my love.” Protheus commanded, gesturing towards his target.

Then the giant void creature boomed forth like lightning, its jaws open wide, screeching madly as it went straight for Aetos. Just the dragon snatched its teeth, Aetos flew above it. A glowing circle appeared below the dragon, with another circle inside of the first, and even more circles inside of that, with three more circles, each initially surrounding the rings, before converging towards the center as well. “I’m sorry,” Sora told his comrades. “But I have to use this now before I lose have the charge. Rhythm Mixer!”

Aetos shot towards the ground, striking it with Sora’s Keyblade and summoning forth a pillar of light. Aetos returned to their original position in the air before diving again, this time striking a different spot, and summoning another pillar. They repeated this moment several more times, surrounding Red-Eyes Omega Void Dragon with dozens of pillars in a matter of seconds. Then Aetos dove towards the dragon itself, aiming to strike the dragon now trapped by the pillars. It screeched again, and from its mouth it let out an infernal blast which incinerated the pillars just as quickly as they were created, appearing to be driven mad by the mere sight of light. With that, Aetos was successful. The Keyblade struck its target, delivering apparent damage. It slammed the enormous creature off its platform and into the poison swamp below.

However, the Omega Void Dragon was up again in an instant. It was certainly injured. The corruption had festered so deeply onto its body that any light-based attack would inflict serious pain. Still, its injuries, and its pain did nothing but drive it even more insane. Kill. Murder. Consume. It hated existence, and would stop at nothing until it had finished with its target. It wasn’t about to hold anything back against an enemy. Clawing itself out, it locked eyes onto Aetos in a maddened frenzy and unleashed a wave of jet-black flames onto the fusion.

Eria didn’t dare try manipulating the water from the swamp. Putting aside how she had no reason to believe that she could use it, she knew from the first Shadow Realm that it would be pointless. She felt useless. Not just without the lake, but without anything she could use. With no other recourse, she commanded Aetos to fly away from the dragon, but the flames had caught their last wings just in time.

“You won’t fail me, correct, love?” The dark sorcerer spoke, unnaturally gently, as he took a step away from the battlefield. “Honestly… If it was going to be this easy, perhaps I should’ve trusted you from the start.” Protheus' grin didn’t waver as his body started to fade from view. Of course. This was his world after all. “I shall continue to watch. For now, there’s a more pressing matter I have delayed for far too long.” Could it be, was he actually beginning to return to the outside?

The plan… Was everything for the Counter Corps gradually falling apart…?!

No! At that moment, Aetos glimpsed a crack in the skies of the Shadow Realm. A tiny instability. The one remnant from the previous battle that had occurred here - the final parting gift from Protheus' Ultimate Enemy, who otherwise devastatingly lost. That crack may very well be a gateway to the outside. If they could just prevail, if they could just reach and break through it, perhaps there was still a chance to turn everything around. They wouldn’t waste more time fighting this dragon. It didn’t matter whether they could actually defeat it, they couldn’t dare let Protheus get away! Aetos flew towards the crack, yet no matter how high they flew, it seemed just out of reach. “I was supposed to use my Charm on him,” Eria said, angry with herself. “We still need the lake!”

Right behind Aetos, the Red-Eyes Omega Void Dragon was in direct pursuit. It took flight with terrifying speed that matched theirs, releasing a shattering roar in its mad attempt to intercept them. For a moment, Aetos began to swerve in their flight. As both Sora and Kairi cast Curaga, the flames began to subside somewhat, though Aetos’ missing wings did start to show the smallest signs of regenerating. Leaving Sora and Kairi to their task, Eria aimed her Keyblade towards the crack itself. Her clear-blue thread began weaving towards the crack, desperate to lead Aetos outside.

Miraculously, the crack was opening, and indeed, the outer reality - the Pathway to Remembrance - was starting to shine through. However, they weren’t quite home free yet, as a shadow encompassed their vision below. The draconic void creature had finally caught up to them, jettisoning itself upwards with its corrupted wings. It was determined to conclude its pursuit with another successful murder, determined to fulfill the desire of its ‘master’. Opening its jaws, the Red-Eyes lunged through the dark sky, attempting to chomp through Aetos' armoured waist in a merciless, bestial move.

Looking back and forth between the crack and the Red-Eyes, Aetos flew to the right of their predator, evading their bite once more. “Did he seriously say ‘my love’ to that thing?” asked Sora. “…Wait. You guys don’t think-?”

“You never said who he was supposed to apologize too!” Kairi realized. “Maybe it’s to that thing.”

Gagagigo scoffed. “He seems to be pretty happy with it like that. I doubt we’ll get much guilt from him over it.”

Aetos resumed flying towards the crack in the sky, holding onto Eria’s thread. “It doesn’t matter who it is if we can’t get out of here,” Arthur snapped. “Eria, how close are we?”

“Almost there,” she said, though she sounded uncertain. “Just hang on a bit longer.”

Arthur grit his teeth. “Come on, we have to hurry!”

“Arthur, don’t push her!” MirageGaogamon snapped. “You’re not helping.”

“It’s alright.” Eria continued to guide her thread towards the crack. It wasn’t like more pressure was going to make much of a difference now.

MirageGaogamon was more concerned with the dragon. Maybe Sora and Kairi were onto something about Protheus calling the dragon his “love”. “The only other person Protheus ever loved was Itsu,” he recalled. “Unless… no. It wasn’t just Itsu!”

“What are you talking about?” asked Arthur.

MirageGaogamon facepalmed. “Why didn’t I think about her before? I’m such a fool. Back when I was inside Pure Edge, among the memories I saw, it wasn’t just that Protheus was in love with Itsu. Itsu reminded Protheus of someone else-”
 

An emerald comet was crashing down upon the planet Earth. There were only two people who could stop it - the starcrossed Sun Goddess and Herald of Darkness. However, when the goddess needed her partner most, he’d strangely transformed into a young girl. A girl who was panicking and ranting, yet was undoubtedly his past self. An ancient relic, a glimpse into a time that ought to have been forgotten by all. “HOLY RA! Is that a METEOR?! We’re all going to die, aren’t we?! Oh Ra oh Ra oh Ra, what’s even happening?! The One Master put me in a really weird situation this time… can my immortality survive that?! That’s ridiculous!”

The odds were astronomical. This name, this word, the existence of this ‘person’ had long since been forgotten by time and by reality.

Yet, when this relic of a girl laid eyes upon the Sun Goddess, she couldn’t help but be transfixed, confused, and ultimately, whisper in shock,

“You… kinda look like-”

It was only a passing instance in conversation. A few seconds, drowned out by a surrounding armageddon.

One individual who had abandoned their memory for thousands of years had recalled it during this singular, one anomaly. They recalled it to the one individual who would record that moment, who would store it even after their own demise. And against all odds, MirageGaogamon had infiltrated those records, and saw through the millions of existing memories to witness that one IMPOSSIBLY UNLIKELY passing instance.

And against all the odds,

he recalled that name.

“Isha.”

Isha. That one word, although so small and insignificant, although not even physically spoken by Aetos, somehow seemed to echo across the Shadow Realm.

It had a mysterious effect on the world; a faint, almost unnoticed tremor. A word that had long since been forgotten, even more than Pener, yet was as familiar as time. It was as if a knife had been stabbed into the cloak of corruption. As the Red-Eyes Omega Void Dragon circled through the purple skies and grey clouds, screeching with fury, raging from all the corruption imbued within, even it seemed to falter. Why was this? What did that one word mean to this world, to that dragon, and how did it fit in? Whether they were aware of it or not, the gears of time were finally beginning to turn due to this recollection.

“The two of them were slaves. Protheus even considered Isha a friend. In a situation like that, I wouldn’t be surprised if that was what he would have considered love. I was thinking too much on what Protheus felt about Itsu, I didn’t think about Isha.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” said Arthur. This was what they needed. “Sora and Kairi are right, we didn’t have anyone specific. Maybe it could have been Isamy, but the problem there was that we knew he didn’t give a damn about her. But if he still feels something for Isha, maybe that’s our angle.”

“Keep in mind what he said about people who get trapped here,” Eria added. “They’re turned into void creatures over time.” She glared at Arthur. There was a fine line between holding some resentment and just being petty, but the only reason she and Arthur first met was all because of what had happened to her friends.

“Isha must have become a void creature,” Arthur realized. “…Like your friends.”

Eria didn’t want to say it, but she did appreciate that Arthur was on the same page as her. “Arthur… let me ask you one thing. If you could say what you’ve been having to confront on this Pathway, what would it be?”

Arthur took her line of questioning in stride. “How I twisted your friends after they’d been turned into void creatures and made them work for me. I love you, and I couldn’t be happier that you feel the same way about me. I wouldn’t want you to love me despite what I’ve done wrong. I want you to love me because I could make it right.”

Eria walked across the platform to Arthur. “You’ve been trying to make Protheus feel the same way as you. For as angry as I’ve been, I know you want to me forgive you. Hold onto that feeling, Arthur. That is what Protheus needs to know. It’s the only thing that will get us through to him.”

“This is about more than just defeating Protheus,” said MirageGaogamon. “In a way, this is about helping Pener and Isha to reconcile.” He spat, the words tasting bitter on his mouth. “It’s better than Protheus deserves.”

Eria held both of Arthur’s hands, leaning in close to him. “I don’t want us to be about you trying to make yourself up to me, but as long as you keep trying…” She kissed him. For a long moment they embraced each other, leaving Sora and Kairi to suddenly take control of Aetos to keep themselves just out of the Red-Eyes’ reach. When Eria finally stepped back, she giggled. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Immediately, she turned her face away from Arthur, pressing a finger to her lips. The taste of Arthur’s lips still felt new somehow. Certainly not to the Eria that Arthur knew, but to Void Eria, it was… surprising, if nothing else. “You didn’t get to finish your song, did you? I suppose it’s now or never, then.”

The crack was opening. Just beyond, the view of the Lake of Remembrance could be seen. Yet they could feel the corruption of the Shadow Realm growing stronger around them, attempting to pull them back, to seep through their fusion and force them to give up. If it weren’t for the void creature already fused with them, for the natural resistance built into this body, Aetos might have come apart much sooner.

Their companion the bloodlusted Red-Eyes, whose relation or relevance to this ‘Isha’ remained unclear, was not giving up anytime soon. As the creature continued to screech and charge towards their prey, multiple appendages of flesh burst out from the void creature’s belly, each one vaguely resembling some sort of organic cannon. Bending towards one direction, they all fired lasers of black energy in a last-ditch attempt to interrupt Aetos' escape.

“Not yet!” Aetos gathered all of their Keyblades around them, shooting beams of light. As the two pure elements collided, both Aetos and the Red-Eyes were locked in a stalemate, each of them pouring as much energy as they could to overwhelm the other. Slowly, but surely, Aetos kept flying backwards to reach the threshold to Remembrance. Finally, the thread had found its way to the outside, but Aetos ws still keeping the dragon at bay.

Arthur had lost his momentum before. He needed Eria this time. He wasn’t singing this song just because it meant facing his regrets. The Pathway was already asking him to face the past, and he had done that. He had made it this far because he had gone through Truth and Death already. He knew who he was now. He knew who he wanted to be. He was ready for the future, and he wanted to spend it with Eria. Holding out his hand to her, Arthur continued his song. This time, he wasn’t just singing for himself. He was singing to Eria, and even to Isha and Protheus. All that remained was the last rounds of the chorus, and he would make that finale count.

“I am not afraid to keep on living
I am not afraid to walk this world alone
Honey, if you stay, I'll be forgiven
Nothing you can say can stop me going home”

With that, the thread tugged on Aetos, pulling them through the crack, and back to the Lake of Remembrance once more, and unleashing the light from their Keyblades, focusing it all on the Red-Eyes. The discharge was more than enough for Sora to fuel another Rhythm Mixer, and within seconds, Sora had found the melody again, a loud chord resonating throughout the Shadow Realm. The Red-Eyes Omega Void Dragon was caught by the sudden surge of light at full force, and the unexpected power sent it crashing downwards, deeper, and deeper into the Shadow Realm. The light invaded it, the light tore through it, the light the light the blinding light far too long had the great dragon awaited this light. Noise overwhelmed its senses, yet it found that it wasn’t actually that unpleasant. Perhaps such noises were something the dragon could very well get used to. With that thought - it faded to dust.

Meanwhile, Aetos' own vision was overwhelmed with white as they entered into the gap. The corrosive atmosphere lifted, the purple skies transitioned to light grey skies, and once again, they could feel the nostalgic air of the Pathway to Remembrance, materializing to the tune of their song…

---

Aetos found themselves right above the middle of the Lake of Remembrance, their taloned feet gently touching the surface. Eria began to attune her own power to it; although she already had something of a connection through Void Eria, she was reasserting that connection, and weaving that in with the power of Arthur’s song and Sora’s Rhythm Mixer.

The lake’s mass filled up the horizon, the cold, clear waters having returned to their original still state, and almost seemed relieved that it could do so. After all, stillness was something that hadn’t been possible for the past thirty minutes. Especially not between the Anomaly’s arrival, the phenomena that accompanied the Water Charmers, and simply every huge-scale battle with the Herald and Twilight Ones. At first, their enemy didn’t appear to be within their field of vision. Were they too late?

No. There he was, a speck in the distance. Triumphantly yet calmly, he was walking along that long, crystalline staircase just a mile away, his eyes fixated on his destination. Approaching the end of the Pathway without any further hindrances to get in his way, to interfere with his business. Then, his footsteps came to a halt midway. As though the faint echo of a certain melody had caught his ears.

“I am not afraid to keep on living
I am not afraid to walk this world alone
Honey, if you stay, I'll be forgiven
Nothing you can say can stop me going home”

This time, it wasn’t Arthur singing, but Eria. She had picked up the same melody as Arthur, the confidence in her voice making up for how tired and hoarse it had grown.

Within the heart of Aetos, the entire platform began to shift beneath their feet, and columns of light began to spring forth, surrounding each individual. Glass shattered around them, shifting into a storm of white feathers flying past, as the heroes could feel themselves moving from their positions. Below them now was a five-pointed star spanning across the entire platform, with most of them standing within individual rings circling each of the star’s points, but Arthur and Eria stood together in a single ring at the front of their formation, the two of them holding onto the Staff of Armadyl, as well as each other. On the outside world, Aetos mirrored them by holding the Staff with both hands, unmoving from their place on the lake.

“So you’ve returned… I see.” The deathless Herald’s voice was projected across the Pathway, cold, oppressive, uncaring, contrasted against the longing tone of the music. “I must say, what a ridiculous song you are performing. And for what? What more do you have to show me? What more can you possibly do? Your power cannot be denied, your perseverance cannot be stopped. I find myself in an unfamiliar situation. Still, what more can you possibly do? For what have you fought this far, knowing my power, knowing exactly how far you are from victory? This endeavor of yours is all… so utterly ridiculous, don’t you think, AETOS?”

When he was so far away, it was difficult to discern what might’ve been going through the immortal’s mind. Only one thing was for sure. This was the end of the end of this long, well worn-out duel of power and wits. The final calm before the storm. And ultimately, the Counter Corps’ final chance against him.

The skies thundered. Protheus' Terror Aura thickened, wrapping around him like a coil of death.

“Now you should know…”
 

“That you can’t make me stay.”

“We’re almost at the end,” Arthur assured Eria. “Just bear with me a little bit longer. We’ll finish him together.”

This song was meant for more than stopping Protheus, or for Arthur to express his wishes. He would chase something more than he had thought he ever would when Isamy first recruited him. He didn’t want the power of gods, or even the power to erase them. He just wanted people to see him. To believe that he had made things right. That no matter how far gone he was, he could still save himself.

He wanted to save the multiverse. Everyone who had died in this war, and before even that, deserved a chance to live again. The people who Protheus had killed had their own regrets, despairing over their failure to defeat Protheus. Arthur hoped that perhaps they could hear him. The Terror Aura wasn’t a shield to be broken through. It was Protheus twisting all those feelings for his own power. If Arthur’s feelings could reach all of them, he would ask them to feel hope again. Nothing false, or a desperate ploy that had no doubt failed them a thousand times over.

Drawing the remnant of the Staff of Armadyl behind them, Eria called out to those fallen souls. “Let us through! None of you can be afraid anymore!”

The Lake of Remembrance began to bubble and rise behind Aetos. Their wings had yet to fully regenerate, and so they began to slowly walk above the lake. Each of the Keyblades gathered around the staff in an orbit, as Eria and Arthur were both singing, their duet slow and melancholy.

“I am not afraid to keep on living
I am not afraid to walk this world alone
Honey, if you stay
I'll be forgiven”

Pouring their hearts and souls into this final chorus, Arthur and Eria both declared in harmony, “Nothing you can say…”

The prophecy echoed in Arthur’s mind, reminding him that he was determined to force it to come true; “With one apology, Judgment may be no more.”

Aetos broke into a full sprint, charging from the lake towards the crystal at the end of the Pathway. As they raised the staff and the Keyblades above their heads, the water began to lift itself out from the lakebed. From far away, Protheus' eyes started to actually widen. Shock melting away into horror as they answered him with the unthinkable. His expression darkened, and his cool composure broke apart to a state of panic as he watched the unthinkable unfold in reality. What had begun as a wave was growing into a full-fledged tsunami.

“Can stop us going…”
 

“And in either wonder, or…”

No! He shouldn’t even think about it!!! Rather than risk facing this impossible danger, Protheus would much, MUCH rather eject from this vessel and let them exhaust themselves in a vain attempt! One worthy of being laughed at once this mess settled. If he could just release his physical form and free his soul, there would be far, far more opportunities for victory in the future! With this in mind, he-

“Atm-” Aetos' Keyblades impaled his arms and legs at that instant. And if Protheus still had anything he could call a heart, it was pierced by the Staff of Armadyl. “WHa- no? No? This, it-” Just like that, his limbs proceeded to fall at his side, and all use of his body vanished, reducing him to a mere ragdoll in the sky. His control over his limbs had been stripped away, and even if it were temporary, there was no way for him to kill himself if he couldn’t aim anything at himself! And if he couldn’t kill himself, then his soul couldn’t be severed from this body- His eyes returned to the rising Lake. sheet. sheet sheet sheet sheet “sheet!!!” No, he had to remain calm! If he couldn’t use his limbs, then he would simply have to use his mind…

Yet, perhaps it was at that very moment, that very instant, that Protheus Maximus realized just how absolutely batshit insane the Counter Corps were. Faced with this impending enormous volume rising up, his eyes darted between both of the Pathway’s sides, rapidly calculating exactly just what he was going to be up against before making a move. With a rectangular-shaped lake such as this, the surface acres he’d previously determined to be nearly four-hundred, he could estimate the acreage and dimensions to have a width of 1,640 and length of 10,560 feet respectively, and the sheer amount of water that was being pulled up revealed the average depth to be around two thousand feet. Considering all of these facts, that led to a total volume of… Ultimately two hundred billion, four hundred sixty-five million, eighteen thousand, five hundred and fifty-one gallons of Remembrance water, all of which was ascending?! Such foreign mass, let alone such insane quantities of foreign mass, couldn’t possibly be manipulated! Void Eria hadn’t been capable of that, the Staff alone hadn’t been capable of that, he doubted he could be capable of it even if he were given days or weeks of time, just what were these people adding to this fusion?! Just what WAS “Aetos” supposed to mean?! This contradictory, illogical set of events and set of abilities was surpassing his expectations at every turn. Each of the warriors he’d fought had shown strange bursts of power and resourcefulness time and time again. This blend of substance and magic, of life and power, of inconsistent and uncertain origins, of interactions, was too much for him to comprehend in such a tiny span of time!!! He couldn’t manipulate this! This was, this was… WHAT WAS ACTUALLY HAPPENING?!

It was here, at the end of the Pathway to Remembrance, one of the final obstacles before anyone could even truly dream of reaching the Door of Origin, where a son of Apollo, a Digimon held in as high regard as the Olympos XII, a Water Charmer, a creature who had lost his soul and found it once more, and two Keyblade Masters - one of them a Princess of Heart, no less - stood against the Herald of Darkness.

It was here that the End of Darkness would be tested. Perhaps even decided.

It was here that they all declared what could very well be their last word.
 

“HOME!"

---

---

Ventus, Roxas, and Xion all sacrificed themselves, pinning their last hopes on Sora. Judaihime sacrificed herself to save Itsu from being Thermopylae, all so that she could then save Sora from Xansvita. Yet where was she now? She had found the Staff of Armadyl that Kree’arra and Zilyana had died for. The most that Sora could hope for now was to protect Kairi and everyone else.

Kairi had only made it this far because she was one of several pawns in Ophelia’s gambit, but she had done more than help stop Xansvita. She was guiding Sora to the Door of Origin so that they could win this war. None of those sacrifices had to be in vain as long as they both survived. Whether their universe was genuine, or a twisted parody all because of the Distortions, they could set it all right. They still had their future, the right future, waiting for them.

MirageGaogamon feared if he had been holding Arthur back, whether it was through the opportunity to escape that the Digital World offered, or by having said nothing before the Shadow Realm. And yet, for all their arguments since joining the Divine, they had done far more in the name of the Counter Corps. It didn’t mattered if Arturia had been using them as lambs to the slaughter. Neither of them had grown complacent with themselves. Whatever they decided going forward was more important than anything.

Gagagigo had been blinded by a lust for power and twisted justice into vengeance. He could scarcely believe that there was a future waiting for him. He had dragged Eria into this war, just to save him, because he had been so desperate to believe that Kozaky was his best chance to be a hero. If anything, he should be blamed for why Solasiro and Megiddo ever found Eria. And yet, she still wanted him to stay at her side. If he had any hope of finding himself again, to remember that innocent young child he had once been, he would be happy to follow her.

Eria blamed herself for how Megiddo and the War of Darkness could have destroyed her homes. Between two lives, she was being taught to know nothing but suffering. That because she was not strong enough, people would die, and she deserved just as much guilt as the monsters who slew her whole family. She could not stand to watch everyone suffer. She didn’t want power for its own sake; she wanted nothing more than to be able to protect everyone she loved, from now until the day she died.

Artur had abandoned everyone long ago, and he refused to make that mistake again. He didn’t have to choose where he would call home. Arthur Ancyl was a child of three worlds. He had been a normal boy from Earth. He was the human who saved the Digital World from the Demon Lords. And finally, he was the son of Apollo; god of sun, music, and most importantly… healing.

This was it. Their hearts all aligned, the team poured everything they had in a final attack against the Herald of Darkness.
 

As the Lake rose, higher and higher and higher still, Protheus Maximus could feel his mind breaking apart. “A- a- wha- how- kh- gh… Haa…!” He stammered, his whole body immobilized in the sky, unable to escape either physically or spiritually. His emotions were being enveloped by pure terror, struggling to come up with anything. Here, his ego was worthless. Right now, his power was useless. He stared at the oncoming world of water, wondering. Was that his end? After everything he’d gone through, after all the efforts he’d strived to survive a little longer, was THAT going to be his end? Mere moments before his victory? A mere footstep before true immortality?

Each and every single one of his assets, servants, and weapons had been gradually stripped away. The Divine were nowhere in sight, and even if they were, he knew far too well that they would be of no help. This very realm was inconvenient to him, barring him access from requesting any aid. After facing the Anomaly, he’d locked himself out of using his true form again - due to the fixed point in time it established, it could only be used once per universe, the same way only one Omni can exist in a universe at a time. As long as he remained in this Pathway, it simply couldn’t be done. That left only one option.

The Truth of All Souls Upon Death. The ‘Karma Bomb’… Twice now he’d used it. First against that tenacious Tenshi, to demonstrate the vast gap in power between them. Second against the Anomaly, to teach a troublesome, oh-so-stubborn daughter how it was done. He had only one remaining use of it left. He couldn’t afford to use it here. His original plan was to destroy everyone upon arriving without a second thought, then collect the Key amongst the dust. If he used it up here, assuming he survived this battle, what would he do once he reached the Door of Origin? As much as he hated to admit it, could he hope to take on the Divine and Counter Corps simultaneously? His true form would be his only remaining trump card, and since he valued his sanity, it certainly wasn’t something he wanted to use so close to Origin.

However, despite those fears… That was Death approaching… wasn’t it?

“AKH”

Forget it.
Forget everything.

“AMENTI”

Fight to win.
Win to survive.
And thus, survive evermore.
 

“MAA-KHERU”

There it was again. That same, supermassive distortion that represented the ‘Truth of All Souls Upon Death’, containing all the darkness and the hatred and the despair and the pain and the fear and the insanity and the hopelessness and the agony and the regrets and the screaming and the crying and the anger and the suffering and the grief and the sorrow and every curse that every individual throughout the past tens of thousands years in each sacrificed universe had directed towards Protheus himself, all of it, having been entrapped in one place. Aetos could feel the souls within them hurt at this forbidden sight, as though empathizing with the endless PAIN surrounding this monstrosity. During the Karma Bomb’s descent, it tore mercilessly into the fabric of reality. This monstrous phenomenon was what destroyed the ‘Anomaly’, this was what Protheus' full power looked like, and now, they had to face it.

A strange thought occurred to the Counter Corps, as they witnessed its descent. Maybe this thing… Maybe, above all else, this ‘ultimate attack’ was the embodiment of this immortal’s feelings towards death. Maybe this unstoppable terror was what Protheus envisioned death to be truly like. It was truly a natural disaster to rival the natural disaster that was the rising Lake of Remembrance. Neither Aetos nor Protheus have any more moves to play… The victor will be determined by whichever force is superior.

Even when faced with the legendary Karma Bomb, the Lake of Remembrance had fearlessly formed hundreds if not thousands of feet into the sky, having left below a gigantic crater beneath as every last litre and every drop had been accumulated into a supermassive tidal wave. At the very instant, the very tipping point at which all of this water was beginning to reach its apex, and prepare to overwhelm the speck that was Protheus, it was intercepted by the the equally supermassive Karma Bomb. DEATH takes on this destructive force, takes on the very Pathway to Remembrance itself with every memory that came with it, and they collide,
they collide,
they coLLidE
 

~ they collide ~

Water

ascends

Darkness

descends

How could it be described?

Darkness bleeds into the water, and in turn, water cries into the darkness.
Karma destroys the memories, memories erase the karma.
Hatred crushes everything that opposes it, and proceeds to come to its senses.
Destruction met with clarity, and clarity met with destruction.

Even with the Karma Bomb, even with that mass, there lie hopes, dreams, happy moments, reasons to live, reasons to surrender, and with their awakening, another tiny piece of that Karma is freed. The pitch black force does everything it possibly can to render any resistance null, embodying Protheus' craven desire to assert dominance over the living, to drown everything around him in darkness. Still, the crystal blue hues penetrate into this force without any regard for their own existence, fulfilling their own existence, carrying out Aetos' will and seeking out what must be sought out, what absolutely MUST be brought out into the light. In essence… even as the Truth of All Souls Upon Death obliterated the Lake of Remembrance, it was simultaneously disintegrating upon contact. The forces raged, raged against one another with mountainous vigor, refusing to give way to the other under any circumstances, controlled by the will of their users. Aetos was pouring everything they had into pushing the Remembrance wave forth, and on the other end, Protheus was unleashing everything he had into pushing it back. If either one of their wills faltered, even for a moment, that was it. It would be over.

…

One thing must be understood, before anything else. One thing that they, who pursued their righteous goals to the bitter end, may not have quite wrapped their minds around. A perspective.

The soul of Protheus Maximus was temporal in nature. It did not exist on a spatial plane in any manner. This soul’s only attachment to space being when it was linked to a vessel, a physical body. Hypothetically, one could reach its soul whilst it was linked, but the soul would simply regenerate into its previous shape even if it were damaged. Even an alteration in reality, the changing of futures would only cause the soul to snap back into its previous form, possessing all its previous memories - otherwise known as Time Sense. Destruction of this unnatural soul, of this distortion in time, was near-impossible. The only opportunity one could possibly have at ending one would be when their souls took physical form, when they assumed their ‘true forms’, whatever that was - yet none have ever lived to see such a thing. Such was the perfect design of the One Master. Such would be the extreme difficulty of killing an Omni.

However. There is one weakness.

An Omni’s soul… is powered first and foremost by ’desire’.

It holds itself in place with desire, it maintains its own personal flow of time with desire. It will latch itself onto a singular desire and make that its core, and convert that reason into fuel to live on forevermore. Only an individual with a single, maddeningly intense desire could possibly become an Omni. And the moment that desire burns out, they cease to be.

Protheus Maximus’s desire is no secret. To survive. To prove himself superior to everything in existence and LIVE, on, and on, and on. With such qualities, there was no better fit for the title of Herald of Darkness than he.

…He watched blue and black dance. The Lake of Remembrance was the greatest threat to his lifeline. Throughout his battle with the Counter Corps over the past few hours, he had taken constant, great care in avoiding the Lake of Remembrance as much as possible. Every time he engaged the Counter Corps, it was either on the snow or in the sky. Pure Future was meant to be a backup, for him to escape into its two-dimensional reality should he almost come into contact with it. When the warriors took Pure Future away, and started pushing the battlefield towards the Lake, that was the last line that made him unleash the Twilight One. Equipping Void Eria with the Staff was originally his insurance policy to avoid the Lake - and thus, the fact that his enemies gained her power meant losing whatever protection he had left, meaning he had to go all-out at all costs. And even then, even THEN, after all this careful planning, it had come to this scenario. To Protheus Maximus, the water of the Lake of Remembrance was the most dangerous property possible to his life.

This was a man who had spent far too many lifetimes drowning his issues, destroying his past, living his despicable life to the fullest as a result of his one desire. Over ten thousand years worth of such memories had built up, surely far too many for a single mind to comprehend. And if any of it was brought to the surface… If ALL of it was brought to this surface… What would his ‘desire’ react to that? The fact that he couldn’t even imagine what he himself would feel was the most terrifying thing of all. Protheus inherently understood - he couldn’t let one drop from the Lake of Remembrance hit him. One drop of water alone from the Lake of Remembrance could be fatal to his existence.

That thought, the realization that the end was near, caused an intense wave of fear to rush over Protheus. His will faltered, the Karma Bomb gave way for a single instant.

And with that, Protheus watched with a feeling beyond horror as his ultimate attack dissipated into emptiness. Whatever was left of his heart sunk into the depths. Aetos' will flowing through the Lake had emerged victorious, and even though the vast majority of it had been obliterated, there was still more than enough to endanger him and now they were not being stopped, no, NO, NO, sheet, sheet, leaving no time for him to think, leaving seconds remaining, threatening his desire, threatening his life, cannot move, remnants of the Lake were rushing towards him--- “NO! NO! NOT HERE! NOT NOW! YOU FOOLS! YOU MONSTERS! What are yOU DOING?! I’m not I’m not I’m NOT-”



Protheus forced his head to turn away from the oncoming Death. After everything he’d managed to reach the stairs leading to the end of the Pathway to Remembrance, but to think after coming so far, it would all end here? HERE? He was close. So close, oh so close! The exit was mere feet away, was right before him! Fuelled by a rush of simulated adrenalin, he channeled all remaining strength within this form into his body, and tore himself from his trapped arms and legs, out of his restraints.

“I’M NOT readyreadyready reADY REeeaADDDY!!!” It wasn’t a human voice coming out of his mouth, but the squealing of a zombie. Protheus Maximus’s head and chest collapsed upon the stairs, still impaled with the Staff of Armadyl. Gathering every last mana in the air, shadowlike spider legs burst out of his body without regard for proper anatomy, rapidly dragging this lumb of rotten meat towards its final destination, crawling towards its final ray of hope.

“I NEED MORE TIME.” If this fallen creature could simply escape into Prologuous, then he would be safe from the Lake, then everything would be solved, then then then he wouldn’t have to DIE not DIE please no DEATH I don’t WANT to DIE NO no no no nononono. Higher and higher up the stairs, he raced against time, against the odds, against everyone and everything in reality that wanted him dead, the one thing he himself desired very strongly against, the one thing that enabled him to triumph over everything else, the one and only thing he could believe in, for it was his right to survive, for it was his duty to survive, for he deserved everything in reality and more and deserved to experience wonders evermore, without fear, without oppression, without cessation, this was what he had been promised, this was what she made him believe and why he had come so far, for that desire, for this desire that made Protheus Maximus everything he was, for that realization that changed everything, “PLEASE DON’T KILL ME I DON’T WANT TO DIE NO NO NO”, and so the TOP OF THE STAIRS drew close…

…

… … …

And so, when faced with that dark pond that so many warriors before him had faced, he heard those words. The words that would determine his death.

‘Are you satisfied with your past’?

That was the question that presented itself directly into the minds of each and every Origin challenger that came across it. This question had been something they would have had to think about, and then answer. With honesty. With a conviction from the bottom of their heart. While it was a simple ‘yes or no’ question, it was impossible to lie either to oneself or to the realm.

“YES!” Protheus frantically screamed at Origin.

Just answering hadn’t done anything for any of those other warriors. Until they had come up with an appropriate answer… No. Until they’d truly believed in that answer from the bottom of their heart, none of them had been capable of advancing. Whether they learned it during their life or discovered it in the Pathway, each and every one of those warriors had known what their answer would be. They advanced onwards without pause. The impenetrable barrier hadn’t even been a issue for the warriors, either denying or accepting their past.

‘Are you satisfied with your past’?

“YES! YES! YES! SATISFIED?? I AM, THEREFORE LET ME THROUGH, THERE IS NO TIME!”

But not him. With the way he lived, this crooked creature could never hope to pass that barrier, and complete this particular Pathway… It was the unfortunate loss of Protheus Maximus that he had to discover such a fact now.

The lich’s bloodshot eyes were popping out of their sockets in terror. His spider-like legs clawed against the barrier, smashed against the barrier, hoping that whatever was stopping him would vanish, hoping that an exception would occur that would let him pass. And when the last of his mana vanished, his body collapsed to the ground. Left with zero options, he had resorted to slamming his head slamming against the impenetrable barrier in a vain attempt to get past it. Inches away from the dark pond, from his escape route… Did it think that he wasn’t genuine? Why would it believe such a ridiculous statement?! Why was Origin malfunctioning now of all times?! He couldn’t understand it! He couldn’t understand this system, these ridiculous rules, the inane inhospitality and violence the Pathway to Origin had shown him from beginning to end - and it was going to end - right here at the very end?

‘Are you satisfied with your past’?

“I AM SATISFIED!!!” The barrier stayed. “YESYESYEYEsyeysyyyesy” The barrier stayed. “PLEASE-” The barrier stayed, even then. “WHAT ArE YOUUU DOING, STOP, LET ME GO!!! I DON’T IDONTIDONTIDONT IDONT WANT TO please please PLEASE NO-” His head, crippled and cracked and twisted, turned to face the waters of Remembrance racing across the sky towards him. It was over. Having been screwed over by the very system that was supposed to grant him immortality, it was over. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to run, nowhere to RUN, death was approaching, DEATH WAS APPROACHING AND THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO. No one would come to his rescue. No one cared enough to come to his rescue. And no one would be there when he entered oblivion. It was too terrifying, he couldn’t imagine it, he couldn’t comprehend it, he’d lived too long that imagining death was too much of a foreign concept, something that only happened to those around him. How dare they do this to him, how dare they strip him of everything! Reality was too cruel! Reality was TOO CRUEL! There was too much to do, too many ways to live, and he still needed more time to experience everything, to understand everything, to conquer everything. He was afraid. He was, afraid. He was, very afraid.

Yet, amidst all the chaos in his mind, he found himself thinking a rather innocent thought.

Is it… raining?

And then

the first droplet of Remembrance hit

---

---

Here was the simple truth.

This man could neither embrace nor deny his past. He was incapable of understanding it, in fact. He believed that his past aligned with his current life, without bothering to acknowledge it, or rather going out of his way to avoid anything to do with it. If he could embrace all the steps that had brought him to his current self, then he would pass. Otherwise, if he could sever all his ties to the past, then he would pass. Yet he lacked confidence in his own current conviction, his own desires. The ultimate enemy of any Omni was self-reflection. If he were to look back, even once, what if he regretted it? Unwilling to even look at the past, how could any answer he give be honest?

In other words. It was fine for Pener to become Protheus. But, it wasn’t fine for Protheus to just ignore everything that Pener was.

Of course,
he would never understand.
 

“……………………………………………why?”

After all,
she lied to herself right to the very end.

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

---

Raindrops poured upon Protheus Maximus. As each droplet ran over him, and even through him, Protheus could see, feel every memory from his long millennia of life. They would awaken and fade, only to awaken once more. All his experiences, of pain, triumph, happiness, and love, clashing against the thrill of taking the lives of heroes, of families, of entire worlds. Thrills that had brought some sense of excitement in an existence that sought to defy what the One Master defined. These memories were compounded together into a single moment, all to find one memory among the entire sum of his existence.

Isha.

As the echoes of the song faded, a void was being filled that nearly none of those memories could contain: regret. For the first time in what had seemed like an eternity, Protheus wondered what he had truly accomplished in his entire life. The pain and suffering that had empowered him was meant to reveal the truth of souls upon death. All the heroes who had died in vain to stop him carried the weight of their regrets. Even the faintest glimmers of hope had been snuffed out as they realized that no matter what they could do, it was not enough to stop Protheus Maximus. It would never be enough.

He could scarcely feel any pain. He could sense that the rain was healing him. In a one-on-one battle, he could have taken each and every one of them, but together, their power had created something new and entirely unique to them. To allow them to live for so long, only to face such humiliation at their hands… that was merely one more regret to add.

And just like that, he was fading away. His essence was breaking apart, his DESIRE was eroding.

The last of the water descended back to its original position, once more forming the Lake of Remembrance. Aetos separated back into Arthur, Eria, Sora, Kairi, and Gagagigo, but rather than MirageGaogamon, there was a small, blue creature in the shape of a cat’s head, with a little tail draped over itself as the small Digimon rested in the snow. Nearly all of them were exhausted, as Sora, Kairi, Eria, and Arthur each withdrew their Keyblades, taking a moment to catch their breath. Their battle was not yet over. Soon, once recovered, they themselves would have to make their way towards the end.

The lake was silent and still. Absolutely still. Lying by the barrier leading out of Remembrance, as his existence unravelled into nothingness, he was left to ponder his many names. Protheus Maximus. The Herald of Darkness. The Hero Killer. Judgment.

Pener.

In his last moments, drenched in his own regrets, this dying, single-minded sorcerer was left with only one question.
 

“…shall DEATH be drawn‽”

---

---

Once the team of victorious, exhausted Counter Corps climbed that staircase, collecting their broken Staff along the way, they reached a long-overdue end. At last, it was time to leave the Pathway to Remembrance.

There was no longer any sign of the mighty Herald of Darkness. Even though he’d reached the end, Aetos’s final assault caught him just in time and, presumably, ended him right here. But had they really? For a moment, they couldn’t help but be unsure if they really succeeded or not. Maybe their efforts hadn’t worked, maybe he escaped at the last second, maybe he was gonna be waiting on the other side, with yet another gimmick to play against them.

Right before the barrier, the Charmer spotted something on the ground. Lying where he ought to have been.

A trading card?

Eria knelt down to look more closely, keeping her hands at her side.
 

Revival Slime

---

[Phantom Roxas]

[spoiler=Memento Mori][The Pathway to Remembrance]

 

~ I’m Still Standing ~

 

For a few moments, they waited. And waited. If Protheus had yet another trick up his sleeve, they wouldn’t let their guard down for even a moment.

 

Finally, they allowed themselves the chance to believe what they were hoping for was finally real.

 

“We did it! Come on, guys, everyone’s waiting for us.” Sora broke the silence with a cheer, racing towards the dark pond before him without another second of hesitation, before a new voice joined in.

 

“Suuuupppp~?”

 

A black robed figure blocked their way. Well, not quite blocked, he was just standing in an rather inconvenient spot that would require everyone to walk around him. “Gotta say you lot, nice job getting rid of Protheus, well done. Well, done” he said with slow, sarcastic clapping.

 

Sora, Kairi, Arthur, and Eria all immediately responded with drawing their Keyblades. “Great,” Kairi sighed. “And who are you supposed to be?”

 

“A roadblock, or maybe something else? I dunno, what do you reckon I am?” the figure inquired. “Also put those away. If I meant you harm I would have done it by now.”

 

Sora nodded to the others. “Not like we’re in any condition to start another fight right away. Let’s hear him out first.”

 

They complied, their Keyblades all vanishing for the moment. With as many figures that had been summoned across the Pathways, they didn’t have much reason to believe this one was any different. “I reckon you’re here to see us out of this Pathway?” Arthur guessed.

 

“No” the figure said bluntly. “I’m not your Walmart representative; not here to say ‘Thank you for visiting the Pathway of Remembrance, and we hope you enjoyed your stay.’ I’m here because you kids need a quick refresher on everything that’s happened beyond there” he explained with a thumb at the pond. “‘Cause, you kids have missed a lot of stuff while you’ve been playing with Protheus.”

 

“We’d heard Arturia say she was trying to destroy the Key of Origin,” said Eria. “She was threatening to kill the others. Do you know what happened? Are we too late to help them?”

 

“Okay, you’re that ahead huh? Welp, she turned on everyone and tried to kill them, but they killed her right back. Turns out her Caliburn was made from the lingering traces of The Madara’s essence, go figure. She then possessed Neos and invaded Alexander, the Lombax’s soul room to get the Key from him. She got talked out of what she was doing, but surprise unsurprise, she was backstabbed. Now, dunno how many of you remember him, but she was backstabbed by Byakuya, who you’d remember from the Shadow Realm arc. Turns out he didn’t die there, but that’s another story. Either way, he pretended to be a guide for everyone in the Hallway, but when he had the chance he finished off Arturia’s soul, took the key, and headed for the Door” the figure expounded.

 

At first it seemed to make sense. With as many people who would have made it to the end, they had to wonder if even Arturia would have stood a chance against all of them combined. Most of them did remember Byakuya, but the idea that he was alive, and had killed Arturia, was just a bit much to believe. And yet, they were all relieved that Arturia was dead. After what she had reveal on the ship, and revealed her treachery, they were grateful to be rid of her.

 

“So, Byakuya has the Key now?” Sora asked. “But if Arturia is dead, who’s leading the Counter Corps?”

 

“No one,” the figure said with a shrug. “They’re pretty much leading themselves; but to answer your previous question, Byakuya had it. You ready for this bombshell? He’s given it, to Isamy!”

 

Gagagigo loud cursing in response to that was about the only appropriate response anyone could muster. “We knew that this would happen, that killing Protheus would just bring her back. If Isamy has the Key, then we need to stop her, for good this time.”

 

“Of course,” Arthur replied, more resigned to the idea, as obvious as it was. “Let’s get it over with, then. So, you’ve got a name?”

 

“My name is something you wouldn’t even understand the significance of right now,” the figure explained. “And I know you’re all excited to be the heroes after your big win and whatnot, but before you guys go rushing off, here’s a hot fact: You killing Protheus had absolutely nothing to do with Isamy being here.”

 

They just stared at him. He spoke as if there was something else beyond even this war. He wouldn’t be the only one like that, but they each had enough headaches to keep track of. Arthur took a deep breath. “So, Isamy would have gotten the Door no matter what,” Arthur realized. “I don’t know if I should be happy that we didn’t end up bringing her back, or pissed that she’s still alive anyway.”

 

“Ehhh, alive is a bit of a glib term to describe her with, but you’re using the wrong tense. It’s not that she would have gotten the Door, it’s that she already had the Door. She’s had it since the Desert Seth, or the Sphere Forest. She kinda took a while in here, though what even is Time in this place? For all I know Time here is like… a walrus. …. A Time Walrus.”

 

Eria raised an eyebrow. “Not the metaphor I would have gone for, but okay.”

 

“The Sphere Forest would have been around the time Protheus… ‘overwrote’ her, according to Chardonnay. Unless she did something earlier than that, but at this point I wouldn’t put anything past her.”

 

“Okay, Arthur, sweetie, I know you’re trying here but Imma need you to use your big boy brain. Now, think about it: If you can’t leave this place without the Key, how could Isamy have made it through the Pathways and get to the Door while also leading the Divine at the same time up until her nullification?” the figure queried.

 

“Different points of herself at different times,” Arthur realized. “It’s just whatever time loop she was operating on has finally gone full circle.”

 

“But how could a previous time loop be in the Pathways while her present self was leading the Divine? The one searching for the Key was always the Present Isamy, so how could any past self be in the Pathway without killing Present Isamy?”

 

“Points of divergence,” Eria answered, understanding the concept full well thanks to her two halves. “Her past self is… like if at some point, there were two things she could have done. So, it’s whatever Past Isamy was, she wasn’t exactly the same past version of that other Isamy?”

 

“Nah, that doesn’t sound right,” Sora corrected. “Sounds more like… Okay, Arthur, remember when I told you about the Heartless and Nobodies? It’s… kind of like that. Not just the time travel, but what if Isamy herself got split up? So, technically you’ve got two people who used to be Isamy, but neither of them are Isamy. Not anymore, at least.”

 

“And ding ding diinnngg, the Hero of the Keyblade is the closest, but thank you Eria for playing, you were a wonderful contestant. Yeah, Pineapple Head here is on the dot, somewhat. See, back in the Shadow Realm arc, you came across a strange chamber, didn’t you Gagagigo?” the figure questioned. “I mean you were part-insane at the time, but you came across something meant for summoning, right?”

 

“We saw it again on this Pathway, much more clearly this time” said Gagagigo. “A statue with four arms, and two faces… both of which looked like Isamy. Ah.”

 

Eria pressed a hand against her chest. “Isamy… is she some kind of fusion herself? Sounds less like splitting one person into things like Heartless and Nobodies, and more like undoing whatever had made her what she is.”

 

“And bonus points for Eria-chan, looks like the game’s not lost yet huh? Yep, there was a summoning during the war in the Shadow Realm. It was intended to call the One Master, but he’s dead. So it summoned the next best thing, Isamy; well, half of her anyways. It tore her apart in the past and she was summoned to the fight. This Isamy found Byakuya and saved him, using him as an anchor to keep her in this world. This Isamy went to the Pathways while the other Isamy went along her business. So, you were being led by the Isabella side of Isamy, while the Ameliorer side of her worked in secret to beat the Pathways early.”

 

“And this Ameliorer is the one at the Door everyone is fighting now?” asked Sora.

 

“Yeah, what’s left of her anyways. It was clever actually. Due to the lifeline of Byakuya connecting the two, she was actually being sent items from the Isamy in reality to try on the Door and open it, but no luck. So she’s been sitting and waiting for the Key, which Byakuya handed to her. She then ate it,” the figure said in tones suggesting what he said wasn’t insane.

 

“That’s… sure.” Arthur didn’t bother to question it. “So, kill Isamy, or Ameliorer, get the Key, and maybe everything else she stole along with it.” Arthur hoped that Pandora’s Box was among them. After all this time, he could finally complete his quest. It felt so insignificant compared to everything else, but it was what had started all this for him. “Anything else we should know before heading into this?”

 

“Well, let’s see. Isamy met with everyone and implored them to see her side of things. Aside from a small few people, everyone rejected her and she threw a tantrum, malforming into what you would call a Hollow. If you wanna know about them, ask Kenpachi, although right now the only question you can really ask him is ‘Are you going to kill me?’ With the answer being ‘Yes.’ Anywho, the Hollow was beaten and Nero did an accidentally,” the figure said while sucking their teeth. “Yeah, he tried to end what remained of Isamy with the X-blade, and ended up dividing the girl into Heartless and Nobody. The folks are fighting them right now. Also the people who accepted her offer became her heralds. Jace, Ayame, and Byakuya. They’re all dead now, at least the latter two are. Jace managed to come back. Also Kenpachi is a Herald too, and he’s trying to murder your friends. Say hi to him for me will ya?”

 

Among the names mentioned, each of them meant something different, or perhaps nothing at all. At least Byakuya was nothing to worry about after all, but Kairi couldn’t help but feel guilty that she couldn’t save Ayame. All she could ask was, “Why would Kenpachi ever join her?”

 

“Because Yachiru is dead, and his controller, err, he’s gone all emo.”

 

“How many of them are still alive?” Sora wasn’t really facing the hooded figure anymore, instead trying to get to the dark pond ahead of him, but there was some kind of barrier blocking his path. Of course there was. “You said Nero tried to finish off Isamy, right? There has to be more people left.”

 

“Oh, tonnes, but interest is wavering, whatever that means. Anywho, I shan’t keep you any longer. So you better go on ahead to Prologuous to meet Chardonnay. Don’t mind the damage there, the people who got in ahead of you guys fought the Guardian of the place, took forever. Anywho, you’re all up to date, mostly, so have fun with the battle to come,” the figure said before scattering into multiple streams of screaming shadows, just ‘cause.

 

...

 

With the mysterious figure - whoever, or whatever he was - gone, Arthur grumbled. He was angry, exhausted, and just wanted to scream and hit something. “How much longer do we have to keep fighting?!”

 

“This war began with Isamy,” said Eria. “I guess… it’s about to be expected that it should end with her, too.”

 

“But doesn’t that mean she’s already won?” Sora asked. “Between the Desert Seth, and even the Sphere Forest, it didn’t matter that Protheus had erased her. We’ve never been racing to beat her to the door. We’ve just been trying to catch up the whole time.”

 

Gagagigo facepalmed. “So, it was my fault all along. I nearly killed Eria when I through her into that wall. I summoned Isamy back then!”

 

“That wasn’t you!” Eria insisted. She ignored Gagagigo’s glare. Were any of them trying to focus on whatever positives they could salvage, or just lying to him so he would feel better? “Like that man kept saying, killing Protheus had nothing to do with Isamy. We can’t assume that what… not what you did, but what Kozaky made you do, it couldn’t be your fault that it turned out this way.”

 

“But even if that is true,” Kairi doubted, “Doesn’t that just mean that this would have happened no matter what? We shouldn’t be selling ourselves short. Killing Protheus does matter, but I thought when I joined this, it was only just in time for Isamy to die anyway. Now it sounds like she got what she wanted back then, and we’ve just been catching up to her ever since. Do any of you seriously believe we can still beat her at this point?”

 

“Of course we can,” Arthur answered immediately. “Isamy has the advantage now, but it doesn’t mean she’s actually won. If she had, why are we still here? We could be dead without realizing what exactly she had done. Whatever was meant to happen, it’s already happened, bringing her time loop full circle. That means what happens next, even she doesn’t have control of that. For once, maybe her future is finally unwritten. If we can stop Protheus, then maybe we can stop Isamy, too.”

 

Arthur pressed his hand on the barrier. “There’s just one more thing we have to do before can join the others.”

 

As if answering Arthur’s call, a voice echoed from into dark pond. ‘Are you satisfied with your past’?[/size]

 

The same question that had beckoned to Protheus was projected into each of their minds. It was the just like what had been asked of them at the end of the last two Pathways. Even though they had not heard when Protheus received the question, they could tell by his desperate screaming and begging that this is what he was trying to answer.

 

It hadn’t been at what all what any of them expected. In fact, they weren’t sure what to expect after trying to fulfill the prophecy. There wasn’t even an “apology”. Did they really fulfill the prophecy? There were still to many unknowns about what would happen next, but all that mattered now was that they had to leave Remembrance. Each of them had to give a proper answer, one that showed they understood everything they had learn not only only Remembrance, but throughout the entire Pathway to Origin.

 

Sora stepped up beside Arthur, answering the question first. “Out of everyone who could have shown up here, I would have never expected Larxene and Zexion. Between seeing them again, and fighting Ansem and Xemnas back on Death, I’d say I’m happy with my past. Maybe too much, though. Finding out that all of that was because of the Distortions… I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do. Sure, for the sake of the multiverse, I should put everything back the way it was, but what if that makes Larxene and Zexion my enemies again? What if Xehanort really does came back, and I still have to fight him? After I thought everything was over, I wish I could just… go back and be happy with that. It’s a little selfish, but I know that, for the sake of the multiverse, I have to wish it all away. I just don’t think I could do that.”

 

Kairi hugged Sora from behind. “I don’t want to throw it all away either. I hate it, but… there has to be a way we can keep our timeline intact and still reverse the Distortions, right? The whole point of the multiverse is that all of these timelines should coexist. Before Isamy twisted the multiverse, I always felt weak. That I needed you to save me, because I couldn’t fight for myself. I don’t want to give that up, either. Our two timelines are just so different, I don’t think we can make sense of them both. The Organization were our friends. I can’t give up that just because the multiverse needs them to be our enemies. We shouldn’t have to choose which past we want.”

 

With that, the barrier gave way, allowing Sora and Kairi to stumble through. Approaching the dark pond, they gestured towards the others. “Let’s finish this,” said Sora as he and Kairi were submerged in the dark pond. Teal energy discharged, and neither Sora nor Kairi were anywhere to be seen.

 

Among the four people left, most of them were looking at Arthur. “Guess I’m next,” he sighed. This Pathway in particular seemed designed for someone like him, so his answer felt obvious. “I want to tell you guys thank-”

 

“You’re welcome,” Eria interrupted. “Arthur, after everything that we just had to do against Protheus, becoming Aetos, using the lake… you’ve shown me everything you could. You just have to promise me that one day you’ll stop thinking you have to make things up to everyone. I don’t think you’ll ever be happy if you keep holding yourself to that.”

 

“Heh. Sounds like you’ve answered it for me, Eria. You’re right, I’m never going to be happy if I keep trying to make things up. Still, I’ve spent the past few years blaming other people. The Demon Lords, my father, Isamy… I’m worried Megiddo is going to be just another guy I want to fight just for the heck of it. Still, one of those constructs back on Truth probably said it best. I’ve been running from my life, and it’s time I run towards it instead. I guess for my first step is going to be getting rid of Isamy.” He picked up the small Digimon that was hopping beside him. “Come here, Wanyamon.”

 

Wanyamon yawned, rolling around in Arthur’s hands. “I dunno what I’m supposed to say,” he whined. It was a little funny, seeing him so disinterested. Maybe it was because he had the mind of an child in this form, but it also seemed a little unfair asking him to answer the Pathway’s question. “At least we’re going to fight Isamy this time.” Wanyamon nodded. “Things were always good between us, at least until we joined the Divine. Still, I wanna put that behind us. Like Eria said, just let yourself be happy for a change, alright? I’ve been watching out for you all this time. It doesn’t matter that Arturia turned her back on us. We’re the Counter Corps now! I’ve got no regrets about the past. I’ve worried about you, but… you’ve got a good head on your shoulders.” Wanyamon hopped out of Arthur’s hands and crawled up his arm, perching himself Arthur’s shoulder. “Me!”

 

Arthur scratched Wanyamon’s brow. “You know, I miss moments like this with you, just being silly. But I guess we should hold off on acting like children for just a bit longer. We’ll catch you guys on the other side.” Tucking Wanymon under his arm, Arthur ran through the barrier, hopping into the dark pond. Teal energy splashed out as Arthur disappeared from Remembrance with Wanyamon.

 

Eria picked up the Revival Slime card on the floor and pocketed it. It seemed to be a normal card, not unlike the ones that had held the gods and Void Eria. She couldn’t trust to leave it behind, but she didn’t feel like destroying the card. At least, not yet.

 

Standing up, she put her hands at her hips and faced Gagagigo. “What I said to Arthur goes for you, too. You’re my best friend. Always have been, and always will. The are two different versions of myself running around in my head right now, and I need to make sure that both of them are going to live happily ever after once we get to the Door. Kairi said she wishes that there could be two different timelines for her and Sora, and that’s what’s going to happen with me, and you, too. Whether it’s the War of Darkness or Megiddo, I know that I have to keep fighting. I guess I’m really not that different from any of the others in that regard. I’m happy with my past, even after you went missing. I didn’t… I couldn’t think that you had ever abandoned me, Gagagigo. I wanted us to go through Death first because I thought it would be the scariest, and I was right. But you’re here now. We even just killed Protheus, and he had started all of this! I have to believe that we can destroy Isamy, too.”

 

As Eria began walking through the barrier towards the pond, Gagagigo’s hand grabbed hers. “I’m scared of the future, Eria. And I know that I cannot make up for my counterpart’s actions, but if your other half can hear me, then I pray that the Door will allow me to put him on the proper course. If it wasn’t too late for me, then it should not be late for him either.”

 

Eria moved towards the pond, dipping her foot in. “No matter where we are in the multiverse, I still want us to be friends. If there’s a chance we can save another Gagagigo, we’ll take it.”

 

As Eria and Gagagigo were drawn into the dark pond, with the last discharge of teal energy marking their exit, these warriors of the Counter Corps - who had been straggling behind everyone else that were still fighting at the very end, in the true final battle for the fate of all existence - at long last bid farewell to the Pathway to Remembrance. The final trial that laid before that which this entire war had all been meant for was now behind them. After an unimaginable amount of time, their race to join their allies could finally begin in earnest.

---

[[Another Time, Another Place]]

 

When all Pathways are completed, that is when Time truly begins, or, does it end?

 

The three Doors were gone, in their wake a long white corridor. Temporarily separated from their friends, left to their own thoughts, each warrior departed from their White Room for the last time. They walked through that corridor. All corridors leading towards one place.

 

Prologuous

 

~ Sweet Reckoning ~

 

 

From among the twelve different exits, Eria, Gagagigo, Arthur, Wanyamon, Arthur, and Kairi each walked out their respective corridor. The corridors opened up onto a tiled landmass floating over a rippling rainbow sea. Tall ice-like glass walls were raised all around the floating mass, and through these were where the corridors ended. One very noticeable trait about this place was that physics was very haphazard in how it worked, altering from high to low gravity in certain areas - yet, this was rendered practically insignificant when their vision were captivated by a something that simply could not be ignored.

 

At the center of this mysterious domain was a gigantic tree, reaching high, high up above into the rainbow sky, intimidating and oppressive, akin to a nightmarish Jack's Beanstalk. Towering above the Counter Corps as well as casting a shadow on the entirety of Prologuous, it must have been at least an outstanding one thousand feet. Comparable to the height of the Empire State Building, for the one boy who’d be familiar with it. This tree happened to react to no external forces, being an immovable representation of Origin, but it did appear to contain some sort of consciousness, as its various branches would move to support those who needed help with climbing up. Beyond that, there was a certain life to it.

 

On top of this massive wooden structure was an appropriately large broken clock, held in place by nothing apart from the branches rooted strongly around it. Every few moments, its image would shimmer to reveal a golden afterimage beyond, making the implication clear. This clock was in fact a portal - perhaps having been one from the very beginning - and one must fly or climb all the way to the top in order to reach it. Had everyone else before them gone through that? And what would lay beyond?

 

As one approached, they soon identified that the clock’s hand could be seen to move forward, little by little, in perfect sync with a certain something; a detail that would've been hard to spot during the prior warzone.

 

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock… The incessant, off-key rhythm seemed familiar by now, a sound that Team Eria had grown used to over the past few hours. Ever since that nursery rhyme from a while back, it had been in the background - yet now it was difficult to ignore. Its sound echoed across the rainbow arena. Emanating from that single, broken clock.

 

As the impact of Prologuous’s splendor gradually faded away and the team regrouped, they realized that they weren’t exactly alone. An enigmatic figure was floating next to one of the tree’s branches, a hundred feet above ground. Curled into a ball with an indecipherable look on her face, her eyes moved towards the group in a state of calmness. She didn’t seem to be an enemy. Silently observing their entrance, silently watching them in wake of their victory, silently beckoning them to come up and speak with her.

 

“Hm. How strange to see you with such a satisfied, relaxed expression, Son of Apollo. It does not seem like the expression one would make after having run from an impossible battle… I must confess. This changes things a little… My plans, my designs… The idea that you children would be the harbingers of the prophecy. That you would survive, let alone end Judgment. None of this was within my predictions, my expectations.” The Priestess talked softly. Distant and mysterious, dreamy, half-asleep. Even though it was her prophecy, she seemed a little uncertain herself for some reason. Some definitiveness would’ve been reassuring. “Then, since you all stand here, did our little exchange actually bring about the victory you desired? Then, has the prophecy of the End of Darkness… already been fulfilled…?”

 

Even though her robe was now missing, Arthur and Wanyamon would immediately recognize her. The Priestess of Yliaster, the Herald’s Oracle. Chardonnay LeBlanc. “No matter. The Avatar seems to be missing from this arena, so allow me to have some arrogance and fulfill his role.”

 

 

“Welcome to Prologuous－－－or should I say, the Pathway to Consciousness.” With those words, she coldly greeted the victorious warriors. ”I am Chardonnay LeBlanc. The Priestess of Yliaster. I foretold a prophecy of death, and in turn, was dragged here by its subject. I believe he hoped to prove me wrong?”

 

“Hi,” Arthur answered. “I’m pretty sure we didn’t follow the exact words of your prophecy. Eria and the rest of us used the lake’s power to try and force Protheus to remember something from his past. To make a long story short, Protheus is dead. I’m sure of that.”

 

From way above, the Priestess couldn’t help but stare at him for a little while. As if searching for any cracks, any uncertainty in his expression. Of which there was none. Indeed, she could not sense his soul entering Prologuous at any point - surely he would have done so by now, were he still alive in any capacity.

 

“I see. So Judgment is truly dead then… With that, I guess you’ve all avenged the Multiverse. Congratulations!”

 

She closed her eyes in momentary thought. “Whatever you did, I see how the prophecy may have inspired you. With your powers combined… you used the water from Remembrance to do your bidding? The whole lake was toxic to that Omni, whose immortality relied on his mad desires, so there’s certainly precedence for the strategy. I would have doubted it were it not for the presence of the Staff of Armadyl you somehow obtained, as well as that Water Charmer over there… I’m sad to have missed it.”

 

Chardonnay ceased floating, stretching her legs to land on the branch closest to her. As she stood, her expression had wavered somewhat. Something about it felt a little melancholic. Still, she didn’t let it deter her as her eyes glowed, channelling a greater power whilst she foretold the end of that prophecy:

 

When all the cards have fallen

Embrace the fate that you have chosen

 

“A foolish, Judgmental creature... To be done in by such kids, you must have tried everything you could. At the very end… I wonder what you saw? What fate you chose?” she remarked to herself, before turning her attention to address the Counter Corps stragglers.

 

“Beyond me, at the top of this tree, is the portal that leads to the Hallway to Origin. The final stop before the Door of Origin. I have a feeling time may be of the essence.” Without elaborating, Chardonnay moved on with the faint trace of a frown. For all her cryptic words, it was difficult to determine just how much she cared for the monster they’d killed. If at all. ”Still… You all must be exhausted. For now, while we have this peace, this temporary rest… would any of you like to ask anything? Regarding the late lich everyone named ‘Protheus Maximus’?”

 

They all sat down, their bodies relaxing on the ground. While they didn’t want to waste much time, they weren’t in any condition to join the fight ahead of them just yet. If Chardonnay was offering them a chance to rest, they would have to take it. Arthur needed to know what he could about how they actually won.

 

“We tried to remind Protheus about someone he had loved. We realized that reminding him about Isamy wasn’t going to work, but there was someone else Wanyamon had found. Did Protheus ever mention someone named Isha?”

 

”...someone he had loved? ‘Isha’? Hmm, it sounds a bit familiar. But for all the knowledge I have on him, I can’t say even I have heard of this mysterious love interest before…” Chardonnay tilted her head at that slightly. She thought for a little while, and then responded “No, hold on. I think I know where that name is from. I’m almost sure of it. It was in one of the oldest files we had on him. In one Ancient Egyptian Atem-era parchment, it recorded the names of two slaves that worked directly beneath the Great Priest Set. One being ‘Pener’… and the other could be pronounced as ‘Isha’. Perhaps I’m reaching too far. But if I’m not wrong, it’s fair to say that this Isha would be the other slave. Way back during his origins, she would have been Pener’s only companion. How old would Pener have been… sixteen, seventeen…?”

 

And as if something just occurred to Chardonnay, she added. ”It is a fact known to a select few that Judgment possessed two ‘Ka’. Two Monsters of the Soul. The Slime, and the Red-Eyes. This doesn’t naturally happen in the universe we came from - a Ka is like a reality marble, a reflection of one’s inner self. A possession more prized than anything. The only way someone can obtain a second Ka, is if they’re willingly entrusted it by another. Frankly, I always found it hard to imagine how anyone could ever entrust something so precious to Judgment… especially in his early days. If he ever did love anyone - if this Isha really is who I think it is - then it would chronologically explain things.”

 

When Chardonnay looked at the Counter Corps’ faces and realized this was all sort of flying over their heads, she tried to think of a way to summarize it, “Well… Long ago, long before he fell to the darkness, long before he became Judgment, he was an Ancient Egyptian slave by the name of Pener. He never mentioned anything of the sort, perhaps he never even remembered it, but logically… Isha would have been the fellow slave. Someone so close that they would trust him with their soul’s greatest treasure… Probably. This is all conjecture, mind you.”

 

Arthur followed along with Chardonnay’s theory. While she seemed to have some uncertainty herself, it did satisfy Arthur’s curiosity. “That sounds like it would match up with what Wanyamon and I were thinking. He had sicced something he called a ‘Red-Eyes’ on us, and even called it his ‘love’. That’s where we got the idea that the Red-Eyes might have been Isha, so she could have given it to him.”

 

“Protheus had left a card behind,” Eria added. She drew the card from her pocket, and showed it to Chardonnay.. “It’s called ‘Revival Slime’, so I take it this was the other one. Maybe Pener’s first Ka?”

 

“He left such a card behind… I see.” Chardonnay muttered shortly, and even though there was a hundred feet between them, her eyes thoroughly traced the card. It couldn’t be denied, this was valid. “That can only be his core. The materialization of his great ‘Desire’. Theory goes that this would physically materialize only once the soul has vanished. It’d be closest thing an Omni would have to a corpse. Then, it wasn’t just the link - he’s really gone after all.” Shaking that off, she proceeded to answer the question, “Hm… Just a second ago, I was convinced it would be the other way around. The manner in which Judgment paraded the power of his ridiculous Red-Eyes about, time and time again, I was convinced that had been his natural Ka. An extension of that dangerous ego. However... with these two pieces of evidence, it’s safe to assume that Judgment’s natural Ka was ‘Revival Slime’, and ‘Red-Eyes’ was granted later by this Isha.”

 

The young-looking woman seemed to have to suppress her stoicness for a moment, stifling any possible mad laughter with expertise even as she remained locked onto the card in Eria’s possession. “Therefore, deep within his soul, this Judgment was slime all along? How hilariously ironic…! You must be more than a little courageous for picking it up after everything you all went through, girl. However, that courage is paid off; the card in your hands is as useless as a dead body. You can sense that there’s not a drop of mana in it, can’t you? It holds no Ka, no life, no power. An empty card useful only for a game of Duel Monsters. Worry not.”

 

Eria sighed in relief. Like Chardonnay said, her Charm couldn’t read anything off of the card. In a way, the card itself was merely the remains of Protheus Maximus. “Good.” Focusing her energy around the card, it began to freeze over, before shattering into ice. “Though I can’t say I care much for your little game. And yet… I was hoping that there was still some of his energy left.”

 

Chardonnay watched the card shatter, and bowed her head slightly to send him off for good. Speaking a small prayer in her mind, to their great god. As a man who would never have a funeral, even he should have that much. “My apologies. I do understand the feeling, although I am unsure if you’d want that - your fight would’ve been prolonged quite a bit if there were. He’s far too tenacious.” Chardonnay responded casually. “Why, there was even an incident where his soul was split into a thousand Prothean pieces and spread across the multiverse… even with such little power, each piece regained full sentience. Frankly, that turned out to be far more worrying than one complete Judgment… Oh, but I’m rambling, aren’t I? If possible, I too would have liked to abuse some remnant of him.”

 

Arthur eyed the Staff of Armadyl that Eria was holding. “If there was some of his energy left, we could have absorbed it.”

 

“What are you suggesting?” Gagagigo snarled.

 

“Oh? After everything, would you have seriously wished to risk that?” Chardonnay asked, mildly intrigued by the unexpected suggestion.

 

Arthur glared at the Priestess. “You warned us that if we killed Protheus, Isamy would inherit his power. We know she’s back now anyway, but I had been wondering… what if I had absorbed it instead? If I became an Omni, or anyone else here did, then maybe it could have prevented Isamy from coming back! Eria, you were thinking the same thing, right? That’s why you kept the card. If we could use that with the staff, maybe we could have kept that energy from going to Isamy.”

 

After a few seconds of saying nothing, Eria only nodded. “I didn’t realize it until after I had already brought the lake down.”

 

Chardonnay regarded the two with some thought, wondering how to approach the topic. Wondering what to reveal - before opting to simply explain the situation as it was. “It’s not technically bad, in theory. Son of Apollo, you are an unstable demigod. Water Charmer, you appear to have the void element integrated into yourself. Your companions, apart from the Digimon, also seem potentially compatible. With the great Staff of Armadyl, I could imagine it happening. Rewriting time, even the most advanced of time laws, isn’t unheard of. In any other reality, there would at least be the probability of it succeeding…” Her eyes drifted off. To the rainbow space that surrounded them, and the giant tree, and everything. To the aura of Origin. “But did you forget where we are? This is the Pathway to Origin. Time is constant, space is constant. Everything that happens here is unchangeable...and thus, even a ‘plot hole’ could not remove someone already inside. And, well…”

 

The Priestess held her hands up to her hair, ruffling them somewhat. As if this trained, robotic oracle was actually beginning to get a little flustered. “Is it the right time…? No, I suppose I should let you know.” Regaining her cold demeanor, she continued. “Indeed, it seems that the loop has closed with your actions. You’re absolutely correct - Protheus Maximus’s Omni Principle will leave the Pathway to Origin and find whoever Isamy Maximus is supposed to be, and grant her his power. The cycle will continue, as time loops are bound by law to.” A pause. “However. To be perfectly, absolutely blunt, your fears are a waste.”

 

Then, she pointed to the top of the tree. “Someone already inside the Pathway to Origin cannot be removed by a time paradox alone… Well, by the looks on your faces, it appears that you children already have your answer.”

 

The top of the tree, here the broken clock lay. Where an imperfect, ruined device that interfered with the perfect design of just about everything else here lay. Why was it broken? How could anyone possibly break it? Only one individual came to mind.

 

“One cannot afford to look at time in a linear fashion, to pay too much attention to cause and effect.” A breath, then Chardonnay stated the simple fact. “Indeed. Isamy Maximus lies beyond… Past the Hallway, she awaits us.”

 

tick

tock

tick

tock

tick

tock

 

~ ~ ~

The Pathway to Remembrance

 

A land of snow, of ice, of long-lost memories that should be irrecoverable. All to power individuals with nostalgia, releasing them from their many regrets.

 

Having stood firm beyond the edge of the omniverse, only those with the most resolute of convictions may find themselves worthy of passing. As established by DATEA, it is one of the three primary failsafes that guard the Door of Origin. Designed never to fall.

 

And yet, two of such failsafes have already been torn through. Death fell, with naught but futile resistance. Truth crumbled, doomed by its own eternal hypocrisy.

 

Remembrance should have equally vanished long ago, a sacrifice to the other one. Yet, the supposedly unstoppable process of consumption had been halted when they reached the Lake. They faced a nostalgia of their own - a stubborn past that pushed them back. But push them back was all he did. He was weak.

 

It marched forth, it consumed. A black bird of twilight attempted to oppose it, believing it had the power to oppose it, only to be consumed. A weak god not worth its own divinity.

 

Now, at last, the structure that makes up Remembrance falls into pieces. To the beat of a ticking clock. To the chant of a nursery rhyme. And to the power of the Anomaly that charges forth, ready, ready, READY.

 

They laugh, knowing that their madness has purpose.

 

TICKTOCKTICKTOCKTICKTOCKTICK

i am close and i am coming i am close and i am comingiamcloseandiamcomingiamclos-

~ ~ ~

 

Each and every one of them trembled. They knew that something more was no doubt waiting for them at the end. They understood the risk that defeating Protheus would benefit Isamy somehow. Arthur charged at the tree, each branch moving just in time to grant him a new step higher up as he carried Wanyamon with him towards the clock. “No. This can’t be our fault. Are you saying that we closed the loop because this was going to happen no matter what?”

 

Sora and Kairi followed, less focused on what Arthur was saying to Chardonnay, and just about reaching the clock at all. Gagagigo was stomping, but following the path all the same. “I suppose our respite is over, Eria. We knew that we would have to deal with Isamy anyway. There’s no point in Arthur complaining about it now.”

 

“The lizard is a wise one. Toy of Kozaky or not, we may yet get along.” Chardonnay added. With everyone else focused on climbing the gigantic, thousand-foot Origin tree, they didn’t quite notice at first that the priestess was casually following their path across the sky. Not that there was any reason for her to stay here, but it seemed that she intended on doing a little more than just tagging along with them. Thus, she rocketed past the group, heading directly towards the portal. Wait, hold on a second-

 

“Hm? What bizarre expressions.” As she noticed the confusion upon her, a fully-fledged smile formed on her face. Briefly turning to face them, “I do offer my sincere apologies for not interfering with the battle against Judgment, but that was not within my domain of control. This, however, is a different story... This unknown, the concept of Judgment’s successor is something I would wish to confirm myself. For the first time, I cannot foresee the future. In turn, I am unbound by it. So naturally, I, Chardonnay the Seer of Methuselah, plan to aid in this fight.” And with that declaration, the Priestess was the first to disappear into the large, broken clock.

 

The team of Counter Corps, Arthur, Eria, Gagagigo, Kairi, Wanyamon, and Sora were left to follow her lead, each one climbing the skyscraper tree in a mixture of determination and exhaustion. As they drew closer, and closer still, it became apparent that the broken clock was in fact functional. It wouldn’t be long until the hands struck twelve and reached ‘midnight’. For now, the time was had passed eleven o’clock. More specifically, it was 11:30.

 

Indeed, eleven and a half hours had passed since they first entered the Pathway to Origin. That they’d left track of time so badly was only inevitable. Time itself seemed so unreal. Why it did feel like such an eternity to get to here—like long years rather than a long day?

 

“You ready for one more fight?” Arthur charged his Keyblade, loading energy to Digivolve Wanyamon.

 

“I don’t think I can go as far as MirageGaogamon,” Wanyamon winced. “Especially not the Burst Mode. At least not for now. But… I’ll give it everything I’ve got!”

 

Wanyamon leapt from Arthur’s hold, his body shifting and growing, reaching his Ultimate form as MachGaogamon. His thrusters boosted MachGaogamon towards the clock, entering it just after Chardonnay. Sora and Kairi were jumping from branch to branch, skipping a few levels. For a moment it seemed that they had undershot the last two, but they each managed to grab onto a branch, pulling themselves up just enough to dive into the clock.

 

Several of the branches snapped under Gagagigo’s weight as he jumped around, picking up Arthur and Eria along the way. “Arthur. If Isamy is back, it’s up to us to stop her. I know you were afraid that this would happen, but… if what Chardonnay and that man said is true, then it could not have been helped.”

 

 

 

And just as they reached the top,

far below, diStortioNs started to seep through all twelve corridors…

---

 

[The Warden]

And from the bottom of Prologuous, the robed figure watched the last stragglers of the Origin War leave to face the final challenge. And with them gone, he gave a look to the darkness creeping into the white sphere of the place. "Hmm, Pathway to Consciousness, how did I not know that? Well, doesn't matter. Cause, there's only one thing left to do, isn't there?" he mused to himself as he hit the play button on his boombox.

 

 

And so the figured danced as Prologuous was slowly engulfed, as there was literally nothing left for him to do.

 

---

 

 

The Heartless screeched in fury, her rage quaking through the very ground of the Shadow Caverns. How can they be so stupid to not even get how stupid they are? What folly was there in fighting her when they were just going to DIE?!?!?! Drawing upon her Inclusion, Isamy's Heartless screeched loudly, unleashing an enormous sphere of pure magic against the Kishin's laser beam. It not only connected with the blast, but was easily overpowering it all the way to the ground, erupting in an impressive explosion. "STOP FIGHTING ME!"

 

[Void Inclusion: Ragnarok!]

 

Falling from the roof, Isamy's form shimmered and splattered against the Bloody Eclipse, her own Black Blood form spreading through the Butlerok mass, conflicting the many eyes with her own beady yellow ones, each a beacon of the corruption she would spread within Butlerok. For if he refused to see reason outside, then she will make him see it inside.

 

---

 

(_|Lydia in the Sky with Illusives|_)

 

It had changed, so suddenly. From an icy plain to the sky, Lydia was now in a dream land of technicolor vomit clouds, one of which she was standing upon. But where was Isamy? That huge monster she had become exploded so suddenly, and then, they were here. Had they won, or?
 

"Please, lay down your weapon and hostilities, there is no longer any reason for us to fight."

"Please, lay down your weapon and hostilities, there is no longer any reason for us to fight."

 

The girl gasped. Zacharia was here, and... oh, of course. She had done this before, hadn't she?

 

"Please give in. There is no other way. Otherwise, everything will be ruined."

"Please give in. There is no other way. Otherwise, everything will be ruined."

 

She was doing it, again.

 

"Together, we can make everything better. Together, we can reach a world without sadness. So, why should we fight each other like this?"

"Together, we can make everything better. Together, we can reach a world without sadness. So, why should we fight each other like this?"

 

SHE WAS DOING IT AGAIN!!!

 

In a blind fury Lydia screamed, flames burning away the man she had loved and cared for, casting aside the illusion that she would EVER see him again. He was gone, and Isamy was going to pay for taking him away. And there she was, though, it wasn't her. A guy with glasses, but, it still seemed to be her. "Rules?" she icily hissed.

 

That was is. That, was, it. Leaping from the clouds, the winds began to turn, and the sun shone brilliantly. They twisted about her, and the sun shone hot and pure, igniting her in a sphere of raging flames. Taking wing, Lydia charged, flames streaking behind her as she immediately began to spin, becoming a piercing typhoon of flame and fury, all directed at Isamy's Nobody. "IGNITION RONDO!"

 

---

 

(_|Hapshiel in the Sky Illusive|_)

 

It was a strange place, not unlike Heaven. But it wasn't Heaven, it was too impure for that. And though impassioned, the Nobody's words had no affect on him, nor would others call for him. It was impossible. His heart carried too many for this place to emulate it. But, for now he would observe. The girl could be saved, maybe, but, would fighting be able to allow that?

[Dad]

Bass

 

There was a soundless explosion that let loose a shockwave in the darkness.  Finite was sent hurtling to the ground.  As the dust settled, Gon's brightly glowing fist cast a shadow over the agony on his face.  Finite stood without flinching, staring back at Gon.  "Are you in pain?" it asked of Gon.

 

Gon nodded.  "I am.  At the loss of my friend.  At the loss of my allies.  At the change in your heart."

 

Finite shook its head.  "There has been no change in my heart.  Only a change in my convictions." 

 

Finite kept Nozarashi sealed on its back.  It soared toward Gon rapidly with its hands at its sides.  Gon prepared himself; he drew back both his fists together, one atop the other in flawless, fluid motion.  "First.  Comes.  Rock," he said aloud.  As Finite drew ever closer, Gon's energy continued to rise to exponential levels.  Gon mentally counted the seconds until Finite would reach him, with each second becoming more and more crucial to either victory or death.  A vibrant orange energy encircled his fists, and the air grew thin.  "If this is the end," Gon thought silently to himself.  " Then I'll use everything ."

 

Finite was inches away, and Gon spoke again.  "Rock."

 

The collision between Gon's fist and Finite's once again caused space and time to ripple, tearing an enormous, gaping hole between Isamy's two worlds.  The reverberating sound of this collision sent shockwaves of incredible power tearing through the dark world and light worlds, fortunately avoiding other combatants.

 

But this caught the eye of another player in the game.

 

"... boy?" Kratos whispered as he turned around.  He stood in awe and rage at what had become of Gon.  "What's happened to you?"

 

 

Kratos' first thoughts at seeing Gon were of pity.  He didn't know where Gon was drawing this power from, but he knew that it was out of great loss and sacrifice.  It was something he too had experienced.

 

A great fire spread across the skies of both the dark and light worlds, igniting the oxygen across the realms.  Kratos took this opportunity to return to his original battle.  He had to assist Gon with this victory.  "Boy!" he called out over the roar of the burning sky.  Kratos raced for the other side.

 

 

The realm closed behind Kratos, and the fire of the skies was extinguished as quickly as it had begun.  This time, it was Gon who was injured.  While Gon's striking arm was intact, his left arm and shoulder had been completely blown away.  Still, Gon finished his attack.

 

"Rock."

 

The third and chant to his technique and it landed squarely against Finite's chest.  Once more, the enemy was sent hurtling to the ground.

 

Gon slowly descended, feeling his strength fading.  He could feel Finite's energy.  He had failed to finish off this foe.  He would not fail twice.  

 

 

Kratos watched cautiously, only to have his eyes land on the corpse of Killua.  Rage filled Kratos quickly, but it was quelled when he turned his head to Gon.  He had no right to be Killua's avenger.  Gon had already laid that burden on himself.

 

Kratos instead drew forth his Blade of Promise and filled it with his magic power.  "KENPACHI!" he roared.

 

Finite stood and drew its weapon.  "Come."

 

"First comes Rock," Gon began again.  This time, the swirl of energy that encompassed Gon's fist had amassed into a ball of energy so big, so wide, and so bright, that it shined light on the entirety of the dark world.  It almost seemed as though the sky was on fire again with Gon's aura.

 

"Paper."

 

The ball tripled in size, blinding Kratos and forcing him to shield his eyes.  A powerful wind whipped up a violent storm in the dark world and nearly swept Kratos off of his feet.  Finite, however, stood still.

 

The ball began to thin out and fold into the shape of a blade, as Gon concentrated it into a single point.  This caused Finite to raise its blade.

 

"Scissor."

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian: The Shadow Cavern

Well the plan worked to an extent. Flooding the cave with Mad Blood did have it's uses. First, it blocked them from view which was the initial view. Second, the eyes that showed allowed the duo to trick Isamy's sense of depth perception. The truth was that Isamy was actually inside a bubble of Mad Blood. Sure Butlerok initially flooded the cave but in that same breathe when the eyes were opened the Mad Blood had shaped into a bubble.  Butlerok and Rhadmanthys were seemingly fine standing somewhat in the back of cave taking random shots at the bubble somewhat laughing at the issue. The plan was pretty good until she cast Void Inclusion. Ragnarok felt a slight tingle as she proceeded to now lace her Mad Blood with his Mad Blood. 

This is a creative effort on her part. If she can't fight us from the outside she'll come at us from the inside. Butlerok chuckled. 

You snicker as if you had planned for this? Rhadamanthys asked slightly confused. 

Butlerok clapped his hands and the middle eye of the Kishin turned horizontal and started to glow black. For some reason and I do mean for some mysterious reason every major villain that we have fought since I have received Ragnarok, has found a way imitate, use, hack or some form of duplication Ragnarok's abilities. So of course I've developed countermeasures. Like so. With a slight breathe Butlerok and Rhadamanthys are covered in a black sphere and they seem relatively fine. This barrier protects me from all negative intention. Now let us resume our offensive. 

Butlerok slowly released his hands revealing a flaming Katana. Bankai! Zanka no Tachi, Higashi: Kyokujitsujin. The flames of the katana went out as he finished his chant. Butlerok then looks to Rhadamanthys. So the fun part about this is that this bankai only works if it makes contact with something. 

And since you treat Ragnarok's Mad Blood as an extension of the weapon the fact that her Mad Blood is making contact with yours. Rhadamanthys said as he watched Butlerok nod. At this moment a series of pops would be heard as the loud concussive forces of the Bankai were trying to eradicate the Heartless and her Mad Blood. 

Arthuria didn't use this stuff. Rhadamanthys added. 

Butlerok looked up in complete honest revelation. You are correct. She fought an honorable battle to the end. I wish I could have eaten her. Butlerok said looking to see how effective his attack was. 

[The Warden]

 

They thought to expel her, did they? Fools. You foolish fools foolishly fooling about. You can't destroy what is you, not unless you intend to destroy yourself. And you will when Leukemia comes into play. And what better Leukemia was there than one where a Ragnarok destroyed their Crona? "Fools."

 

The kernal that made up the Heartless, Isamy's Heart, was safely ensconced within the corners of her Black Blood, to keep it safe from the swings of the blade. it was quite precious, too precious, but foolish. It wouldn't work. She had to win here, so naturally it wasn't going to work. Not when she could see into the harmony of the two. Fools. "Heartless Alpha!"

 

Each eye screamed, but it was a slow and soft scream, almost impossible to hear without being an animal of some kind. But as they did, a calm ran through Butlerok's own Mad Blood in a wave, forcing it to be still and calm, and above all else, obedient. He was just a man, a simple man playing games far beyond his ken. it was sad. Tragic. A real sob story true. But that's how their endings were unfortunately, sad ones. It could have been avoided, but... they made their beds now that his wavelength was indistinguishable from her own. "Heartless Beta!"

 

The screams became sonic, impossible for the average man to hear. But not impossible for a soul to hear the call. "Come to me souls consumed by greed and lust. I can set you free if you join with me. Come! Come be free and earn the endings you desire! You will find nothing in the dark, so please, come to my light, and finally find your Happily Ever After!"

 

Her words were like honey, alluring, enticing, mesmerizing. You'd be a fool not to follow her, to want to join with her, and live in the eternal joy of Happily Ever After.  And with it, Butlerok's Mad Blood was silent, silent save for the Heartless' calling.

[Phantom Roxas]

Point of No Return

As the warriors entered the broken clock within the tree, a story entered their minds from an unknown source.

A story about the multiverse.

The multiverse is undoubtedly filled with endless possibilities of realities, from which stories can be told and the imagination can be made realized. However, no matter how vast or immense that story is, it is incapable of affecting other stories.

Even the greatest of paths only go so far. One can build and detonate a Reality Bomb, destroying an incomprehensible number of worlds, both alternates and other continuities. One can attain the Heart of Creation, enabling the generation of countless new galaxies in one’s own image. One can even seize the Throne of Heroes for a time, cursing endless universes to damnation. However, no matter how far they reach out, the truth will remain that a considerable more universes shall continue to exist elsewhere, untouched.

And yet, there are whispers. Of a SOMETHING that is truly unique, that can reach towards infinity and change one’s understanding of anything and everything. That can grant wishes beyond all certainty.

It was inevitable that these whispers would be noticed. Special and powerful individuals, who arose from a realm filled with unlimited possibilities, began to suspect its existence. Each and every one a traveller of spacetime with their own unique abilities, opted to vigorously pursue them for whatever reason. They would scavenge entire universes across millennia and eons, gaining information from those who possessed it via their own methods; be it good or evil, lawful or chaotic, whatever it took. Along their search, they came across each other. Without giving each other their real names, they merely confirmed to each other that their outlandish beliefs about this SOMETHING were not so crazy after all. Slowly but surely began to learn about this fabled SOMETHING, sharing information with each other along the way. Some were heroic, some were logical, and some were completely and utterly omnicidal. This most unlikely band of Omnis ultimately ended up creating what was to be known as the Dreams of Action and Truth Evangelist Association - DATEA for short. The twenty-four members called themselves Dreamers.

Because they'd all been desperate to reach the end, no matter how long it took, they had worked together for the exact same goal. And after an eternity of progress, they had found it at last. The Door of Origin.

And in order to access it, they pooled all of their resources and ingenuity to forge the Key of Origin. An artifact that was so powerful in its own right that they used it to power their headquarters, build a mindless crimson civilization to do their bidding, and even capture a monster god of darkness for their own purposes.

All that was left was to bridge the gap...and then all of creation would be at their fingertips. However, a new question arose.

Who would use it? Everyone who'd cooperated with each other to reach the end had their own ulterior motives, their own reasons for why they wanted to do so, and there was no single individual more worthy of it than the others. The Dreamers found themselves bickering.

Alpha believed that, as the founder of DATEA, he had some sort of special right to access the Door. Phi, Sigma, and Omicron wanted to eliminate all life, all matter, and all existence respectively. Phi wanted a universe where everything was perfectly shaped, with perfectly structured civilizations living in perfect symmetry. Chi wanted everyone to experience the same day over and over. Some wanted to become gods; Lambda in particular wanted to create an entirely new cluster of universes, with innumerable monsters of his design that could live in harmony with humanity. More than several of them only wanted to use it to make things better in their homeworlds. And as for Omega, the last recruit... He wanted something very bizarre indeed, that would not be hard to guess at this point.

Finally, one member - who had really only been in it to get rich off the others' fortunes - suggested a compromise. When they formed the bridge between their reality and the Door, using their utmost prowess, there would be three trials that they would have to complete; Remembrance, Truth, and Death. The trials would adjust themselves for each individual so that they would be as difficult as possible for whoever entered, and whoever made it to the end had to be worthy. Everyone considered Delta's proposal, and reluctantly decided to accept - all of them so assured in their own specialness that they couldn't comprehend that anyone other than themselves may be worthy.

With enthusiasm, they started conducting their experiments to establish a concrete connection with the Door.

That was their greatest and final mistake.
 

~Somnus~

The members of DATEA had gathered in their temple for one final experiment. As the Dreamers surrounded a certain object, which powered the Origin Project, it seemed that the end of their dream was finally at hand. Some were silent, concerned only with seeing their mission through to the end. Others were in awe, desperate the untapped power that would soon be within their grasp.





A mage in black robes assessed his supposed allies one by one, two glowing circles peering through his plain white mask. "I suppose there will be no more need for DATEA after this. It’ll be a free-for-all. Still, would it not be too much to ask that we share some gratitude with one another before we begin the slaughterfest?"

“I suppose you are right, Tau,” a blonde woman sighed. Her face was covered in a mask resembling an owl, but she still looked relatively young, no older than her mid-20’s. “With all the research you’ve granted me, construction on Megiddo and Marduk progressed significantly faster than it would have by myself. For that I must thank you. I only wish I had the time to properly test them, but reaching the Door takes precedence.”

Tau nodded. “Quite right, dear Theta. But I wonder, are we supposed to reach of the Door? So far it feels that our greatest efforts have only been setting a stage.” He glanced towards a familiar, silver-haired sorcerer. “Omega… when you rallied us to confront that One Master of yours, using the Key completely overwrote hiS very existence. ”

“Leaving only the Inner Periphery,” Theta added. “I must admit to being fascinated by the nature of that place. Perhaps that could be the field study I require…”

“Let’s not get carried away with ourselves,” Tau chided. “Now that the Inner Periphery has replaced the One Master, the Castle of Necrophades has no caretaker. The Shadow Realm… the Inner Periphery… perhaps even this very pyramid. We’ve left a trail of breadcrumbs across the multiverse.”

Theta perked her chin. “Do you believe that others could follow us?”

“It’s certainly possible,” Tau shrugged. “In fact, I’m counting on it. I joined DATEA for one reason. I was meant to find someone. Who that is, I’m not quite sure. Tell me, have any of you heard of the Arbiters?” Tau’s mask began to flicker, and sparks lingered around the Dreamers’ artifact. “If all we’ve been doing is build the Pathways for someone else, I would love to see how their Chosen One fares.”

“How do you…” Theta reached for a rapier sheathed at her side. “Tau… who are you?”

Tau chuckled softly, as he looked over each of the Dreamers again. “Don’t waste your blade on me when there are many others here you should be more worried about.” Counting each of them with a finger, Tau huffed. “Hold on. Where did Delta run off to?”

Before anyone could speak up, let alone look for Delta, the artifact shattered. Theta drew her rapier, while Tau spread his arms out wide, as his body began to shimmer with gold, white, and crimson light, wrapped in wips of darkness. His body was already fading away before the artifact unleashed the full force that had been stirring within.

***

In the resultant blast, nearly all of the Dreamers as well as everything they'd built ended up inexplicably wiped out of existence. And all that remained was a lone, measly desert, lost in the midst of space.

Hence, the Dreamers of DATEA are no more.

 

---

The Hallway of Origin

Eria gripped her head as the memory faded away. Theta had created Megiddo. But Eria had seen Lindzei, and that… thing looked nothing like Theta, who at least looked human. Was she another one of Lindzei’s l’Cie, then?

That was why Megiddo called Protheus “Omega”. Megiddo, Protheus, and even the Pathway to Origin himself, all of them traced back to this “DATEA”.

“So that’s who Protheus was talking about.” Arthur glared at Chardonnay. In the memory she had shown him, Protheus did mention that he enlisted DATEA’s help in slaying the One Master. “All this is their fault, then. And Protheus… he was just one of them.”

“Is it too much to hope that most of them died in that blast?” Sora asked. “Seems like that Tau guy pretty much summed everything up. First we went to the Shadow Realm, and it sounds like the Inner Periphery… that was the One Master. At least, it’s corpse, really. Ugh, so were inside of that thing?”

“And after that pyramid was destroyed,” said Eria, “It looked like the Desert Seth. So he was right, DATEA left a trail leading here.”

“What do you think he meant about those Arbiters, though?” Gagagigo asked. “Seemed like he wasn’t just expecting anyone to find their way here. Not even the Counter Corps or the Divine.”

“A Chosen One,” answered Kairi. “That… should be a good thing, right? Usually that only ever means there’s a hero who can save the day for everyone.”

“I hope you’re right,” said Arthur. “Isamy and the others are all waiting for us, and we might as well need another miracle after everything we had to pull.”

“If anyone else from DATEA did survive, we have to find them.” Eria stepped a few feet ahead of the group. “That’s what the Pathway wants, right? It’s why it showed us that. So we can understand that even something like this can still be just a small part of something bigger.”

Arthur crossed his arms. “Not that I disagree, but don’t you think they would have tried coming for the Pathway as well? If it was just Protheus, maybe that’s as good as any that the others are dead.”

“Or they have other plans that have nothing to do with the Door.” Gagagigo’s tone was distant, barely looking at the others as he answered. “Like what Theta needed Megiddo for, or who - or what - that Marduk she mentioned is.”

“If you don’t mind me saying,” Kairi suggested, “Maybe Theta is the only one you should be worried about. I know you have to fight Megiddo, and maybe if you can go even further than that, hunt down Theta and stop her, too, you’ll finally be free from all this. But hunting down all of DATEA, when you don’t even know how many of them died or survived, you’re just going to keep throwing yourself into fight after fight after fight.”

“You’re never going to let yourselves catch a break,” Sora added. “Even when I fought the Organization, I thought Xemnas was going to be the end of it. Then learning everything else about Xehanort, I knew I had to stop him, too. I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like if I had to fight someone else even after Xehanort. He’s still the one I have to stop for good after this. Theta - and really, just Theta - let her be your Xehanort. Not all of DATEA, just her. We can tell the others when we catch up to them, maybe they can cover some more ground if they’re ready for that. But we need to pick our battles carefully.”

“At least we have one less battle to worry about,” Gagagigo muttered bitterly. Further along the hallway, Gagagigo was standing beside a woman’s corpse. Each of them knew who it was before they could get a close look. Arturia Pendragon was laying their, unceremoniously and abandoned. Gagagigo had barely known her long, meeting her only just after they escaped the Inner Periphery, and after her confession that the Throne of Heroes had no qualms about letting their homes be sacrificed for the sake of the larger multiverse, he felt next to no reason to mourn her.

Instead, Gagagigo continued onward, towards a painting at the end of the Hallway. It depicted the upper body of a pale woman wearing nothing but an ornamental headdress, her arms crossed over her chest. The painting was torn where the woman’s heart should be. In its place was a black rift, bleeding with teal energy. Darkness encroached long the edges of painting, slowly eating away, almost burning it.

Gagagigo had nearly killed Eria in Shadow Realm, and in doing so, summoned Isamy to the past. Everything that had happened since then, leading up to this very moment, was all because of him. He cared about nothing more than to kill Isamy. It couldn’t possibly atone for all he had done, but if he had started all this, then he owed it to the entire multiverse that he should finish it as well.

Before Gagagigo could stop into the painting, a sword popped out of the rift. It was black and white, wrapped in several hydra heads. Gagagigo reached for the blade, but it slid along the floor, moving in a direct line until it suddenly grinded to a halt, presenting itself at Arthur’s feet.

Arthur was wary. What did the sword with him? At first glance, he could easily recognize the many heads of LERNA that formed its shape, but he felt something else. There was another presence within the blade, calling to him.

“Don’t touch it,” Eria warned. Against his better judgment, Arthur did exactly that, picking up the blade. As soon as he held it in his hand, the world around him began to change.

---

No longer did was standing within the Hallway of Origin. He was outside of a cabin in the woods. He recognized it. It was like a part of Camp Half-Blood that had been kept all to himself. On the outside, it looked Cabin Seven, where all the children of Apollo were assigned to stay. But inside of it, he knew that it was a home where he and Eria could stay together. Even though he knew this was an illusion, he would play along. For now.

As he grabbed the doorknob, he heard a voice behind him. “you are late, ARTHUR ANCYL.”

Arthur let go, sneering as he faced the speaker. There was an old man in black robes, but Arthur still recognized him. “Couldn’t even stay dead for a little bit longer, could you, Madara?”

The aged shinobi scoffed. He pressed a hand to his mouth, seemingly surprised by his own reaction. “remember, i am still but a simulacrum of that shinobi. nevertheless, we meet again. you showed me that the ideal world is not something that i can offer you with a dream that i cannot comprehend. so i granted my power to ARTURIA PENDRAGON. she sought not to give her dream form, but rather, destroy it. what little piece of me remained endured, to ensure that perhaps even she could change her mind. perhaps… to reach the same conclusion that you had shown me.”

“And look how that turned out,” Arthur shrugged.

“she was a failure, i admit. at first, i thought you worthy of my power, but in my error, even i could not distinguish you from the King whose name was passed down to you. i stayed only to see my next error through until the Counter Guardian paid for Her sins.” The Madara tapped a cane on the ground. Crimson aura emanated from his body, as he held out a hand to Arthur. “the magical girl, LYDIA, then combined what energy she could draw from LERNA, the Witch of Infinite Possibilities, with what she could salvage from the King. the girl regretted that action, rejecting the sword that she herself had forged: HOPELESS BLACK. and now, the sword passes to you. perhaps now, the power that i had once intended for you, can be yours to claim at last.”

“LERNA?” That Witch was still alive as well. After what she had done to Sora, Arthur wouldn’t dare risk using her power. It made sense that Lydia could, after she had channeled the power of hope itself to overcome LERNA’s despair, but if even she had rejected it, what good would it do him? “I’m sorry. I appreciate the offer, at least if it means we’re on the same side now. But I can’t accept taking a risk like that when I don’t know what will happen to me.”

The Madara scowled at Arthur. “hmmm… very well. even still, take the sword. if it was forged by combing my essence with LERNA’s, perhaps it needs something more. another essence. one that transcends LERNA’s despair, or the slumber i sought to grant you.”

Distrust, despair, slumber, never change. The words from the prophecy repeated themselves. DATEA had left a trail, and Chardonnay’s prophecy tied together the most important feelings and sensations that the trail would put them through. If those feelings could then be compressed together, all in a single weapon, and if that weapon could be exactly what would destroy Isamy? Arthur couldn’t give up that chance.

“Whatever it is, fine. I’ll take the sword with me, and put your power to good use. You better not be getting my hopes up.”

“i wouldn’t dream of it,” the Madara answered. Was that the slightest hint of a sense of humor? Whatever the case, Arthur took the Madara’s hand, and they were both consumed by the crimson light.

---

Arthur was wielding Hopeless Black with both hands. For a moment, the sunlight that would shimmer from his eyes carried a red glow to them. Eria and MachGaogamon had been calling his name, but Arthur simply shrugged. “I’m alright, guys. No need to shout.”

Putting Hopeless Black in the sheath that he had used for his old sword, before he obtained the Keyblade, Arthur summoned his Keyblade instead. Approaching the body of Arturia, he knelt beside her. It was still difficult for him to swallow the fact that this was the King Arthur he had heard legends about. Certainly the multiverse was so vast that Arturia wasn’t necessarily the only King Arthur, and yet, he had never imagined he would have ever met the legend.

“I had thought the Counter Corps were supposed to save everyone,” Arthur said. “I don’t want to become a Counter Guardian. Not if it means I have to sacrifice even one innocent life out of billions. But, even if it was a lie, you showed me what the Counter Corps are meant to be. So, I want you to know… you weren’t about everything, Arturia.”

Leaving the fallen Counter Guardian behind, Arthur followed Gagagigo, who was taking the first step into the painting. Eria, Sora, Kairi, MachGaogamon, and Chardonnay each followed suit, until they had passed through the painting to reach the Door of Origin.

Their future couldn’t be hopeless. Little by little, they had proven to themselves they could shape what the future could be. There was only one last thing they had to do.

It was time for them to finish the war against Isamy Maximus.

[Maeriberii Haan]

 

 

"So if you make all the rules then what is the point in playing the game? Isn't this exactly why the everyone lives happily ever after thing didn't work out for you?"

 

"Because..."

 

Before the Nobody was able to finish its answer, its form dissolved, from what was once depicted Dorian's own form, into the previous humanoid blob without any identifying features. Before it was able to assume another form however, Lydia had went for the offensive. A rain of flames and fury struck the Nobody as it was in its vulnerable state. Lydia had dived right onto her with the fury of the sun itself.

 

"IGNITION RONDO!"

 

Normally such an attack wouldn't dent the Nobody much, but it was caught in its transitionary phase and before it was able to fully reform, and the damage was real. Amidst the smoke, ultimately there was a form remaining. It was that of Lydia, but tattered and half-melting from the attack. Its lips moved, as if it wanted to say something, but the metamorphosis had been imperfect. The essence, the origin, the inclusion process had been disrupted.

 

But even so, the Nobody refused to stop.

 

"I...will...bring...salvation."

 

[Void Inclusion - Ignition Rondo]

 

A Sun-like existence floated far ahead of everyone. The Nobody took in its flames and radiance into itself, and the land grow dimmer as it did so. It rose up high into the sky, and morphed the flames of the sun into a raging tornado that swept across the battlefield, threatening to incinerate anyone caught in its path. Even if it was a pale imitation of the real attack, it was powered by the unfathomable energy that the Nobody still possessed to still be a threat to anyone in its radius.

 

 

“Just how much do you wish to keep this going, Isamy?”

 

How much time had passed? The nameless girl, the darkness of the cavern, the remaining remnant of Isamy Maximus. Exchange of blows, dodged attacks, wounds, fatigue. Had they really been fighting for a long while? It felt both like an eternity, yet also just like a single moment. Had she even attacked? The strain on her limbs that she continuously healed off every seconds pointed that it really was a battle, but it barely felt like one. Perhaps this was a side effect of the hollow being broken apart earlier.

 

No, focus.

 

The void dragon was leaking Mad Blood everywhere as it used yet another of its Inclusion, countering Butlerok’s own use of it. As expected, it seemed to be occupied with Butlerok and Rhadamantys at the time being. The maddened Kenpachi was locked in melee with his former teammates. The rest...it was a little unclear what happened. The blue-haired demon summoner was lying injured near the wall of this cavern, and the nameless girl was also able to see a pink haired girl trying her best to avoid combat, but the rest’s presence was unclear in the midst of thsi hectic combat, not helped by how Butlerok flooded the place just earlier.

 

The nameless girl had given up on trying to analyze this remnant of Isamy. It was so empty, even more than the hollow form she took earlier, than doing so would be too much of a bother with how fast she changed her inclusion now. No, what was left to do was to perform brute force, despite it not being one of the nameless girl’s strengths.

 

Nanashi erected an energy shield around herself as she moved around, finding a good firing point. All the souls on her sword had been pacified. What was left was their energy for her own use. The temperaments of everyone here might not be sufficient, but perhaps by focusing on all the ones already inside...

 

With a swipe from her sword, Nanashi called over a rain of scarlet beams on Isamy. Her inclusion was problematic but, perhaps if she pushed it more a little, a weak point that Nanashi could penetrate through could be found?

 

 

In the meantime, Satori Komeiji was also facing her own final battle. As her physical body lie on the cavern, protected by a barrier from the flooding, she had locked herself in combat deep within her heart.

 

“What do you even know about me?”

 

As the voice of Koishi echoed in this mental prison, uncountable amount of arrows rained upon the ground. Satori desperately weaved her way through them, relying on her instincts to dodge and block them as they go.

 

“You’re not even Big Sis!”

 

Koishi’s attack was relentless. Her snake-like Embers of Love erupted from the ground, threatening to overwhelm and impale Satori. In response, she utilized a recollection of Koishi’s own Pariah Philosophy to teleport away from her position before the phallic projectiles could break her.

 

This standstill had went on for a long while. Koishi right now was at her lowest. Satori noticed that even slightly, Koishi had been swayed by Isamy. If it was not for Satori’s own blocking of Koishi’s mind, Koishi would have been one of Isamy’s heralds by this point. It really was not a decision that Satori found to be unreasonable. However, she couldn’t let that happen.

 

“Even so.” Satori looked upwards, to where Koishi was floating in this mindscape. “You still are my little sister, and it’s my duty to bring you back to your senses.”

 

A Master Spark was fired. Koishi was the one that fired the massive rainbow beam of light first, but Satori did not waste her time to recollect a similar attack and had it clash with Koishi’s, all while she moved away and plan how to reach her sister’s position. Quickly after it, Koishi’s tentacles erupted from the ground. Like spikes threatening to impale her, the tentacles broke the floor and destroyed anything that they came across. Yet, Satori then suddenly disappeared. Koishi was visibly confused on where she was. If it was just invisibility, then she would still be able to-

 

A sudden kick to her back sent Koishi to hit the ground. Satori emerged from behind her, coming from what looked like a portal adorned with eyes. A gap, as it was used by a certain blonde-haired girl. Upon this realization, Koishi became even more angry. More and more tentacles erupted from around the palace-like mindscape. It was as if Koishi was actively trying to destroy everything there.

 

“You took Big Sis’s form...you took miss Yukari’s power...What are you?” A momentary bewilderment in the midst of Koishi’s anger. It however soon turned into an even worse explosion.

 

“Give it back...give them all back to me!”

 

Satori felt something horrible was happening to her. At the split second of that moment happening, she managed to detach herself from her body, just as the body was being turned inside out somehow. Exposed flesh, bones, and organs replaced skin, and the lump of flesh hit the ground lifelessly as Satori moved away to dodge Koishi’s uncountable tentacles in her third eye form.

 

“I am one that will protect you.” With a flick, Satori summoned Reimu’s barriers all around her to block the tentacles. A rain of lasers came from above, however, and broke through those barriers. Yet, in response Satori simply pushed forward. “And I am the one that will guide you to find your happiness, at the end of this tragedy.”

 

Koishi was unrelenting in her attacks. She had lost everything. The person she grew to admire as a parental figure, the world that she loved, and the sister that she very dearly loved. No, actually she still had one thing. A tempting voice. A siren song of a now-hollowed and broken Omni, an empty promise that she clung to as her last light. And the one that stood between her and that promise was this abomination that took the shape of her sister. It was understandable why she acted like this.

 

And normally, Satori would be fine with that. Something like her existed solely to support, to protect Koishi, no matter what she decided. Rarher than a person, this Satori was born as a defense mechanism. She was her for no other reason other than to be something that supported her sister, something that perhaps the real Satori had failed to do. Just a distorted memory given form.

 

Koishi fired another Master Spark, and Satori responded simply by recollecting a gap to divert the blast elsewhere as she continued to make her way forward. Rose petals erupted from thin air and formed several layers of barriers around Koishi. It was only then that Satori’s advances was stopped, but she went to use her own tentacles to undo the petals one by one, all while avoiding the tentacles attacking her from elsewhere.

 

The fact that she was able to go against Koishi’s wish like this painted something about the inner going of the young moon princess’ mind. Even in her state of mind, in the mind that had all but given up, there was still a faint glint of hope that she had for herself. Something that Koishi could wish for herself, out of her own decision.

 

“You really was unfair, Yukari. To leave the hardest part on me...” Satori mumbled in frutration.

 

Every petal that she was able to pluck, another petal grew to replace it. Koishi was unrelenting in both her attacks as well as her own attempt to defend herself. Satori decided to take the risk and used the recollection of gaps in an attempt to bypass it. However, this was only met with more and more petals blocking her. This impenetrable wall continued to stand between Satori and Koishi. A wall born of Koishi’s hatred...and also fear.

 

“I know...it was wrong of me to not tell you first about what we wanted to do. It was wrong of me to to not tell you the truth about my existence from the start.”

 

Satori could feel that her magical energy was running out. In direct combat, even if she was aiming to hurt Koishi, she had absolutely zero hope. She was nothing more than a drop of rain against the ocean that was Koishi. An entity capable of reshaping the world itself. Unconsciously, Satori reformed her own body in frustration. Her tentacles turning into limbs, her form taking shape as she clawed her way through Koishi’s defenses.

 

This was the realm of the mind. There might be a way for her to overcome Koishi, somehow.

 

“But, even if it’s hard for you now. Please, listen to me.” Satori’s nails were bleeding. From the dripping blood, a corrosive form broke through the petals. Her face showcased her desperation, but she did not slow down. She pierced one layer, only to be met with another immediately, but she did not relent. Another layer was pierced. One stray tentacle pierced the side of her naked body. And another, and other. Her heart was pierced. Her brain started to leak. The more she was pierced, the more of her blood was spilled, her life essence became what was able to pierce the never-ending petals. As her form became more and more twisted and gored, Satori was able to became closer.

 

“Don’t go down this path. I beg of you.”

 

Her bloodied hands tore through another layer. Satori had neglected self defense completely.The more she was impaled, the more her determination grow. Putting her all into this, she could feel her consciousness fading. Another layer, another layer, another layer. Like an infinite repetition of matryoshka dolls, more and more layers were peeled only to reveal another underneath.

 

“So please-“

 

Her relentless effort was eventually rewarded with the sight of a vulnerable Koishi underneath all of the petals, but as Satori’s own bloodied hands went to reach her, she was no longer able to. It was only then that she realized how bad her condition was. A flesh pincushion, bound from moving. Even her third eye couldn’t detach herself from her flesh any longer.

 

“It’s useless.”

 

Koishi’s voice was weak. But she turned to look at Satori on her eyes. Even with the empty tiredness on her eyes, she was really going to go all the way to end this.

 

“Just this once-“

 

“Be silent. Soon, you will return into another memory.”

 

Koishi’s tentacles are wrapped around the helpless Satori. There was no more possibility for escape. It was undoubtedly the end.

 

But...even if it was the end. A happy ending was still possible. Even if Satori would die here, a wonderful everday was still possible for Koishi. A last minute decision time. There was a tiny possibility that she was able to appeal to Koishi. And with that as the only thing in her mind as the light disappeared, magenta-colored tentacles all burst forth from Satori’s body, wrapping around Koishi to relay a final message.

The only hope that Satori had left to convince Koishi.

 

 

Right before Koishi, a memory played itself like a film reel.

 

The location was unclear, yet she was able to recognize the person that was featured most prominently here. Yakumo Yukari, her Yukaii. Not a pale imitatin, Koishi was able to understand that this form really was the Yukari she had grown to care of. The flowing blonde hair juxtaposed by her green dress that was identical to what Koishi was wearing herself. How weak and frail she felt, how even her body was itself seemingly on the verge of juks crumbling with how her neck and limbs were merely connected by weak seams. And right next to her was that abomination that dared to call herself Satori.

 

“Soon it will be time. Why did you not tell her anything, Yukari?” Thus the abomination spoke. Koishi attempted to see if this was a tampered memory or not, but she failed to see anything off about it.”It’s impolite to depart without telling your guest about it first.”

 

Yukari simply let out a weak, if grim, laugh.

 

“Surely, Koishi would’ve stopped me before I can go far.” The area around the two became clearer. It revealed itself to be the Hallway of Origin soon after, as Yukari went to pick three separate golden tablets and read them. “What would people say if I sit back like a duck after that speech i made earlier?”

 

“Is that really all your reason to go after a certain death for the sake of exposing the truth? Personal pride?” The Satori-like abomination was not looking amused. Had this was the real Satori-the answer would be a lot colder. So Koishi noted as she continued to watch from the sidelines.

 

“Perhaps? As you are a mind-reader, you can just read my heart to find out.” Yukari’s answer was as nonchalant as ever. However, she looked up above with a wistful look not long after.

 

“There is no need. I’d like to hear it from the source this time.”

 

“Hm, so that is so. I understand.” Yukari answered as if she was not paying attention. The abomination had her gaze locked on the ancient youkai as they continued to walk. Koishi trailed behind them. Her previously indifferent feeling became roused with curiosity. “I am a woman that did not possess anything anymore. Even this Key I am holding is a fake.”

 

Satori was somehow unsurprised at what Yukari just revealed.

 

“I should’ve died several times over by now. I live on a borrowed time, and I’m not sure how much longer I can even keep this body together. Truly fleeting, don’t you think?” Yukari let out another, strained laughter. “So I think. If I have to go, then I’ll go in a bang. I’ll expose Arturia and tire her out. Make myself a martyr. Don’t you think that would be a beautiful end for this pathetic me?”

 

“...I should have expected such a selfish reason from you.” Despite what she said however, the abomination smiled at Yukari’s answer. Koishi herself was not sure on what to take from this.

 

“I am the most youkai-like youkai. Having a selfish reason for my grand moment is par for the course.” Yukari continued to laugh for a while, until she abruptly stopped and turned back, staring back at the Satori-like abomination. “...or at least, that was what I wished my reasoning was. Such a reasoning would mean that I have the utmost confidence going forward.”

 

And at that time, Koishi’s own steps stopped.

 

“If I say that it’s because I want to do the right thing, it would be incorrect too. I’ve lost too much to be personally invested in this conflict. Even if the worst end happened, I am no longer in a position to care anymore.” Yukari said so in a concerningly expressionless manner. The tiredness of her voice was in full display. “If I say that it was out of spite, it would be incorrect either. I had no ounce of hatred for Arturia. In fact, I understand her. In any other situation, she and I would have decided the same thing. We both are too similar in a way either of us would be comfortable to admit.”

 

“Then what is it?” Anger formed on the abomination’s voice. “Koishi needs you! What for you was so important to abandon her for this pointless martyring of yourself?”

 

“And that would be my answer.” A serene, unsettling smile formed on Yukari’s face. It was a tranquil expression. Koishi’s heart froze as she watched her like that. “Koishi is my entire reason for doing this. In the happy ending that keeps avoiding her so far, there is no place for me there. But I am doing this to ensure that she can live a wonderful life.”

 

“You know full well you can just do your best to escape later! You can ensure Koishi’s future by standing on her side too!” More and more of the abomination’s emotions were let out. But Yukari did not budge.

 

“That is exactly the reason why I can’t. As long as I am on her side, she will not be able to make her own choice. She had been living as a victim of the choices of everyone else throughout all of her life. The only way for her to be happy, is if she grasp on the future that she wished for, with her own two hands.” Yukari continued.

Koishi did not understand. A gnawing feeling of anger surged. Was this the entire reason why Yukari abandoned her? Was she just so selfish to think that this was the future she wanted? She wanted to yell too. She wanted to jump into this memory and strangle Yukari. But something stopped her. She was unsure of why, but she could not bring herself to.

 

“More than anyone that had suffered as much as her has any reason to, she loved the world and its people. Again and again the world had rejected her, yet she stood back up to love it even then. Perhaps, she loved Gensokyo even more than I do. It was her love that brought me back from despair, and it was her love that I think has a chance to restore the world that she loved.” With Koishi and Satori’s silence, Yukari continued undisturbed. “But she let her fears control her. Even with me, she clung to me because of her fears of everything else. This relationship I have with her simply prolongs her suffering.”

 

“So you decided that you have the right to end it just like that?”

“Perhaps it truly is selfish of me...but as her mother, my wish is just so she can stand on her own and life the life she wanted.” Her serenity remained, but her voice had now a hint of sadness with it. “So this is what I wanted your help for. Before you too, inevitably disappear, I want to ask you to tell her this.”

 

Yukari turned towards Koishi’s direction, startling her.

 

“Ypu really is a kind girl, Koishi. Even if I’m gone, I know you still can handle yourself. You’re far greater than me. You can do something that I have no hope of achieving. Deep inside of you, you still have the loving heart that is untainted by all the suffering you’ve faced.

 

And so. I ask of you.

 

Pick a future that your heart truly wants.”

 

 

The mental prison shattering overwhelmed her senses, but soon, she returned back to reality.

 

Koishi dropped to her knees. Her body reformed over the withered Satori’s body as she returned to the cavern. She felt like crying. As much as the way she did it frustrated Koishi, Yukari’s earnest plea melted her final resistances. Yukari truly loved her as her own child. She trusted her so much. And she believed that Koishi was truly able to do her own thing. Yet, so far Koishi had only been down from her despair at Yukari’s death. Her hand grasped at the ground.

 

No, she couldn’t cry now.

 

She pushed herself back up. It felt hard. She wasn’t sure that her heart was fully on this even now. But, as much as she sympathize with Isamy, Yukari helped her realize something. The happy ending that Isamy wished for was not a happy ending that Koishi really wanted. It was a happy ending she chose because of her own fears. It’s not a happy ending that she wanted the world to have.

 

Finding footing was a struggle. To keep her gaze forward, Koishi plucked out her two flesh eyes, and replaced them on the socket with her own third eye and Satori’s inactive third eye, who became active again as Koishi connected it to herself.

 

Yukari was gone. Satori, both real and imagined, was gone too. Even Koishi here still was not fully sure yet about everything yet. But, a childish wish rose up from within her heart. A resounding, repeating voice, the wish that Koishi had now fully accepted as a part of herself. A wish that Koishi would now fight for.

 

“I wish for everyone to live in their own wonderful everyday."

 

It was a childish wish, but holding onto it, the two third eye that comprised Koishi now was fully opened. In the midst of the flooding of the black blood, Koishi walked forth, flowers blooming underneath her as if the blood was fertile soil. Perhaps it was too late for her to join the fight, but...

 

"For people to live happily, for them to live fully, and die with no regrets.”

 

“Subterranean Rose!”

 

A giant rose bloomed from underneath the Heartless, wrapping it in it before exploding. She still was fresh. She's going to fight the best that she could. The Gensokyo that she loved was truly within her all along.

 

"Suffering is inevitable, but..I hope that people can move forward beyond that. For them to be reborn whenever they’re struck down by life."