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

[Tesability Black]

~??? - Prologuous - Gemini's POV~

The double that had once appeared within Prologuous re-emerged upon the floating island, flickering in and out of view rapidly before finally stopping in full view. Opening his red eyes, he dared to look around, a frown gracing his face upon seeing something off with his surroundings.

Where in the Distortion did everyone go?

Knowing full well where the Key of Origin was, since he was the one that put it there, Gemini looked up towards the tree with the unmoving clock, the place where the Key would go still empty. Clicking his tongue, Gemini allowed the blackish-red aura that would often be invisible to the naked eye to enter visibility.

"Alright, Avatar, what did you do to the others?"

[The Warden]

[[What Time, What Place: Nero's Prologuous]]

 

"So...why do I continue onward, Avatar? I continue, because, to honor my fallen master and my friends...I will keep the X-Blade protected...and with it...I'm going to protect the light."

 

"Well, that's a stupid reason" the Avatar remarked bluntly. "You stand upon the cusp of Origin, and that's all you think your life will amount to? Honouring a dead man? Protecting a fancy sword and a metaphysical concept given way too much value? Look!" the Avatar ordered, pointing to the great tree and the clock. "You stand upon the cusp of Origin itself, and yet you think so small? Clearly you haven't grown enough if you fail to understand the bigger picture here. What good will protecting the X-Blade and the Light do when billions suffer? Does it not trouble you that problems will exist far beyond your own puny universe?"

 

 

[[What time, What Place: Gemini's Prologuous]]

 

"Alright, Avatar, what did you do to the others?"

 

"They're... around, metaphorically speaking."

 

Walking up to Gemini was the Avatar, a shadowy kite shield attached to its arm. With a flourish it removed it, so it could lean on it while grinning smugly at Gemini. "Looks like it's just you and I now, funny how we always end up like this. But then, we are both parts of the Pathways, with me its guardian, and you failed construct. I'm also amazed that you get your own Prologuous, when you shouldn't even have a soul. It's almost comical really, how you've fooled yourself into thinking you have one, but I do digress... you can't stop me, you know that? No matter how hard you try, you are doomed to failure, that's what you constructs are. Just something to get in people's way, to help them learn more about themselves and grow, and you are failing in that role spectacularly. Of course, your existence in general consists of failure really. Gemini, a parasitic personality tied to Neos. It must be so tragic being you, being something that exists just because poor widdle Neos couldn't handle the burdens and stresses of life. But it must be harder being nothing more than just a sad and crass personality, acting out in impotent anger all the time while having no real control over anything. It must be ever so frustrating having so little control while having to put up with that bleeding heart" the Avatar mused.

[Tesability Black]

~??? - Prologuous - Gemini's POV~

 

"They're... around, metaphorically speaking."

Suspecting that he was about to get an earful, Gemini decided that he would at least ease the burden of what he would be listening to by pulling from a pocket inside his jacket a pair of earbuds attached to a thin cord. Placing the buds into his ears, faint music began to play into them before he turned to face the Avatar, seeing him leaning against his kite shield of sorts.

"Looks like it's just you and I now, funny how we always end up like this." He could argue that, but instead chose to cross his arms in front of himself as he continued to listen. "But then, we are both parts of the Pathways, with me its guardian, and you failed construct. I'm also amazed that you get your own Prologuous, when you shouldn't even have a soul."

Had he not possessed his awareness, he would be wondering how he was even here, in all honesty. His damned puppeteer and her absolute insistence on him being a 'special butterfly'. Even he was sick of it, honestly.

"It's almost comical really, how you've fooled yourself into thinking you have one, but I do digress..."

He actually already knew that, there was a reason he learned to manipulate other souls, due to only have absorbed so little energy over time and made it his own. He was still mentally kicking himself for the earlier stupid stunt when he tried to stop the others from moving forward, since that lost him some of the soul he did manage to gather for himself, however...

"You can't stop me, you know that? No matter how hard you try, you are doomed to failure, that's what you constructs are."

Oh, really?

"Just something to get in people's way, to help them learn more about themselves and grow, and you are failing in that role spectacularly."

Gemini managed to keep the smirk off his face at this, knowing full well that this was utter bullsh!t.

"Of course, your existence in general consists of failure really. Gemini, a parasitic personality tied to Neos. It must be so tragic being you, being something that exists just because poor widdle Neos couldn't handle the burdens and stresses of life. But it must be harder being nothing more than just a sad and crass personality, acting out in impotent anger all the time while having no real control over anything."

If the sliver of the future he did see was any indicator, that may change in due time...even if he hated it after a while.

"It must be ever so frustrating having so little control while having to put up with that bleeding heart."

And that he couldn't argue with because he actually agreed with it. The damnable Ditto displays strength, but he really has none of his own. More like he was a master of masks, just like all others of his species soon become over time.

"At the very least, I have experienced more of the Omniverse in the short time of my existence than you have ever done in your entire one. That is sad in its own right. To be made a prisoner from the moment of creation, never allowed to see the mighty Roils of Zendikar as the plane itself fights for its life as it dealt with the Eldrazi imprisoned upon it, the many stars and planets among the Milky Way Galaxy, the Mother of All Hydaelyn in her crystalline form and many, many other things.

Even if I was merely a passenger...or in the case of one reality, an unwilling shield, I have experienced more than you ever will. This makes me wonder which of us is really the sad one. Myself?

...or you?"

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

The Path of Truth:
 
"Why did you and Desna date?"
"Why don't you kill Victoria, if she is all you resent and despise?"
"Why does your mother hate you?"
"Why couldn't you save your father?"
"Who truly is Protsu?"
"Was Protheus really that good in bed?"
"Why did you have to leave Mizu so suddenly?"
But the most common question is, to the fiery woman's surprise: "WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?!?"
And it is annoying the hell out of her, especially since she feels compelled to answer.
 
But that will not help her here, in this illusory field of flowers and motes of light that are clearly some sort of fairy. However, their incessant whispers and pokes and prods and jabs are getting to her. She wants to cover her ears and ignore them, to sing a song, but she tried that, and she simply had the compulsion and urge to talk to them increase. It was almost like a primal need now, nagging at her as much as the fairies were. And she was not going to take it anymore, especially if the other obstacles were going to be as hindering as this one. She didn't have time to deal with this, time that took away another portion of her divine power, the godly capabilities enhanced by the staff she was carrying, that were the only thing protecting her paradoxical state from resolving itself in a puff of illogic. So if she was going to spend her borrowed time, she might as well get right down to the point as quickly as possible. Flames started to gather around her body, giving the nearby fairies burns and singes, increasing in frequency, rotation, and tempo, until they formed a powerful whirlwind of intense fire.

"BECAUSE I'M NOT GOING TO BOTHER WITH YOU ANYMORE!!!" was her roaring answer, filled with bitter truth, as the whirlwind exploded out into a spherical shockwave, turning the fairies caught in the blast into golden wisps, perpetually screaming in agony as the flames simultaneously ravaged and regenerated their bodies to give them everlasting suffering until the end of all realities. And from that explosion of divine fury came a single jet of flame that twirled and spiraled through the air until it formed into a fiery shape, a mixture of dragon and phoenix, carrying a golden staff in its talons. As the fairies swarmed around their attacker, each beat of the beast's wings sent more gouts of flame through the air, clearing a path, until she dove into the mirror, now showing a reflected wasteland that was a mirror of the world she just left. Banking and rolling like a jet fighter correcting its course, she continued on.

Finally, she came to a stop along a crystalline bridge, dispersing the flames to land in front of a strange cloaked figure that impeded her way. It asked her calmly. "The fairies kept asking you this question, and so will I. I will not allow you to proceed unless you do." Frustrated, she crossed her arms and retorts back at the guardian. "Why I am still here? Why I refuse to let my legacy be carried on and resumed by my individual halves? Why I forestall the neat and simple correction of the tangled, decaying web of my personal timeline?" She answers. "Because there is one last task I have left. One final job I have to do. And the multiverse will be a better place if I finish this task. It has taken quite some time and maneuvering, but I am ready to do what must be done. But I cannot fade before I complete this mission. Is that understandable?"
 
The cloaked figure seemed to smile beneath its robes before vanishing, allowing her to approach the blackened mirror. She touched it, and was wisked away to a world coated with mirrors, one that contained a familiar and yet different version of herself. It seemed like a silver humanoid dragon with a molten red and gold core in the center, a humanoid figure embedded into its torso with the armor around it, but the woman forming the core was in chains, which not only bound her, but were implanted into her molten skin, and a metal gag silenced her, her panicked expression clear. But the dragon's wings, instead of being made of fiery feathers, were instead covered in black and white plating, and similar plating was on some of the armor, and made a mask on the draconic part. The beast roared in defiance at its opposite. "YOU!!! You think yourself as some sort of force of GOOD?!? We BOTH know where your power comes from! That a DEMONIC goddess made you a part of her infernal brood! And yet you constantly try to DEFY your own heritage! I am what you can have by EMBRACING your inner evil! By becoming a LOYAL servant to our new mother! By killing that WRETCHED WHELP you married instead-" The demonic dragoness has her speech cut short by Itsu using the staff's power to greatly reduce the heat of the dragoness' body while she is distracted, freezing her alternate self as the metal cools. "I really do talk too much, don't I?" The Extinguished Sun chuckles to herself as she goes to the counterpart her demonic half had enslaved. As it begins to solidify into full metal, Itsu pulls out the gag so the weak deity can reach up to her savior. "...Thank...you..." She finally fades and solidifies, but the Malefic version of her power, the draconic head of the armor, doesn't seem to be done. "You...are still so weak...Era's power...could have said us..." Itsu shakes her head solemnly at her other self, the self that chose the easy path of submission, over the hard path of struggle. "But then I wouldn't have been with my final husband, would I? I wouldn't have been able to come into my own power, to forge my own way in the court of Aelflaed. I would have been just another of Mother's pets. A shell of my former self, slowly destroying what I really am in order to gain more strength."  She walks to the door, as her cooling other self gives a final "funk...you..."

The remnant of the goddess walks triumphantly...until something glitters and glistens below her, and she sees the horror unfolding beneath her very feet. Her journey to get here has an enormous price tag. Everything she has created is collapsing into a massive black hole. The entire Ryuusei Cluster, the stellar cradle of her nascent civilization, is being drawn towards a supermassive black hole, the effects slowed enough so Itsu can watch every agonizing second, as world after world, star after star that she helped to shape and grow, as if her own garden, plunges into the crushing annihilator. Some of the stars and planets, in their death throes, collide with each other, creating massive eruptions and explosions across distances only she can truly fathom. But she cannot mourn the trillions of lives lost in this catastrophe. She must press on to the end, proceeding up a glass staircase that gives her an even greater view of her own personal cosmic tragedy, until she hears a familiar voice.

‘Are you content with your present self’?

With a tinge of regret for what she has done to get here, she answers with a soft, solemn. "Yes."

And she walks through the door to head into the final doorway, a doorway to a realm she knows will be the end of her.

[The Warden]

[[Another Time, Another Place: Gemini's Prologuous]]

 

"At the very least, I have experienced more of the Omniverse in the short time of my existence than you have ever done in your entire one. That is sad in its own right. To be made a prisoner from the moment of creation, never allowed to see the mighty Roils of Zendikar as the plane itself fights for its life as it dealt with the Eldrazi imprisoned upon it, the many stars and planets among the Milky Way Galaxy, the Mother of All Hydaelyn in her crystalline form and many, many other things. Even if I was merely a passenger...or in the case of one reality, an unwilling shield, I have experienced more than you ever will. This makes me wonder which of us is really the sad one. Myself? ...or you?"

 

What came next, might not have been what Gemini was hoping for. "That's simple... it's you" the Avatar answered. "Unlike you, I am not tied to another person that would weigh me down, to control me and bind me. I am not stuck with someone who would suppress me, you are. As for experiences, I experience all that would return to Origin feel. I have seen countless lives through the eyes of others, and I am happy to fulfil my role. You, however, have no role. You're something that by all counts has no right to exist, and all you do is bring pain and misery because, well, you hate that you exist, isn't that right? You hate being the martyr, being the one who is sacrificed all the time so Neos can actually be happy. And while he's happy and living life, you have to deal with all the negativity he himself refuses to face up to. That is why you lash out, because you possess so much self-loathing and hatred that you have no means to actually express yourself. You hate yourself, you hate that you exist, and you hate the fact that you were created by someone like Neos, who is the sum of all of your problems. Isn't that right?"

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

Koishi Komeiji

Prologuous (?) - "Boundary World"

 

The eyeball floated around the empty space, as Koishi continued her attempt to locate Reimu. While there were some platforms that she had located so far, none seemed to actually contain the red-white shrine maiden. The space was endlessly expansive...no ends could be seen anywhere she looked. Yukari said that she would flood the realm with something soon, but she had refused to say anything about what would she do. Koishi knew, if she's not fast enough, Reimu'd-

 

A life signal in the distance. Without anyone else being present, there shouldn't be any doubts that it was Reimu, no need to read her heart to know it was her. Koishi didn't waste any time to latch into the platform and get herself propelled to the shrine maiden's back.

 

Of course, what it did was getting a sword pointed at her after a hard smack. Huh...what sword? When did she...that's not important right now.

 

Reimu Hakurei

Boundary World

 

"What are you, and why do you hit me, eyeball? Answer me before I exorcise you."

 

"Wait, wait, wait, miss Reimu! I'm Koishi! Don't hit me, please...." Koishi tried to reach out to Reimu by talking to her mind directly. The shrine maiden was visibly displeased with it, but ended up lowering her sword.

 

"Koishi? How did you end up like this?" The Koishi she knew wasn't a floating eyeball, for one.

 

"Let's not talk about it, just get out of this place now!"

 

"What? What did I miss?"

 

"Way too much."

 

Reimu, who was previously just busying herself with her new toy, the sword, was baffled by the sudden appearance of Koishi as a floating tentacle-y eyeball and her sudden urging for her to get out with her. Had it be another day, Reimu would just refuse the satori's offer, but right now things had gone way too bizarre for her to trust her intuition. Sighing, she let Koishi wrap her noodly appendages around her body before she ascended along with Koishi. She still had no idea how the satori could just open up its third eye like that, and why would she be willing to do it in the first place. Reimu still didn't understand about it much, but perhaps, the Koishi before her was not the same as the Koishi she once knew or heard about. Of course she was not the exact same person. She's from a differebnt world after all. But...something about her...didn't feel familiar. Something the Koishi she knew lacked was inside of the floating eyeball who pulled her upwards. What was it? Perhaps she wouldn't know about it for now.

 

Before she could think about anything else, her vision was filled with light, and she thus returned to the pathway.

 

 

I am not a hero.

I can't be a hero, and especially not a superhero.

I don't want to be a hero.

Naive, perhaps, but...how could I be idealistic if I don't have any ideals in the first place?

Stubborn as is, i...why am I here? Why did she die instead of me? This makes no sense.
 

Everyone is silent now. Perhaps it's for the better. Maybe, all this time I just need some time to be alone.

I just...

 

I don't want to die.

 

 

Kazuya Minegishi

Prologuous -> Personaloguous

 

By somje ridiculous unluck, the COMP he wield still failed to respond to him once he reached the new area, with the battle raging on. The damage done by Naoya must've had physically fried its circuits. In that case, perhaps he would need to step out of this game for now, as frustrated as he-

 

Everyone disappeared.

 

What was left was the figure everyone fought against, standing tall before him. 

 

"Kazuya, the one who would command demons, even though he allowed the demons control him. Why are you here? Why do you insist on trying to reach Origin? Do you believe there's a point to this hollow war? Do you think the sacrifices are worth it? Answer me this: Why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

"...One question at a time, please."

 

Of course, the scythed figure would not listen. Nevertheless, Kazuya used the time to think for an answer that would perhaps not sound too pathetic. Thinking while he's still frustrated was hard.

 

"I honestly don't know, okay? I mean, I was busy facing an issue in my home world when the Counter Guardian appeared and she asked me to join her cause. I don't know what she's referring to, but I joined anyway. And look, joining here so far seemed to be quite meaningless. My world's long gone due to this, and I haven't feel like anything had been done." Kazuya paused for a bit afterwards, catching up his breath. So far, much to his chagrin, it was more like he was just complaining at the Avatar instead of anything else.

 

"But, even so, I'm already here. Whether I like it or not, I'm here. My friends, the people I truly cared about, all had been left behind. Right now, I'm here on my own. I move forward since I truly believe that it is the only way to give an assistance in fixing this mess. It's not about whether what I've sacrificed are worth it or not. I know that the answer to this conflict lie beyond this point.

So of course, what I'll do is survive, and fight. Even if me being here is a mistake, I shouldn't regret it, and just make the best out of it. Even if fate, destiny, the law of existences, and even if you say that I can't, I'll just refuse that and break through."

 

Kazuya gritted his teeth, preparing for whatever the Avatar prepared for him now.

 

 

Yakumo Yukari

Prologuous -> Personaloguous

 

"Alright, it's time for me to do this now-"

 

Yukari prepared her planned way of piercing through the Avatar's defense, but suddenly, something weird happened. She missed the timing, and the Avatar thus nullified the attacks before she could do anything about it. The Avatar leaped to the tree in the middle of the conflict, and...

 

Everything stopped. The ticking of the clock stopped.

 

The next thing Yukari saw was everyone else had disappeared before her eyes. All that was left was herself and the Avatar. Something was amiss about it, but she remained silent for now. She waited for a bit, and soon, the Avatar spoke, clearing the confusion about what actually just happened. The tickling feeling on her back however, still persisted. Koishi hadn't returned just yet, so what could it be...? Yukari couldn't pay the ticking any mind though, as something more important happened before her.

 

"Yukari, I will admit, you have proven an enormous bother for me. I didn't even see it as you hid in a gap, rather than walking into my Desperate Space trap. A sense of distrust like that will serve you well, as it has kept you alive until now. But, I don't understand you much, to be honest. If you realize you aren't worthy of Origin, then why bother trying to stay alive? Without the Key, you can't even access the Door anyways, and right now it's held in the hands of a truly weak man. If all goes well, the Key could very well end up lost, even beyond Protheus' reach. And when it is, this entire war will be rendered pointless... so why try? What's the point? Why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

"Why...must you ask?" Yukari coughed a bit. "By what point does it even matter to you? Was it just out of your bile curiosity that you ask this? Although, perhaps as you had stated, you might be just unable to grasp the idea of me being here.

 

I don't have any reasons to keep on going. I don't have much reason to stay alive too. Having everything I have built for the entirety of my long life robbed before my eyes, I don't have something to fight for. It's quite a pain...but that's pretty much it. I really don't have anything to do here. Even the reason I am here in the first place was due to Koishi dragging me into this entire mess. There's really no point for me to go forward - I have nothing left at stake.

 

But..." The itch was getting more and more annoying, but Yukari couldn't do something about it now. She would just have to pretend nothing happened and kept talking. "I don't have anything to lose, either. I don't have a reason nor point to go forward, but I can. Having nothing to fight for, I choose to fight anyway just because. Meaningless, isn't it?"

 

She paused for a bit, before continuing with a change of expression.

 

"I am unfit of utilizing the Door. No one is. Nothing can be the ideal holder of the Key. No one deserves the ability to attain that much power. The war, in itself, is a farce. A meaningless, hopeless conflict from the start. The multiverse can implode all it likes, and it wouldn't change things much for me. I'm not here to play hero, after all

 

Despite of that, I just choose to move forward anyway. I'm not dead yet, so might as well do something. I can do something for now, so might as well try seeing the end of this conflict. The key is nothing but a vague concept of hope to me, but might as well make it my aim. Unworthy as I am, I'll just make sure that as soon as your existence fade out like a candle, the one that will pass through this point would achieve something closest to my goal, because I can. As said, I couldn't care less about much in the first place, so if everyone is unfit and would abuse the Door, I'll get someone that would abuse it in a way closest to my wish. Selfishness, selflessness, there's no point in caring about them. The most selfish wish can still bring a good ending in the end, anyway.

 

I will never die before I achieve something. Even though the aim is high, I shall never give in. So that in the end, I will never die with regret.

 

I have nothing to lose, and I have everything to gain, so might as well..."

 

Yukari coughed again. "This is just stupid. I have no reasons to answer you. If you're just testing my resolve, then might as well just beat it over your head until you get off that high horse of yours."

 

---

[Super Chaos Sonic]

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

 

Footsteps of Time

 

"Well, that's a stupid reason"

 

Truth be told, Nero was caught off guard by this simple response from the Avatar. "I'm sorry?" he asked, crossing his arms as the Avatar continued on.

 

"You stand upon the cusp of Origin, and that's all you think your life will amount to? Honoring a dead man? Protecting a fancy sword and a metaphysical concept given way too much value? Look!"

 

He looked to the great tree and clock, only keeping his gaze fixated on the clock, listening to what else this being had to say.

 

"You stand upon the cusp of Origin itself, and yet you think so small? Clearly you haven't grown enough if you fail to understand the bigger picture here. What good will protecting the X-Blade and the Light do when billions suffer? Does it not trouble you that problems will exist far beyond your own puny universe?"

 

"You fail to understand, Avatar." Nero said as he sighed. "What good will protecting the X-Blade do? It will keep it away from the reaches of those who seek it for their evil goals. Through the path of death...I've seen what the one who started it...Xander. His will had been carried on by others and it cost the lives of others. I learned that darkness is never defeated precisely. Rather it is carried on by the will of another." Nero looked and summoned the X-Blade to his hand. "What I see...is a chance to make sure what happened those year ago, will no happen again."

 

He said, before the blade vanished from his hand. "And to your thoughts of things troubling me? Of course it does. My heart aches with the fact that there can't be more that I can do. But, my master once told me something: 'Things happen for a reason. In this life, there will be things you cannot stop'. At first, I never understood it...but...after that war, I began to understand it." He finally slammed his fist onto his chest and smirked. "All I'll say is this. I will try my hardest to combat the adversaries in my way...be it my own universe, or the others out there. I'll walk the twilit path this journey will set me on...THAT I promise you."

 

Nero finally sighed as he exhaled. Looking at the Avatar, before pointing at him. "Now...allow me, if you will, to ask you a question." he said, before lowering his hand. "What is it...that your seeking out from this, Avatar? What do you hope to gain from this?"

[Tesability Black]

~??? - Prologuous - Gemini's POV~

 

"...and you wonder why I wish to move forward."

Uncrossing his arms and allowing them to fall to his sides, Gemini looked up towards the star-filled sky above, his eyes habitually tracing patterns that could be found among them when he did. "You wonder why I try to move forward, even going as far as removing the Key of Origin from Protheus' grip and into that of another that no one would usually suspect of having it on him. It's so I can undo the damage caused by this farce of a war..."

Then his voice morphed into a loud roar as he raised his balled-up hands into the sky. "...then destroy all those damned worlds with my own hands and enjoy every bloody MOMENT of it! The 'existence' of a place like this actually pisses me off!" Bringing his hands back down, though they remained in fists, Gemini looked back down towards the Avatar, dark-blue threatening to glow from behind the red of his eyes as he gave a demonic grin that could remind one of the the Joker from a certain reality. "Though who knows, I may be able to use Origin to finally give that b!tch of a puppeteer, Michele Lusterino, a piece of my mind and quite a few deliciously-bloody wounds as I find a way to put her through all the sh!t she has put me through for her own f*cking entertainment before I destroy all the ways to reach it.."

Gemini brought up one hand to point a finger right at the Avatar's would-be face. "You should consider yourself absolutely-f*cking-lucky you weren't created to endure pain at every moment, ya bastard! That you were created with a somewhat-useful purpose, instead of just being used as a part of another person's story!" As he raged, the normally-invisible aura around him began to enter view, though there was actually less of the blackish-red aura than there was before he ran into through the Avatar's first attempt to end everyone. The fist that remained at his side soon gained a weapon that appeared in it, a familiar crystalline staff of dark-blue that glowed with an internal light of a slightly-lighter color.

"Unlike you, I'm not exactly eager to fight twenty-four seven," he continued before entering a stance fitting of the chosen weapon. "But if I have to, then so f*cking be it."

Though he was ready for a strike of various sorts, Gemini would not the one to strike first.

[The Warden]

[[What Time, What Place: Yukari's Prologuous]]

 

The Avatar sighed loudly as he rolled his eyes. "You really don't get it" he uttered as he casually strolled around Yukari. "You come off as this aloof person, with spouting crap like "if I can't be the hero, I can just be the chess master instead". You try to think you're this great, masterful manipulator, but, you're really not. It seems any respect I had for you was tragically misplaced, if you think like that. You think so shallow, so like a mortal that you can't see the bigger picture. Remembrance, Truth, Death. Past, present, future. What was, what is, and what will be. That is what the journey to Prologuous represents. Figuring out yourself from your past, an assessment of yourself as you are now, and what you will be in the future, if you can overcome the fears that plague you. And then there's Prologuous, the final test" the Avatar explained.

 

Taking a seat on a platform that appeared behind him, the Avatar crossed his legs as he glared at Yukari. "The test of Prologuous, using all that you have learned from the Pathways to find and prove your resolve and conviction to TAKE Origin. Worthiness? Who is truly worthy of anything? No one. If everything was judged by worthiness, then nobody would receive anything, because they wouldn't be worthy of it. In life, you take what you need and/or want. You are so wrapped up in the subtext that you fail to understand a single thing. It's why you fail as some grand manipulator, since you can't even read between the lines. And if I am to be honest, you don't really have the conviction to even take Origin, from me, or anyone else."

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Nero's Prologuous]]

 

"What is it...that your seeking out from this, Avatar? What do you hope to gain from this?"

 

"You mistake duty for idle curiosity, it seems" the Avatar remarked as his vanished his scythe. "Hmm, you really are one of those hero types with something to prove, as if there's some honour and greatness involved with doing some mediocre task. You plan to protect the X-Blade for the rest of your life? What happens afterwards? What happens once you die for any reason? Will you pass the burden on to someone else? Or will your fall allow darkness to claim it and win? What you're doing... is a meaningless effort, but that's no surprise, as you understand so little. One who knows nothing can understand, nothing. Your quest just delays the inevitable. You can be the hero all you like to make up for becoming Ivero, but in the end, does it even amount to anything? Will your life amount to anything when all you're doing is protecting a cheap commodity?" the Avatar inquired as it held its hand out.

 

In a bright flash of light, the Avatar was no wielding his own X-Blade. "The X-Blade you wield is simply one of many, an infinite number to be exact. Where one universe it is protected, in another the darkness claimed it. There's nothing particular remarkable about the phenomenon, it's just that all you're doing is delaying defeat for your world" the Avatar continued. And as he spoke, more and more X-Blades appeared behind the Avatar, their hundreds of blades all pointed square at Nero. "You've selected a tedious burden Nero, now... it's time to feel the weight of it."

 

With a motion of his wrist, the hundreds of X-Blades all launched themselves at Nero in a hailstorm of steel.

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Gemini's Prologuous]]

 

"You should consider yourself absolutely-f*cking-lucky you weren't created to endure pain at every moment, ya bastard! That you were created with a somewhat-useful purpose, instead of just being used as a part of another person's story!"

 

"More than you know" the Avatar muttered under his breath.

 

So, with his rant done, Gemini was ready to fight. So with a sigh the Avatar attached its shield to its arm, and in the other hand it wielded a large sickle weapon. "Come at me bro!"

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Nero - Keyblade War Master / The X-Blade's Wielder ~ Prologous [[What Time, What Place]]

 

"You mistake duty for idle curiosity, it seems"

 

Nero raised an eyebrow to this statement made by the Avatar, watching his scythe disappear from his hands. Now the Keyblade wielder was a bit leery at what would transpire next.

 

"Hmm, you really are one of those hero types with something to prove, as if there's some honor and greatness involved with doing some mediocre task. You plan to protect the X-Blade for the rest of your life? What happens afterwards? What happens once you die for any reason? Will you pass the burden on to someone else? Or will your fall allow darkness to claim it and win? What you're doing... is a meaningless effort, but that's no surprise, as you understand so little. One who knows nothing can understand, nothing. Your quest just delays the inevitable. You can be the hero all you like to make up for becoming Ivero, but in the end, does it even amount to anything? Will your life amount to anything when all you're doing is protecting a cheap commodity?"

 

One who knows nothing, can understand nothing... This phrase caused Nero to ponder a bit. It sounded familiar...he had never heard it before, however, but something about it just felt like this phrase meant something to him. He opened his mouth to speak, but watched as the Avatar held his hand out, surprising him with this: before his eyes, an X-Blade was summoned to his own hands. "The X-Blade...?"

 

"The X-Blade you wield is simply one of many, an infinite number to be exact. Where one universe it is protected, in another the darkness claimed it. There's nothing particular remarkable about the phenomenon, it's just that all you're doing is delaying defeat for your world"

 

It began to make sense to him, as it would definitely explain how he met Sora here to begin with. His look towards the Avatar only grew more now. "The defeat of my world? If you were as wise as you say and know about me...you'll have known that my world has been lost to darkness a long time ago." he spoke, his opened hand summoning forth his X-Blade. "Nirvana was laid waste to by the darkness...so the defeat of my world had already happened." As he and the Avatar spoke, he watched as hundreds of X-Blades of other universes no doubt, materialized, all pointing at him.

 

BGM

 

"You've selected a tedious burden Nero, now... it's time to feel the weight of it."

 

With a flick of his wrist, the X-Blades launched themselves at Nero. What was left for him to do? The only thing he knew...

 

"REFLEGA!!!" Nero backed away as a large barrier surrounded him, watching as a few of the X-Blades began to pierce at the bubble barrier. It wasn't long before an explosion was seen, as from the explosions smoke, Nero began to leap backwards, seeing the X-Blades continuing to follow him. "Tch...alright then...MAGNEGA!!" he shouted, as from the X-Blade, a large red and blue sphere before the blades. Compelled by the spell, they were caught up in it, before being snapped back.

 

However, it still wasn't enough...Nero watched as more began to continue to head towards him, as he could only grip his weapon tighter, doing his best to evade them.

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian: Prologous
 

The team looked on as the collective combined all of there attacks together to try to deal some form of fatal blow to the beast. They were a little be cheeky when Killua came out of nowhere and added a layer of lightning to the blast. Unfortunately, this time the Avatar had something infinitely more devious in mind than he did with Blank Space. The team looked up with others as everything went black....

 

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

 

Butler: 

 

The man looked around almost suddenly wondering where he was. He could feel the distinct lack of Ragnarok and souls. Somehow this creature had separated him from...well everything else. This was certainly different. However in front of him came his opponent. Who looked a little more manageable.

 

"Butler, the dog that serves the young brat Dorian. Hmph, I admit, while I admire why you sought power, I pity you for why you did it. You allowed a monster into your body, and you have absorbed countless souls just to protect that insipid brat.  And then, this is hilarious, I felt as you sacrificed them for Rukh. I couldn't have even caused that Soul Rejection I threatened you with anyways! Don't you get it? I made you sacrifice them for no good reason, beyond what your fears thought was real! You come off as a stalwart and aloof figure, but I terrified you enough that you were willing to sacrifice your greater store save for a choice few souls just to save your hide. Not that that matters, as now, neither Ragnarok or your souls are here to protect you. And your precious little brat isn't here either; you are alone, without purpose. So, tell me mortal, why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

Hmmm, Butler thought to himself. The Avatar had gave him a lot to think about. Though what was most interesting was this notion of being afraid. Butler realized that he had discovered this answer in the Path of Death. The stoic body guard stood strong and as he was about to give his answer. Why? Because that is the only option. I serve a master who is insulted by the mundane and cannot conceive a world where one should be complacent with their "feeble mortality." And now that I think about it, I cannot stand that kind of world either. While I am vastly less vocal than Dorian in expressing my views I agree with his new outlook on life. I have to admit you confound me. You understand what I have done on my journey and why I have done some of my actions, but you have attached a connotation to them that is very different from how I see it. I have been amassing all of this power until now because of fear. I saw the monsters that were comings along on this journey and I saw that I was not strong enough. Fear has worked out for me. Even in destroying all of those souls and assimilating all of there Rukh I've learned an invaluable amount of information. I literally lived and experienced thousands of lifetimes. Granted, thanks to the depravity the vast majority of them were depressing suicides of quitters, but the lives they had were rich. So fear works. Life is 20% problems and 80% of how you react to them. Now my question for you...do you ever feel fear? Was that story you told us when you pretended to open that portal real or did you just make that up because you could? I know why I move forward, is there even a place for you to move forward to?

 

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

 

Dorian: The world went black. It was like the young lad was back inside the white room again just on the opposite end of the color spectrum. What mattered though was that it looked like a mini version of the Avatar came to square off with the young specter one on one. Dorian cracked his knuckles and tilted his head as he was ready to square up.

 

"Dorian, or should I call you Bennu Dorian? Hmm so you know that name.

 

Hmmm, second verse, same as the first, a pain. Who are you trying to fool here? Me, or you? Do you honestly believe your delusions of grandeur will amount to anything? Why not?

 

Do you honestly think you're worthy of claiming Origin? What that is? Don't answer that, as it's clear you do. Okay. You're sad, you know that? I've been told such before. You act big, you act tough, but really, you're just a frightened child hiding behind the big people.  Well they're big for a reason, right?

 

You're nothing more than a cocky support character, shouting insults and boasting while the real fighters do all the work. After all, you were more or less useless in the fight with LERNA, and that battle cost you your life for a failed plan! Would've been amazing if it worked though.

 

And then, you failed to do anything significant against the Madara, when it was Arthur of all people who defeated it. The one you boast was weak and a pet, and he defeated what you could not. I agree, I don't understand it either. Don't you get it yet? You aren't anything special, you aren't great. You're nothing more than some insipid brat who the universe decided to throw a bone too. And you chew on that bone restlessly, believing it makes you better than everyone else. Well, I'm sorry pup, but how about I take your bone away?" the Avatar chuckled.

 

With a flourish of his scythe, Dorian's Cloth vanished, leaving him in his normal clothes. "It's funny. Without your fancy armour, you really aren't much to look at. I don't think it's even worth the effort trying to destroy you when you're just a nothing. So, humour me Dorian, why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

Dorian licked his lips and his smile extended from ear to ear as he looked at the Avatar like a cat staring at a canary. Sooo what do you mean by "trying to destroy?" Are you saying that you've been actually trying to destroy me this entire time and you can't? Dorian chuckles. Come on, you must know by now...there is only one direction and that direction is forward. I can't go backwards, I already know what's back there, but forward...there are new things, untold things, mysteries and dimensions I've never even heard of going forward. Yeah, forward is awesome.

 

Dorian took his glasses and proceeded to wipe off the lenses with his new normal clothes. Look Mr. Avatar, you seem to like throwing my faults and past failings back at me, but if you really knew me you would know that doesn't do anything. I've learned throughout this journey that as a horrific egotist the words of others, especially enemies, have no power over me. The experience points I gained from the LERNA battle have leveled my humility up nicely. The mini-quarterlife crisis I had during the Madara was also worthwhile. What good are failures if I can't learn from them? And now that I learned from them I will keep moving forward...so I can learn new things. Do you get it yet? I have been moved to tears going through those pathways and to be honest it solidified my lack of interest in "the Origin" as you seem to call it. I'm actually curious on what you thought I would want from it?

Dorian put his glasses back on. I don't "try" to move forward. I move forward, my determination is an unstoppable force. Are you trying to be an immovable object?

 

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

 

Ragnarok: He didn't even feel it. He didn't even feel himself be separated from Butler...yet it was clear that he was. He was no longer attached to the Kishin. This was definitely new. Ragnarok found himself floating in some form of empty space. It seemed like the one who put him in this position was about to have a word.

 

"Ragnarok, the parasite. How does it feel not having anyone to cling to? How does it feel knowing you're alone, with no one to feed off of? Is it fun having to deal with all the lingering souls alone? I can't imagine it would, but I feel like adding insult to injury. So, I'll tell you that the Soul Rejection I threatened you with, was a lie. I had no intent to perform it, nor the power to even do so. You converted so many souls into Rukh for no reason beyond pure and simple fear. You believe you lie in Madness as a Kishin, but, Kishins are always afraid. They're terrified, which is why they try to hide in Madness. You try to hide in the Madness to avoid fear, but, as you can see, fear will always find you. You were so terrified of dying, you tried to avert a potential disaster by sacrificing all those souls you worked so hard for. It's truly hilarious actually. So, with that revelation out of the way, why do you try to move forward Ragnarok? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

Ragnarok tilted his head almost a full 180 degrees he realized that this was definitely a first for him. But the best thing to do is to answer the question the all powerful being asked. Seriously? Are you asking me that? Fine, then I'll answer your question with another question. What would you do if no one ever came to take a pass at the "Origin" thing? Because I think all of these theatrics are really unnecessary. I believe you could've stopped the big scythe lady when she came to make a play for the Origin, but you didn't because you knew this would happen. You knew she would get a lot more people involved and eventually we would all come down the paths taking swings. And even then you haven't actively wiped us out yet. For one reason...BOREDOM! Ragnarok shouted.

Can you not empathize with having no purpose and having nothing to do for all eternity? If no one came here you would literally be by yourself with nothing to do. That is the ULTIMATE HELL! FEAR, what do you think you know of fear? You've never been afraid of anything have you? You were always this powerful! You've never met an enemy where you couldn't just over power it right? You know the worst moment of my life? Its the exact moment I actually made the Kishin! I did it! I achieved my purpose! I consumed enough souls and contaminated a soul with madness that I made an unstoppable demon. That is what I was made to do. SO THEN WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO? HUH AVATAR! The world kept spinning, I no longer had any reason to exist. I was just going to be. Can you even comprehend what that is like? Ragnarok continued to shout. But then a smile came across his face as he flashbacked throughout his journey with the team. 

 

But luckily I happened to have met the best team of monsters! Yes, they are many negative things, but one thing I can say for sure is that they are not boring in the least! They do not believe in any form of stagnation, they do not see walls or problems they only see possibilities. With them I can keep moving, with them I can keep finding purpose and even if I don't find it I will definitely have fun on the ride. You ask why I move forward. Because unlike you, I am not content with doing anything else!

 

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

 

Rhadmanathys: Now this was new. Some kind of time space corridor that separated him from everyone else. Was this some form of trickery from the enemy? More dirty tactics from the mind of a coward maybe? Not long did he have to wait though as his opponent revealed himself in a "shrunken state." Rhadamanthys was actually pretty interested in a one on one confrontation. Unfortunately this looked like it would turn into a battle of words. 

"Wyvern Rhadamanthys, Judge of Hell. Or, should I say, the Dog of Hades? Isn't that what you are? Just some attack dog your god sics on people, acting at his beck and call? Hmph, I'm sure you take pride in the fact that you are simply someone's puppet, boasting your own strength as if it means something. It doesn't, really. A tool has no power, for it is the wielder who carries it all. You are Hades tool, and that's all you will ever be. Now I'm sure you're going to groan and moan and say what I'm saying his meaningless, but is it? I'm sure you must realize how empty and pointless your life is, right? I'mm sure you realize the futility of your own existence and the Saint Wars that cast you Cloth wearers like missiles. Just weapons... it's sad, a sad life. So tell me Rhadamanthys, why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

The Specter could only widen his eyes as the Avatar flung these ramblings at him. HOW DARE A GLORIFIED SECURITY SYSTEM CONDESCEND TO ME! He shouted back at the not so large Avatar. You have no reason to exist other than stand there and keep others from progressing. By your logic if I'm sad you're suicidal! At least a missile gets to move somewhere. There is no such thing as a meaningless life! The very definition of a tool is to be used for a purpose! But of course the perpetual spectator would see everything as futile, you make me sick! To have all that power and the NARROWEST VIEW on life is the greatest waste of potential! 

Rhadamanthys pointed his finger directly at the Avatar. You don't even deserve an answer, but it is one you shall receive! I move forward because I WANT TO MOVE FORWARD! To do anything else is cowardice! I don't care how many times I fight the Saints or how many times I get resurrected to do the same thing! I will fight on towards victory and all of you walls in my way will be destroyed without mercy!

[Tesability Black]

~??? - Prologuous - Gemini's POV~

Almost unmoving did Gemini stand at the ready, studying the Avatar's form with his eyes as the acidic aura surrounding him flowed gently in place.

I've been fighting the same old war
Against a disease without a cure.

The music he had been listening to in his headphones had changed music once again, one that seemed oddly fitting for the scenario he was in.

Been holding on for so long, for so long, for so long
I've been wishing upon a star as my universe falls apart
I feel so far from the sky when my dreams are flying by
And they say it's a battle that can't be won
We need our knives, we need our guns.

Tapping the fingers of one hand against the crystal of the staff he held, he released a breath he hadn't realized he held before closing his eyes, a memory ambushing him when he did...

~~~

~Flashback - Inside Neos' Mind - Gemini's POV~

Well, well, well, what have we here?
This particular vessel has a toy for me to play with while stuck here.

Within the expanse of the mind, there is no set features to focus upon. Instead anything and everything can change at the drop of a hat, actually even faster than that. Floating within this shifting expanse was a simple thought, barely formed and unfocused. A figure formed around this thought, a literal red demon with large horns upon its head and a flaming blade in one hand that stretched out its other clawed hand to grab it.

I wonder what I can make of this stray thought, maybe even a way out of here.

The hand that held the small thought glowed with a blackish-red light around it, prompting it to create the first sound it had ever made.

A scream.

~~~

~??? - Prologuous - Gemini's POV~

Should I run away and change my name?
Or should I stay and fight through the night
And never close my eyes?
I'll never close my eyes

Shaking his head to clear the memory that actually managed to get a mild shudder out of him, Gemini looked up towards the Avatar, red eyes momentarily unfocused as he recovered from the flashback. Pulling out of it just in time before the living nightmare that had been that memory could start up unbidden, Gemini suddenly stood straight up, hooking the staff to his back for the moment as he looked upon his would be foe.

I've come too far to go back now
To turn into a face in the crowd.
Been on this road for so long, for so long, for so long
Convinced there is no way out, my world is turned upside down.
My sense of direction's been gone, for so long, for so long
And they say it's a battle that can't be won
We need our knives, we need our guns.

"Not yet." Looking up towards the skies above, Gemini allowed the flickering stars above to reflect their light above him. "You want a real fight, you'd need both halves of the coin."

For the moment, Gemini's form flickered rapidly in and out of view before disappearing for the time being.

Should I run away and change my name?
Or should I stay and fight through the night
And never close my eyes?
I'll never close my eyes

Stay strong, keep moving, can't let the darkness blind us
Carry on, we'll be the ones that pull the stars down to us
Stay strong, keep moving, can't let the darkness blind us
Carry on, we'll be the ones that pull the stars down to us

Should I run away and change my name?
Or should I stay and fight through the night
And never close my eyes?
I'll never close my eyes

(I'll never close my eyes...)

 

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

Gemini gave a full-body shudder as he suddenly fell to his knees in front of where the three entrances joined together, trying to shake the fear that he had managed to keep off his appearance in front of the Avatar.

"Damned Ditto," he growled under his breath with closed eyes, his mind playing tricks on him as the old ghostly pains tried to rip through him once more. "Lucky bastard's been skating away with so much, I wish I could dump all of this onto him, make him see how he likes it all." Holding up his hand, the familiar form of a crystalline quarterstaff appeared in his hand before he slammed it down into the ground hard by one end, creating a decent crater within the snow that would soon fill up over time, the image of the black dragonling crossing his mind for a moment.

"He can't even see how lucky he has it. His creator favors him more than she favored her first creation, and that's absolutely sick to think about..."

 

Ending Point: C1/almost C2

[Maeriberii Haan]

 
Yakumo Yukari
Personaloguous
 
“It's why you fail as some grand manipulator, since you can't even read between the lines. And if I am to be honest, you don't really have the conviction to even take Origin, from me, or anyone else."
 
“…Yeah. You’re right.”
 
That was the voice of resignation. The Avatar was now sitting on a platform, its form seemingly glaring at her. There were only still the two of them inside of this dreary hall. The Avatar continued to counter her words with his own assessment, and while Yukari was trying to sound like she’s still in control of the situation as best as she could, the truth was pretty much clear that she was not. The Avatar, and even herself would know it. And in the end, the frail façade crumbled unceremoniously.
 
She fell into her human weakness of going all the way recklessly, once more. It had been like this when the accident with Gemini and Koishi happened in the pathways. Again and again, as much as she would deny it, at this point she’s not in any position to take control of the situation. The youkai sage she once was had long gone, replaced by the mindset of the same young girl that was lost in the boundary of worlds.
 
What did she learn on the pathways, anyways? The messages she had gotten felt self-contradictory. Death was a revelation that by having lost everything, she wouldn’t have to worry about anything else as she moved forward. The darkness of the future is not a thing to fear if she had nothing to lose. Then, Remembrance uncovered the heart she had sealed a long, long, time ago. Remembering who she once was, remembering the fond memories she could fight for. Yet it by itself contradicted what Death told her by actually giving her a reason to not back down from this conflict – a personal stake. Moreover, it then was contradicted once more by what Truth told her. One shouldn’t pretend to be someone they’re not. Let the past be past, and live the present. By itself, it should entirely invalidate Remembrance for her. Or…would it?
 
Who she was in the past, who she was now, and who she would become in the future. That was what the pathway supposedly represented. Had she been reading into it wrongly? Perhaps, she could try seeing it from a different perspective. The Avatar returned her earlier taunt and driven a point to her. As irritating at it was, he had a point.
 
“You think so shallow, so like a mortal that you can't see the bigger picture.”
 
Yukari couldn’t deny that, nor did she have any intention to.
 
“You are so wrapped up in the subtext that you fail to understand a single thing.”
 
That was not wrong too.
 
“And then there's Prologuous, the final test - using all that you have learned from the Pathways to find and prove your resolve and conviction to TAKE Origin.”
 
No, that would be impossible. No way could she have the ability to do that.  Even from the very beginning, the moment she heard about the concept from Reimu, she hadn’t ever felt anything that convinced her that she would actually be capable of taking it for herself. Never even entertained that thought, she always figured that making sure that the one taking it had a same enough goal with her would be enough.
 
No, no way.
 
That would be unlike her very existence itself. None of this actually felt like what she would have done. Yukari Yakumo wouldn’t have done any of that. It seemed that her failures only planted a defeatist mindset inside of her. Yet she was still too stubborn to admit that defeat to learn anything about it. But that shouldn’t matter now. She hadn't figured an actual answer this time. She stopped caring about that. She would just say what she felt to be true, and stay with it.
 
“I’m not a hero, I’m here for my own selfish desires. I’m not a chessmaster too. Times after times in this place I’m trying to sound and act like one, while I don’t have anything to back it up. Only thing I have is the pride of one, but it doesn’t do much in the end. I should just stop pretending as one. It doesn’t suit the me of now.”
 
A sharp pain in her chest, as if something pierced through it. Yukari didn’t react to that pain as it didn't seem to be physical, though inside she was wondering about what it was. While she didn’t look at the Avatar’s eyes, she continued her answer.
 
“You’re pretty much right in your summation of me. I’m too self-absorbed to notice anything outside of the subtext, which makes my taunts to you earlier sounds uh…quite petty and hypocritical. It’s…hard to admit…I think I am now still just a shadow of my former self. And I guess…it’s stupid for me to expect myself to have any shred of credibility as a grand manipulator, if I am content with someone else getting Origin.”
 
Her speech become less and less composed. No need for her to assert herself now. The two of them were never equals in the first place. She thought she was starting to sound more and more unlike herself as Yukari, but that was fine. She couldn’t be the Yukari of old anymore after what she had gone through anyway.
 
“I’ve been…very…out of form. Embarrassingly so, perhaps. But, none of this matters now. As easy it is to read me now, that shouldn’t be an issue. So, let's start from the very beginning.
 
My reasoning of being here…”
 
There was one, wasn’t it? In the end, she didn’t lose everything. One thing was left. Her hope taking form…even from the darkest depth, she still awakened her. Again and again, as many times as she was consumed with her own aimless desires, she convinced her to move forward. Volatile as she was, her innocence was the miracle she always relied upon.
 
“Is to protect her. I have lost everything else from my life – she was the last one remaining. She had always been there. I wouldn’t be here without her. I wouldn’t be able to slowly rise from my despair without her desperate call. I’m not a manipulator – I’ve lost that a long time ago. But if it’s for her sake, I will do anything.”
 
The girl she kept on disregarding. The girl she owed her life to. No matter how much she had been the one to guide her, in the end Yukari relied on her more than the opposite. It was quite a pain for her to think that she had been casting her aside just so she could indulge in her façade. She had left her behind, again and again, but in the end she needed her.
 
“Shallow as it might, that is why I’m here. I can’t die just yet. Not when she could still have her ending. Even if the war could be rendered pointless just by one simple event, I will not give in. There will still be a way. There will definitely still be a way, no matter what –even if the way had to be crafted from nothingness.”
 

 

What fate? There’s nothing waiting for me aside from oblivion, and whether I like it or not, I had to eventually face it.

 
In Death, she accepted the bleakness of the future ahead of her as a fact, and had herself ready to embrace it when the time comes. But, that time is not now. There’s still a light shining somewhere, as faint as it was.
 
“Do I want Gensokyo to be restored? Do I want this incident to be resolved? Of course, no point in denying it. But those…really are just a distant dream for someone like me, unable to see the big picture on things. Perhaps it’s best for me to cast it all off so I wouldn’t carry regrets within me now.”

 

I made stupid mistakes, but I probably also made many good decisions, hopefully. Without my past, I wouldn’t be able to be who I am right now, no matter whether I liked it or not. 

But past’s simply a past. It’s something that’s unchangeable. I’ll let all of them be buried in the sea of time if it means I can continue moving forward to the future.

Facing the ones she had left behind, the heart she had long since sealed off was uncovered. Unashamedly, she indulged herself in the life she long had discarded. And in the end, she made a promise to not let these fond memories be forgotten once again. But the past could only be the past. Try as she might, she couldn’t return to that point anymore. She couldn’t be Maribel again, as much as she couldn’t be the revered Youkai Sage once more.
 
“That’s why, I’ll just keep on protecting the one that had been on my side all this time.”
 

 

There is zero reason for me to not be content with who I am. Throughout the three pathways, I’ve learned more and more about myself in its entirety

 
She lives on the present. Not the past, not the future. She lives at this very minute, at this very second. Reliving what she had lost and worrying about what would happen to her is pointless. Maybe she had gotten a lot softer. Maybe she had gotten bad at not being at the mercy of the situation. Yet those aren’t necessarily bad for her.
 
“I am…I am here as Yukari Yakumo, and I am here to protect Koishi. No matter how pathetic it is for me to be reduced to this state, I don’t care. She had been my light of hope all this time…no matter how much you will deride my efforts as being pointless, I couldn’t care less. Her story’s not done yet, after all. Even if must be the one to create her ending.
 
That is why I am still alive. That is what will be my conviction as I’ll take Origin to my grasp. And that is why, you must disappear.”
 
Yukari could sense that both Koishi and Reimu had gone out of her boundary world, but she couldn’t see them anywhere just yet. Would they be locked in their own personal space due to the Avatar? She couldn’t do anything about it for now. The only thing she could do is to prepare herself, and hope for the best.
 

 
Reimu Hakurei
Prologuous -> Personaloguous
 
Entering the place, Reimu found that the area had been eerily still. She was seemingly the only person remaining there, for some unknown reasons. Even Koishi had left her. The shrine maiden wandered a bit around the area, but soon noticed the seven-feet tall figure at the center.

The Avatar, back in his form, but had shrunken to that size. It still towered above her, though either way, she couldn’t be bothered by it much. As much as she would like to see if she could get the sword she just get to do things now, Reimu knew it would be stupid, so she sheathed the sword on her obi. She approached the figure with her rod instead.
 
“So you have not been purified, after all. I should’ve guessed it, not surprising in the least. Maybe I should've used a bat...

 

Now that only you and I are here, what will you do? Kill me?”
 

 
Komeiji Koishi
Prologuous -> Personaloguous
 
The eyeball found herself alone once she emerged from the gap. Of course, she panicked immediately as she had lost Reimu. The area was still, and she was seemingly the only individual left there. She started to get worried about the fact she might have accidentally dropped Reimu, but Koishi remembered that her grip didn’t loosen even a bit until they passed the open gap.
 
In the middle of her franticness, she noticed a body lying near the center of the place, and upon inspection, it was actually hers. It somehow had survived whatever the Avatar did inside of the portal. For a moment, Koishi stopped thinking about Reimu and attached herself to her body once more. It took her a bit to get comfortable with it. But, a longing, menacing presence she only was able to detect now ruined her reunion. Standing tall some meters before her was the Avatar. The figure she used to be scared of completely, and still did send some chill down her spine now due to its nature.

“W-w…” Koishi stuttered. “W-what are you doing here? A-and w-where’s…where’s everyone else?”
 

 
Kazuya Minegishi
Personaloguous
 
He had given his answer, but the Avatar remained quiet. Analyzing, judging. What was this creature, anyway? It’s a far cry from a demon, at least the ones he knew about. Did it serve as a sort of guardian to this place or something? That would explain why everyone else, whether they’re from the CC or Divines, fought it together. His COMP was still sadly unusable, so Kazuya had to figure out something else if this broke out into a fight.
 
Would be annoying to deal with, that’s for sure.
 

[The Warden]

[[What Time, What Place: Nero's Prologuous]]

 

The Avatar watched without emotion as Nero used spell after spell to escape the storm of X-Blades, but for every one he took out, five more would fill its air space. No matter what he seemed to do, they just kept chasing after him, the storm now splitting to assail him from every angle. "Do you feel the weight of the metaphor for your chosen path Nero? This is what your life will amount to: An existence of always being hounded, always being attacked, because your life is now meaningless in the grand scheme of things. You've chosen to do nothing but protect the blade, and it will be a burden to you. And when you perish, someone else will take up the burden instead. This is your life Nero, and how long will it take before it reaches its end?" the Avatar questioned as the blades kept going after Nero.

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Gemini's Prologuous]]

 

The Avatar's battle stance slackened as Gemini left, his weapons disappearing into shadows. "You know something Tayla? He really is a constant downer" the Avatar mused.

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Butler's Prologuous]]

 

"Now my question for you...do you ever feel fear? Was that story you told us when you pretended to open that portal real or did you just make that up because you could? I know why I move forward, is there even a place for you to move forward to?"

 

"Nope" the Avatar answered bluntly. "The only manner in which I can move forward is to seize Origin for myself. But I will not do that, as it is a meaningless venture in the first place. If I were to claim Origin... I would wipe everything out. Annihilate all of existence. Why? Well, why not really. It's as you said, this reality is all too mundane, and, well, while you have experienced thousands of lives, I have born witness to trillions. And that is the thing, a number of lives beyond count have perished and returned to Origin. Butler, the destiny of all things is to die. Plants, animals, people, gods, demons, worlds, universes. The one and only end for them is to perish. So, why not speed up the process? Allow everything to be destroyed in one fantastic cessation of existence" the Avatar answered. "And when all is destroyed, I would destroy myself, my duty done. With everything gone, there would be no point in protecting Origin, as everyone who would try to take Origin would be dead."

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Dorian's Prologuous]]

 

"It's a part of the job" the Avatar shrugged. "Tear apart the hero, criticize their faults. Of course, there are enormous air quotes when describing you as the hero. It's a way to gauge reactions from people, and obviously an egotist like you wouldn't react much beyond stroking your own ego further that others even noticed those faults. But if the only way is forwards... then what is the point of trying to experience anything at all? You'd just forget what you experienced when something else more interesting comes along to fill the void. You say you learn from your experiences, but that doesn't feel likely. You were reborn anew when you became one of Hades Spectres, and had a much more modest outlook on life. But once you reattained your memories, you went back to how you used to be. So, what is the point then of learning new experiences when you yourself refuse to change? It really makes the interim moment between completely pointless to be honest."

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Ragnarok's Prologuous]]

 

"Huh..." the Avatar remarked.

 

Thinking for a moment, a shining blue aura overtook his scythe, turning the weapon from a scythe... into a halberd. Majingari, the demon hunter. "They're not boring huh? Then what happens when they become boring? What then?"

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Rhadamanthys' Prologuous]]

 

"Hmm" the Avatar remarked.

 

With a turn, his back was to the spectre as he walked up a few spectral steps. Contemplating on it, the Avatar paused upon a platform, his back still to Rhadamanthys. "I suppose you are right, really. I don't have much purpose. Those that come from Origin were born with purpose. I, however, was made by other living beings using the power of Origin. So, in truth, I do not even come from Origin, but was simply made using its power. But maybe then, that's good. Without a purpose in life, who would be more fitting to guard Origin? It's not as if my potential is being wasted or the like. Although, that is a thought, isn't it?" he mused.

 

Taking a seat on the platform, the Avatar rested his head in his hand as he stared at Rhadamanthys. "To maybe leave this place, and venture out into the great unknown. Maybe fight some truly worthy opponents, you never know. And I wouldn't be stuck in an endless cycle of death and battle either." That last bit had quite the hint of condescension in it.

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Yukari's Prologuous]]

 

"Good, you're actually being honest with yourself now. I can't believe you said all that other junk with a straight face. But I see your resolve, you are ready. If so, then I suppose we can proceed" the Avatar declared, summoning his scythe with a flourish. "Let us see where the wheel of fate takes you!"

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Reimu's Prologuous]]

 

"Now that only you and I are here, what will you do? Kill me?”

 

"Maybe. We'll just have to see where this goes" the Avatar shrugged. "It was a good attempt to purify me, but, that would require me to made from darkness. Despite what my appearance suggests, I am hardly darkness, but, more something else entirely, but that's not for here. No, for here is you and I. Reimu, the Shrine Maiden, the one who steps through the boundary to defeat the mischievous members of the Yokai realms. Why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?" the Avatar inquired.

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Koishi's Prologuous]]

 

“W-what are you doing here? A-and w-where’s…where’s everyone else?”

 

"Another time, another place" the Avatar answered cryptically. "But, I should be asking you the same question. Why are you here in Prologuous? Why are you here in the Pathways at all? These are questions that have been playing on my mind endlessly, and I wouldn't mind them answered. Another two I would like to see answered are these: Why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond your own feeble mortality?" the Avatar questioned.

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Kazuya's Prologuous]]

 

"Is that it? Just survive?" the Avatar questioned. "Alright then" it added with a shrug.

[Dad]

Prologuous:  Kenpachi

 

Kenpachi felt as though he was frozen.  He called out to Yachiru, but she did not reply.  Everything was blank, until he heard a voice.

 

Kenpachi was alone, there was no Kachiru to keep him company as he stood alone in Prologuous. "Kenpachi...."

 

Standing before the Shinigami was a very much reduced Avatar Conflictous, now only seven feet tall. A scythe made from shadows clutched tightly in his thin wisps of shadow he called fingers. "Kenpachi Zaraki, captain of the now extinct eleventh division. I must say, death must've been a new experience for you. I myself couldn't even begin to grasp the pain and frustration that must've occurred when you proved utterly useless against the Renegade Joker. Nor the agony of being nothing more than Ragnarok's tool, a snack. Just a calorie-free tic-tac. I won't lie, you managed a magnificent victory against Sephiroth, but then, it's not as if you were the first to do so. Somewhat graphic too, but that's enough praise. Answer me Zaraki! Why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

"Simple, ya turd," he said pointing at the Avatar.  "Cause I've already died a dozen times.  Mortality is all about death, ain't it?  But death ain't something I'm exactly worried about," he said dropping his arm.  "The only thing I'm worried about is the little girl who trudges around with me.  You know the one," he said nodding at the Avatar.

 

Yachiru.  For Kenpachi, she was all that mattered.  Everything he had been through, she was the one constant in his life.  Even in death, she joined him.  They went everywhere together.  From the Soul Society, to Earth, to Hueco Mundo.  They were inseparable.  And even when they were apart, they knew everything about the other.  They would always find their way back to their partner.  

 

"And even dead, she's the one thing I got.  And if death can't separate us, nothin' can.  So you wanna know why I keep goin'?" he asked folding his arms.  "Cause I know now, I've got nothin' to lose.  So if Yachiru's gone," he said raising his fists, and opening his palms to the Avatar.  "And the best you can do is take on a cheap form of death, then you obviously don't know a lot about me."

 

Through sheer force of will, Kenpachi watched as Nozarashi warped into reality, into his hands.  "Death ain't somethin' I fear.  I CRAVE IT!"

 

---

 

Prologuous:  Killua

 

They had been separated in an instant.  

 

Killua was alone. There were no friends found in Prologuous, he only had himself. "Killua...."

 

Standing before the young psychopath was a very much reduced Avatar Conflictous, now only seven feet tall. A scythe made from shadows clutched tightly in his thin wisps of shadow he called fingers. "Killua, a boy who became a hunter for funzies. It must've been something quite intriguing, if you would injure your family in order to flee for it. But there is something adorable about your friendship with Gon, despite the fact he just isn't here now, is he? How do you feel about that? Are you empty inside, or will you just think you can brutally defeat me to escape your fate of loneliness? Well, I doubt it will be that easy, but I'd like to see you try. But for now, I want to know, why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

"Feeble mortality he says," Killua hummed, feeling like he was floating.  He crossed his legs and sat down, putting his head into his fist.  He thought with great intensity about the Avatar's words.  But then, this wasn't the first time he had heard something like this.  'Loneliness'.  His father, his mother, his brothers.  They talked about it a lot.  About how Killua was destined to never have any friends.  About how he was going to accomplish nothing.  Why should he try to be anything more than what his accusers had determined him to be?

 

It sounded a lot like Illumi's train of thought.  Back when he had implanted one of those accursed pins deep in Killua's brain, causing the boy to be riddled with unfathomable fear.  He remembered that fear.  The fear that consumed him, and made him unable to fight.  Unable to defend himself.  Unable to defend others.  "Mortality really is feeble, isn't it?" he mused.  "Funny how that works.  Being subjected to death.  But if all you do is fear death, how can you live?"

 

Killua sighed, stretching out his legs and arms, as he threw his head back and relaxed.  It was the first time he didn't feel pressured.  He felt like he was in a one on one psych evaluation, and all he had to do was talk.  "Listen buddy," he said finally, raising his head.  "I dunno what you're capable of.  Whether you can read minds or teleport or stop time or whatever really.  But what would you of all people know about mortality?  You're a complex made up of something or other that probably doesn't even exist.  There's almost no chance you'll ever experience death.  You'll probably expire on one plane of existence only to live again on the next.  That doesn't sound boring to you?" he asked the Avatar aloud.  

 

Quietly he thought about Gon.  That was his best friend.  One of the few constants in his life.  Killua couldn't help but smile, as he reminisced on their path.  "I haven't been here very long, but you already know everything about me.  My past and my family, my present and my adventures with Gon.  You know what I'm capable of.  In fact, you could kill me right here, and all it would mean is that I've experienced life as much as possible.

 

But that's more than I can say for a blob of empty black space.  So if you know the answers, why are you questioning me?"  Killua quickly became bored of this train of thought.  He whipped out his yo-yo and began infusing it with small trickles of lightning, creating a lightshow as he twirled is skillfully.  

 

---

 

Prologuous:  Kratos

 

Kratos recognized this feeling.  Being lunged through a different world, a different reality.  Something had changed drastically.  And then the Avatar spoke to him.

 

Kratos was alone, but that was nothing unusual for him. He was alone in Prologuous, alone with just himself for company. "Kratos...."

 

Standing before the god slayer was a very much reduced Avatar Conflictous, now only seven feet tall. A scythe made from shadows clutched tightly in his thin wisps of shadow he called fingers. "Kratos, he who has killed mortal and immortal alike. The God of War who slays gods, and yet, a man who carries such a horrific burden in his heart. Yes... your wife and child, such a pain it must have been to lose them. But I'm sure everyone tells you that, it is quite the button to mash whenever possible. You ever wish to aggravate Kratos, mention his wife and child, ah ha ha ha. Oh, I wasn't laughing at that little tragedy, no. I just find it funny how willing you are to give up. I sense your feeling of doubt and confusion of your life's future. You want to be with Revy, such a pity she's not here now. But you don't think your life could suffer through the transition. I don't blame you. I doubt anyone could imagine you in a business suit, especially with those gaudy tattoos. So, what do you want to do Kratos? Die? If that was the case, then you would have let me kill you multiple times over. So, Kratos, why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

"My wife and child?" he said remembering them.  Lysandra and Calliope.  The treasures he once had.  But ever since he broke the curse, some four or more years ago, they had forgiven him.  So that was irrelevant.  "Yes, it is a burden.  But I carry it with joy," he proclaimed.  "I have looked beyond the realm of death.  I have fought time itself.  I have shaken the boundaries of reality more than any.

 

I have ripped apart the gods.  I have destroyed mortal man and immortal beast.  I have traversed the halls of the fabric of existence and I have not stuttered.  But you.  You threaten me with pretentious thoughts of my future?  It is pleasing to know you care," he mocked the blob.  "Revy may be a new found love, but she is not guaranteed to live through this endeavor of our lives.  She knows it.  I know it.  And whether or not she makes it, I will not falter on my own path."

 

This was the same speech a daunting Zeus had once given him.  The ol' 'just give up and die' speech.  The 'why bother' routine.  He had heard it all before.  And his answer was the same.

 

"You know of my past.  Then you know the words that I speak to you.  You who revere death.  You would look down on the lesser.  You!  The tormentor of life and the warden of bondage!" he barked.

 

"The hands of death could not defeat me," he said turning his back.  "The Sisters of Fate could not hold me," he said as a brilliant blue flame lit his entire body.  "The gods could not bind me.  The will of man could not forsake me.  And time could not slow me.  You have no power over me.  You speak of my future.  But I haven't created it yet."

 

---

 

Prologuous:  Revy

 

Darkness surrounded her.  She was now in a pitch black hole of nothingness, and she could feel the cold inching up her spine.  Unlike the others, Revy's mental fortitude had not strengthened much during her short time here on the time line with the CounterCorps.  Kratos, Kenpachi Killua and the others had all already been through extreme psychological traumas and attacks that they had defeated in order to get ahead.  But Revy had not.  She was one of the few humans remaining.  She was armed with two big guns, great wit, a sense of humor, and decent combat experience.  But she didn't carry around magic.

 

Revy didn't have some sort of super special weapon she could pull from anywhere that would suddenly change the tide of battle.  Revy was mortal.  She was just a woman.  And this. . .was too much.

 

Revy was alone. She had no allies with her in her solo mission to Prologuous. "Revy...."

 

Standing before Miss Two-Hands was a very much reduced Avatar Conflictous, now only seven feet tall. A scythe made from shadows clutched tightly in his thin wisps of shadow he called fingers. "Revy Two-Hands, of the Black Water Company. Well, it's not much of a company when you're it's only member, but I digress. What do you plan to do girl? Do you think your relationship with Kratos could work? Could the difference between you and, hell, your own timelines ever be surmounted. I can't say myself, but, I feel that you don't want to know. Does your resolve waver, now that you are all alone? Can you find the strength to continue on in the face of certain oblivion? Hmm, Revy, why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

"Because. . .because. . .I. . ."

 

She stuttered.  She couldn't get over her own words.  Why bother, right?  Sure, Kratos was there for her, but what were they supposed to do?  He was a man living before any technology.  She couldn't just expect a happy ending.  She couldn't bring him to her world.  It was impossible.  Besides.  Happy endings didn't exist.  She should've just taken her guns right then, and emptied them into her chest.

 

"Because. . . "

 

Her father was right.  She was a do nothing little jabroni.  There was a reason she was beaten, bruised, raped, and punished every night.  Everything else about her was useless.

 

"I . . ."

 

She wasn't super intelligent.  Rock made up for that.

 

". . . "

 

She was far from the toughest.  Dutch took the cake.

 

". . . "

 

She wasn't the most reliable.  Benny had that covered.  So what did she have to offer?  She wasn't sure.  Her mind wandered, as she began to feed on the darkness that surrounded her.  A feeling of despair eased into her mind.  Thoughts of suicide seemed more logical.  Kratos didn't need her.  The Corps didn't need her.

 

In fact.

 

No one did.

 

She raised one of her guns to her head, and pulled the trigger.

[Reinforce]

Chandra

Pathway of Remembrance: A3

 

Looking at the odd cube Jace pulled out, Chandra recognised it straight away, the same cube she'd last seen in Protheus' possession, as he left the sphere forest with all who chose to follow him.

 

"Yeah, that is definitely the Key, though it really doesn't look like one. Probably put it back in your pocket for now, best if Arturia doesn't catch sight of it then."

 

With the sudden appearance of someone else on the back of her phoenix, Chandra opened her mouth as if to say something, closed it back up as the other two started to speak, before saying something after they finally stopped talking.

 

"Well, I have no idea why a knighting would be going on, but I think it's just up ahead now. Best be ready in case we need to fight."

 

"Ah Chandra, you never change, do you. Always ready for a fight, never wanting to back down from a challenge."

 

Chandra whipped her head around to look behind her at that voice, not expecting him to show up now of all times, not after seeing Dominia collapse from the pathway of truth, or seeing his gravestone in Death. Standing before her, clad in his gold, silver and blue armour, was Gideon Jura.

 

"And Jace Beleren too, I'm surprised you two are managing to co-operate at all without just fighting the whole time."

 

"You should be dead, along with the rest of our Multiverse. There's no way anyone else could have escaped it's destruction without outside help. How are you even here?"

 

Chandra's voice grew sharp as she spoke again, wary of what was going on now.

 

"This pathway is remembrance, after all. It's the magic of the pathways that have brought me here to speak to you."

 

Gideon's voice was as calm and firm as ever, as he explained at least a bit of why he'd turned up.

 

"So you're not here, not really. You exist upon this pathway in the same way Gemini was managing to appear, a puppet created by the paths for it's own purpose. You, the real you, is as dead and gone as the rest of our multiverse."

 

Chandra's head lowered at that, saddened by the reminder of all they'd lost, and why they had to make their way through these paths.

 

---

 

Ayame

Another Time, Another Place: Prologuous

 

Something changed, in this huge battlefield. In an instant, everyone else vanished, leaving only her looking at a figure nearly her height, wielding a scythe of shadows.

 

"Ayame, of the Blind-Eyes. A demon slayer huh? Interesting. I say that because, it's funny how a slayer allowed their mind to become home to the Shadow Realm. Hmm hmm hmm, but, that's not what this is about girl, why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

Ayame narrowed her eyes, looking towards the Avatar standing in front of her.

 

"I continue to move forward to bring back my friend. I continue to grasp for concepts beyond my reach because I have nothing left to lose. No matter what, I will not stop moving forwards."

 

Her voice was low but steady, as she spoke. Every word, carrying the conviction that she would succeed, regardless of any obstacles in her way.

 

---

 

Darcy

Another Time, Another Place: Prologuous

 

The Avatar vanished, reappearing high above, before causing something to happen. It only took a moment, and a flash of light that was gone in a split second, before the room was nearly empty, with only a smaller version of the Avatar remaining in front of her. 

 

"Darcy, one of the Trix, and holder of the Dragon's Flame. You've come far witch, even when you didn't have your sisters backing you up. But you probably love that, you love that you get to keep all of the glory of your achievement to yourself, as you do not need to share it with Icy or Stormy. But at the same time, you are pitifully weak without them. You might hold some of the Dragon's Flame's power, but you are still weak and fragile without your sisters to back you up. You are alone Darcy, so why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

Darcy smirked across at the figure floating in midair opposite her.

 

"Power is power, regardless of the source, and I am a villain. It's not like searching for greater power as we try and take over the world is exactly what my sisters and I have been doing the whole time or anything. Oh wait, that's exactly what we've been doing, and if I can reach the origin, my success is practically guaranteed."

 

"Besides, why is it that you are the guardian of this place anyway? Did you choose to take this roll, or were you just made to do it, and never given any choice in the matter? Is waiting around for opponents to fight and kill really all you want to do for all of time?"

 

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Nero - Keyblade War Master / The X-Blade's Wielder ~ Prologous [[What Time, What Place]]

 

"Do you feel the weight of the metaphor for your chosen path Nero? This is what your life will amount to: An existence of always being hounded, always being attacked, because your life is now meaningless in the grand scheme of things. You've chosen to do nothing but protect the blade, and it will be a burden to you. And when you perish, someone else will take up the burden instead. This is your life Nero, and how long will it take before it reaches its end?"

 

BGM

 

"O-Obviously...you've never watched a chess game before then!" Nero shouted, watching the blades splitting up, trying to get him from every angle. "There are many...whoa...pieces on a board. Each one with a different function and duty...but in the grand scheme of things..." he stopped, casting another Refelga, as another explosion occurred from it.

 

The Avatar would see more smoke rising from the location where Nero stood, but then would notice a silhouette emerging from it, until Nero was seen rushing towards him, having the remaining X-Blades still coming after him.

 

"In the grand scheme of things, the chess pieces have the same goal: they protect their king and queen." Nero ran right up towards the Avatar, flipping over the being's head, knowing the blades were only after him, so they would split around the Avatar. "As for a meaningless life, I highly doubt it. As long as I have breath in my lungs...my life is never meaningless!"

 

Nero finally began to skid to a halt, as he turned around, exhaling slightly with X-Blade in his hand. The blade began to shine brightly as he rushed towards the remaining X-Blades. He yelled, striking down one by one, even grabbing a second one from the air and began to use it to help. Finally, Nero would return before the Avatar, his X-Blade vanishing from his hand...as he collapsed on one knee, breathing heavily.

 

"L-Look...I don't know what...your trying to find with me..." Nero said, looking up at the specter. "But I've started...d-down this path. If I don't finish it...well...then I'll never know...what's waiting for me at the end. Perhaps...something that will show me, where my future will lead me...until then...I-I'm going to push on."

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

Kazuya Minegishi

Personaloguous

 

"Is that it? Just survive?" the Avatar questioned. 

 

“Yeah, that’s really it.”

 

"Alright then" it added with a shrug.

 

“Pretty lame, isn’t it? As I said, I don’t think I can get invested in this conflict. Like…why would people be this fussed about opening someone’s door anyway? Just knock politely three times, and any half-decent host would answer.”

 

Was it underwhelmed with Kazuya’s answer? He probably wouldn’t understand how something like it used its mind. If anything, it might just be as preconstructed as the rest of the pathways – having set patterns and behaviors, a trial given form rather than something actually existing as a creature. But it would be too soon to jump into conclusions now.

 

It’s hard to fight for something you’ve unknowingly being shoved into, in the end. It wouldn’t be the first for him, but even now Kazuya found it hard to actually having any investment in this. After all, if his vision in Truth was correct, his world had long since been destroyed. Thinking that it had…gone, just like that, still hurts, but all that fact did was removing any proper reasoning for him to fight. Since, where would he even return once this is all over? He didn’t fight for someone’s sake now, and he barely even had the desire to fight for his own sake.

 

Nah, that would be inaccurate for him now. The young man sighed, tossing his sight upwards. While those things would be facts about his current thoughts and situation, it’s not the end all be all. Even if there’s only the bad ending visible from his position now, it shouldn’t matter. An insurmountable foe, with him stripped of his weapons, fighting a war that wasn’t even his, and so far, made almost zero difference in it – an infinitesimal impact. He had lost the people that he could fight for. So?

 

“But yeah, as said, my goal here is just to survive this trial. It’s all I’ve been doing, times after times after times. It’s not different from now.”

 

If he disliked the ending that was presented before him, then why would he accept it? Even the smallest impact could shift the balance. Even if he’s been useless, that wouldn’t mean he had to stay useless. Even if he had no one left, he could fight for people he just met, like Ayame. It’s not his war, it’s not the first time this happened, so…while he’s here, might as well win the entire conflict.

 

“Survival’s not something I can do by just avoiding the problem and conflict before me.”

 

His COMP, the tool he had been using to stay alive up until this point, had betrayed him at the most important moment. But, that would be a minor setback at best. Naoya was right. A big jerk he was when telling it, in the end, he’s right that it’s his own battle. Arturia can be up to anything, and it shouldn’t matter. It’s not the time to follow someone else’s route now. So what if he’s unarmed now?

 

Kazuya giggled a bit as he closed his eyes momentarily. He’s been played around for way too long. The young man explored his pockets to pull out his COMP, and promptly threw the turned off device aside, not even batting an eye to where he threw it. The image of the golden-haired king he met in Truth flashed before his eyes as she shifted his gaze back to the Avatar. He had been denying this legacy for too long. As much as he disliked it…

 

A red spark was visible in his eyes.

 

“I want to survive. I want to live to see my friends, my family, and return to live the everyday life I have often been robbed the chance to. I want to reach for the feeble mortal life I lost by being dragged here. So I moved forward. Right here, I will not be able to survive if I don’t go out of my way to move forward and get things done.  So I’ll get the curtain of this silly war closed with the ending I desired.

 

I’ll have my peaceful days again, thank you.”

 

 

Reimu Hakurei

Personaloguous

 

“No, for here is you and I. Reimu, the Shrine Maiden, the one who steps through the boundary to defeat the mischievous members of the Yokai realms. Why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

“Well…it’s simple, isn’t it? There’s an incident brewing, so it’s really just my job as the Hakurei shrine maiden to resolve it.

 

 There’s really not much else going on with it,. I’ll have this be concluded in the way I feel right, return home, and live my boring daily life again.

 

And you bet ain’t nothing will stop me from doing it.”

 

---

[The Warden]

[[What Time, What Place: Kenpachi's Prologuous]]

 

"Death ain't somethin' I fear.  I CRAVE IT!"

 

"Marvellous" the Avatar uttered. With a swish of his hand, his scythe changed into a long-bladed katana. "Its name is Shinjitsu. I'm sure you understand as well as I do as to what the name means. And because you do, I'm sure you know there is only one way for us to truly express ourselves. Have at you Kenpachi Zaraki! Show me your resolve!" he shouted loudly, both hands grasping the shaft in a non-suggestive manner.

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Yachiru's Prologuous]]

 

"Seems I neglected you... I apologize for that."

 

Standing before Yachiru was the Avatar, its shouldered slackened in a very non-threatening and casual stance. He was completely unarmed, and currently seemed more interested in talking than fighting. "I was interacting so much with your other half I somewhat forgot you were even here. It's kinda funny like that, to be honest. But, you have my attention now, so Yachiru, why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond the reach of your own feeble mortality?"

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Killua's Prologuous]]

 

"Why? You want to know why?" the Avatar inquired in a condescending tone.

 

He laughed loudly as a platform formed behind him, so he could sit on it. "I ask because that's the point of this whole effort Killua. I mean, why wouldn't it be, really? Wouldn't that have made your progress utterly moot if I didn't help finish the journey? In truth it would make the entire concept ridiculous when you go through the three Pathways to find yourself, only to have all that growth be rendered pointless in the end. I ask because it's my way of seeing your resolve. It's to observe and test your convictions to see if you are worthy of beating me and seizing Origin. That's why I ask."

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Kratos' Prologuous]]

 

"A future" the Avatar corrected. "Not the future, a future. That's the difference here. The future is never set in stone, never has been really. They say fate decides everything, but considered you destroy the Moirai Sisters, it's proof that it doesn't. I merely postulate one outcome based on current evidence and- JESUS CHRIST!" the Avatar declared suddenly.

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Revy's Prologuous]]

 

Wait, what... what was she? OH NO! As Revy pulled the trigger, her finger clung to empty air, her gun was gun, held in the hand of the Avatar. "Jesus christ, you aren't supposed to kill yourself y'know?" the Avatar uttered in disgust as he crushed Revy's weapon. "Good lord, aren't you even thinking about anyone but yourself? What about Kenpachi and Yachiru? Or Kratos? Do NONE of them mean anything to you? Do they mean so little you'll kill yourself without even saying goodbye?!"

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Kratos' Prologuous]]

 

The Avatar sighed in relief. "Alright, one crisis averted" he sighed as he focused his attention on Kratos again. "That's a real piece of work you're interested in Kratos. She just tried to shoot herself in the head!"

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Ayame's Prologuous]]

 

"I continue to move forward to bring back my friend. I continue to grasp for concepts beyond my reach because I have nothing left to lose. No matter what, I will not stop moving forwards.

 

"I can understand that. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and the like. But, you're wrong. You do have something to lose: You. People say they have nothing left to lose, but that's because they place no value on their lives. But, when you get right down to it, their life is still something. And in their last moments, you can be damn sure that they'll realize just how much they treasure their own life. Food for thought" the Avatar shrugged.

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Darcy's Prologuous]]

 

"Besides, why is it that you are the guardian of this place anyway? Did you choose to take this roll, or were you just made to do it, and never given any choice in the matter? Is waiting around for opponents to fight and kill really all you want to do for all of time?"

 

"Pretty much" the Avatar shrugged. "I was made for this role, so I might as well enjoy myself while doing it."

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Nero's Prologuous]]

 

"But I've started...d-down this path. If I don't finish it...well...then I'll never know...what's waiting for me at the end. Perhaps...something that will show me, where my future will lead me...until then...I-I'm going to push on."

 

"I suppose if that's what you want. But, your chess analogy fails. The pieces aren't there to protect the king and queen... they're there to take the opposing king. They do it by any means necessary, even if it means making heroic sacrifices to do so. They only protect the king when his own guard fails. But then, if you see yourself as only a piece, then your life is forfeit. It makes you nothing more than an object to be used by the actual player. A token to be thrown away if the need calls for it. Chess is all about strategy, and knowing when it's time to make a sacrifice. You are a piece Nero, and it's almost checkmate" the Avatar explained, its own X-Blade an inch from Nero's face. "What do you even have left to sacrifice?"

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Kazuya's Prologuous]]

 

"That's fair enough" the Avatar nodded reasonably. "You know, you're the first one I've spoken to who has explained themselves so pragmatically. It's actually really refreshing. Everyone speaks about some crap like "making the world less boring" or "restoring their lost world" or "sacrificing themselves for a key". But you, you get it really. There isn't a point to seeking Origin, because it wouldn't make you any better as a person. You get that, don't you? You don't want to grasp beyond mortality, but to grasp back for it and live your life again. That's admiral Kazuya, it really is" the being admitted humbly.

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Reimu's Prologuous]]

 

"So, just duty huh? Is that REALLY all there is to it?"

[Love of Ghibli]

Butler tilted his head as he heard the response from the Avatar. Are you serious? You cannot be more mistaken...at least in my eyes anyway. First, I do not agree with your assertion that moving forward is resetting all of existence...though I have to serious question your makers for creating such destructive guardian. If I understand this correctly it is our goal to grasp "Origin." Though I think the only goal everyone has is stop Protheus, but you're just here...I assume. Why have you not thought about actually using some of your vast power to actually go live a life for yourself and actually developed a real opinion on life. As it stands our conversation boils down to you've watched more movies than I and therefore you think that you can form some finite statement about existence. Ironically, I have actually lived more than you because you have not truly lived at all. Had you actually had lived at least a fraction of a life instead of spectating then you would hear how ludicrous your statement is. 

Curious, if you are most likely conversing all of bodies who were currently in that space with the trees who is actually guarding those trees from before?

 

 

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

 

 

Dorian listened to this Avatar and he could only raise an eyebrow as he felt a tad insulted with all of the assumptions this Avatar has made. But after a second of thought Dorian realized this was more comical than it was offensive.

Whoa whoa whoa. Dorian said shaking his hand in the typical annoyed fashion. Aren't we making a lot of assumptions here? I mean first...I can be a hero. Dorian chuckled as that was pretty much a lie. Second, just because I go forward doesn't mean I forget where I came from. Though I guess from your point of view you would see it that way. Dorian then shrugged as he didn't truly agree with that statement. Take that back, I don't get it. You're just making judgements...really shallow ones too. My view on life changed even after I got my memories back. Just because I went back to being what I define as more self aware and gave infinitely less care about what others thought about me does not mean I've regressed. My goals have changed and my outlook on this journey has changed. I don't refuse to change I embrace it. You on the other hand are everything you've been accusing me of being. You've watched all our journey's through the paths like some emotional voyeur and you've not learned a thing. Top add insult to injury you're just using all your power to separate everyone just because you can. 

Dorian scoffed. Then he realized there was something he wanted to know. So wait a minute that psuedo space that almost took us out with your fake portal trick....what was that?

 

 

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

 

Ragnarok sighed as the Avatar transformed his weapon into the Demon Hunter and gave his response.

 

See, right there, you're boring. I liked you more when you just mindlessly wiping out our attacks. Those guys are never going to be boring! And don't get me wrong, not in the sense "Oh I really don't hope they won't get boring." I mean in it in the sense that I know these guys and if you're talking to them like you're talking to me I bet they aren't budging an inch on their stances. Also I've learned to quit thinking about the absolute worse outcome. You sound like the type of person who plays the game thinking only about how you will loose. Ugh I feel sorry for you.

Ragnarok then tilted his head and asked the question. If you're here...then where is your actual body?

 

 

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

 

Rhadamanthys was almost angry at listening to this rabble. How can you be so defeatist! Why are you my opponent? You don't even have a generous interest in victory. You are the ONLY opponent I've faced in my entire life that has this much power and no motivation. AND YOU STILL HAVE THE GALL TO HURL INSULTS! Rhadamanthys calmed down and realized that it would be better that instead of lambasting the Avatar it would be better if he offered help. It was simply hard for Rhadamanthys to see such wasted potential in a warrior. 

How about this? What if you actually did leave this dank prison of empty space and actually pick a universe and live in that space for at least a century. Then you may actually see the foolishness of your words.

[The Warden]

[[What Time, What Place: Butler's Prologuous]]

 

The Avatar chuckled. It was one of those annoying "I know something you don't know" sort of laughs. "So many questions, you're thinking, that's good. But, you didn't even ask me why I didn't answer your question, about my life story. Why do you think that is?" he giggled.

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Dorian's Prologuous]]

 

"See, now you're answering me a bit more honestly and candidly, and all it took was for me to push one of your buttons to do it. Honestly, if you did it from the start, we could have spared each other all the bullshit" the Avatar chuckled. "It's obvious you'll only ever change when pushed, or if you want too, that goes without saying. As for my trick, that was just a time-delayed Desperate Space."

 

 

[[What Time, What place: Ragnarok's Prologuous]]

 

"That's the stupid way to think about the game," the Avatar remarked, "if you only play to win. If you play to win, you aren't even factoring in the possibility that you will lose. That is why people who think that way lose, as they fall to those who are trying not to lose. If you play to not lose, you are avoiding losing at all costs. You might not win, but... you will certainly not lose. As for my body... do you assume that this isn't my body?"

 

 

[[What Time, What Place: Rhadamanthys' Prologuous]]

 

"To be honest, I'm screwing with you Rhadamanthys. Why? Because I like to get a rise out of you. See, you have power, a fair bit of it, but it doesn't compare to me. You see there is someone stronger than you, and you accept that. You accept that you and I aren't on equal levels. So, how does one live when they have no one to compete with? Once you have power, that's it, that's all she wrote. Fact is, if I did go out, who would I have to actually compete with? No one. I'd be the One-Punch Man of the omniverse. That's why it's enough for me to remain here. Because eventually someone will come along that I can't beat. And when I lose, I'll allow them to take Origin with their own hands, so they themselves can realize how pointless ultimate power truly is" the Avatar explained with a small smile.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

Koishi Komeiji

Personaloguous

 

"But, I should be asking you the same question."

 

"E-ehh?"

 

"Why are you here in Prologuous? Why are you here in the Pathways at all?"

 

"Um..."

 

"These are questions that have been playing on my mind endlessly, and I wouldn't mind them answered. Another two I would like to see answered are these: Why do you try to move forward? Why do you try to grasp beyond your own feeble mortality?"

 

"I..."

 

That was not something Koishi was ready to answer just yet. Startled by the questions, the girl who had just got her body back stayed silent. No words. The girl simply froze in her place. She had no longer feared the Avatar's nature, but...

 

 

"I...want..." After several minutes of silence, Koishi weakly spoke. Recollecting the experiences she had during the pathway, she assembled a rough answer. "I don't want to be alone again.

 

I don't know how long have I lived, but...most of those times, I was always alone. That was what I had in mind. Sis was with me, always...though I left her in the end. Yukari tried to get myself to open up, but the world ended before that. Being alone sucks. I guess that's why I'm going through...that's why I'm in this place, in the pathways in the first place. After all, if my world's gone, I will keep on being alone. If it's back, I can have my sister again. Even if my heart would still be closed at that time, at least she wouldn't be alone.

 

At that one moment of consciousness back before, I thought...maybe if I could get at least Yukari to get through here, I could be closer to my wish. She had fallen so deep back then...I thought that doing this, giving her some hope back, would at least let me be accompanied with her until the time we both disappear. It's still a scary though...but I guess it's better than what I used to be. That's why I accepted Protheus' offer, even if a kid like me know he's going to dump us and wouldn't let us get what we wished. But the thought of entertaining that wish was good enough for me and her, I guess.

 

But the pathways made me realize that I'm just being a stupid kid. I'm not alone. Never was. Even when a lot of people hated me, there's always people that do care about me. I want to be noticed, I want to be visible to them, but in the end the one's hiding myself is me. That's just...dumb, yeah. I kept running away from things like that. Even if...I'm not really that bright, I kept letting myself cause trouble for others, and that's unacceptable!"

 

She had little idea of what she's talking about. The words coming from her mouth, from her heart, was what she could assemble as her reasoning after she recollected the pieces of memory in her mind. It was messy, it was nonsensical, but it was what she managed to get out. She had no idea what would the Avatar react with, but frankly, she was too consumed by the excitement of answering him now to think about that.

 

"And...even here, I'm never even alone. Yukari is with me. Sis is always with me too! So pretty much my reasoning to be here is...gone. Buuut!

 

I'm already here. The pathway hurts, it hurts. It hurts me a lot. But I got past that, and for what it made me realize, I have to give the pathways my biggest thanks! I can't runaway. I don't want to, anyway. If I disappear here, it'd just be like me running away.

 

So! That's it! My reasoning to be here! This is my way of showing my gratitude. To Yukari, and my beloved sister for always being with me no matter how much of a pain I am. To the pathways too, they did a lot! Dying would mean I can't show them all my gratitude, and since I'm a good girl now, I have to do it! Because that's how I'll live!"

 

---

 

Reimu Hakurei

Personaloguous

 

"So, just duty huh? Is that REALLY all there is to it?"

 

"Well I mean, aside from the whole 'my world is already destroyed, a certain hag screwed it up even further, and I have to fix that mess on my own since she's so unreliable at doing this' deal, more or less. At least, that's what the Hakurei Shrine Maiden would say.

 

Me? I just missed my friends back in my world. Rowdy, loud, impolite bunch they were, they're fun. And many others would have people that they would want to see again too. And I have nowhere else to go anyway. Going forward kinda clips two bird with one stone.

 

I'm here as both, to some extents. You're here because it's your duty to stand between us and Origin, right? I can't read your heart, but what you've done so far would be to fulfill the job, no? I can't speak of you, but I know that I can't fulfill my duties without following my feeling - what I really want, and I know that my job is something I want to be done. As irrelevant as it is before the importance of yours, it's something I take some pride in. So imma fulfill it, even if I have to get someone's paycheck for this month get cut!

 

Though, if you still want to talk about things, I guess we can do it."

 

---

[Super Chaos Sonic]

Nero - Keyblade War Master / The X-Blade's Wielder ~ Prologous [[What Time, What Place]]

 

BGM

 

"I suppose if that's what you want. But, your chess analogy fails. The pieces aren't there to protect the king and queen... they're there to take the opposing king. They do it by any means necessary, even if it means making heroic sacrifices to do so. They only protect the king when his own guard fails. But then, if you see yourself as only a piece, then your life is forfeit. It makes you nothing more than an object to be used by the actual player. A token to be thrown away if the need calls for it. Chess is all about strategy, and knowing when it's time to make a sacrifice."

 

Nero's fist clenched at the words of the Avatar. In his eyes, the pawn pieces or any of the lower ranked pieces were not just a means to an end...they were allies...comrades. He was prepared to counterattack the being's words, but couldn't find the words within him to say. His gaze slowly dropped from the Avatar to the ground, not sure what to even say anymore.

 

However...obviously the Avatar had much more to say...

 

"You are a piece Nero, and it's almost checkmate"

 

Suddenly, from an inch to his face, the Avatar brought forth an X-Blade towards Nero. The Keyblade master just knelt there, not moving an inch.

 

"What do you even have left to sacrifice?"

 

These words cut Nero deep, as his fists clenched tighter. He closed his eyes and tried to form words, but he couldn't. Was this really...how it was going to end for him? End...end... Nero's eyes shot open as he looked at the ground. He began to understand something...

 

T-The X-Blade... he thought. It...it'll bring forth a multitude of Heartless... This made connection with Nero as he ran over the many things the Avatar spoke. Not only this, he remembered the times where the Keyblade did more harm than good, especially when drawing the Heartless to it. With his speaking...Nero understood that the Avatar knew this and questioned if this was the true path he wished to pursue. How...could I...forget something like that...?

 

Finally, the Keyblade master stood up, watching the specter's X-Blade following him. "I...I think I understand what your saying..." he finally spoke. "About this path being a burden on me...on my life being forfeit if I devote my life to just protecting the X-Blade." Nero lifted his head slightly, giving the Avatar a serious look. "Say what you will...but I know you were, in short, asking if this is the right decision for me to make."

 

He slowly looked at his hand before sighing slightly. "Truth be told...the only reason I'm using this weapon is that my own key rejected me...because of Ivero. And by having this weapon, I believed it chose me...chose me to protect it." he said, before sighing again with a light chuckle. "I think...I said it chose me...because I felt like I could make up for my past sins. Maybe it wasn't a good idea..."

 

Nero went quiet once more, as he lowered his hand slowly. "Alright...I've decided...protecting this weapon isn't my path. The weapon is just that...a weapon...a tool." he said, before summoning his weapon to his hand. "But with this tool...I believe...I believe I can forge a path made for myself. I honestly don't know where that path will lead...but then again...such is life. Twists and turns always abound and there's nothing we can do, save beat the odds and go down the path we forge for ourselves."

 

He exhaled slightly, before staring at the Avatar once more. "This answer...is my answer to everything you've asked. And what have I to sacrifice? I suppose...my own life. But not for the sake of this blade...but for the sake of those around me. My allies...my friends..." he said, his X-Blade vanishing from his hand.

[Love of Ghibli]

Butler looked around as he almost forgot who he was talking to. It was one of these chessmaster people who controlled all. It didn't matter though. This wasn't the worst alternative to actually fighting. In this instance he could at least gain some energy back so the battle after this one wouldn't be so cumbersome. 

 

To be frank, you come across as the kind of person who doesn't answer questions that he doesn't want to answer. It was interesting that you even replied at all. But that is the problem, whether you lied or not does not change anything. In a game where you define the rules and make all of the decisions, it is rude to force everyone to play. Butler sighed slightly as there was no point bringing up there current situation. That is besides the point. If this is some kind of final test for us then I'm curious, are you the final metric to determine if we've matured or not?

 

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

 

Dorian scoffed and rubbed his temple. False, you just want someone to talk to because no one comes out here and you're lonely. I've been completely honest this entire time. In fact, I'm pretty much an open book. So I've given you the response to your "moving forward" question what more do you want? Dorian said with a slight snicker.  While he wasn't really sure where this conversation could go anymore but he knew that neither of them had for this conversation. Or maybe they did. Time could flow differently in this talking zone. Dorian looked around for a second and realized maybe talking wasn't the worst way to go about a boss battle. Especially if it was just going to be review speech. 

 

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

 

Ragnarok wagged his finger at the Avatar and his words. Nope, you got the game twisted. First you define how you win and with that you shouldn't lose. If you not winning is my goal then that means I win regardless on how the actual rules of the game are structured. See, that's what I learned from these guys. You are in charge of your own happiness and you define the metrics of your success. Similar to this line of questioning, I don't get why you have to be final test for everyone if you have some contrived opinion. You're not an objective third party by any definition. You're a thing with issues just like me.

 

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

 

Rhadamanthys could only raise his eyebrow at the response of the Avatar...A child with too much time on his hands. How oddly familiar this annoyed sensation was. Though if anything the rest of the team was probably also having forced conversations and if they hadn't tried anything by now (assuming the Avatar would actually say if they were) then they must be conversing for the sake of conversation. Ugh another time delay tactic. Once again...annoying.

 

Really, are you saying that throughout all of existence there hasn't been warriors who have felt that they are the strongest of the strong and seek to find someone stronger? Do you honestly believe that your story is so different that requires this level inaction? And your statement still falls flat. If someone is stronger than you and you lose, how can you "allow" someone to take the Origin, they beat you. Wouldn't they just take it without your permission?

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

Yukari Yakumo

Personaloguous

 

BGM: OFF - Avatar Beat

 

"But I see your resolve, you are ready. If so, then I suppose we can proceed"

 

Ready to be butchered like livestock, maybe. Not that she would let that happen if she could. The Avatar, seemingly satisfied to a degree with her answer, summoned his scythe back. Standing tall at seven feet with that weapon of choice in his hand, his figure exerted some impressive pressure. Yukari, still weakened but slowly regaining what she had lost, opened up her gap and pulled a metal street sign from it. It wouldn't be that good as a weapon, but it's really the only thing she could actually wield now.

 

"Let us see where the wheel of fate takes you!"

 

To hell, and beyond, maybe. Was it really a prompt for battle? Yukari wouldn't know. She's not a mindreader, and the one before her wouldn't be able to be read anyway. But the time to answer questions would be over now. Now what she would do? Charging it head-on, with only the street sign as her sword? That would get her killed. She's not strong enough just yet to utilize anything close to her spell cards. That would also be wasteful. Perhaps what she needed would be something that could hit it as hard as possible without spending too much of her energy.

 

"Obsolete Line..."

 

Visualizing the entirely of Prologuous inside of her mind, Yukari located the distorted boundary lines where her gap could manifest in a large enough size. The drawn lines coloring the entirety of the place in her mind. Set trajectory and assign vectors, one. It could only travel in straight line. Aligning object to destination, two. Pulling something of that size, throughout everything else into this place, wouldn't be an easy task. The object would still need to travel in a constant velocity to be able to do anything. Duplicate, copy, paste, three. One wouldn't be enough. Move to a safe spot, four. It would hurt her more than her target if she was caught in the attack. Line set, project. That's five.

 

"Trip to the Abandoned Station."

 

Five gaps opened successfully out of ten. Four-car passenger trains came out from each. Left, right, front, back, and one fell from above. Going at more than 100 miles per hour without stopping, even if it would only lead to a crash. Wouldn't still be enough. The trains crashed into each other, the fuel inside created explosions that sent flaming metal pieces throughout the place. Did it get caught in the traffic accident? Yukari couldn't make sure just yet.

 

All that she could do now is to get herself ready for what's coming next.

 

---