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

[Love of Ghibli]

Pathway of Truth: Dorian

After a brief rest Dorian decided that he should simply follow the next natural progression of steps when dealing with pathways. He was just in his past now he should probably travel down the present. That and there was the matter of meeting up with the others. If all went according to plan then they should also be walking down this pathway. As he walked through the door he noticed that once again he was down some long dark never ending pathway. Of course he rolled his eyes at this turn of events. So he did the one thing that he knew he could do...he flew. He quickly entered burst flight mode and decided that it would be easier to make another beeline out of this pathway. Besides, he had returned to being his former self so what need was there for self acutalization. He was amused with the ease of travel this pathway provided.

That stopped however when he made outside of the wooden tunnel and bore witness to the lovely scenery that surrounded him. Oh well isn't this a lovely chagne of pace. It wasn't blistering winter or a deep dark forest of memories. Just lovely bits of scenery to enjoy. I don't trust this at all! He exclaimed in an overtly sarcastic tone. Something about this was just to good to be true and Dorian was not about to let his guard down so easily.

Ending location: B2

[Dad]

Kenpachi & Yachiru

 

It was almost nostalgic, being back in the White Room.  After being unconscious for many hours inside the Pathway to Death, Kenpachi attempted to dismiss any memories of fighting the One Winged Angel and other Soul Reaper.  Looking ahead, only two doors remained.  Kenpachi didn't hesitate to choose one, kicking it open to reveal a long corridor, which appeared to be made of wood.  This was an absolute about-face change, compared to the pure blackness that Kenpachi and Yachiru had just emerged from.  As they crossed the threshold, the White Room vanished from current existence, and the pathway around them began to take hold on the lives of the duo.

 

 

 

Pathway to Truth

 

 

 

Kenpachi placed a hand on the walls of the corridor.  It actually was made of wood.  Yachiru sniffed at the air, and Kenpachi grasped the smell too.  This corridor reminded them of the Seireitei.  Before the fiasco with the Arrancar Lordes, before the death of old man Genryuusai, and before the sudden string of deaths of friends and loved ones.  But even more than obvious, this smell reminded Kenpachi of the gardens Byakuya planted in memory of those Soul Reapers who were murdered in the Lorde Raids, before he was maid Head Captain.  They weren't regular Arrancar, and those weren't ordinary Soul Reapers.  But reflecting on the past never set anyone's mind in the right place.  "But it does help to ease the pain," Kenpachi said aloud.  "Hm?" he began to wonder.  "Why did I . . ." the statement was a pure thought, one he had meant to keep to himself.  Perhaps, these were the effects of the pathway.  

 

The corridor was long, but straight forward.  Kenpachi did not run, as the light was very minimal.  As they walked deeper into the pathway, Kenpachi could feel an odd sense of wanting for something within himself.  However, he was unable to figure out what it was.  Pressing forward, Yachiru finally spoke up.  "Kenny, what are you thinking?"  Unable to lie, Kenpachi answered suddenly.  "That I could be the cause of your death."  Yachiru and Kenpachi were both taken aback.  "K-Kenny?  W-why would you say that?"  "Because every situation we encounter, you've been targeted.  And I don't want to lose anyone else," he said stopping.  "And I don't know why I'm telling you this either."

 

"Kenny--"

 

"I made you a promise.  I'm not sure I can keep it."

 

He feared losing Yachiru of course.  She was the last one like him, and was his closest friend.  After losing Byakuya, Yoruichi, Ichigo, and his only son, Kenpachi was admittedly a broken man.  However, after crossing the Pathway of Death with success, he understood there were still limits left to be broken.  After all, gaining a Shikai meant it was possible to go further.  Though it would be many, many years from now.

 

"The only way I'm going to get stronger is by having something to protect.  If you die, I'll have nothing.  I will become nothing.  I'll simply slip into the shadows and die.  That's why I have to keep my promise.  Because I'm selfish," Kenpachi said as the duo had continued to walk.  Light shown down the wooden corridor at last, blinding Kenpachi and forcing him to raise a hand to cut off the powerful sunlight.  Yachiru ducked her head down into Kenpachi's shoulder as they continued forward.  Carefully, Kenpachi approached the end of the corridor.  The glare cleared from his vision, and an open field of trees and flowers presented itself.  "Heh.  Kuchiki would have liked the tranquility."  Yachiru sighed, as they remained up high above the fields.  There were bridges to cross just under the corridors.  Deciding to wait, Kenpachi sat on the ledge of the wooden corridor, his legs hanging below.  Yachiru hopped down, sitting next to him.  "Your turn," Kenpachi said turning to Yachiru.  She looked up at him, then quickly turned her head.  Sighing, Yachiru opened up.  "You're like a big brother to me, even though I don't know which of us is older."  They both chuckled, and Yachiru continued.

 

"Even though I can fight, you're always there to interfere.  You protect me, even when I don't need it.  And when I get hurt, you go berserk."  Yachiru gazed into the distance.  "Truth is, I didn't really have a family.  But if I hadn't met you in Rugonkai when I did, I'm sure I'd be dead by now."

 

Kenpachi pat Yachiru on the head.  "Likewise."  

 

Yachiru swung her legs back and forth, in deep thought.  Finally, she spoke up again.  "Do you think Byakuya can see us?"  Kenpachi smiled.  "No.  Not in this trap.  But maybe when we get outta here, we can look up and smile at him."

 

Ending Location, C1.

 

 

 

Wesker

 

 

 

There wasn't much left to do.  Wesker blazed past his shadow-self, and came into a full view of an open, orange sky.  Before him, wooden floating platforms.  And below him?  A burning Raccoon City, just as he had envisioned.  A sly grin crossed his face, as he leaped over onto one of the many floating platforms.  It began to move, as suddenly as Wesker had landed on it.  Floating past 'Raccoon City', Wesker could see a staircase approaching him.  It wouldn't be long before he was back in the White Room.  Climbing the staircase quickly, Wesker approached a magical crystal.  Upon drawing close to it, the crystal sparked a question to Wesker.

 

Are you content with your present self’?

 

He chuckled heartily.  "Yes.  Very."

 

A barrier shattered before him, allowing Wesker access to the crystal.  His pathway to Truth was now complete.  Being whisked away by powerful magic, Wesker had returned to the white room.  

 

---

 

Wasting no time, Wesker opened the door with a skull emblazoned on it.  Slamming it behind him, Wesker was welcomed by the pure darkness.  Though even his eyes could not see through it, it felt wonderful to be in a familiar setting.

 

 

Pathway to Death

 

 

Wesker put a goal to his mind.  As dark as this pathway was, ambushing the Counter Corps would prove to be no difficult task.  As he proceeded down the rocky, narrow path, Wesker began to simultaneously--and carefully--inject the DNA he had retrieved some hours ago, into the mass of remaining flesh he had stored within himself.  He could feel it writhing with life, slowly developing into . .. something.  A wicked smile crossed his face once more.  A good ambush always has a few goons and a pack leader.  Ahead of him, towering statues came into view, and Wesker was prepared to defend himself on a whim.  A moving statue wouldn't surprise him.  This wouldn't be the first.  Safely passing the threshold of the statues, Wesker felt admittedly weaker, as if he had caught a cold.  Ignoring this odd feeling, he began trudging down the pathway to Death, further plotting in the back of his mind.

 

 

Ending Location:  B 1.5

 

 

Revy

 

He helped Revy get the boat on the water, for which she was grateful.  "Thanks," she began to say, as she prepared to row away.  However, Richard ended up joining her in the boat, and they had already began to drift away from the shore.  It was too late to decline now.

 

 

"Would you like some company? I know you don't know me, but it doesn't hurt, right? Also, I know it's not my business, but do you mind if I ask what your name is?"

 

Revy rolled her eyes.  "Well, you're already in here.  I ain't gonna stick ya in the water," she said bluntly.  "And my name is Revy.  Revy Twohands.  And don't get any ideas.  Once we reach--er--well, wherever the hell we're going, you and I part ways."  Revy kept one hand at her side, tossing an oar to Richard.  She kept a hand on one of her pistols, in case things got out of hand.  Though she was sure Richard belonged to the Counter Corps, it was normal for Revy to be paranoid of . . . well, everyone.  When Richard suddenly got in with her, it threw Revy for a loop, surprising her.  She sighed, rowing the boat.  "So." Revy said breaking the silence.  "What brings you to this part of the multiverse, Richard?"  Everyone had a reason for being here.  Though Revy's was a bit selfish, she knew everyone was different.  May as well make conversation during a long, eerie boat ride.  As she awaited Richard's reply, Revy peered into the mysterious water below them.  It made her dizzy, and Revy jolted back up, taking her eyes off the water.

 

"I, uh--ehem.  I kinda got swooped up myself," Revy said as she took her hand from her side, grasping at her temples.  the dizzy side effect she got from the appearance of the water had given her a mild headache, and memories came rushing back to her.

 

Shaking her head, Revy tried to focus on the conversation.  "One minute I was gunning down some scumbags in the Pacific, the next thing I know I'm drowning in a whirlpool only to land in a Star Trek Universe," she said sarcastically.  "Oh, uhm, you probably don't know what Star Trek is, since I kinda doubt you and me come from the same Universe," she said laughing at the armored Richard.  "Whatever I guess.  I just want this to be done already.  I could really use a drink right now."   Revy's mind wandered as she began to think about Dutch and Rock and how badly they were screwing things up.  She suddenly burst out loud, "GOD.  THOSE IDIOTS HAD BETTER NOT RUIN THAT BOUNTY!  Oop--!" She clasped her mouth, but ended up laughing out loud.  "Eh, sorry.  You wouldn't get it," she assumed.

 

Ending Location:  D 12

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

The Pathway of Death

 

C9 --> C14

 

Suddenly, as The Jaws of Hell was boosting its way towards the end of the Pathway, two military-grade jet fighters, or at least what appeared to be an illusion of such, shot past him in the opposing direction, narrowly outside the space in which his shields would've automatically activated and probably destroyed them. The jet fighters appeared ethereal in nature, and yet somehow, The Jaws of Hell managed to pick them up on his radar. However he was too fixated on this oddity to concentrate on the missiles that the jet fighters had fired, which his radar had also picked up and which were soaring towards what appeared to be a projection of an innocent girl. Needless to say that the girl had no hope of surviving, as the missiles had scored a direct hit on her. Azumi, who had just looked over her shoulder, seemed to recognize the girl that had been shot by the missiles in a heartbeat, and as such, her eyes widened as they registered what was happening.

 

"TAKAAARRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" Azumi screamed in dismay... and that was one of the last things to ever come out of the crews mouths...

 

The White Room

 

Silence ensued for quite some time. The Path of Death had obviously been a bigger ordeal than anyone could've possibly realized... well, for one of them anyway. However, just as The Jaws of Hell was about to go through the portal that would lead him through to the Path of Rememberance...

 

"Wait. I wanna go through the Path of Truth this time," said Azumi. The Jaws of Hell paused and turned towards the path, as if considering the motion himself. But...

 

"You do realize that means we'll have to change our plans drastically, do you not?" asked The Jaws of Hell.

 

"I know, and I don't care," Azumi replied, "There's something I wanna check out, and I can only check it out if I go down there. Besides, it maybe for the best..."

[Maeriberii Haan]

 

[spoiler=Kazuya]

“Truth, or Death.

 

Hmm, I guess, since Death should always come last, picking Truth now would be a given.”

 

After preparing himself once again, Kazuya set out his eyes towards his next Pathway, the Pathway symbolized by a sword. He was quite amused that he could actually access the Demon Auction inside of the White Room, for some unknown reason. But well, he didn’t really bother with finding that reason much, since he was being busy in buying more demons from the auction, and fusing them. Something that intrigued him more was that the Auction provided him far more options than he expected, and even the Demon Fusion app was…different in its behavior. It was just like his COMP getting an upgrade there, but Kazuya just attributed it to the multidimensional mess that happened everywhere.

 

“Well then, it’s time to reach out to the truth.”

 

 

 

 

[spoiler=Yukari]

“Are you willing to embrace your fate?”

 

The question that the stone tablet before her asked brought Yukari to a short trip of recollecting on what had happened so far on the pathway for her. After facing the Toyohime specter, she went on ahead into the dark corridor, and stumbled upon something there, but she didn’t waste her time a bit to simply use her barriers to seal off that figure before crushing it completely.

 

Though, it did say something along the line that it was supposed to be her ‘ultimate enemy’. What a joke.

 

Oh right, back at the question.

 

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

 

Letting out a painful laugh as she answered the question, Yukari stepped forward, and in the next second, she was back on the White Room, with one less door in front of her.

 

 

 

 

[spoiler=Reimu]

“My universe, huh?”

 

It was the second time that question was asked to her that day, and Reimu couldn’t help but to smile a bit. Kenpachi and Yachiru had dashed forward before them, and even with Kenpachi formally thanking her and introduced himself to her, Reimu didn’t get the chance to give him her name. He definitely seemed like quite the interesting person, and Reimu couldn’t help but to look forward in meeting the two again, even if just to drop her name to them.

 

But Reimu…
 

Reimu did realize that she’s on their side not more than in name only. Sooner or latter, she could’ve faced them s foes instead. It’s a shame really, but to carry Yukari’s wish, she had to. Otherwise-

 

And then Reimu realized that she had been standing still all the time she was occupied by her thought, while Killua was there, waiting for her answer.

 

“Pardon me for that, Killua. It’s nothing, really.

 

I was just...spacing out, I guess that's the right word for it.

 

So yeah, you asked about my world, right? Well, it’s a silly place, basically. At times it can be really fun there, but it’s not really that much of a pleasant place. Conflicts born out of ages long cycle were abound, and the world itself was always struggling just to keep itself from crumbling into itself. As the one person that tried to keep things in check there, sometimes things seriously gets frustrating for me.

 

But for all of its faults, I guess I still quite loved it. The people there, even if they can be seriously uptight and annoying at times, they’re really fun to have around.

 

And, how about yours?”

Reimu answered Killua’s question as the two continued their ascent towards the last stretch of the pathway. Not too long after that, an ancient stone tablet sitting on its lonesome at the very end of the staircase came into the view. It didn’t take long until Reimu reached the stone. Which was standing before a monument protected by some sort of barrier. Just as Reimu moved forward to try dispelling the barrier herself, the tablet suddenly let out a question, seemingly aimed to both her and Killua.

 

“Are you willing to embrace your fate?”

 

“Can’t really be helped, it’s fate after all. Of course I do.” Reimu answered. The barrier then somehow disappeared, leaving her free to reach the monument and end the pathway.

 

Before reaching the monument, Reimu turned to face Killua one last time on that pathway, smiling at him.

 

“Ah, guess it’s time for us to depart. Shame we didn’t get to know each other for longer, but I guess that’s more motivation to meet again at the very end of this, no?

 

Sayonara, Killua.”

 

Even with her smile and the cheery tone in her words, Reimu couldn’t help but let out a slight tone of sadness to it. After saying her goodbye, she turned around and continued her stride towards the monument as she was slowly engulfed with magic that transported her back to the white room.

 

 

 

 

[spoiler=Koishi]

 

A dark corridor.

 

Still shaken by her earlier experience, the bloodstained Koishi struggled to keep moving forward in the middle of the darkness, sometimes firing several projectiles just to see whether she was facing a wall or not. Her short, pink hair was completely messy, her clothes were ragged and were completely drenched with blood, and physically, it looked like she was already on her limits. Yet, as the body was simply a puppet, how bad did it look like didn’t really matter for Koishi.

 

“Treating my body like that…”

 

A girl’s voice echoed on the dark corridor, but Koishi couldn’t really see the source of the voice. Since she couldn’t seem to detect its heart, Koishi assumed that the voice was really from far, far away in front of her, and probably was not even talking towards her.

 

“Can you at least respect your older sister moreby not tainting and disgracing her body with those?”

 

The same voice again, and Koishi realized that the voice sounded really familiar for her, as if it had already been carved deep into her psyche. Yet, Koishi couldn’t really recall whose voice was that, so she decided to ignore it for now. Though, how it talked about her older sister worried Koishi for a bit, as if it was-

 

“Ugh, Koishi. Can you ever stop creating a mess wherever you go?”

 

A faint glimmer of light in the distance. Even amidst the darkness, Koishi could notice its existence, and thus, she ran and ran towards the direction of the faint glimmer, trying her best to ignore the voice that she kept on hearing. She still need to reach the exit, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop the closed hearts of the blight called humanity, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare called existence, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, , to stop everything, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop the heartbeat of the world, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop you, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop me, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare, to stop all this nightmare. It just…she couldn’t take it anymore. It’s just too much for her to handle. This place, this pathway, it was torturing her. Yukari had betrayed her, had almost killed her. All the horrible sight she saw. The hearts she heard, screaming to kill her. Screaming at a monster.A monster.

 

A monster.

 

A monster.

 

A three-eyes. A satori.A monster.An abomination.A satori.A monster.

 

It felt like, for each step she took, her mind slowly corroded into the void of insanity. Even after all this time, as she hid behind her closed heart,  of how she tried to make herself more acceptable to others, to rationalize herself, all of her effort for that in the end was for naught, as she was slowly but surely sinking into where she started.

 

Her legs felt completely heavy. It felt like it refused to move at all.

 

But, just before she could reach out to the light, a figure was visibly standing before her and the exit. Due to the pitch-black darkness around her, at first she couldn’t recognize the person in front of her, but realization kicked in not long afterwards, as she could slowly make out the outline of the person in front of her.

 

Her sister was there all along.Her beloved big sister. The sister that she I love you sister, I love you very much why do you leave me here alone why don’t you protect me from everything here why do you just stand there and watch why whywhy please love me sister I love you I love you I love you I love you no stop stopstopstopstopstop listen to me listen to me listen to me please listen to me cared for, the only person that was always there for her.

 

The person that she left behind to die.

 

“…Sister? What are you-“

 

“What…Koishi! Wh-what did you...?”

 

“Sis, wh-“

 

“Koishi…you…you monster! Look at yourself! Look at what you’ve done to me!”

 

For an unknown reason, the figure of her sister was replaced by a sizable mirror, standing still in front of Koishi. And then, the area around her suddenly lightened up bit by bit, until the reflection in the mirror could be seen by Koishi. What she saw shocked her completely. What was reflected on the mirror was an image of her sister, Satori, drenched in blood. Her face on the image was looking completely empty, lifeless, with her eyes just staring nowhere. There was a cavity in where her heart should’ve been, and in its place, there was Koishi. The third eye that took control of the body, using it as a puppet.

 

“I-I don’t-“

 

Yet, what lied behind her sister’s reflection was the thing that scared her most. It was two pairs of gigantic “wings” on her back, consisting of a jumbled mess of human limbs, heads, bones, hearts, fingers, and Koishi’s own tentacles that tied them all together into one. Koishi felt that the faces on the wings were frozen to just stare straight forward, but as she thought of that, all of the faces on the wings shifted their attention towards the image of her sister. Towards her.

 

“Koishi…why?”

 

“Sis, I-I don’t mean to! I just-I was just scared, and I-I just-

 

…I-I’m sorry…”

 

Koishifrantically tried to apologize, stuttering as she was scared that the thing she feared about the most would happen. As she did, the mirror shattered, and her sister returned in front of her, staring at her.

 

“You’re…really hopeless, aren’t you?”

 

“Sis, wh-what do you mean? I-I’m not-“

 

“..I-I sacrificed a lot for you, but you didn’t anything for my sake in return. I acted as your shield when people shunned us, hated us for who we are, yet you never did the same for me.

Instead of that, you chose to never grow up.To never change. You sealed yourself away to run away from the things that you fear, leaving me alone to face them.

 

And now? You desecrated my body, using it just like that without respecting it. Even when I’m dead, you’ll still torment me, won’t you?

 

You said that you loved me, yet what you..what you’ve brought to my life all this time was merely pain and suffering!

 

You…you’re useless! Useless! Useless!

 

I hate you,Koishi, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!

 

If this is what it meant to have a sister, then I’d better off be dead.”

 

“..Sis…”

 

“Stop calling me that!”

 

“..please..”

 

As Koishi weakly spoke, the jumbled mess of flesh behind her crept forward towards her sister. Her sister didn’t even move an inch in the face of such a grotesque sight, as her eyes were still defiantly focused on Koishi, completely filled with contempt and disgust as she faced the abomination that would undoubtedly soon spell death upon her.

 

And then, in a completely eerie shift of emotion,Koishi smiled at her.

 

“Let’s be together, forever~!”

 

 

“Are you willing to embrace your fate?”

 

“Of course! I have my sister with me here!

 

If we are together like this, we can face anything!”

 

 

 

 

[The Warden]

|_)Witch of Madness, Lydia(_|

|_)Pathway of Death(_|

 

Picking up a little wind around her, Lydia’s boots lightly left the ground as she glided on the breeze into the dark hallways, Spectral and the blue candles lighting her way. The beauty of the blue flames reflected clearly in her glazed eyes as she indifferently regarded them.

 

A sudden dash in the darkness, something was there. Her head snapped around to what she saw, but there was nothing there. “I’m frightened” Spectral whispered, his small form shivering in the dark.

 

“It’s just the darkness, it can’t hurt you, or me. If it wants something, I will send it packing” Lydia smiled reassuringly, looking by far creepier than what she already was.

 

Her boots idly bounced on the floor as she continued by idly, her visage flickering in and out of the blue light. Her staff caught the light and glimmered in it, but there was something incredibly off in the hallway. Lydia stopped herself as she caught onto this feeling, and landed gently on the floor. She gazed around listlessly, knowing something was wrong, but not what that something was. “What’s wrong” Spectral inquired uncertainly.

 

Lydia tilted her head as she bit her lip. “Something’s not right Spectral. There’s something here, but I can’t put my finger on it” she replied hesitantly.

 

“Sometimes the things that scare us are right behind us” Spectral suggested.

 

Lydia nodded thoughtfully, and for a second, she could feel something strange behind her. A cold rasping breath, and something slimy on her back. She instinctively slapped at it, but nothing was there. It would be silly, certainly, that it would be right behind her. Like… like a bad horror movie. And like a bad horror movie, she looked around slowly.

 

In a startling display… nothing was there. Just her silly fears playing up, until, she heard the rasping voice again. Snapping her head back, something was lurching towards her out of the darkness. Though hard to notice at first, it sounded like multiple breaths at once. She held her staff at the ready as Spectral hid behind her, and then, she saw it.

 

In the light, it was a horrific abomination formed together from the corpses of people she cared about. Her family, her friends… Zac. He was the crowning glory, as his clammy green-white torso stood atop the shambling terror. “Lydia” the various mouths moaned as it stumbled towards her.

 

Lydia stood in awe of her greatest fear: Everyone she loved dying… a fear already come to pass. There was so much going on too quickly. Part of her wanted to cry, another wanted to hug it, and another wanted to run. What her body decided to do was hang her mouth open, and a small squeaky noise escaped from her lips. It sounded like a giggle; for in fact, it was a giggle. She started to giggle madly as that thing lurched towards her, a hand made from all her second cousins reaching out for her. Her laughter increased in volume as she raised her staff over her head, showing her eyes were completely glassed over.

 

An enormous blade of light issues forth from the tip of the staff, and with one effortless swing, she severed the nightmare in half. It stumbled back, one half toppling down followed quickly by the other. The blade of light vanished as Lydia raised her right hand above her head, her ring finger and pinkie were lowered as the other three fingers stood tall.

 

Her mad laughter reached a cruel crescendo as energy formed in front of her hand, building up stronger and stronger as the two parts of the nightmare were trying to simultaneously disentangle themselves and crawl towards her with baby fingers. Lydia just kept on her hellish laughter as she pointed the blast at the corpses. “Goodbye” she said between laughs.

 

 The burst of light lit up the hallway, and both the entrance and exit were blasted with the ray of energy, lighting them up for a brief moment.

 

Lydia was left standing there with the ashen remains of her nightmare. She stood dead silent as she looked at them. “Ah heh. Ah heh. AH HA HA HA! AH HA HA! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA! Ah haaaa…. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” she screamed, grabbing her head as she fell to her knees, her eyes returning to normal.

 

Spectral returned to being a light ball as Lydia shook her head in terror as her mind was remembering only one thing. She tried laughing again, but they turned to sobs that ran down her face as hopeless tears. She fell to her side as she cradled herself hopelessly. “LYDIA!” a voice from her mind called, but she ignored it.

 

Shivering in her pity bubble, she just wanted everything to go away. “Lydia, talk to us” the voice begged.

 

“GO AWAY! JUST, JUST SHUT UP!” she shrieked loudly.

 

“Lydia, we know it was hard, but please answer us” Fire Fox begged.

 

She mentally tried to shut them out, to shut them up. But their presence wasn’t going to be ignored. “You can’t run away from this. We saw it too. You can’t just give up now” Terras Rhino said consolingly.

 

Lydia stopped her mad rocking as she peaked over her arms into the dark corridor. “It’s, I thought I could. I thought I could handle it. I was hurt so much when Arturia told us. But to see it… to see it… to see what I can’t have anymore. I just couldn’t take it. And to have to see them again, like that. Where I couldn’t help them. To know it’s just… what can I do? Arturia held out on us for so long. Can we even trust her anymore? Can we really believe she’ll do what she says?” Lydia sobbed.

 

“Well, we don’t know. For what it’s worth, we HAVE to trust her. There is no one else we can, and, we have to believe in her and the Throne. It has recognized you, and, it is what you want. We have too” Storm Hawk replied.

 

Lydia hid in her ball again, her tears drying on her gloves. “I don’t know if I can do this anymore” she whispered.

 

“I can’t… I just can’t” she whispered again.

 

“Are you really telling us, that you, who stood up to a Witch the size of a skyscraper who believed only in despair, are just going to end up like her? You’re doing exactly what she did when life got her down. She just gave up. There’s still a chance, there is still the Door. You told yourself you would live without them, and now you’re breaking down when you do just that. What DO you want Lydia?” Shine Owl demanded.

 

Lydia paused, her sobs ebbing as, she didn’t know. "Galina" she whispered to herself, remembering the sad expression of the girl who had become the Witch of Infinite Possibility. “I don’t know what I want. My life was once boring and uneventful, and suddenly, Zac and Remi turned everything upside-down in an instant. I had a whole new life and purpose. I supported Zac, and I also wanted to keep him safe. I went to the Negaverse to save him. He is my world, and I just want him to be alright.”

 

“And if Arturia fixes everything, he WILL be alright. We have to stop Protheus Maximus from opening the Door. The other stuff will come later. You have to keep fighting not just for Zac, but for the multiverse itself. Everyone is counting on you and the rest of the Counter Corps to save them. And you can’t do that if you’re lying in a corridor crying. Lydia, we chose you to carry us because we believed in your ability to defeat LERNA. Now we’ll believe in you to defeat Protheus and the Divine. We can’t stop now” Shade Bat preached courageously in his mournful whisper. “You’re right” Lydia whispered, unwrapping herself and standing proud.

 

She wiped away the tears from her face, and though her eyes were red and somewhat puffy, they were determined. Pure power emanated from her hands as she stared down the ashen bodies of her nightmare. “You might have their faces… but you… aren’t… THEM!” she shrieked, blasting her nightmares away once and for all with all her might.

 

Grabbing her staff, Lydia stared eagle-eye down the hallway. Riding the winds, she zoomed down the hallway, leaving the light orb behind. She didn’t need it anymore, not now that she knows what’s what.

 

Bursting out the opening, Lydia stood alone in a wide-open area. It was like an enormous veranda, complete with lampposts to illuminate everything. Gliding along the wind, Lydia looked around cautiously for any sign of trouble, but there was none around; except, save for an intense blanket of darkness high above her. It felt, wrong. It was as if there was something inherently horrible about it, as she would soon learn.

 

As she glided along the area, the lampposts flickered for a second, giving the darkness a chance. It collapsed on top of her, consuming it in its inky blackness. Through it, she could see so many things. She could see herself staring into the inky blackness of space, with words that sounded completely incomprehensible. She could see an enormous world crudely patch worked together from various terrains. And most importantly, she could see someone in a black robe. It billowed around like smoke as it took notice of her, and it reached out with a clawed metal glove from its sleeve…

 

Lydia awoke with a start; and found herself limp on the ground. Her body didn’t hurt, though her head did. Had the Darkness just dropped her onto the ground? She didn’t have time to ponder it further, though, the visions she received were troubling. Who was that man in the cloak? Why was he reaching out to her?

 

In a sense, it didn’t matter much. The breeze caught underneath her and lifted her up, so she could continue gliding to the goal. She launched up the stairs, and landed in front of a glowing tablet.

 

‘Are you willing you embrace your fate?’

 

It was an interesting question, one she had not had time to think upon. “I don’t know if it’s right. And I would be fooling myself if I said I wasn’t scared. My fate, if I know it right, means a greater sacrifice than any I have ever made. But, it IS the right choice to make. I will allow myself to be a Counter Guardian, so I can save others from the fate my world suffered” she declared.

 

And without hesitation, she touched the monument, and was gone from the Pathway of Death.

 

 

Lydia was left sprawled in the White Room, and, after all that… she just wanted to lay a little while as she decided whether she wanted Truth, or Remembrance.

 

Current Location: White Room.

[Dad]

Wesker

 

Though he hadn't moved far along, Wesker was about to pick up the pace.  The lack of lighting made it hard for him to see ahead, but would make things much easier for Albert to ambush the Counter Corps.  He dashed ahead, blazing past the sounds of crunching bullet casings, broken glass, and the smell of rotting flesh.  However, even though Wesker had made up his mind not to stop and investigate any trickery the pathway may throw at him, Wesker now found himself standing hunched over the lifeless body of someone he knew.  "What!?" he said angrily.  He flipped it over, only to discover he was staring straight into his own face.  His shades had a broken frame, and his face was heavily scarred, as if by jagged blades.  His torso had an enormous gash in it, large enough to see clearly to the other side.  And oddly enough, the copy he was staring at was also heavily burned on its arms and the right side of its face, mostly around the jaw line.

 

Standing up straight, Wesker was now chuckling, as his defeated other half also stood to its feet.  "How did this come to happen?" he asked the already dead version of himself.  The clone stared at him blankly, before tilting its head in response.  The corpse sighed, taking its shades from its face and wiping them with bits of the torn cloth it formerly bared.  "We were so close, Wesker," it said at last.  "How close?  What was the interference?  Apparently it stopped you from regenerating."  The corpse placed its broken shades back on its face, before continuing.  Its red eyes peered through the broken frame, piercing Wesker's own living eyes.  "We got greedy.  After taking an advantage--"

 

"That tells me nothing.  How am I to prepare for coming events if you continue to be vague?"

 

"You can't, Wesker.  That's just it.  Nothing you do will change the course of these events.  Unless of course, you ignore the girl--"

 

"Girl? What girl?"

 

"Forget about her Wesker.  When she passes you, let her go.  Do not reveal--"

 

"I don't have time for this," Albert said annoyed.  Why should he heed the warning of a trick?  A gimmick.  A ploy.  Childish.  Foolish.  Ignorant.  "I will not be swayed by a falsehood.  I will eliminate anyone who crosses my path."  Now Wesker was agitated.  He kicked the corpse back into the ground, and watched it shatter into dust.  Walking away, the corpse laughed at him, mockingly.  "No Weker, you don't have the time."

 

Wesker blazed forward once more, seemingly teleporting short distances down the pathway.  At breakneck speeds, Wesker's thoughts cleared, as he soon forgot the corpse of himself.  Right now, he had to continue concentrating on completing the developing creature within himself.  The virus inside began to mold with the fire hound dna, and grasped viciously at the mangled corpses of the hunter and fairies he still had.  Wesker smiled, as he watched the pathway blow by him.  He stopped suddenly, as he felt a rumbling in his back, that moved down his spine, reaching out for life.  Wesker shoved the life form back in place, moving it's dna around and into the proper positioning.  "Calm yourself," he spoke to it.  The creature's massive face formed in the back of his skin, growling, roaring, and pleading to be free.  "You will have your chance at life very soon."  The creature disappeared back into Wesker's body, as he arrived at the bridges in the center of the pathway.  "Perhaps, just beyond this crossing."

 

Ending Location:  A 3.5

 

 

---

 

 

Kratos

 

Thought the spirits stirred, whispering to Kratos, he was able to tune them out in his meditation.  Though, suddenly, he felt a warm presence, not far from his own.  Opening his eyes again, Kratos had become a part of the darkness.  His eyes had become accustomed to the lack of light, and he was able to point a flutter out in the distance.  Drawing his curiosity, Kratos stood to his feet again, and began moving cautiously towards the light.  His blades drawn, Kratos moved forward slowly at first, before darting forwards.  His mind began to analyze the possible outcomes.  Should he attack the target outright, he must be wary if it is an ally.  Should be move to cautiously, he could be caught off guard, and killed.  However, approaching the target with blades at arms, without hostility, would solve both problems.  Kratos slowed his pace, as he encroached on his destination.  As it came into view, it was a face he knew.

 

Kratos put his blades into their sheaths, before approaching any further.  A sense of nostalgia ran over him for a brief moment, as Kratos recalled running into Sora and Arthur only once before.  "Your presence is that of Helios' own.  Are you guiding stars, or perhaps sailors?" Kratos joked as he came into vision of Arthur and company.  There were some others he had not had the pleasure of meeting.  Two large, odd looking creatures, a young girl, and what appeared to be their friends.  Kratos shook Arthur's hand.  "It is good to see you made it safely.  And you, Sora," he said nodding.  "With such company, I trust your journey will be well," Kratos said as he eyed the others.  Admittedly, he was most curious about Machgaogamon and Gagagigo.  After seeing many of the mystical creature of his own world, Kratos was more concerned than he was shocked.  Sizing up the creatures, he approached, like a hunter to a lion.  "Perhaps, if I move slowly, they will not strike."  Kratos readied himself, moving cautiously at the two.

 

He softly prodded Machgaogamon first, then Gagagigo.  "Have these beasts not tried to devour you?  Are they tame?  Perhaps by you, Sora?  Or Arthur?  Only a brute could manage such ferocious, heinous, beasts.'  He chuckled, proud of such a manly accomplishment.  "Well done, you two.  I'd love to wrestle these creatures," he said patting Gagagigo on the back.

 

 

---

 

 

Killua

 

"Sayonara, Reimu," he said before having the chance to answer her fully.  Killua sighed.  The company was nice while it lasted.  Though she was a bit odd, Reimu managed to grow on Killua a tiny bit before they parted ways.  As Killua approached the stone tablet, it asked him a question.

 

‘Are you willing to embrace your fate’?

 

Killua stared at the tablet for a moment.  His mind wandered, until it drew upon Gon's face.  If he wasn't prepared, he would never see his best friend again.  Killua had his answer.  "Yes.  I am willing."

 

The world around Killua shattered, until he found himself back in the white room for the second time.  Now, he only had to decipher which path to take next.  

 

---

 

Placing his mind on his comrade, Killua attempted to decipher Gon's choice.  "While Death is feasible, Gon would usually save his biggest challenge for last.  He loves to fight as much as I do," he said outloud to himself.  "Truth seems a bit . . .bland, it wouldn't appeal to Gon right away.  So, then," Killua placed his hand on the door to the Pathway of Remembrance.  He opened it, only to be greeted by freezing temperatures and staggering snow.  "Gon will probably love the weather," Killua said to himself sarcastically, as the White Room disappeared behind him.  He had begun his journey down the Pathway to Remembrance.  

 

Ending Location:  A 0

 

 

---

 

 

Revy

 

She sighed, as the somber scenery inched by.  Surprisingly enough, Revy discovered that she and Richard had been rowing harder than she initially thought.  From their current location, Revy could see the lip of the shoreline.  She sighed again, in relief this time.  "Ugh, thank God," she said at last.  Revy slowly stood to her feet as the boat neared the end of it's journey.  "C'mon, let's get the hell outta here," Revy said ushering Richard to follow her.  There was a small, open field of snow, and beyond its horizon, was a long, winding staircase.  It too was covered in snow.  It towered above Revy's view, and peaked her interest greatly.  "That must be the end.  Let's go, let's go!" Revy said darting towards the stairs.  Dashing through the snow, Revy reached the first stair, and clambered over it.  She caught herself, and continued climbing.

 

It felt like an eternity, but eventually, Revy could see the top of the stairs.  "There," she said panting.  An eerily dark pond sat before her.  "More creepy water?" she wondered aloud.  As she drew near it, Revy heard a question posed in her mind.

 

‘Are you satisfied with your past’?

 

"Tch," she scoffed aloud.  "Well I damn sure can't change it.  But it made me who I am.  I've got no quarrel with the dead.  So, yeah, I am satisfied."  The pond called to Revy, as an invisible barrier dissipated before her.  Subconsciously, Revy began to walk into the water, before being dragged under suddenly.  Suddenly realizing what was happening, Revy grasped at her throat.  When she realized she could breathe, Revy looked around, rapidly searching for an escape.  She called out to Richard, but he could not hear her in this depth of mysterious water.  Then, some brief moments later, Revy emerged back in the White Room, where there was one less door for her to go through.

 

 

---

 

 

Two pathways remained for Revy.  One in particular caught Revy's eye.  The door marked with a skull and crossbones taunted Revy.  She looked at it carefully, weighing her options against the other door.  She groaned in disgust, knowing that this was likely going to be much harder than the last path.  "Hopefully, no more friggin' snow," Revy said out loud.  Opening the door, Revy was greeted with utter blackness.  "Well, there's no snow, but this is JUST AS funking BAD!" she yelled as the White Room disappeared behind her.

[Maeriberii Haan]

 

~ Rhapshody of Youth - tomoya ~

 

Sighing slightly for her apparent mistake after a blow knocked her down just as she tried to locate Protheus, Tenshi then stopped herself from falling mid-air, making it clear that the blow was not really something that she should care about, not long after Protheus’ mocking rhetoric towards her. She was floating around on the vast, dreary sky as she pushed herself away from her foe before summoning another keystone to serve as a balancing platform for her. The blow towards her back did catch her completely off-guard when she was busy handling the golems, and it did result in her losing her balance momentarily from the force, but in itself, the blow didn’t do any meaningful damage towards her. Still, Tenshi was very well aware that the nature of the blow itself was...odd, to say the least. Like, she wasn’t even sure what actually managed to hit her. She couldn’t really draw any conclusions about it yet, as there was barely any information about Protheus or whatever he did, mainly due to him withholding much of his abilities from her.

 

“Oh my, whatever is wrong?” The man asked above her in a mocking voice, floating up in the air with crossed arms. “Have you suddenly lost the will to fight? That would be quite the disappointment, but if you decide to surrender now and beg for mercy at my feet, I suppose I could be lenient enough to let you off.”

 

“Go to hell.”

 

Of  course, it was clear that Tenshi had little to no desire to throw down this fight just so she could live. It’s all or nothing, and to back down after all this time would be stupid. Nothing would wait for her anyway if she couldn’t get her hands on the key.

 

He watched her with cold eyes at her response. As he did so, he tightened his grip onto the small, spacial box in his right hand, and his most prized onyx katana in his left, preparing for battle. She desired to obtain the Key, but how strong would her willpower prove to be? How far would she go in order to accomplish that and reach closer towards that childish dream of hers? It was minute efforts like this that provided him entertainment in a desolate life of eternity.

 

“Good.” The man nodded, a faint but apparent smug smile on his face.

 

Then, as soon as the words came out of his mouth, the air around them began to become much heavier, the very winds gathering around Protheus’s body as if in preparation for something, and then, he disappeared from his positio—

 

In the very next second before anything else could happpen, he reappeared directly before Tenshi at blinding speed he hadn’t had before, his leg raised high before being thrust forth at her solar plexus, having great precision. With little to no room for dodging it, Tenshi let herself be hit by the kick, as a small grin formed on her face.

 

“Close enough!”

 

From her right hand, her golden sword that was pointed at Protheus’s direction extended in a flash to close the distance between her and Protheus as Tenshi attempted to score a direct hit, however small it was on her opponent. The kick hurted more than she expected, but just to score that single hit, she stopped caring about it. Not that it would detriment her much normally, but not even a single wince was apparent on her expression as she launched a fast thrust at Protheus.

 

He wasn’t exactly surprised, but more along the lines of vaguely impressed when she took the whole blow and tried to take the opening it left, although at that speed, it wasn’t about to work anytime soon. Just as the thrust came towards him, he twisted his left arm, and in response to it an invisible force clanged against her blade from the side, parrying it away before it could reach his body, followed up only a second later by his own katana that appeared to move in synchronization with it.

 

It was strange somehow, and something didn’t quite make sense with what had just happened, but nonetheless, he didn’t give her any opportunity to figure out what just happened as he proceeded to use his other leg and immediately smash it into her left side with power equivalent to that of a bullet train, using greater force than before, this time sending her flying through the air…

 

Only for her to summon several keystones to stop her from getting knocked back, before using them as a platform to launch herself again towards Protheus’s direction, sword ready in her hand.

 

Mildly amused by the girl’s effort, this time Protheus decided to dodge the attack instead by casually sidestepping out of her way, before he elbowed Tenshi straight in her back as she passed beside him. A sound of cracking bones could be heard as he did so, and Tenshi was knocked downwards, rapidly on a collision course towards the ground below her-

 

“Wait, ground?”

 

Moments before she hit the ground, realization kicked in on her. The pathway had regenerated from the damage it took from the battle between her and Protheus. The chasm she created below them had disappeared, as if nothing had happened to the land. Moments before she landed face-first into the ground, Tenshi turned herself around mid-air, now facing towards Protheus again.

 

“Now...feel the wrath of the mother earth!”

 

Tenshi forcefully planted her sword into the ground, and then, from around her, several gigantic dragons materialized around her, born from the very earth of the pathway itself. Admittedly, they were quite crude-looking, but right now, Tenshi couldn’t be bothered at all by insignificant things such as aesthetics. When she was fully sure that the dragons had fully formed, she then pointed her sword towards her target that was still floating above her, watching her in a mix of amusement and mockery towards her.

 

“Earth Sign: Raging Earth Dragons!”

 

The dragons then grew into even greater proportions, towering over Protheus as they stared him down, before lunging downwards rapidly from all directions.

 

“This is what you call wrath? Your standards are quite…how should I put this? Laughable.”

 

Before they could even touch him, suddenly slash marks appeared all over their bodies, and in the next second, they crumbled without much fanfare, without Protheus doing as much as lifting his shoulders. He then for some reasons, swung his sword around as if he was cutting something, yet there was nothing around him during that time.

 

“Tch!”

 

Tenshi once again propelled herself towards Protheus, her sword aimed at his direction, as her mind was still completely focused on her effort to land just a single hit on him. She didn’t even bother to change her approach about this, seemingly hoping that if she tried it enough times, it would eventually work. It was definitely a thoughtless attack born out of her desperation.

 

For her problems, when she was getting close enough to him, once again Protheus dodged her lunge, before following it with a hard kick towards her stomach, and just to rub salt in the wound, as Tenshi was flung upwards, a blow struck her right on her chest, fresh blood dripping from the slash shaped wound. And seemingly just to mock her from her perspective, Protheus followed the causeless blow with yet another meaningless cutting motion.

 

“Stop mocking me!”

 

Not caring about her newly-received wound, she created another platform behind her to stop her from being flung too far away by the force. But then, she turned around and punched the platform as hard as possible, planting her left hand inside of it. The platform, once was small, grew in size exponentially as each second passed, as materials from the land below and new keystones were attached into it, and not long afterwards, what she would attempt to do became very clear.

 

“My, it’s been a while.” Protheus wryly remarked about it.

 

“Take this!

 

Keystone: Giga Drill Breaker!”

 

“Spiral Power without Spiral Power? Little hero, what are you even doing?”

 

Protheus sarcastic remark was drowned by the sound of the makeshift giant stone drill Tenshi just made. With the subtlety of a raging bull in Chinatown, it spun around rapidly, before dropping down straight at him at incredible speed. The drill then smashed right into the ground below, and it didn’t slow down at all as it pierced right through it all the way towards the other side of it, and kept on moving until the components of the drill broke apart from the force that strained it.

 

Is this…is this a direct hit?

 

But Protheus was nowhere to be seen when the dust settled.

 

Just as she turned around to pinpoint his location, an uppercut sent her crashing into the floating land above.

 

“The attack was impractical to begin with, and without any Spiral Energy to back you up, how did you ever think that would work...?” He let out a flabbergasted sigh as if to emphasize his point.

 

“Shut up!”

 

Growing her sword into a ridiculous proportion, Tenshi then swung it wildly around in a sweeping manner, only to have it stopped by an invisible forcefield that clanged against her blade, stopping it effortlessly.

 

“Shrink!”

 

In a flash, her sword shrunk into its normal size, and Tenshi immediately closed the distance between her and Protheus, as she attempted to rush straight at him, swinging her sword wildly hoping for a clean hit. But even without moving, something parried all of her strikes, before what was seemingly an upwards vertical strike hit her near her right shoulder, seemingly aimed to sever her right arm, with enough force to send her flying straight head-on into the pathway above again.

 

And once again, another chain of useless motions were done by Protheus.

 

“Temperament: Meteorological Revelation!”

 

Breathing in through the pain from the fact that her arm was almost getting severed from her, Tenshi stopped herself again on the air with a keystone before she hit the ground headfirst. With her spellcard declaration, scarlet orbs gathered around her sword, encompassing it with a bright, crimson aura. Tenshi took a split of a second to aim the sword, which kept on gathering the orbs into it,  before unleashing them as a thin line of destructive force travelling rapidly at Protheus, clearing the sky around them from clouds as the attack passed through it.

 

“You simply never learn, do you, pitiful little girl?”

 

Just as the blast of red energy came towards him, he held his own katana forth and channeled energy through it, using it as a kind of wand in order to project another orb-like shield around him so as to absorb the oncoming attack and redirect it, just as he did with the volleys before. He seemed to be confident that it would be enough to defend against it, however—

 

“The truth is, all your efforts are—”

 

But then Protheus’s expression quickly changed when it shattered through the barrier and came towards him. Visibly surprised by this, he barely moved out of the way, deflecting part of it with Impure Future as he did so. That energy… That wasn’t mana?! Having made a crucial mistake in his assumption, the playful attitude he had been taking up until that moment dropped, replaced with a far colder, more alien demeanor.

 

The fact that her attack pierced through Protheus’s shield surprised even Tenshi herself. What followed was a brief moment of silence, and Tenshi decided to use it to do a quick recap of what she had learned so far about her opponent.

 

She was still quite surprised when her blows were parried by something invisible without Protheus even moving aside from small cues that could easily be missed. Tenshi deduced that it should be related to the causeless blows she kept on receiving from him. But something did catch her attention, something really odd about him so far.  After her attacks were parried by something that she couldn’t see, or after she was struck by that something, for some unknown reasoning, Protheus swung his sword around, as if he was mimicking the way the invisible something moved. There’s no reasons for him to do that, as it was something that could’ve been exploited easily, something that’s pretty much meaningless, yet he kept on doing that. Tenshi suspected that it was just a sign that he was still playing around against her so far, but she still didn’t dismiss the possibility that this could mean something else.

 

And she noticed that she was being too aggressive for a while there, probably getting carried away by the heat of the battle, or maybe she was just getting too provoked by Protheus’s constant mocking at her. While those mockeries were definitely irritating, Tenshi pretty much had to remind herself that-

 

“I did not expect that. What you used just now… that was not mana, correct?”

Tenshi’s train of thought was interrupted as Protheus started to speak, a cold remark coming out from his mouth as he mechanically took a few steps back. The change of tone contrasted his previous tone so much, as if the sneering self he’d had up until now had been nothing but an act.

 

“It appears that I have underestimated your skillset. Had I been slightly more careless, it could have actually caused some damage to my core.”

 

Is this still one of his trickeries? Is he trying to give me a false hope? He did seems quite surprised when my attack pierced the barrier, but…

 

No, Tenshi, just stop thinking about anything he said!

 

“Congratulations, Tenshi Hinanawi. You wish for me to fight against you seriously, and therefore, I shall grant you that wish. You have earned the right.”

 

Every word that came out of his mouth was monotonous, as though he were merely going through the motion of ‘speaking’ but not bothering to go through the act of properly using intonations that falsely expressed emotion. Rather, it was more efficient to dedicate such unnecessary energy towards combat. Mysteriously enough, the smell of blood was emanating from his body, filling up the air and thickening in its stench. In fact, his aura had undergone a dramatic change, and now it was like even coming close to him could be potentially fatal for anyone without a sufficiently strong enough will.

 

“I like fights, but I do not like unexpected anomalies. Thus, be honoured, for this place is to be your grave.”

 

“I don’t think that I’ll like a sky burial or something similar to this, thank you. I think I’ll have to refuse your kind and gratuitous offer. A simple burial in my home world when this is all said and done would be decent enough for me.”

 

Not wasting any time after she answered him, Tenshi once again aimed her sword at Protheus’s direction, before it extended once again in a flash, eliminating the distance between the two before a second passed as the sword aimed straight at his heart. But it didn’t even come close to reaching its target as he merely moved to the side a bit, and then before she could change its course, a sharp, burning sensation suddenly came forth, from her left shoulder all the way to her lower right hip. If she were to look down, she would’ve found a long, wide gash, with blood pouring out of it. Then, the man himself slashed forth straight after, his own blade seeming to pass with precision through the exact same wound that had just been dealt for some reason.

 

“No, this...this won’t even slow me down a bit!”

 

The sword, still locked in its previous position, broadened greatly to the sides in the span of miliseconds, as Tenshi still aimed to hit Protheus no matter what. Breathing through the pain caused by Protheus’ blow, it became apparent that it looked like she didn’t feel anything from it. Temperaments flowed from the gash created by Protheus’s assault, which immediately gathered near the open wound, as if it was trying to cover it. Once again, Tenshi noticed the fact that Protheus made another useless move, which meant that it was indeed something else, not the attempt for Protheus to aggravate her by needlessly creating false openings for her to exploit.

 

On the other hand, out of the corner of Protheus’s eye, he was observing her rapidly expanding blade, which he dodged by simply moving backwards. His original intention had been to seize the opportunity right there and slice her body into two in an uneven way that would disable her at the very worst, but his hesitance of the weapon had made him put some distance, thereby saving her. It had only been a minor mistake on his part though, and he immediately jumped back so as to put more distance.

 

Since he’d underestimated her earlier, there were a few crucial pieces of information he had to determine. What were the properties of that scarlet energy, as well as that blade she kept using? Was she capable of regeneration, and if so, how fast? Did she have any other hidden abilities or utilities that he wasn’t aware of? Were there any chances of her posing a threat to him, or of her stealing away the Key in his right hand? So far, she hadn’t made an active attempt to do so, but there was the possibility that she was more intelligent than she looked and had been trying to mislead him since the start to increase her chances…in which case, he would have to be even more wary. It was things such as these that he would have to ascertain in the proceeding next few exchanges.

 

Ugh, this is such a bother.

 

Even with how much she could withstand pain and blows that would’ve obliterated others easily, continuing the fight with that many open wounds she had suffered so far would put her at a massive disadvantage. And thus, she proceeded to absorb scarlet orbs from around her, and used them to close her gaping wounds and revitalize her own energy somewhat, just enough to keep her going. Channeling too much foreign temperaments into her had too many unpleasant risks, and she would really like to just use it as a last resort.

 

Noticing her regeneration, Protheus took a stance with his katana raised high, as he beckoned for his opponent to come. Thus, Tenshi shrunk her sword back to its normal size and summoned several keystones that hovered around her, before launching bursts of scarlet orbs from her towards Protheus’s general direction as she charged straight ahead at him, seemingly disregarding the fact that doing that normally would be completely stupid, especially after her earlier attempts in doing so.

 

Tenshi fully realized this fact, of course. She had enough of this approach failing, and beating a dead horse like this would just spell doom for her. Yet she kept on charging. She might have something in her mind currently that would somehow be able to change the foregone conclusion of her suicidal charge.

Even she didn’t bother to hide the fact that she was just firing the orbs haphazardly, barely aiming them towards Protheus.

 

What is she planning? Narrowing his eyes as she charged forth like a blind idiot with the orbs as well, poorly aimed but presumably an attempt block off his escape routes, Protheus muttered a few words containing power under his breath, and then huge amounts of dense fog began to pour out from his body, rushing outwards as if a dam had been broken within, utterly filled with the stench of sickening blood. It completely shut off sight, at which point he attempted to move out of the way again...

 

“Funnel Barrier!”

 

The keystones around her immediately shifted their position, forming a pyramid around it as scarlet-colored barrier formed between them. The force field then absorbed the brunt of the dense fog that Protheus spewed, quite literally. It turned the fog into temperaments, which was then used to strengthen the barrier. Protheus was still nowhere to be seen though, having disappeared under the cover of the fog.

 

“Array of Heaven!”

 

Uncountable lasers made from the absorbed fog’s temperaments expanded from Tenshi’s barrier rapidly, as Tenshi aimed to skip the part where she had to pinpoint Protheus’s position by just hitting everything she could. However, to counter it, a section of whole ground around her appeared to split off and shoot upwards while curling inwards, entrapping her within just as the lasers dispersed. They endured the whole brunt of the force, and though it seemed strange at first that they were strong enough to do so, the real reason wasn’t too hard to figure out - traces of his mana were still scattered amongst the earth, and he’d simply reinforced its properties. Only moments after her first wave was finished, rock spikes started to grow inwards from all directions, closing in on the trapped individual.

 

Hmph. What a crude tactic, he thought, rising out of the ground yet again and making sure to thicken the fog while she remained closed off from the outer world. Although, the fog wasn’t merely to obscure vision, as it also served to limit breathing. If she was the kind of being that required oxygen, then chances were that it would show as soon as she exited. Otherwise, her chances of death in the next minute were very high. Now then, what will she do?

 

Not long after, the earth gathered around her crumbled, revealing Tenshi who didn’t seem to get injured by the attack, but the keystones hovering her was gone. It was apparent that she used the last of the keystone’s temperaments to shield herself from the incoming spikes as she calmed the earth that trapped her, before spewing another array of crimson lasers all around her.

 

While it did bother him that the attack consisted of the same mysterious scarlet energy that he’d failed to absorb before, their speed and overall destructive potency was nothing too remarkable. Without resorting to projecting another barrier, he simply opted to dodge them amidst the fog, sensing and predicting the trajectories of the ones that came closest to him. While doing so, he shot upwards, keeping his blade unsheathed, homing in on her presence without relying on his eyes to do so.

 

Shortly before reaching his target, he sensed an anomaly amidst all the attacks that she was throwing in random directions, and in an instant chose to throw his body downwards on instinct. It was then that a great scarlet beam was fired from behind him, narrowly missing his body by a hair’s breadth and tearing through the fog. Had he not changed course at that exact moment, it could’ve been disastrous. After all, its properties were still unknown. He hadn’t ruled out the possibility of a surprise attack, but this one had come with almost no indication at all. Though, how did she prepare it? It seemed that collecting the necessary data on her was proving to be slightly harder than he thought.

 

“Well, this plan seems to be working nicely.” Tenshi’s voice could be heard from the clouds as another blast of scarlet light came from above him, and once again, Protheus managed to dodge it as it tore through the fog once more.

Tenshi didn’t seem to have moved, according to his senses, and the fog was still too thick for her to get any sort of way to aim her attacks properly to him. For the first one, Protheus ruled it as one of her floating rocks for now, but the latter point would need another-

 

Sensing a movement on the air behind him, Protheus turned around as Tenshi was going to backstab him, but as Impure Future parried the blow and slashed her, her presence dispersed into thin air - just to appear from his right side as she tried to cut off his right arm that was holding the key. Hurriedly muttering a few words of power, Protheus sent out a blast that seemingly obliterated Tenshi before she could even come close to it - only for her to come at him from above, aiming for his head.

 

“Quite the persistent insect, aren’t you?”

 

Impure Future thrusted upwards, but when it was at the point where Protheus could hear the sound of flesh being torn apart by it, there was nothing above him. He immediately pinpointed Tenshi’s current location to be near of her previous location before, still somewhere in a distance from him.

That fact slightly intrigued him as for how she managed to pull that off, even if it didn’t threaten him at all. Pure speed would not explain how she could survive after she’d been clearly disintegrated from his attack, not to mention, if she had that much speed to avoid Impure Future of all things after all, she should have been able to avoid all the blows that she took before. If it was an illusion, he would’ve been able to tell by now, since any illusion that a being of her inferior level could conjure wouldn’t work even in the slightest against him. Then, a clone? Whatever the case, jumping to conclusions wouldn’t solve anything.

 

Sidestepping to avoid another scarlet beam coming from his back, Protheus uttered a spell as he pointed at Tenshi, as an array of destructive energy travelled from him straight to Tenshi at lightspeed, which she would have no chance of dodging. And indeed, her presence immediately disappeared from Protheus’s senses…

 

“Scarlet Weather Rapture!”

 

A beam of light three times larger than Tenshi travelled straight at him from his left side. Due to it not exactly being a subtle attack, Protheus managed to move out of the way as soon as he could sense it travelling towards him, otherwise it could very well be quite the nuisance.

 

As the attack dissipated, another blast similar to it soon followed from another direction. Protheus uttered a spell which created forth another blast rivaling the size of Tenshi’s attack, and that blast tore through the scarlet beam with little to no problem.

 

It was then that Protheus sensed that there were multiple signatures of Tenshi’s presence around the sea of fog, seemingly surrounding him. Their mana signatures were for the most part the exact same, and then he noticed that from them, several beams of scarlet with similar intensity from the one before were coming towards him at once.

 

In that case, the man concluded that a frontal assault would have to be necessary. Even with all her gimmicks, her speed and average laser intensity had been examined and acknowledged. From these points alone, she was not a threat, and he would only have to overwhelm her in order to make all other such aspects irrelevant. He was somewhat reluctant to waste this technique here, but an uncertain factor warranted immediate attention. With the Key of Origin at stake, this was not a game. If she so wished to fight him as equals, then he would respond with the appropriate force.

 

He proceeded to rapidly predict the trajectory and area of effect of each beams, and immediately moved towards a point where the beams would completely missed him. He then immediately sensed that most of the presence had disappeared, leaving only a few behind. And from them, one’s presence was brighter than the others, signifying that it was the real one.

 

“Not bad.” Protheus spoke out, intentionally letting his voice be heard and position be revealed through the hostile, obscured air. It seemed that he was directly above her. “However, any hope you had of hurting me is but an illusion at this point… If you have nothing else up your sleeve, then here is where I begin my own assault. Out of fairness, I am warning you in advance.”

 

His words contained no malice towards her, as such emotions had been dropped. Rather, it was more like a simple statement of truth. Not a prediction, but a report on something that had already been determined to be true. While he talked, the fog spreaded out even further, its horrible stench being mixed in with negative emotions that seemed to be leaking out from Protheus’s very body - that is, the leftover regrets of the many millions and millions of individuals that had died by his hand.

 

How long had he lived? How long had he had to walk through eternity, and how many had he caused suffering along the way? Over many millennia, all the fear and hatred, all the curses that had been directed towards this man who cared nothing for their worthless existences had built had all over his body. Endless lives dragging him down, and yet, like the monster he was, he only saw this as a secondary mana source. Thus, via channeling it directly into his body, an unimaginable amount of power was surging through his whole body, and it seemed that it was so intense that the very remnants of death around him were leaking out...

 

[Gαr]

Gon, Path of Remembrance, C1

 

Gon stared off into the infinite space of the White Room until he choose what path to take.

 

“I wonder if Killua has finished his Path. I should probably get started on mine.”

 

He did a kick up and charged headfirst in to the door for Remembrance and into the snow. He slid several feet, accumulating quite a bit of snow over his head. He threw his head back, throwing up the snow in the air, and sat down. This was probably the first time in Gon’s life that he ever regretted wearing shorts.

 

Something caught Gon’s nose’s attention. He tilted his head back, trying to figure what the smell was and where it was coming from. He quickly identified it as Killua due to its familiarity, but couldn’t quite locate him. Gon took a deep breath and blew it out his nose, dislodging the snow up his nose as well as some snot. He wiped his nose with the back of his sleeve and went back to work with his super smell. He so figured that Killua was to his left. He got up and headed in that direction, but saw that all that was there was wall. Gon was somewhat surprised that he could through stone walls and falling snow.

 

“Aaaaah, I really wanted to see Killua again.” Gon trudged forward, disheartened, hoping he would meet with his friend as he made progress.

 

Ed and Elsa, Path of Remembrance

 

The forest lightning matched Ed’s outer demeanor. It had been a long time since Ed actually thought about his parents. He saw them for a minute before he had to fight Adrian, and there features were already starting to fade from his memory, despite being on the Path designed to bring up those memories. “Guess you can’t hold onto what you never really had.”

 

But one thing was for sure, he got his height from his mother and the rest from his father. That thought alone brought solace to Ed. His thoughts drifted to those that brought him up from nothing. Ed thought about the last person that actually cared for him, Pietro. He was about to delve into those memories when striking shades of icy blue caught his eye.

 

“Elsa!”

 

“Ed!”

 

They met each other halfway and acknowledged each other with bright smiles. “I’m pretty sure we each did something involving our past.”

 

“Yeah, now let’s getting moving.”

 

They navigated their way through the forest, but it felt almost endless. Ed, for some reason, struggled with where to put his hands. He naturally wanted to rest his hands on his swords, but his hand kept gravitating towards Elsa’s. The way she walked, that power walk, it felt palpable, and Ed wanted to feel it. Elsa thought Ed was just fidgety from his confrontation with the past. The wear near the end of the forest, but before entering the snowstorm, Ed stopped. “Elsa, I kinda need to do something.”

 

“If you need to go pee, then you can go.”

 

“What? No!” Ed felt his face go red, making his pale skin gain some actual color. Elsa smiled at Ed and sighed happily. Recomposing himself, he took off his coat and held it out for Elsa. “I’ve always worn black and other dark colors. I never really knew why I was drawn to those colors until now. I subconsciously mourned my parents and the life I never had with them. I think I’m done mourning now. I need to shed all the things that remind me of what never was. Though…” He looked down at his gray haori and his black clothes underneath. “I’ve still got a ways to go.”

 

“Oh, Ed, I understand.” She took the coat and put it on. It was heavy and warm, but it fit. Elsa felt a little uncomfortable at first, mainly because back in Arendelle, cloaks were offer to comfort someone who was cold, and since she no longer felt external cold, she took it as the other meaning, the one about intimacy one account of the giver and receiver. She mindlessly smoothed out the coat trying to hide her distraught. “We said we would be by each other's side, correct? Wouldn’t you seeing me in our coat remind you of your past?”

 

“They’re only morning clothes if wear them.”

 

With that, they entered the snowstorm, which wasn’t a bother to either of them. Elsa liked her new coat. Sure, the cold never bothered her, but being able to actually bundle up felt nice, like a warm hug. Ed felt the freedom Elsa felt when she confronted her traumatic childhood. The wind whipped through his hair, reminding Ed of northern Lath. Ed started kicking up random pieces of rubble and coming across crumbling walls, until they found themselves in the middle of the remains of a ruined town. “Ed…”

 

“Yeah, Elsa, I know. This is for me…” His voice trailed off as he scanned his surroundings, taking in the desolation. The ruins were desolate by themselves, but the snow made the ruins just another pile of rocks. But that wasn’t true for Ed, because he knew what the crumbling walls were. “This is where I was born…and where my parents died. This village and everyone in it were wiped off the face of Lath, all because someone couldn’t handle the idea of a hybrid.”

 

He approached a sizeable pile of ashes in the center of the ruins. It was a miracle that they weren’t blown away in the wind. Ed knelt in front of the pile, processing that everyone, including his parents, in those ashes are there because of him. He had an intrusive thought where remembered his last thought about his parents was them having sex. He cut that thought in half, trying to have a moment. Elsa placed a hand his shoulder. Ed realized that he was shaking, not knowing if he finally let the cold get to him or he was extremely distraught. He took his stick that he was carrying with him since the start of the Path out of his belt and stabbed it in the middle of the ash pile. He placed his hand over Elsa’s, slowly and silently standing up. “Thanks.”

 

They continued walking.

[The Warden]

|_)Witch of Courage, Lydia(_|

 

How long had she been lying there? Truly she didn’t know, as time possessed no meaning in the White Room. All she knew is that she really wanted a shower. But that would come later as she gazed wistfully on the two remaining doors. The third was gone, leaving only two remaining.

 

As much as she wanted it, she knew she wasn’t ready for what Remembrance had to offer. She would have to steel her spirit in Truth first before she would be ready. Grabbing onto her ebbing energies, Lydia forced herself up to grab the knob of the Door of Truth, and twisted it. Everything went white in an instant.

 

|_)Pathway of Truth(_|

 

Knock on wood, or rather, stamp on it as she did so upon entering the Pathway of Truth. The darkness was a cruel and discomforting thing that clung to her like a bad smell. It was dispelled by a small volume of light from her staff, though the uncomfortable feeling still clung to her. She tried to ignore it as much as she could as she moved along the seemingly endless hallway, her boots clopping on the echoing lumber with each step.

 

She was determined to not let the Pathway bother her, but the existential crisis of what lied ahead was in no ways a comforting thing. The best she could do was remain silent as the hallway continued, which begged the question of why someone would make a wooden hallway half a kilometre long in the first place. God knows how many trees were sacrificed for that effect.

 

Not that trees were on her mind. No, what she saw in Death still troubled her. To know full well, to have seen them like that… and that really, it was her fault. Had she not gone on this insane quest, everyone would have been fine. Everyone would be time locked and alive. Now, she doesn’t even have the opportunity to say goodbye… yet. Hmm, she was certainly being quite honest with herself right now, as she thought about it. But it was obvious why, as this was the Pathway of Truth. Lies would have no place here.

 

So great, even thinking was her enemy at this point. It vexed her that she would be forced to wear her heart like that, when she wasn’t really ready for how she really felt and oh look, a distracting light up ahead. That is clearly much more interesting that thinking thoughts, clearly.

 

Her pace quickened as she burst out into sunlight; it was blinding. She shielded her eyes as they tried to adjust, whilst also trying to not get blown off the glass bridges by the breeze. Without even really thinking about a wind barrier formed to block the breeze as she cautiously stumbled across the glass bridge onto the floating island.

 

Splitting her fingers open a crack, Lydia could see the deep beauty of the islands. Giving a little more, she held an earnest hand out to the falling cherry blossoms, which pulled in her hand like raindrops. “I always wanted to visit Japan for its cherry blossoms” she mused to herself.

 

Releasing her face, she breathed in the pleasant atmosphere, and wondered to herself as to how the Pathway was going to ruin it. That seemed to be their gimmick after all. Meandering through the trees, the petals scattered around her feet like rose coloured snow. And then came the beating of tiny wings.

 

The fairies descended from the trees and daintily danced around Lydia, who was entranced with their beauty. “Who are you?” a fairy inquired.

 

“Lydia Armstrong” Lydia replied without thinking.

 

“Why are you here?” another fairy inquired.

 

“To stop Protheus Maximus from opening the Door of Origin” Lydia replied, again without thinking.

 

“Who do you love?” another fairy inquired.

 

“Zacharias Armidayle” Lydia replied, starting to question why she was being so candid.

 

“What are you scared of?”

 

“Waking up to realize I’m eating a spider” Lydia admitted sheepishly.

 

The fairies dipped their heads in curiosity. “Is there not another thing you’re scared of?”

 

“I was… but now it’s happened. It can’t be a fear now that it’s happened” Lydia replied, finally taking the smart choice and walking ahead, though the fairies pursued her like flying Chihuahuas.

 

“Who was the first boy you kissed?” a fairy demanded.

 

“My cousin, after he tripped on top of me. We both agreed it never happened, which it didn’t” Lydia replied.

 

“How often do you ditch the itch?” a crude fairy taunted.

 

“Okay, now that one is none of your business” Lydia hissed.

 

“Well, how often?” the fairy demanded.

 

“I will burn you and this forest down” Lydia whispered in a threatening tone.

 

“How much did you care about Galina?” a spectral fairy inquired.

 

That one gave Lydia pause. How would those things possibly know? The questions were crude, but pretty general. But how could it? It must be another trick of the path. “I felt sorry for her. It must have been terrible to have your entire life fall apart with no one to help you, or anyone to talk to. To know that pain and loneliness, I understood how she felt. It reminded me of how my life felt before I had Zac…” Lydia replied, her mind drifting off to a distant memory.

 

“You go on and on about him, what makes Zac so damn special?”

 

“It’s not something you would be entitled to understand. In everyone’s life there is one person who means everything to them. When I first met him, even as a kid, I just knew there was something special about him. Maybe it was love, but it was a premonition, but he means a lot to me. He would always let me drag him around everywhere; and we could just, talk, y’know? Not anything gross or sad little jokes, but, just talk. We never separated much, and it was sheer luck that I managed to get an apartment opposite from his. Maybe God just wanted this to happen. But… I suppose I keep going on and on to remind me that he mattered so much, that I’ll have to let him go. I was freed from the time lock on my world into the multiverse. I fought with Sarah against some of the Divine, and we worked together to attack LERNA. And, I ever got to defeat her. It’s not that I’ve exceeded him; it’s just, I feel that I now have a bigger place in it now. I’ve gotten a little peek into the multiverse, and, now that I have… I can’t go back to my small world and pretend it didn’t happen. It did, I can’t just unsee it. They say if you care the most, you have to let them go. And, I will. Whether it be by the Door or by a Wish, I will split the timelines of my world so I’ll just be the copy as the original Lydia can continue as she is. I’ll accept it if some copies are destroyed if only then that I know the original me will continue to protect the original Zac. And, I’ll be happy for her” Lydia smiled happily, a tear rolling down her face.

 

The fairies were surprisingly a little awestruck. As far as their programming went, they didn’t quite expect her to go that far into the details. They didn’t try to press her further, and simply returned to the trees. They clearly didn’t need to ask anything else.

 

Current Position: A3

 

---

 

|_)Red, the Fallen(_|

 

Red awoke from his slumber, and his body still continued to hurt. His muscles felt tight and knotted, refusing to uncoil as he forced the energy into them. It legs ached as they stretched out, and his right leg was on fire. There was simply no chance of him walking on it anytime soon.

 

Using his wings to the best of their ability, he forced himself up to face the doors. The first was gone, leaving only two remaining. Red grasped at the knob of the door marked with a dragon skull, and twisted.

 

|_)Pathway of Death(_|

 

The darkness was intoxicating, suffocating even. It felt even more oppressive than the general ambience of the Shadow Realm, the Sorcerer’s domain. Yes, he had spent a fair bit of time there, and yet, this was most definitely worse. His right leg trembled from his weight, but he tried to hold firm with his firmly planted staff.

 

Uttering a small spell, the gem lit up intensely, but it could only barely push back the darkness. With nothing else for it, Red began his lonely march across the stone platform. At least here there was little wind to bother him, though the empty feeling in the air spoke whispers of loneliness, amongst other things.

 

The stone platform was certainly unremarkable, and Red could not give much notice to it. Why was he here, really now? At this point, what he was doing felt insane. Was all of this really worth the prize he sought? He had no idea to be perfectly honest. And yet, his body continued on, wary of the darkness and what lay ahead.

 

Indeed, what lay ahead was hard ground instead of stone. Red could feel little difference with his feet, though it was more unpleasant than the stone. It did not have the cool texture and feeling the stone masonry possessed.

 

The darkness was growing even more oppressive, as the light from his gem could barely combat it. What was once a large radius was now no better than a lantern, only casting away the darkness from around a small area. Red could not feel his directions anymore, merely stumbling in the dark.

 

Stumbling, and blind, Red could only barely make out things in the darkness. Huts, destroyed, or at least neglected. Statues shattered from spite, with others worn away by the time. The only thing he could truly see, was a structure that was built from what appeared to be the dragon temple, and some unknown technology. They hardly worked in harmony, and was truly garish to look at.

 

Red paused, wondering about the technological side. It was most certainly was not the work of him, or anyone he had known. It was too refined, so sleek. It was much like Alister’s… why? That didn’t make sense. It could not… unless… Death, was the Pathway representing the future. But how could it…? He had to know.

 

With foolish curiosity, Red crossed the threshold of the tek-temple, and gazed into it. It was most certainly the one the Elders would gather in daily to train the young dragons, but the technological side was completely alien to him (LOL!). There was no sign of any life, or anyone having lived there; save, for a mantelpiece above a burning fireplace.

 

There were numerous pictures that had gathered the dust of the ages. Grabbing the first one, Red wiped away the dust to reveal a group photo of those from his world. It seemed this photo was far into the distant future, as Red could see himself old and haggard, as were the other Elders. Spyro was there as a handsome teenage dragon, though clearly he hadn’t grown fully into his frame. He was holding hands with a rather attractive pink dragon. Well, it was good to know that Ember eventually won him over… somehow. Perhaps she had finally stopped being incredibly blunt, though that was unlikely. Such things are practically genetic.

 

Oh, there was also Blaze on the other side of Ember, he was certainly looking well for such a young dragon. He must have done extensive training to be built so sturdily. He must have spent time with the Peace Keepers and the Beast Makers. Red’s smiled wryly to himself as she saw all the other friends and allies the dragons had gained over time. And despite this obviously happy scene, he could see his future self wasn’t really smiling. What could have happened? Why would he feel such emptiness- Oh, now he could see: Titan was absent from the photo. He would be too old to work the device, so that could only mean… oh Titan.

 

Red allowed the picture to fall, shattering on the dusty floor, sending glass and dust flying. His heart sunk into the pit of his stomach like the photo. It was inevitable, but… it still hurt. Red at least hoped his future-self had been considerate enough to apologise to Titan, even though the old dragon really wouldn’t understand why. But at least Red would. And maybe Titan, the one he had hurt, would too. It would have been something, at least.

 

Reaching for another picture, it was sadly blank, as it was a future that could no longer be. The same was done with another two frames, and they too were blank; bereft of any more possibility.

 

Red grabbed a photo this time framed with technology, rather than ornamental like the other pictures. Blowing the dust away, Red almost dropped the frame from the sheer threat of a heart-attack. This one had Alister, and his friends in some rather official dress. And yet, Red too was there in a formal tuxedo top and a top hat catered to his horn, as one was broken. Red and Alister were standing there looking extremely happy with themselves. It was such a bizarre scene, and Red simply couldn’t understand why. Staring at it as closely as he could bare, it suddenly made sickening sense. There was a golden band on both of their ring fingers. Red, was staring, at his wedding photo, with Alister. “THE funk?!” he declared as loudly as he could, breaking his run of not swearing.

 

Current Position: C2 ½

[Dad]

Revy, Pathway to Death

 

Revy's footsteps were heavy.  Still weary from fighting through many kilometers of snow, it was freeing to not have to lift her legs so high, just to take a step.  However, this darkness around her was discerning.  Even as she made her way along the pathway now, the lack of light, and lack of life for that matter, creeped Revy out.  As she took her time, Revy discovered this beginning of the pathway was extremely narrow, as she nearly tripped over it, and fell to her death.  "Christ!" she yelled out, catching her footing.  Getting back to her feet, Revy paced herself down the rest of this portion of the pathway.  Some hour later, she finally noticed the path beginning to widen.  As she came to its end, Revy came across two enormous statues.  Hands at the ready, Revy crossed the threshold between the statues.  This was when a sudden dismay washed over Revy.  She felt slightly drained, as if she had just been traumatized again.  Shaking the feeling as much as she could, Revy continued forward.

 

The pathway remained quiet for a short time, until Revy once again heard odd sounds under her feet.  This time, when she looked down, she did not discover a pillow or a teddy bear, but blood soaked bullets.  Kneeling down, Revy got a closer look at the shells.  "These are huge," she said to herself.  "Have to be from a .50."

 

"You've still got it," said a ghastly voice from behind her.

 

Revy jolted upright, facing the direction of the voice.  A ghost of Balalaika, cigar in hand, faced her now.  "Must've been yours then, eh Bal?" she joked.

 

"Mhm," she said drawing from the cigar, and exhaling a ring of smoke.  "Same rounds that took my life, Revy."

 

"What?"

 

Balalaika frowned.  "When you disappeared, my mercs turned on me.  The Lagoon company went from bad to worse, and with word being had that you were killed off by Triads, I had become the most powerful woman from New York to India.  But loads of our former contractors didn't take kindly to one woman controlling most of the Eastern Seaboard.  So my mercs got paid better elsewhere, and I died to a nobody," she said pointing to her chest.  There was an enormous hole where Balalaika's heart should have been.  "But that's not the worst part," the ghost continued.  She drew another puff from her cigar, and went on with her story.  Revy folded her arms, listening intently.  "With me dead, and my mercs trading off, the Lagoon company found themselves under worse fire than ever.  And of course you know, I provided much of your protection."

 

"My ass.  We protected ourselves.  Benny had most of your locations under lock and key, Rock handled the talking, and Dutch handled supplies.  Which left me to do what I do best:  kill any asshats that step to me.  If you think for a second that I needed your help--"

 

"You think you got your weapons solely from Dutch?  Benny, lock and key my HQ or camps?  They were working for me, Revy."

 

Revy scoffed in disbelief, stepping closer to Balalaika.  "You're full of sheet."

 

"Wanna bet on that?"

 

Revy immediately drew her weapon, pointing at the temple of the ghost.  "Try me!"

 

Balalaika chuckled.  "What are you gonna do?  Kill a ghost?  Let's be honest here, Revy.  The only reason you were still alive is because you're good at what you do.  Killing asshats, especially those who happened to be equal targets for the both of us.  But whether you can accept it or not, deep down you had to know there was a reason Benny or Dutch were always the first to get in touch with me."  Balalaika dropped her cigar, and stomped it into ash.  "My point is this, Revy.  You need to pay closer attention to who you give your trust to.  Lord only knows, when Rock died, he was--"

 

"What did you say?" Revy said lowering her weapon.  "What happened to Rock!?"

 

"Up in arms now?  You should have been angry a long time ago.  Rock was taken hostage.  And after spilling his useless guts to the Russians, they offed him.  I'm sure he was full of regret."

 

"And how would you know all of this, being dead?"

 

Balalaika did not answer right away.

 

"Answer me!"

 

"Just because I'm a ghost Revy, doesn't mean I'm dead."  Balalaika disappeared into nothing, with Revy calling after her.

 

"Get back here, Bal!  I'm not through with you!  You hear me!?"  Revy kicked at the ground, the bullet casings flying off into the distance.  Grabbing at her head, Revy tried to focus.  She had to remember that this was likely a ploy of the pathway to get her to slip up, drop her guard, and be killed.  The first of many tricks.  "Screw this," she said stomping forwards.  Revy drew her eyes away from the ground now, marching in a straight line ahead of her now.  Stepping over fallen memory after fallen memory, Revy began to grow irate.  Soon enough, the ghosts of Rock, Dutch, and Benny all appeared as well.  She told them off one at a time, with a series of racial slurs, vulgar language, and violent gestures.  Deep down, however, Revy missed her crew.  And she knew that, if what Arthuria had said was true, her entire universe was likely dust.  Which meant, if Revy was ever going to be happy again, she had to find more of these 'Divine' people, and take them out.  "Ugh, pain in the ass!" she said to herself, realizing how much she had to do.  Sighing, Revy realized she wasn't the only one, and her mind wandered to Reimu first, and then to Kratos.  Suddenly, Revy raised an eyebrow at herself.  Why was her mind on him?  She let out a long, drawn out groan.  "I swear, next person to cross me is gettin' one between the eyes.  Fucks sake.  The hell is going on anymore?  Screw these feelings and this complicated Star Wars bullshit," she said in regards to everything she had become involved in.  And now, meters before her, Revy could make out a winding, rickety bridge.  

 

She sighed again, knowing she had no choice but to cross it.  " . . .funk."

 

Ending Location:  E 3.5

 

 

---

 

 

Killua, Pathway to Remembrance

 

His spine tingled.  There was a familiar presence in the air, but Killua couldn't quite pin point it with all the snow around.  But he had to approach it.  It could be Gon.  He bolted straight up, and placed his right foot forwards.  He was excited now.  They had been separated for some time now, and Killua couldn't wait to see his best friend.  But, what if it was something else?  He would cross that bridge, if he came to it.  Killua surged with a large amount of power, before vanishing, and reaching his maximum speed in a matter of seconds.  The presence.  He could feel it getting closer!  It was directly in front of him now.  He began to yell, as that green coat came into view.  "GoooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!" he yelled as he tackled Gon into the snow.  They tumbled over and over, until they hit a tree, and snow piled on top of the duo.  Killua stuck his head out of the snow first, at the highest point, assuming Gon was directly below him.  He wiped away the snow under him, revealing Gon's face.  Now realizing that they were a conjoined snowman, Killua laughed, feeling relieved to see his best friend again.

 

Killua excitedly climbed out of the snowman, and freed his friend as well.  Not sure what else to say, Killua jokingly replied, "Hi," as he helped Gon to his feet.  Looking behind him, Killua had actually cleared a path with his initial burst of speed.  But the weather had snowed over it almost immediately.  Now looking just behind Gon, there was a dense forest ahead.  Killua wondered just what the pathway had in store for them, now that he had caught up to the elusive Gon once more.

 

Ending Location:  D 1.5

 

 

---

 

 

Wesker

 

The bridges were but a minor obstacle.  Starting his way across, Wesker could hear the initial soft moaning of the spirits watching him.  Some darted past him, narrowly missing his face.  Then, as Wesker's journey over the bridge began to grow, so did the violence of the wraiths.  They went on the attack now, with Wesker narrowly dodging their strikes.  Not even reaching the half-way point, Wesker was agitated at these specters.  They howled and whined.  Some of them said strange, eerie things.

 

"To the last!"

 

"Kill the shadow!"

 

"Remove the stain!"

 

Wesker ignored their cries, continuing to dash across the narrow, winding bridge.  Left, right, high jump, slide, roll.  Wesker used his speed to his advantage, applying various movements to slip between and past the violent spirits that attempted to plague him.  As Wesker alas crossed the dangerous bridge, he stopped to wipe the dust away that was kicked onto his jacket.  Calmly, cooly, Wesker continued down the pathway, until he reached a monumental stone skyscraper.  "Perfect."  While the darkness was not complete inside of the building--having been slightly staved off by the fluorescent blue lighting inside--there was one place he could hide.  Now, Wesker would wait in the shadows until he found a target. 

 

Ending Location:  ??? 8

[Tesability Black]

~The Divine - The White Room - Tesability's POV~

...when she opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by white. Tesability found herself laying on her back in the middle of the White Room, her wings pinned against the ground and her paws up in the air.

"How deed I geet hewe,"¹ she asked herself in confusion before making the attempt to roll back over, accidentally placing a paw on a wing and pulling a yelp from her in the process. Shaking herself like a dog shaking off a lot of water, she couldn't help but take another glance at her form, which was crafted for her by some curious entity to which she still had no true knowledge of.

It was so very-different from what she used to be. Proper paws and claws for slashing, and a tail to help maintain balance during her flight. Actual fangs in her mouth, despite the fact that she didn---

And her middle grumbled loud, which earned a confused look from the NetMonster.

"Wa' wash dat,"² she asked before finding herself bowled up around her middle as a twinge of pain coarsed through her. Pain was still a very-unfamiliar, very-unpleasent sensation for her, who was not used to existing upon the physical plane. She had only been like this for a few hours at most, miraculously not tripping all over herself like most physical newborns. A small whimper emerged from her before the feeling passed for the time, allowing her to get up on all four paws.

"Dat huwt."³ She looked up toward the three doors before looking toward where the door for the Path of Remembrance once was, staring at it with unblinking and confused black eyes.

"Wewe did eet go,"⁴ she asked in curiosity before looking toward one of the other doors, specifically the one with the shattered crystal near it. A shattered Champion Crystal. Figuring that with her world long gone that she had no true future, which this path was supposed to represent, she figured it would be best to clear it now.

And so, she pushed the door open with her snout and allowed herself to be engulfed by the darkness beyond it...

¹"How did I get here,"
²"What was that,"
³"That hurt."
⁴"Where did it go,"

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

~The Divine - Path of Death - Tesability's POV~

Another whine escaped the NetMonster as the black dragonling tried adjusting her eyesight to the darkness, finding herself wishing that she still had her Knowledge Crystals...she knew at least one of them let her see in the pitch black areas of the Internet...

Once again, her middle let loose a grumble at her, which had her pinning her leaf-like ears against her head. "Wai ish eet duin' dat?!"¹ Annoyed at the 'wierd' way this crafted body was acting, she instead closed her eyes for a second, focused on the storm that she is.

Against her black scales did electricity start to dance across them, giving her a certain amount of space to see, but not enough to allow for flight. The darkness tried to engulf the light that the current made, but it always found itself recoiling just out of the way of the lightning each time. Being disallowed to fly made Tesability let out another whine, as she knew these weak legs would be hurting soon if she had to walk the whole path instead of fly through it...

A humming sound cut through the pitch black before a flitting piece of metal started floating around her, unaffected by the darkness of the path miraculously. Curiosity catching her attention, she spotted it moving at a quickened pace before she decided that flying would allow her to catch up to the strange device. It looked circular, like its spinning is what was keeping it afloat in the air, but beyond that, she could not discern its intended purpose.

One of her wings almost clipped against a statue that quickly entered her lightning-enhanced sight, though it was one she did not recognize. This was before she heard a voice shouting in thrill as a sonicboom passed her, catching sight of a vaguely-draconic aircraft flying past her. Only a moment after did she realize that the voice she heard...

...was her own.

 

¹"Why is it doing that?!"

Ending Spot: A2

[Phantom Roxas]

[Death B3] - Arthur, Eria, MachGaogamon, Sora, Kairi, Gagagigo, Kree’arra, & Zilyana

 

As Gagagigo stood twice, if not thrice of Kratos’ own height, in the darkness, Kratos had made the unfortunate mistake of patting Gagagigo not on his back, but… lower. Kratos found himself knocked to the ground thanks to Gagagigo’s armored tail.

 

”If I recall correctly, this ‘beast’ saw you struggle against one of those Divine back at the Sphere Forest,” Gagagigo snarled.

 

”Be nice,” Eria snapped. She reached out her hand to help Kratos stand. ”Sorry to disappoint you, but Gagagigo’s with me.”

 

 

Arthur’s gaze was stuck to further down the Pathway. "Apollo," he corrected to Kratos. "My dad's Apollo. But sure, I can guide you. Because I guess when you're the son of the sun god, nothing beats being a walking flashlight."

 

Once Arthur started to lead the Pathway, a cut formed across his cheek. A sharp and sudden, so close to his eye, made him cover his face, blood dripping down his hand. The voices started up again.

 

Your friends may hail you as a hero.

 

But what of your brothers and sisters?

 

An ivory archway flickered into his sight, the words written on the top unreadable until they rearranged themselves to say "Camp Half-Blood".

 

"Well, Kratos, what do you say?" Sora asked. His Keyblade wings helped him move past Arthur, though the shine from Sora's armor wasn't nearly as bright as Arthur's. Kairi, Kree'arra, and Zilyana followed after Sora, but the archway still stood high above. "Come on, guys!"

 

"It's not a race," was all Arthur could say. He took slow steps towards the archway, though as he grew closer to the archway, the ground below him began to feel different, as though he wasn't walking on the same platform as before. His right foot felt as though it was stepping on concrete, yet his left was on dirt.

 

You won't throw your futures away.

 

But you must only live one.

 

Arthur felt a sudden warmth in his hand. Eria was standing next to him. MachGaogamon and Gagagigo had reached the archway, both of them as tall as it, but they simply walked through the archway as though it wasn't there. That's when Arthur realized that it truly wasn't. However, as he went to move a finger against the cut on his face, he realized that the blood trickling down his skin was more than just an illusion. He slipped from Eria's hold, running under the archway. Beyond it, he found a series of bridges. They looked stable, but he couldn't help but look back. The ivory archway still stood, and the ground beneath him still felt like a blend of dirt and concrete.

 

 

Current location: B3½

[Dad]

Kratos, Pathway to Death

 

After the fiasco, Kratos politely declined.  "Well, Sora," He said with a handshake.  "I think I'll let you be guided by someone better suited for the job.  You dare not tread in my footsteps.  I will go places you cannot follow."  Kratos walked over to Arthur, looked him straight in the eyes, and placed a hand on either of his shoulders.  He could sense something disturbing the boy, but it was no Kratos' place to discipline.  "I do not know what haunts you, but you still have loved ones surrounding you," Kratos said acknowledging Eria.  "Cherish them as you can.  And do not let your struggles define you."  How ironic it was to speak to a demigod again.  For some reason, this deeply bothered Kratos.  He noticed one of his hands beginning to glow, seemingly mimicking Arthur's aura.  He withdrew it quickly, turning his hand over and over, before stepping back.  "As much as I would like to continue our journey, it would be best if I depart."  His hands quaking with magic, Kratos forced his feet to light ablaze, and sped away suddenly with his boots of Hermes.

 

 

---

 

 

Some brief time later, Kratos found himself lost on the pathway to Death, his hands still shaking.  Suddenly, the magic burst from his hands, temporarily blinding him.  Kratos fell backwards, and blinked furiously in an attempt to regain his sight.  As things began to clear for him, Kratos heard a familiar voice.

 

"You forget your place, boy!" it boomed.  Lightning erupted at his feet, causing Kratos to scramble backwards, and to his feet.

 

The figure stood inches taller than him, but in a more ghastly state than he had last seen.  Kratos snarled, as the old man shook the rust from his shoulders.  "Even I could recognize that magic, and I've been dead for some time."

 

"Is that why you've come to plague me, Zeus?"

 

Zeus raised a hand.  "Do not grow insolent in your victory, Kratos!"

 

"Do not threaten me, specter!  I do not fear you!" Kratos roared back.

 

Zeus sighed.  "I've not come to plague you, child.  I've come to remind you," Zeus said ominously.

 

Kratos decided to take the bait.  "Of what, Zeus?"

 

Zeus opened a palm to Kratos, his memories now playing by rapidly.  "In your journey to defeat the gods, you continued to leave destruction in your wake," Zeus said, annoyed.  Kratos eyes his father, then looked back at the memories.  "But even in your haste, you managed to reshape yourself."  The vision in Zeus' palm now played back the memory of Kratos saving Pandora some time ago.  "You have the chance to permanently change your image, Kratos.  And now, I should bless you with what I have owed you for so long."  Kratos was taken aback, as Zeus closed his palm.  Placing a ghastly hand on Kratos' chest, Zeus chanted in an otherworldly language that Kratos did not understand.  But after Zeus had finished, Kratos looked down at his body in awe.  The ash that had covered Kratos for so long, began to shake from his body, and puddle to the ground.  "Your curse is lifted, my son.  Go and do what we gods could not."  Zeus turned his back to Kratos now, and began to walk away.

 

"Wait, Zeus!" Kratos called to the ghost.  "How is it you are here, though I tread a path not of my own?"

 

Zeus turned back to Kratos.  "I have always been a part of you, Kratos.  Where is it you believe you get your powerful wrath?"

 

Kratos posed another question now.  "What will become of me?  I no longer bare the sin of my past, but I feel so strange."

 

Zeus pondered an answer, but could not find one.  "I cannot say Kratos.  But I can ask you, what will you have me do?"

 

Kratos thought for a moment, before he found an answer that would change his image inside and out.  "My scar," he said pointing at the red scar that remained down his body, front and back.  "Can you embody it with a different meaning?"

 

Zeus nodded, placing a palm on Kratos' scar.  Once again, he chanted in an otherworldly language, and the color of the scar began to change.  It began to grow bright, before dulling slightly, and settling on a brilliant royal blue.  Kratos admired it for a time, looking over himself, before questioning Zeus one last time.  "What does it mean?"

 

Zeus turned his back to Kratos once more.  "This time, son, you must make a meaning for your mark.  You will define what your scar will mean.  This will become your legacy."  The specter vanished, as Kratos continued to admire his ash free body, and blue scar now.  Drawing his blades, they too had taken on Kratos' now blue mark, formerly red.  Kratos, for the first time in a long time, smiled.  He turned to look around for Zeus once more, but he was gone for good.  Kratos now turned his attention to the bridge he left in the distance.  He had now made two revelations, once in each path.  It was time to prepare for the third and final.  He began a paced walk towards the bridges, a new life abound.

 

Ending Location:  ???, 3.5

 

---

 

 

Revy

 

Revy let out a long sigh, taking a deep breath.  The bridge was extremely narrow, and Revy couldn't really make out the rest of it ahead.  She placed a foot forward, and could feel the bridge sway beneath her.  Even if she paced herself, it would be worse for her in the end.  "sheet.  Guess I should try to book it," she said aloud.  Carefully, Revy brought her other foot around to the bridge, catching her balance.  Each time the bridge swayed, Revy could hear the spirits around her moaning, calling out for blood.  "Oh, great.  More spooks.  Do I look  like a Ghostbuster!?  Damn it!"  She began to sprint forward.  The bridge barely matched her footsteps, as the spirits closed around her.  She could feel one coming from out of her view, far to the right.  Risking it, Revy slid, as the specter flew above her head.  In her slide, Revy could not slow her momentum, and found herself nearly plunging to her death.  She just barely manged to turn around and grasp the bridge as her legs went over.  The specters continued over her head, but Revy climbed up as fast as she could.  Revy began to panick, now on her knees on this bridge.  She was breathing heavily, sweating bullets.

 

"I--I--" She clutched at her chest.  Revy felt like she was going to die here.  Her mind wandered, her life flashing before her eyes.  Then, she remembered a conversation she had shared with Richard, not a day ago.

 

" . . . And I'll be damned if I don't see it through to the end, whatever it is."

 

Revy let out another heavy sigh.  "And to think, I gave him sheet."  Revy bobbed her head out of the way of another specter, and scrambled to her feet.  There was a sharp turn in the bridge where she was, that was why she nearly fell.  She chuckled a bit, now calming down.  Revy drew one gun from her side, and turned on it's flashlight.  It was barely enough to light the bridge at her feet.  Revy darted forwards now, back in her right mind.  The twists and turns in the bridge were much easier to handle now, and Revy was soon on the other side.  "Holy sheet," she said to herself, turning back to look at the bridge.  "That was an ordeal."  Fortunately, there was solid ground under her now, and a mysterious stone building ahead of her.  Perhaps inside, there would be less ghosts to deal with.

 

Ending Location:  D8

[The Warden]

|_)The Evangelist Hapshiel(_|

|_)Pathway of Remembrance(_|

 

Remembrance, Hapshiel had chosen Remembrance. The chilling winds blew against his exposed skin, and he shivered in pleasure from the goose bumps. His nipples hadn’t been this erect in such a long time, and he had to fight back the desire to rub them.

 

Instead, he chose to grab clumps of snow and rubbed it against his skin. It was so cold, so fantastic. Steam hissed from the rapidly melting snowballs as Hapshiel felt his body heat raise. Grabbing more snow, his fingers caressed something unusual. Curious, he pulled it from the snow to reveal a very simple tunic made of an insanely soft fabric. Hapshiel stared blankly at it, his sausage sized thumbs gently caressed the fabric as he remembered. He remembered, when he last wore this very tunic…

 

---

 

A long time ago in the celestial world, Hapshiel lived in the part of the heavens that had been modelled after Tokyo city. Having grown too hipster for the simple cloud motifs, the celestial beings modelled their domain after the various cities of the mortal world. Hapshiel had moved to Sky-Tokyo after Sky-San Francisco was starting to be a little too uncomfortable to live in.

 

Unlike most celestials, Hapshiel barely had much interest in the mortal world and their devices, save for working out. He rather liked that. He would spend his days walking through Sky-Tokyo in his tunic, which revealed a beautiful love bush of chest hair. His rose tinted halo possessing a pair of small wings on the rim to highlight his beautiful flowing hair. Every day he would pass by the same celestials, to which he would greet pleasantly as his sandaled feet carried him through Sky-Tokyo.

 

In his given retrospect, Hapshiel had been very sheltered in regards to what life was all about. Though he tried to keep to the testaments of God, many of the other angels spent their time enjoying whatever it was that humanity had to offer. Even going on shopping trips every so often. He had heard that even Gabriel herself had a library dedicated to human manga. Hapshiel didn’t really know what manga was, but it was most likely immoral.

 

Speaking of immoral, Hapshiel could remember the very day when his immortal life was changed forever. On a day like any other day, Hapshiel idly walked through the domain, until he caught word from several higher ranking angels. They were whispering to each hastily, sharing around a peculiar black rectangle of some sort. One of the angels made an austere little gesture with his hands, and they ran off. Curious, Hapshiel followed them discretely. They all bunched into a house with a small window to the basement.

 

Knowing sin as well as he did, Hapshiel knew that if there was some to do, it would be in a basement. Having inspected for others, he discretely observed from the small filthy window. The angels appeared to be watching a video tape of some kind, involving two rather handsome gentlemen. And, they were in their birthday suits.

 

Hapshiel had gasped at such a sight, and almost fell dead when he witnessed what the two young men did in that video. It was unnatural, it was wrong, and yet, so… intriguing. Hapshiel had to tear himself away from what he witnessed, a dark cloud forming in his mind. There had been rumours of homosexuality starting to appear in the human world, but, Hapshiel hadn’t taken them seriously. To think they were recording it now; how far had those humans fallen.

 

Hapshiel ran from that house, an austere sight for the others as he returned to his own domicile and locked the door, an action he had never taken before. In the darkness he sat in his favourite chair, and he thought. He just thought, and thought some more. What he saw felt wrong on so many levels, so, so many levels. And yet, somehow, it felt right. Right in a way he simply could not understand. God had once said that man or woman should not lay with another of their gender, and yet, they were doing just that. It made no sense at all. If it was wrong, why wasn’t God doing something about it?

 

God… he would know the answers. If there was anyone who you could gain insight from, it would be God. Fleeing his home, Hapshiel took to the sky as he headed for God’s domain; which the old man had recently modelled into a large temple made of clouds. No one was around outside or in, as the Celestials didn’t bother God much anymore. Not since the Old Testament days in any case. But regardless of that, God’s door was always open to those seeking his guidance, (except between 12pm and 2pm, as that was God’s Time,) something Hapshiel hadn’t gained in a very long time.

 

Lightly stepping on the cloud floor, Hapshiel found God in his den watching TV on a 100 inch plasma screen TV. Because he’s funking God and deserves to have a 100 inch plasma screen TV. As Hapshiel entered the den, and the comfy armchair placed in front of the TV swivelled around, revealing Hapshiel sitting in the chair. Hapshiel wasn’t falling for it though, as he knew God always reflected your appearance, as you were made in HIS omni-image. “Hapshiel” God said affably, “it has been a very long time since you’ve come to visit me” he added with a wry smile.

 

Hapshiel immediately took to a knee, bowing before the Lord God Almighty. “I know My Lord. I must confess that I’ve felt the guidance you gave me before has more than sufficed for the past millennia” he replied courteously.

 

God smiled contentedly, raising his hand to Hapshiel. “Please rise Hapshiel, you know you need not worry about all this silly bowing stuff now” God said pleasantly as he held his hand out for Hapshiel to take it.

 

Hapshiel rose on his own, though he still kept his back arched to bow towards God; who replied by grabbing Hapshiel’s chin and slowly moving him up until he was standing tall. “Please Hapshiel, take a seat” God offered, his hand sweeping towards the empty arm chair that had always been there.

 

Hapshiel gratefully took it, staring into God’s eyes with a serious expression which were reflected by the unreadable eyes of the Almighty. “Now Hapshiel, what troubles you?”

 

Hapshiel bit his lip as he tried to find the best words to describe his predicament. “Well, I won’t name any names, but, I saw some angels with another of their pornographic video tapes. Normally I would turn the other chin, but, this one possessed an image of… well…” Hapshiel stuttered sheepishly, incapable of finding the words.

 

“It wasn’t another of those ones from Mexico is it?” God inquired curiously.

 

Hapshiel was taken aback, shaking his head wildly. “Nono, You no. It was of two males engaging in, intercourse. And thinking about it has been bothering me greatly. Was it not you who said that man shall not lie with another man?” Hapshiel inquired with growing uncertainty.

 

God was completely unreadable. His face devoid of emotion as Hapshiel was wondering how much fury the man was holding back. None, apparently, as the Almighty instead laughed joyously as how silly Hapshiel was being. “Oh my word Hapshiel, you had me a little concerned there. I thought those humans had come up with something REALLY messed up this time” he laughed happily.

 

Hapshiel was taken aback, as was his chair, having been blown back by Hapshiel getting blown back. This was certainly not what he had been expecting at all. “So, you’re okay with it then?” he inquired incredulously.

 

God smiled knowingly at Hapshiel, his eyes full of endless cosmos. “Hapshiel, my days of fire and brimstone are far behind me now. The days of strict commandments and cursing the sinful are now just a distant memory of back when I was a very angry person. Now, I’m just happy that humanity is producing enough quality programming to keep me occupied from day to day” God explained.

 

“But, what you said long ago; is it no longer law?” Hapshiel pleaded.

 

“Hapshiel, I made those laws a long time ago, back when I thought I knew what was best for the humans. But after so many years of interfering with their lives and demanding sacrifices in my name, I began to see how much I was just screwing their lives and culture up, and stopped. What you are so concerned about is no longer an issue with me. I allowed those humans to do with their lives as they saw fit to do so, and aside from those who use my words to hurt and subjectify, I couldn’t be happier with what some of them are doing. You see Hapshiel, in this age, I am most content when the world is full of love, and peace, and happiness. What you saw was simple pornography, just a way for the humans to work out their libidos. A true homosexual relationship exemplifies what I want from the world so perfectly. In truth I am rather ashamed that I made that commandment to begin with, as now, most homosexuals tend to be more kind and loving than the straight couples who use my words to oppress them. What I’m trying to say Hapshiel, is that I’m perfectly happy with guy on guy, or woman on woman relationships; as they just add to the love that I want to fill the world with” God explained.

 

Hapshiel was in awe of his Lord, whose wisdom was truly boundless. Everything suddenly made sense. “A world of love and peace” Hapshiel repeated to himself. Staring into God’s eyes, he returned the kind being’s smile. “That would truly make you happy, wouldn’t it?” Hapshiel inquired.

 

“Indeed it would Hapshiel. Though the humans still have a long way to go before they achieve that goal. But baby steps I suppose, I won’t MAKE them love each other after all. Though I do wish there was someone to help guide them” God mused sadly.

 

Hapshiel rose from his chair suddenly, not surprising God who knew it was coming anyways. “Thank you My Lord, I now know what to do” Hapshiel declared and ran off, God pleasantly waving the angel away as he returned to his show, which had been put on pause.

 

---

 

For days Hapshiel had spent his time immersing himself in human culture relating to love. For the first time in a long time he truly felt alive, that he had purpose for once. In his long nights spent he learned many important factors, including how humans expressed their love. The most common acts tended to consist of hugs, and kisses. Which humans would right as X’s and O’s. Quite a curious act Hapshiel thought as he practised the acts in a mirror he used to flex in front of.

 

Research was done into common human relatiosnhips, which consisted of monogamy, polygamy, heterosexual, homosexual, and the rather alluring pansexuality. It made so much sense, to love everything. Hapshiel had to wonder why humans never thought to engage it in the first place. They must not be ready for such a thing, but, Hapshiel knew that with the right guidance, they would be.

 

Many of the Celestials, at least, the ones who knew Hapshiel were slowly growing concerned that Hapshiel had not left his house in days, which turned into a week of introversion. Some had thought to check up on him, but, he checked up on them first. Bursting out his doorway, Hapshiel was wearing his trademark outfit. His flowing hair had been cleaved and his chest waxed spotless. “Celestials, I bring to you… LOVE! AND! PEACE!” he declared happily.

 

Many of the Celestials were too frozen with confusion to escape what happened next as Hapshiel dashed from angel to angel, smearing them with his thick purple lipstick as he put his kissing practise to good use. His rampage consisted of hours of practised effort, before he made his way to God’s domain.

 

One more the affable gent swivelled to face Hapshiel, an amused smile on Hapshiel’s face. “It seems you’ve found your answer Hapshiel” he remarked, barely hiding his amusement.

 

Hapshiel bowed courteously, and rose with flair. “Indeed it is My Lord. I can see now what bothered me, and I have finally understood my purpose in this world. Which is why, I wish for you to banish me to the human world” Hapshiel declared.

 

God raised a curious brow to Hapshiel. “You do know what that means right?” he inquired seriously.

 

“Indeed I do. I wish to be banished to the human world so I can give one hundred and ten percent effort to bringing love and peace to humanity, so that once I am done, I wish to be unbanished; so I can see the look on your face as your dreams come true” Hapshiel smiled.

 

God reflected his smile. “If you are certain Hapshiel, I will grant your request, however a massive and seemingly impossible undertaking it would be. Hapshiel, mid class third level angel; I, your Lord God, hereby banish you from the Celestial Domain. No other Celestial will recognize you, and you will never be able to return until the human world is filled with love and peace. I command thee now Hapshiel, to fall!” God declared as hammily as he could, a portal appearing below Hapshiel’s boots, sucking him in.

 

Hapshiel gave one joyful wave to God, who returned it in kind. “Good luck Hapshiel” God declared as Hapshiel was banished from Heaven.

 

Hapshiel soared through the lairs of clouds as he hurtled towards a school flying in the sky. The many students stared in awe at the strange object hurtling towards the school as it smashed into one of the buildings. Students and staff alike raced towards the impact site; filled with falling dust and masonry. Staff and spellbooks at the ready, they prepared for whatever was ready as building materials shifted away. Hapshiel burst away from his prison, and stared intently at the students and teachers who had gathered. “How does one go about getting a job here?” Hapshiel inquired.

 

---

 

Hapshiel smiled happily as a frozen tear clung to his beautiful face, which he brushed away as particles of snow that joined the eternal snowstorm. It was amazing how one video tape could change his life so easily, but yet, it happened. He allowed the tunic to fall and be covered by snow again as he abandoned it. His time in Heaven was done, and there was still so much work to do.

 

Current Position: A1

[Dad]

Revy, Pathway to Death

 

Pistol at the ready, Revy braced it against her shoulder, aimed in the air.  Placing her back against the wall, Revy peeked inside the stone tower, with her second gun drawn now.  Looking left, and looking right, she could see no one else.  Further down the tower, a lengthy tunnel was lit by eerie blue lights, which barely forced back the darkness around them.  Other than that, the entire place appeared to be secure.  Still, Revy kept up her guard, carefully stepping inside of the tower.  Checking wall to wall from her entry point, Revy peered into every corner, but could not see another being.  Alas, she felt somewhat safe, letting out a quiet sigh.  It was then, she was greeted by a voice she did not recognize.

 

 

---

 

 

Wesker, Pathway to Death

 

The first victim.  When he saw the pistol enter the building before his target did, Wesker was confused.  An average human?  On this playing field?  This would prove to be extremely entertaining for him.  Then, he saw her face.  It was a woman, likely no older than her mid twenties.  Her plum colored hair, rough demeanor, and use of dual weapons suggested this wasn't her first rodeo, but it would be her last.  Wesker waited patiently.  Not to his surprise, she checked every corner she could see, but not thoroughly enough.  This woman only checked the room enough to feel better about herself.  A costly mistake.  But Wesker, the sly, smooth bandit that he was, liked to enjoy his victim's suffering.  So, he would make his presence known.  Stepping out of the shadows, Wesker approached, speaking.  "My, my.  You're much too pretty to handling such powerful weapons," he said sarcastically.  In truth, this girl reminded him of Ada Wong.  Though Ada was more feminine, to say the least, Revy was almost a universal reflection.  "Tell me, what do you hope to achieve by continuing down this path, fraught with danger and death?"  He waited patiently for her answer.  Regardless of what it was, Wesker was going to enjoy torturing this brat.  He could still feel the unborn creature writhing inside of him, coming into its final stages of production.

 

Revy did not answer right away, but turned instantly to face Wesker, her weapon aimed at his head.  "That's not cool," she said at last.  "You scared the crap outta me."

 

"Unintentional my dear, I assure you.  But, let's be frank.  You've crossed my path now, and I haven't had much pleasure out of this entire ordeal.  So--"

 

"Hang on, pervert," she said now aiming both guns at Wesker.  "I'm not screwing you or anyone else.  I don't need your help, so blowing you to finish the pathway is outta the question."

 

"You have me mistaken.   Terribly mistaken!" Wesker laughed, carefully approaching.  Revy, seeing this, began to slowly step back.  Wesker stopped now, continuing his speech.  "I take more pleasure in your suffering than I would in ruining your insides.  Though, in your dying breaths--if you'd like--they could be one and the same."

 

"Are you threatening me?" Revy said cocking the hammer on her revolvers.  

 

"Don't be hasty," Wesker warned.  "And, I don't make threats.  I make promises."  Wesker's hands were behind his back now, and he began to walk in circles, with Revy mimicking his motions.  "But before I kill you, will you tell me your name?"

 

Revy obliged.  "I'll tell you my name.  But only because it's the last thing you're gonna hear.  And it's Revy, jabroni."  She fired one shot at Wesker, who promptly caught the bullet with his index and thumb.  Revy stopped, lowering her gun slightly.  "What the . . . "

 

"Confused?"

 

"No.  I'm wondering why I'm shocked.  I knew there would be a bunch of freaks in this whole thing, but I didn't know you would be so annoying as to hold my rounds.  At least now I can take it back and put it in your brain!"  She dashed at Wesker, who was taunting Revy now with an open palm, urging her to come at him.  She fired her revolvers rapidly, back and forth.  Wesker proceeded to dash in as well.  He dodged each bullet individually, moving his body slightly left, and slightly right for each shot, and ducking occasionally.  Revy continued firing, until she heard her weapons click.  Wesker had avoided her shots, so Revy continued to dash in, deciding to take the fight to Wesker with hand to hand combat.  She slipped around Wesker, who casually smiled as Revy moved.  She swung first, but Wesker blocked the blow behind him with a raised arm.  Wesker turned around, and stretched his arms wide, as if prepared to fall backwards.  Revy threw a left hook, but was countered immediately.  Wesker took his index and middle finger and slightly shoved Revy, attempting to antagonize her.  She stepped in this time, bobbed a bit, and threw a right hook.  Again, Wesker parried her swing.  This time, he caught Revy's arm, and pulled her closer to him.  Revy struggled, but swung with her left again anyway.  Wesker caught this arm as well, and pulled Revy in until they were embracing each other.  Revy peered, angrily into Wesker's shades.  A twisted smile crossed his face, as he felt the kick coming.  Revy kicked at Wesker's legs, but slipped as Wesker dropped her during the kick, and caught Revy during her fall.

 

With her arms now behind her back, Revy struggled again.  Wesker continued to grin, until Revy spat in his face.  His smile turned into a frown, as Wesker wiped the saliva from his face.  He slapped Revy, and tossed her across the room.  She rolled, bracing herself with an arm and knee.  She groaned, irritated at the tactics deployed by Wesker.  Revy wiped her face, and got back to her feet.  Wesker remained motionless, simply watching Revy.  "You're fast," she admitted.  Wesker said nothing.  Revy drew her revolvers again, and proceeded to reload.  Wesker obliged, allowing Revy to regain her balance and advantage.  Revy now knew she could not fight this man hand to hand, not at first.  However, she was determined to kill him.  Rolling her shoulders, Revy stretched.  "Alright.  Your turn now," she said with her guns still ready.  "What do you go by?"

 

"My name is Albert Wesker.  I don't usually oblige to these kinds of things, but because you're such a lively jabroni, I figured I could give you the time of day."

 

Revy growled, darting at Wesker again.  This time, she did not fire randomly.  Instead, as she got closer, Revy aimed directly at Wesker's chin.  Barely moving his head out of the way, Wesker dodged the shot, and turned Revy around by grabbing her arm again.  "You gonna take me on a date!?" she said struggling.  

 

"I don't date children," he replied.  Revy fired a shot at Wesker's abdomen, her free hand having been turned around.  It barely grazed Wesker, but it was enough to agitate him.  He turned Revy around again, slapped her harder than last time, and grabbed her by the shoulders.  "You will suffer much more for your actions now," Wesker said harshly.  Revy took her free hand, and pistol whipped Wesker in the face, causing the gun to go off at the same time.  She had hit him hard enough that his neck actually snapped in the opposite direction.  Wesker, however, was not impressed.  Righting his neck, he snarled at Revy, kicking her backwards, and causing her to fall on to her backside.  Wesker dropped his jacket to the floor, and turned his back to Revy.  She could see the writhing mass inside of his back.

 

"Ugh!  What the funk is that!?"

 

Wesker turned his head over his shoulder.  "My latest experiment."  Wesker hunched over now, grabbing at his stomach.  Slowly, a ball of flesh peeled from his back, causing Wesker to groan in pain.  Then, a second followed, falling along side the first ball of flesh.  Wesker righted himself, scratching his back.  Then, turning to see the balls of flesh, he smiled.  They were enormous, and just as balls of flesh, were about four feet high.  If you looked at them, you could see the veins and blood now forming inside of the flesh mounds.  Wesker had not been so proud in a long time.  Slowly, the flesh piles began to gain limbs, and grow in height.  First, two enormous arms, that crashed into the ground below them, creating massive craters.  Then, legs.  Though not as large, indicating to Revy that these. . . things could not possibly be very fast.  Now, their torso began to form.  It was pure muscle, and the creature began to grow heavy, and taller by the second.  Six feet, eight feet, ten feet.  Twelve feet.  It had become twelve feet tall, and it's head fit oddly perfectly on it's body.  The creatures appeared to be sleeping, until Wesker made a command.  "Rise," he said solemnly.  The creatures raised their heads, their first sight being Revy.  However, they did not move, for Wesker had not given that command.  He continued grinning, like a child.  

 

"I call them, Tactical Assault Nemesis Killers.  Or, T.A.N.K.s for short.  What do you think, Revy?"  

 

BGM:  You Fight Me

 

She was still feeling nauseous from watching these flesh creatures gain life.  "I think you're sick," she said getting to her feet.

 

"Sick?  No.  I'm simply an innovator.  Now, kill." Wesker commanded.  The creatures roared, charging at Revy.

 

"sheet!"  She turned around and bolted in the opposite direction.  The tanks swung at Revy, one giant arm at a time.  She rolled, narrowly avoiding their swings.  Running past the tanks now, Revy opened fire, focusing one at a time.  Revy's primary target turned around, and suddenly gained massive momentum.  It grew enraged, roaring at Revy.  She continued firing, pedaling backwards as she did so.  The focused tank continued it's pursuit, while the latter stopped, and ripped a large chunk of stone from the ground.  The secondary tank hurled the stone at Revy, missing her by inches.  Revy slipped backwards, as her focused tank grew closer.  Scrambling to her feet, Revy ran up the wall nearest her, and kicked off of it.  The tank slammed into the wall, punching a hole through it.  Revy fired as she flipped over the tank, putting four rounds into the back of it's head.  It roared in agony, turning to face it's attacker.  As Revy landed on her feet, the tank faced her now, one arm in the air.  Revy put two more rounds under it's chin, and the tank began to stumble.  Rolling out of the way, the massive beast crashed into the ground.

 

"No!" Wesker cried out.  "Kill her!" he commanded.  "Kill her!"  The final tank charged, as fast as the one before it.  Revy fired her revolvers, but only had one shot remaining.  "sheet, sheet!" she cried.  Attempting to get to her feet, Revy clambered, but could not get up in time to dodge the massive punch the tank delivered.  She was thrown far, nearly sliding into the tunnel behind her.  The tank continued charging, and now stood with it's arms raised above Revy.  Wesker interceded, however, holding the tank's arms back.  "Enough!" he ordered.  The tank lowered it's arms.  Meanwhile, Revy had taken one punch too many.  She had three broken ribs, and a broken leg.  The single blow nearly killed her.  The tank roared, thrashing about in it's victory.  "Now then.  Let's go some place more quiet," Wesker said as he ordered the tank to retrieve Revy.  They climbed up to the second floor of the tower, where it was much harder to see without the light of the tunnel below.  

 

Revy groaned, her head pounding furiously.  Her body was in so much pain, and she could not move.  "Set her down, I'll do the rest," Wesker commanded.  The tank tossed Revy to Wesker's feet.  Wesker threw the beast a nasty look, which was returned with a confused grunt.  Picking up Revy by the throat now, Wesker slowly raised her to look into his face.  "I must say, Revy, it was quite fun watching your struggle against those creatures.  Now that I know how successful they are, I think I'll create more.  And I'll use you as an example.  I'll raise an army, of these tanks.  And then," Wesker said turning to the tank, and then back to Revy.  "Then I will take the masses under my thumb, and crush them like the bugs they are."  Wesker smiled, as he choked Revy.  She still had a bit of fight in her, punching at his arms, trying to break free.  "You fighting back.  It's adorable," he said running a gloved hand over her cheek.  Pushing back her hair, Wesker tilted Revy's head slightly, and opened his mouth.  His tongue, turned into a writhing plagas worm, and he prepared to kiss Revy.

 

 

---

 

 

He ran.  Faster now.  Faster, faster.  His feet lit ablaze, and his wings followed.  With one powerful leap, he crashed through the second floor, knee first.  He was moving so fast, that after reaching the second floor, he kept going, and his knee obliterated the skull of the remaining tank.  Wesker turned, hissing.  He was still in the air, and before landing, had drawn his blades.  He sliced the arm of Wesker off, and caught Revy as she fell.

 

BGM:  Hero

 

She was slipping in and out of consciousness, and did not recognize his face.  But, with a feeling, Revy spoke.  "You're late, hero."  His wings glowed a brilliant golden hue, and kept Wesker back, as they emitted a strong heat behind him.  "I am no hero," he said laying Revy flat on her back, out of harm's way.  Now, angrier than ever, Kratos turned to face Revy's assailant, who was reattaching his arm.  Wesker growled.  "That hurt!" he said as his arm slithered back into place.  "And just who are you?"  Kratos did not reply.  His wings still ablaze, he flapped them once, then turned to face Wesker.  "My name is none of your concern," he said simply.  Wesker scoffed.  "How rude.  I'll just take your life in exchange for hers."

 

Wesker darted at Kratos, his speed with the advantage.  Or so he thought.  Kratos matched Wesker, flapping embers into his face, breaking one of the lenses on Wesker's shades.  Wesker grabbed at his face, stumbling back.  Ripping his shades from his face, Wesker yelled.  "Grah!  You little bastard!"  Kratos drew his blades, and Wesker mimicked him, turning his arms into bladed plagas worms.  They both charged at their opponent, and went on frenzy.  Their blades went blow for blow, for a brief time.  Kratos began to gain an advantage however, as his blades were more flexible.  He sliced Wesker across the face rapidly, three times.  Wesker ducked the fourth swing and tackled Kratos, holding a bladed arm above him.  As he swung down, Kratos parried with his gauntlet, then kicked Wesker across the room.  Kratos got to his feet, as Wesker did as well.  Putting his blades away, Kratos now drew his Blade of Promise, newly restored.  It was enormous, and Wesker laughed, mockingly.

 

"You expect to hit me with that?  Fool!"  Wesker blinked away, but Kratos remained calm.  He could feel Wesker's presence, and as the punch was about to land, Kratos ducked it, and sent Wesker crashing into the ground with hilt of his blade.  Kratos leaped high, and jumped with both feet and landed on top of Wesker, causing the floor to collapse under them.  Catching Revy, Kratos allowed Wesker to get back up one last time.  He lay Revy again out of harm's way, as Wesker roared.  "I will not be bested.  Not by the likes of you!"  Kratos turned to Wesker again, and dashed.  

 

Wesker attempted to strike first, but Kratos side stepped him, and kicked Wesker in the back, causing him to stumble.  Revy, who was constantly blinking in and out of consciousness, managed to witness Wesker's final moments.  As Wesker stumbled, Kratos used all of his speed to gore Wesker in the back with the Blade of Promise, twisting it, before ripping it out.  Wesker went to his knees, attempting to regenerate from the massive wound.  But the magic within the blade prevented Wesker from becoming whole again.  Falling to the ground, Wesker laughed, mocking Kratos.  "Is this--" he spat blood up.  "Is this what--I foresaw?" he wondered aloud, gasping for air.  Still laughing, Kratos ignored Wesker, and went to Revy.

 

She was badly injured, so Kratos gently picked her up.  As he began to walk away, Revy in his arms, Kratos heard Wesker calling.  "You!  Bald one!" he said still stifling laughter.  "I've got one last trick up my sleeve.  And it involves my heart stopping.  I hope you can survive the same heat you can put out!!"  Wesker cackled.  With Revy still in his arms, Kratos made a cry to the heavens.  "Spartans!"  His brothers, five hundred in number, appeared behind him.  "Shield!"  They formed a massive wall of magical shields behind Kratos, with barely any light making it through.  Wesker had stopped laughing, and his body erupted in a massive explosion.  Wrapping his wings around Revy, Kratos protected her from the little bursts of heat and sounds that did make it past his Spartan brothers.

 

As the blast dissipated, Kratos withdrew his wings, and continued down the pathway's tunnel with Revy in his arms.

 

Ending Location:  C 9.5

[Merci]

 

This is an event that takes place, somewhere in time and space. The realm of which is begotten by ordinary, typical worlds. Past, present, future, such terms are irrelevant as to this anomaly.

 

Two entities stand before each other, surrounded by the voices of onlooking strangers.

 

"I considered Isamy a friend! I considered YOU a friend! And now you're doing all of this?!? Worlds, even entire SYSTEMS are BURNING because of you!"

 

"...So what? Is that supposed to mean anything to me?"

 

"Why have you gone to such lengths, and caused such destruction?!?"

 

Silence.

 

"It is simple..." If it is her, then he will answer with the truth. "Because I will soon die. Both of us have experienced the passing of ages. Millennia has gone by. Eternity, that's what we were promised. And yet...!"

 

The image before him flickers for a bit, as if surprised,

 

"That..."

 

before regaining its stance with even more anger and fury than before.

 

"...is the most STUPID, SELFISH, INSENSITIVE THING I HAVE EVER HEARD!!!"

 

She yells at him. Though they are both travelers of time and space, cursed with ill fates, she denies the wish he is now seeking in the clearest way possible.

 

She tries to fight him, but is no match for him as he is now. Whereas she has grown weak from all the distortions that now bind the multiverse, he has remained unaffected.

 

The light that her flames bring are no longer enough to light the darkness of his desires. Her attempts to reach him are futile, and the black colour of the reality around them is too thick to advance through.

 

A whirlwind of fire surrounds and engulfs her, before growing much bigger and dispersing to reveal a huge, silver dragon with Bujin-like gold metallic markings in between the armor, a plume of crimson flame serving as feathers and a mane. In this form, she breathes solar energies that crystallize and turn to glass the ground in front of her in a wide fan, superheating the air for miles beyond her rage-filled attack as they try to destroy her foe.

 

But it is futile. A dying sun versus a black hole.

 

"I thought that you would understand... But no, perhaps I was mistaken in my beliefs." He speaks from the bottom of his heart. Not angered, but merely sad by the position that she has taken against him. "One similarity is not enough to bridge a sea of differences. Not nearly enough."

 

They argue back and forth, and she opposes the torrent that he has become. Despite having lived as long as him, she fails to understand the fear that he is experiencing.

 

The longer you live, the longer you exist, the less you come to know about death. People unconsciously accept that, someday in their lives, it will all end, but that feeling disappears with time.

 

As one's own survival persists on and on, for hundreds and then thousands of years longer than it should, instead of being something to accept, it becomes something more and more alien. As one comes to understand their own reality, they grow less and less willing to let go of it.

 

"I WAS PROMISED ETERNITY, AND I SHALL HAVE IT."

 

"THEN WHAT?!?!?"

 

"IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. WHAT'S IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW IS FOR ME TO ASSURE MY OWN SURVIVAL."

 

The darkness lightens a bit, and she forces her way through.

 

"And your own survival is worth turning our baby girl against me? Your own survival is worth making it so, even if we win, so many people don't have a home to go back to?"

 

"THAT DOES NOT MATTER. MY EXISTENCE ITSELF ALREADY CAUSES SUFFERING... WHAT DIFFERENCE DO SEVERAL BILLION MORE MAKE?"

 

The darkness lightens up a bit, and she takes advantage of that to force her way through.

 

"You almost killed me! Isamy's manipulations started a chain reaction that mad my personal timeline unravel! I almost got wiped from existence!"

 

A lone, golden tear streams down her cheek.

 

"Is living forever worth losing me, Pener?"

 

The darkness disperses in response to that. A name that has not been used in a very, very long time. That of a young Egyptian slave, living under the tyrannical rule of the pharaoh Akhenaten, who once upon a time wished for just one thing, more than any other...something he had obtained, but at a cost too steep.

 

"...Fool. Do you not understand the things I can accomplish with the Door of Origin? Even if I had lost you, I would have-"

 

.

 

.

 

.

 

"Don't go... We can find a way together... I still have a billion years left..."

 

She tries to reach for him, but he takes a step back.

 

"It's too late." He says. "Once a person has set foot on the Pathway to Origin, they can no longer leave. Either they reach the end and accomplish their dreams, or perish doing so."

 

...

 

"Too late, Itsu. Too late."

 

 

~ ~ ~

 

 

~ Protheus Maximus w/ Tenshi Hinanawi ~

The Pathway to Truth [C9 - below ground]

 

Had it occurred only now, or had it occurred in the past and he was only just now remembering it? It did not matter. The ability of his that he had assigned the name 'Time Sense' to, it had a habit of abruptly teleporting him to alien locations before returning him. Or were they mere visions that depicted him? Or only a projection of himself that interacted with other perceived projections? Trying to define such things would only make things even more complicated.

 

He'd assumed that his Time Sense would weaken, if not cease entirely in the Pathway, but instead it...seemed to have gotten a whole lot stronger for whatever reason. Within the past few moments, he'd abruptly obtained a newfound hatred for Sayer, along with a strange grudge for the Planeswalker Jace (though there was no guarantee that he was actually here), but most important of all was that...meeting.

 

It didn't matter. Truly, it didn't matter. He didn't even know if Itsu had made it into the Pathway to Origin.

 

The unfocused memory silently repeating itself over and over in his hand, Protheus expanded his aura so as to encompass the entire area around them. One full assault - that was all he required to end this. There was no longer any point in wasting any time.

 

“I guess, this is it, huh?” Tenshi replied, realizing that her proper location had been pinpointed by Protheus.

 

While she had no interest in keeping the fog standing for longer, she did realize that removing them at the wrong time would just be a waste, as she had enjoyed the apparent benefits that the fog gave her. So far, her plan on utilizing the temperaments she scattered all across the fog had helped Tenshi immensely in locating Protheus’s location and his movements amidst the thick fog he spewed, and also to create her clones.

 

The fact that the temperaments were scattered everywhere meant that Tenshi could easily create and disintegrate the clones whenever she needed them, and wherever she wanted them to be around the cloud. So far, it was her best shot in hitting Protheus, and she was sure that if she could keep this going on for longer, she would eventually be able to land a hit to him, or even better, swipe the key away from him. But even if this failed, her clone’s ability to help her learn about Protheus’s movements could very well be vital sooner or later.

 

The stench in the air finally caught up on her, and it somewhat sickened her as she realized about the sheer magical energy gathered around Protheus right now. The heavy atmosphere created by the...thing that Protheus spewed was starting to be noticeable by Tenshi too, and even if it felt like it could crush her at any seconds, she managed to use her willpower to resist the stench and pressure from him as she prepared herself for his seemingly incoming assault, while planning her own counterattack in the meantime. More keystones appeared and hovered around her as she set up another funnel barrier around her.

 

Right now I can make three more mobile bits without removing the temperaments around here to the point of removing my ability to pinpoint his location. I could just scatter more scarlet orbs now, but I should just work with what I have right now. The fog should definitely stay for now, though. The strategic value it provided here seems to be quite immense.

 

Not to mention, they can still be used to strengthen the barrier to withstand the incoming assault, which would be-

 

“AKH”

 

Yet, in an instant, all those tiny hopes and poor attempts at strategizing were swept away as a truly great force entered the fray.

 

As an Egyptian words of power was slowly pronounced, echoing out into the air, with it came an unimaginable surge in power from where Protheus was floating...no. Unimaginable couldn’t even begin to describe it, as within only a few moments of charging, it exceeded the limits of expectation.

 

This sheer amount, it couldn’t possibly be his, could it? No, even if he was indeed an immortal with accumulated abilities over many millennia, this much was beyond even him. This power, it was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. If there was any entity that contained this amount of energy, this number of threats and curses that had built up and up to the point of manifesting physically, how could they possibly continue on with their lives without being ripped asunder? How could any sole individual carry around such a thing without immediately ceasing to be?!

 

The very aura it emitted was destructive enough to kill an ordinary person, and the very air and ground, or to be more accurate, the very reality of the Pathway to Truth itself was shaking. As the fog thickened and the man himself became enshrouded in a darkness blacker than black, rising higher and higher into the sky, it was almost as if everything that had came before was a mere joke. Mere, harmless splashes in the water, compared to a gigantic tsunami that would come surging with indifference as to whoever happened to be involved. That was the difference.

 

“AMENTI”

 

It was not merely some silly few thousands remnants. Nor was it a million. A billion? Perhaps even more. It was not merely towns that had cursed him, it was not merely worlds, but endless universes that he had terrorized throughout his eternal life. The accumulated hate of all those whom had died in vain, cursing the name of ‘Protheus Maximus’ to their very last moments, only a small amount of which he was drawing from, that was where this came from.

 

There was only one thing that this could possibly be called. Not an event willed by man, but a ‘natural disaster’ that spelt the death of all those whom happened to have the misfortune of being involved with it. And even that wouldn’t even close to describe the scale of sheer force of it.

 

And standing there, in silence, Tenshi bore witness to the grand display of power showcased by Protheus, all thoughts of her feeble “plans” and preparations gone as she was taken aback by the sight. Even knowing that it was something that could easily kill her without much hassle, she couldn’t help but be awed by the roar of the purest form of energy that Protheus wielded. It was not something that any man was meant to possess, it was far from the scope of everything Tenshi had seen in the entirety of her long life. The pain, the hatred, everything that lingered from uncountable amount of his victims, every single one of it roared at her.

 

However, just as it seemed that everything was building up towards a terrible, irreversible event, just like that, it all ceased, as if it had just been a dream. The fog and the darkness vanished, the oppressive atmosphere disappearing in an instant, and there was the dark sorcerer in the grey sky, floating above Tenshi expressionlessly as he looked upon her, along with the entire land below. It was as if he were a god of judgment that had reached the end of his patience.

 

There was no maelstrom of negative emotions floating around anymore, but in its place was...silence. An utter silence without a single sound made, not unlike the slence of mourning for the dead.

 

Then, the entity called Protheus Maximus opened his mouth and,

 

“MAA-KHERU”

 

In a supermassive torrent of unbelievable energy, it all came rushing back, all the darkness and the hatred and the despair and the pain and the fear and the insanity and the hopelessness and the agony and the regrets and the screaming and the crying and the anger and the suffering and the grief and the sorrow and every curse that every individual throughout the past tens of thousands years in each sacrificed universe had directed towards Protheus himself, all of it, building in one place, one single designation from which a hurricane of negative emotions came crashing downwards, manifesting as visible, raging darkness...if it could even be called that, as it was more like a tear in reality itself being shoved downwards. The accumulated mass of all the curses, futile dark wishes that had yet to be realized, converted into its pure form like an atom released of its bonds.

 

 

This wasn’t merely random destruction… What could it be but death itself, having come about prematurely to consume all those predestined to cease existing?

 

There was no room to dodge for Tenshi. Seeing the attack, in an act of defiance towards what was seemingly her fate, she raised her sword up into the air, towards the overwhelming assault. She closed her eye, realizing that it would most likely be her end, as she uttered the last words of her final stand, seemingly not even fully conscious as she did so.

 

“Motherland, hear this prayer from deep inside my heart.

 

Lend me your power.”

 

Her words were faint, and whatever chance it had of being heard by anything was gone as it was drowned by the chaos coming at her. Yet, in a split second, the power lying dormant inside of the land gathered at the tip of Tenshi’s sword, just as Protheus’s assault made contact with it. Cracks started forming at the floating land above her as the spirit that kept them intact slowly dissipated, rushing straight towards her sword.

 

Yet it was still definitely not enough as the assault pierced it with little problem.

 

“Heavens, listen to this plea of your dying daughter.

 

Bless me with your grace.”

 

From the limitless sky below her and above the pathway, a grand, continuous stream of temperaments gathered into her sword as it continuously faced the endless burst of destructive force coming from Protheus. The infinite sea of cloud below her disappeared as scarlet orbs when they were gathered into her sword, leaving Tenshi and Protheus alone on a completely empty sky devoid of any movements.

 

The sword started to crack.

 

“Heaven and Earth, with them at my side, this is my declaration.

 

The word of this world is ‘scarlet’.”

 

Life. Whether it was the trees, fairies, and other creation of the pathway that was infused with something similar to ‘life’, their life forces were completely drained in a flash by her. They dropped dead, wither, and crumble as she did so. She made sure that she didn’t touch any of the other members of Divines or Counter Corps or anyone near them in the meantime to avoid creating unnecessary conflicts in the future. Even if there would be no future for her after this.

 

Her own body started to crack from the force as her sword’s blade dissolved into the chaotic pool above her.

 

“Tempest of Heaven and Earth: Scarlet Sky Rhapsody of All Creation!”

 

And lastly, the final push against the attack happened. This time, it was not coming from her, her surrounding, and not even the pathway itself.

 

The last push was coming from the entirety of the malice aimed at her itself.

 

As her spell card was fully declared, the grand attack that was meant to erase her from existence seemingly stopped cold, as a growing scarlet beam shone held it back. No, 'ate' was a more correct word to denote what happened.

 

It was perfectly clear that tanking the attack would be useless. Overpowering it was completely impossible. A direct hit would simply mean death. Tenshi’s last hope lied in attempting to harness its power against itself. Even as the purest form of energy, traces of its source still lingered on it, as if it was something akin to a fingerprint. The malicious emotions that were aimed of Protheus, the ghosts and remnants of his sins, everything still lingered. With that realization, Tenshi knew that she had the chance of doing it.

 

The beam, starting out being miniscule compared to the burst stream of destruction it faced, grew and grew in size as it systematically consumed Protheus’s onslaught and incorporating everything from it into itself.

 

Rage.

 

Pain.

 

Sorrow.

 

Every emotion, coming together. Shooting towards the same place, towards Protheus.

 

“...”

 

Watching as the beam came towards him, tearing through the very hurricane of darkness it had came from, he understood that there was no chance of him being able to dodge it. His position was locked, after all. The spell he had cast just now, ‘The Truth of Souls Upon Death’, was meant to be an attack that brought upon a certain death unto all those whom happened to be within its range - as it was all the hatred and curses directed at him, redirected onto someone else.

 

No lone being was capable of simply avoiding it. Even the strongest of the strongest could not possibly come out without being weakened.

 

And yet… This...this little girl dared to try and use it against him?!

 

As a scarlet array of light came shooting back towards him, despite his pride telling him that he was capable of tanking it and that he should continue until that girl had been utterly torn apart by it, Protheus followed his better judgment, releasing his hold on the flow of energy so he could force himself to move out of the way. And it was just in time too, as it immediately surged past him afterwards, rising higher and higher until it exploded against the ground above with an incredible amount of energy, leaving a gaping hole in its wake as it continue to shoot upwards, without anything being able to stop it.

 

Meanwhile, the colossal darkness that had been moving downwards had abruptly broken apart and scattered throughout the sky in an instant.

 

Now, now he understood what that energy she kept using was. It wasn’t anywhere near what he himself was capable of, but it was still life essence. This was the second time he’d encountered such a user in the past few days of the Origin War, and truly, what horrible luck. If he hadn’t let go in time, he would’ve very well been annihilated, and in the Pathway to Origin, that would’ve...

 

“Unforgivable.” He muttered under his breath.

 

Her state had deteriorated to such that she no longer possessed a tenth of the energy she once had, yet the very feat she'd accomplished annoyed him deep down. He only had two more uses of the technique and had no intention of using it a second time on her. True, she had survived, but it wasn't worth wating any more energy than needed. This was an unexpectedly challenging battle, but the end was close, and he would need to save up should he encounter truly stronger opponents in the future.

 

“I…I did it?”

 

Even with her managing to utilize the attack against Protheus, it was clear that Tenshi was still just barely surviving it. The force knocked her back far below, and she was even forced to summon a keystone under her just to avoid herself from continuing her fall, since she was too exhausted to even float by herself. She was still for the most part, completely drained. Even her sword that formed itself once again, not losing any of its golden luster, couldn’t help the reality that she was facing. Sooner or later, Protheus would realize this fact, and she was perfectly aware that she'd have no chance if she was attacked during this moments of weakness. There was only one way left for her to survive.

 

Her ‘Scarlet Sky Rhapsody’ scattered a staggering amount of temperaments on its wake, and even that were just a small fraction of what was left after the attack, since most of it had dissipated into nowhere just moments ago, burned out into nothingness.

 

Right now, at this point, even with her knowing the risks, even with her knowing what would happen to her if she did so, even with her knowing what lie inside those scattered scarlet orbs, she knew that they were her last hope if she would want to have any other results other than her demise.

 

“Gather.”

 

Weakly, she raised her left arm into the air, as every single one of the last remnants of the temperaments around her gathered towards her, encasing her body in a scarlet aura as she did so.

 

“Temperament: State of Enlightenment!”

 

The aura was then completely absorbed by Tenshi’s body as she stood up, the wounds she suffered rapidly closing in the meantime. Her sword’s luster became brighter, even brighter than it ever had been before, as if it actually reacted to Tenshi’s second wind with a sadistic glee.

 

Tenshi, who now stood firmly as if she didn’t almost get herself obliterated a mere minute ago, emanated something...different from her body. An aura full of spite, yet at the same time, echoes of her own determination could be sensed from it. The “her” of now was completely dissimilar from the “her” that was there moments before.

 

Yes, it was perfectly, completely clear that something…odd was going on with her. Her lone, crimson eye was completely empty even as she stared at Protheus above her, and if one decided to look closer, they would realize that her body was less completely rejuvenated and more being turned into a lifeless puppet that moved solely by the directions from something else entirely.

 

Her expression was strangely serene as she pointed her sword at Protheus, issuing a challenge. The cautionary approach she had been using before disappeared without a trace. Even when she could get completely hotblooded at times, the serene lack of regard to herself when she challenged him was completely different from her recklessness before.

 

While the man himself wasn’t entirely sure what she’d just done, it was fairly apparent by then that she’d undergone some sort of mental transformation. In other words, a desperate attack on her part, in a final attempt to take him down before he could prepare. Now that he’d worked out the mechanic behind her scarlet energy, there was nothing much left for her, after all.

 

“Hmph.” Holding his katana out in front of him, he started to rise up through the hole, as if beckoning her to follow, and then landing back onto the ground shortly before it closed up. If such an inferior insect truly believed that she could take him on in close combat, then he may as well let her try. This should be a ground fight, where he would remain with the greatest advantage.

 

No matter how talented she was or how many abilities she had, her physical capacity and level of perception were nowhere near enough for her to deal with Impure Future. Without leaving room for any more ridiculous, cliché comebacks, he would end her here and now.

 

“You may have escaped death once, but the result of this battle has already been predetermined. All that is left...is for the cause to take place.”

 

“S̘̅̇ͪͨ͌͌ͅO̡̤͛ͥ͒̒̇̿̐ ̨̭̠̙͍̱̏̓̔ͧ̋B̼͚̳͕̖̗̈̈͞E̞͈̙̹̱͙͛̔̑͡ ̠̤͚̣̟͖͠I̺͇ͮ̾͌ͣT̠̰̜̻̐͘.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Arturia Pendragon w/ Neos ~

The Pathway to Death [A8]

 

"N- Neos...?!"

 

While he looked perfectly normal on the outside, it wasn't too hard for her to see how he'd worn himself out after having managed to save her from the Origin Bullet. The Ditto had grasped at what little resemblance the Pathway's darkness had to his own power, and used it to intercept the attack - on its own, it was truly an impressive feat, but no surprise to see how hard it affected him either. The timing had been so right that he couldn't have just stumbled on them, and there was a fair chance that he'd been observing them beforehand. If so, how much had he heard?

 

But that was a matter for later, since more importantly, they would have to deal with the man standing before them first. Summoning her strength, Arturia held her sword high yet again.

 

Not too far away, the man wearing a trenchcoat frowned at the new arrival, keeping a firm grip on his gun. "I'm not surprised. How much did he put into that attempt to save you? If need be, I have no doubt that these Counter Corps of yours would throw their own lives away for you-"

 

Just as Kiritsugu reached into his pocket and was about to reload the Thompson Contender with another Origin Bullet, the former king burst forth and slashed at him in an attempt to slice his arm off, though he managed to evade it in time with another 'Time Alter - Double Accel'. It was a magecraft technique of his that allowed him to move at double speed, though at the cost of having his body take the strain afterwards, which prevented him from keeping it active at all times. But even then, for some reason, his base level seemed physically stronger than that of a normal human.

 

...Could it be related to how he happened to be here, and how he knew about the secret regarding her mission as a Counter Guardian? Actually, now that it had occurred to her as a possibility, it was obvious as to who this man was. A specter, brought forth by the Pathway to Death to test her. In other words, a meaningless obstacle put there to slow her down from reaching the end.

 

Before she could go in pursuit of him, another series of explosions happened all around them, various bombs hidden around the corridor having been detonated to slow her down. Unsure about whether or not Neos still possessed the strength to defend himself, she closed the distance between them with a single leap and then proceeded to manipulate the air, accelerating them until they became strong, spinning winds that formed a barrier around the duo, holding back the explosions.

 

"Are you unharmed?" Arturia asked once they'd all ceased, the barrier dispersing back out into air.

 

As it did so, it revealed that their surroundings had been scarred, filled with cracks, flames, and smoke. Just how many explosives had their opponent planted to cause this much destruction? No doubt he'd hidden himself amongst the smoke, and now that she had an ally by her side, the chances of another direct assault like before were slim.

 

"If it is fine by you and you still have your strength, then I would like to request your aid, Neos." She informed him, readying herself for battle again. It was plain that, in order to reach the end of Death, they would have to advance on through these flames and confront the enemy that had challenged them. "That man is called Emiya Kiritsugu. I don't have much time to explain, so here. He's a twenty-first century mage killer with the power to speed up time for himself. He mainly uses guns, and a direct shot from that weapon earlier will permanently cripple anyone with magical energy."

 

Then before the Ditto could respond, Arturia decided to add in one last thing.

 

"Oh and...thank you for earlier."

 

Although, even as she prepared for another clash against Kiritsugu, there was a small feeling at the back of her mind that she couldn't shake off. If that man had been brought forth for her, then shouldn't that mean that someone should also appear for Neos too? In which case, how would they factor into the upcoming battle? It seemed as though things were going to be tough up ahead.

[Dad]

Kratos and Revy, Pathway to Death

 

It was a lengthy path.  Kratos was carrying Revy still.  Any hindrance could potentially be fatal.  The explosion that Wesker left behind managed to just stir Revy, bringing her back to consciousness as Kratos raised his wings from around them.  Looking behind him, his Spartan brothers lowered their shields, and began to return to the dead.  Now, Revy turned her face to Kratos, who was looking straight ahead, marching still.  His face was expressionless, almost as though he knew this was going to happen.

 

 

---

 

 

Moments before battling Wesker . . . 

 

"Something is wrong," he said clenching his chest.  On the other side of the bridges, he could feel a twinge in his heart.  It pained him greatly, and Kratos could feel a force tugging at him, on the opposite side of the bridge.  Then, he could suddenly see her face, clearly in his mind.  "Revy."  He bolted, dodging and weaving past the many spirits that were alerted to his presence.  Drawing his Blades of Fury, Kratos leaped, but missed the other side of the bridge.  He dug into to the cliff side, and slid, down into the blackness.  But he was not done.  Not now.  He climbed, faster, and with more determination than when he climbed out of the claws of Hades itself.  He climbed, with an intent so strong, that his scar burned, literally burned light into the shadow, lighting his way to the top.  He climbed faster, faster, and leaped high, digging his Blades of Fury into the cliff side and propelling himself into the air.

 

When he landed, he could feel the burning rage, the burning obsession he had suddenly drawn over this woman.  He was in love again.  Kratos' feet burned now as well, and so did his wings.  With his body ablaze with passion, fury, and angst, he burst into the newly manifested second floor of the Pathway to Death's stone tower, to rescue Revy.

 

 

---

 

 

She stared at him for a moment, until he looked down at her.  She turned her head back behind him, her face flush with red.  Kratos smiled, bobbing Revy slightly as to get her attention.  "Are you alright?" he asked finally.  The jolt made Revy turn her head back to him.  Begrudgingly, she replied.  "Yeah, thanks.  You wanna put me down?  I think I can walk."  Kratos declined.  "Not with a broken leg and shattered ribs, you can't."  Revy raised her head to examine herself.  He was right.  Revy's leg was clearly shattered in more than one place.  Placing her hand over her abdomen and applying very minimal pressure, she winced.  Her ribs were broken.  "You been feeling me up?" she questioned to Kratos aloud.

 

Kratos glared at her, but smiled anyway.  "No.  I could read your injuries simply by picking you up." 

 

As they continued down the tunnel, Kratos had an obnoxious feeling.  He felt like he was being followed.  He was correct.  The shadow he had dueled on the previous pathway had followed him onto Death.  It was true for Kratos, that old saying.  'Your greatest enemy, is yourself.'  However, this was not a battle Kratos felt like he had to conquer once more.  He had already seen victory, and it had not faltered.  "Hold on to me," Kratos said to Revy.  "Wha--hey!"  They began blazing down the end of the tunnel, as Kratos' shadow chased them furiously.  Unfortunately for the shade, Kratos was much too fast.  Ending this portion of the pathway without a hitch, Kratos walked carefully outside towards a lamppost.  Looking around, Kratos examined the area carefully, still carrying Revy in his arms.  That's when she noticed it.  Kratos was no longer covered in ash.  Now, Revy attempted to thank Kratos properly.

 

She raised a hand, and grabbed his chin, forcing Kratos to look her in the eyes.  "What is i--" and she kissed him, passionately.  Kratos did not resist, and took to the ground with Revy.  Gently, he lay her back against a lamppost, as their embrace ended.  "Thanks, big guy.  You uh, cut it kinda close there.  How did you know where I was?"

 

"I had a feeling.

 

Something pointed me in your direction, and I am grateful for it," he said proudly.  

 

Revy sat up as straight as she could, still in pain.  "Ugh, this sucks," she said holding her stomach.  

 

"Try not to move much.  You will need time to heal."

 

"Yeah no kidding.  But I can't just sit here either.  I still have one more path to do," she said groaning.  "No way I can do it like this.  The hell am I gonna--"

 

"We will wait," Kratos said placing his back on the same lamppost.

 

"You can't just stay here with me, you've got--"

 

"I've got time, Revy."

 

"What about your next path?  Your universe?"

 

"My next path, I'm sure will not be changing.  As for my universe," he said staring at her.  "It's right here."  Revy embraced Kratos again, and she lay atop him under the lamp light.

 

Ending Location:  A 11

 

 

---

 

 

Kenpachi and Yachiru, Pathway to Truth

 

The world around them shook with power, and Kenpachi stumbled over the edge of the wooden corridor.  Thee was a sudden burst of shadow and darkness erupting from further down the pathway, and life around them died in it's presence.  Landing on his feet Kenpachi observed the area, while Yachiru landed onto his back, as they now stood on glass bridges.  "What the hell was that?" he said aloud.  Yachiru was preoccupied, however, with a disturbing, and familiar sight.  Turning her head ever so slightly to her right, not far from them, she could see in clad armor, a being they had not seen in a long time.  Yachiru grasped the back of Kenpachi's head, and turned it in that direction.  "Uh, Kenny. . .?"  Kenpachi clawed Yachiru off of his head, until he saw what she was looking at.  "Is that--"

 

"An Arrancar."

 

 

---

 

 

???

 

Materializing once more, from a slither of splattered dna, he limped into the shadows to recover.  "Magic.  I should have known," he said furiously.  He snarled, grasping clumsily at the wall.  "Oh, when I get my hands on them again.  I will kill them.  All of them."

[Tesability Black]

~??? - Path of Death - ???'s POV~

It can be confusing being in two places at once, especially when normally one shouldn't be able to. However, the Door of Origin bids that I be so and so I am on both the Path of Truth and techinically within two spots upon the Path of Death at the same time. When needed, it can change the rules of its own realm.

Not that I'm bothered by this. Seeing the coward that is the Artifact of the Divine being sent back beyond the mirror of the Path of Truth to avoid a potentially-fatal fate and the chance to deliver a brutal amount of torture to my counterpart is worth being the Door's puppet for the moment.

At least until I can claim the body for myself from said counterpart...it's possible I may have to do something about that idiot Omni upon Truth's path, however...though it makes me wonder if the Path has a voice perceptible to the telepath's fragile mind...

The being beyond the edge of the darkness was perfectly content to watch the show infront of it, eyes unaffected by the eternal starless night of the Path. The humanoid shape within the black sat upon the ground cross-legged, as if unconcerned about what could possibly happen, with its hands out toward the fight to be as if pulling the strings of a puppet. The only true indicator one could get to realize something was there was the pair of faint red glowing dots that were positioned like eyes. A single line was whispered into the darkness, though he doubted anyone could hear, even the Ditto.

"Tick, tock, don't let stop the clock..."

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

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

He could have endured the explosions. After having been on the recieving end of several Izzet inventions going 'boom' in his face on several occasions, it had been something he had long since learned how to recover from.

However, even he would have been a few levels of deeply-crispy after this chain of explosions.

Crossing his arms in front of his face and bracing himself for the impact to come, he soon realized that, instead of explosions, he felt the winds gusting around him in the form of a whirlwind.

"Are you unharmed?" Neos lowered his arms to see the winds dying around him and Arturia standing next to him, causing him to take a step back before he realized what he was doing.

"If it is fine by you and you still have your strength, then I would like to request your aid, Neos."

"You're talking to someone that has more than one ace up their sleeve, Arturia," he almost-instantly quipped before readying himself for combat, taking up a fighting stance that should hopefully get him closer to the asshat that tried to assassinate the Counter Guardian. Arturia seemed to mirror him in her own way, though her stance was more suited for sword-fighting than his unarmed combat.

"That man is called Emiya Kiritsugu. I don't have much time to explain, so here. He's a twenty-first century mage killer with the power to speed up time for himself. He mainly uses guns, and a direct shot from that weapon earlier will permanently cripple anyone with magical energy."

Before he could respond, Arturia added quickly one more statement. "Oh, and...thank you for earlier."

"Just don't expect me to pull that again anytime soon," Neos remarked with a serious tone before stomping the ground below as his outline became hazy to the appearance. Almost immediately did five images of the brightly-colored false human ran in differing directions at rapid speed, the darkness of the path disallowing the ability to tell which was the real one and the earlier use of Agility still affecting the doubles' speed after trying to disappear into the black of the path. Even looking at the jewel that normally hung around the original's neck would give no clue as to the original, since they all shone with the same dim brightness.

 

"And as for you, a******, I have a problem with people executing others in general," Neos belted out toward Emiya, the voice sounding as if it came from multiple directions at once.

He knew his own foe would show up soon, but if it was who he thought it was, he already knew that bastard would be more than willing to wait his turn.

 

He didn't know, however, that his doubles had solidified after splitting due to an outside source...

[Gαr]

Gon, Path of Remembrance D1.5

 

Gon couldn't get Killua out of his head. Why was he trying to get his best friend in the whole world out of his head? Gon had a happy life before becoming a Hunter. He also had a happy life when he met Killua and became a Hunter, but his best friend was one thing and his own life was another. He wanted Killua out so he could think about why he was also thinking about his childhood on Whale Island. Gon sneezed, giving him a moment of relief of his thoughts, causing to remember he was in the middle of snow."I hate the snow, especially the cold part."

 

Gon took a step and landed on some hard. He dug through the snow in order to pull out a Hunter's License. Not just any license, Ging's Two Star License. Gon tucked the license in has back pocket when he heard his name being called. He felt a tingle of electricity go down his spine and before he could respond, he was tackled by his best friend. The rolled through the snow, slammed into a tree and had more snow fall on them. They ended up in the form of a snowman, with Gon being in the lower part. Killua helped him up, saying hello like they hadn't seen each other in a while. Any time they were separated felt like forever. Gon shook the snow out of his shorts and slapped Killua's shoulder. "Good to see you, too, buddy. Let's get going."

 

Gon strolled into the forest, not thinking about what the forest held for him or Killua. He was just glad he could face it with his friend.

 

Ed and Elsa, Path of Remembrance B8 → B9

 

Elsa wondered about Ed’s past, but she knew better than to pry. Ed was always so stoic but somehow lighthearted. Elsa wanted to know what made this man tick. First, he gives her his coat with no warning, then he reveals that he was an orphan and had his village destroyed because of a hybrid. Elsa thought that Ed was implying that he was the hybrid. She wondered what he meant by hybrid. Ed marched forward like nothing happened. His body language gave nothing about him away, but his face surely did. He had such a bitter and sharp look on his face that Elsa was worried he might snap and cut something with his swords.

 

“Want to talk about it?”

 

“No.” He said his response rather harshly, almost spitting it out. It probably came out harsher than he meant to as his face softened and tried to look away.

 

“We’re on the Path that brings up the past, I’m going to see things about you and think about them whether you like it or not.”

 

“Why don’t we talk about you then.” Elsa recoiled at that comment. Ed pressed on. “Or better yet, why don’t we just wait until the end of all of this to show our souls to each other.”

 

Ed’s comment stuck in her mind. She was also on this Path and her past was going to be revealed, too. Just what part of her past, Elsa didn’t know. Almost on cue, they both. They came across a ship. And not just any ship, a ship from Arendelle. The sails were torn to shreds and the hull was falling apart. Elsa recognized it immediately. She created a set of stairs that lead to the ship’s deck and bolted up them. She ran across the deck, frantically searching through anything she could find. She even went below deck, searching every room, almost tearing the rooms apart. “They must be here. The must be here somewhere…” She chanted to herself while rifling through debris. She searched every part of the ship she could, trying to find her parents. She didn’t care that they would be corpses, she just wanted to see them one last time that wasn’t in a painting. She went back up to the deck and tried to search the debris again, but she just collapsed in frustration. She cried and pounded her fists on the deck.

 

She hated this ship. She hated it, hated it, hated it. It took her parents away from her when she needed them most. She hated her parents for leaving her when she needed them most. She hated everything that left her and made her into the self-deprecating person she is. She kept pounding the deck until she broke through. That brought her piss to a boil. She stood up and the already cold air became even colder. The storm around the ship thickened. She blasted the ship with wide arcs of ice and show. She arced her arms around the ship with continuous streams of ice, freezing the entire ship. She commanded the icy winds to carry her back to the ground while she continued moving her arms, wrapping the frozen ship in its own ice and hailstorm. Elsa raised her arms, raising the swirling mass of wind and ice off the ground. She compressed the mass as much as she could and slammed into the snowy ground.

 

The sphere exploded into a beautiful array of ice and wood, tapering into a spire. She straightened herself and let out a very depth breath. “I’m getting real funking tired of this emotional sheet.” It wasn’t very queen like of her to swear, but she needed to get that out. She turned to Ed, who stood in awe. She was glad he wasn’t looking at her in horror like she was a monster, but she was still pissed about his aggressive comments. “You still want to know about my past?”

 

“After that intense emotional display, now more than ever.”

 

Elsa still wanted to punch him, but she understood where he was coming from. Elsa had her parents for time, a time she was never able to appreciate, and lost them. Ed never had that, he could even had loved then lost. Elsa’s loss of her parents wasn't her fault, but for Ed, it was his fault, and he silently blamed himself for it, never confronting it or talking about it until now.

 

“Let’s just get out of this snowstorm.” Now she was the bitter one.

 

It wasn’t long before they got out of the storm. It felt like the snow had started thicken after the ship, probably from the increased tension between the people who lived and breathed ice. The sudden change in environment took both of their breath’s away and made them choke temporarily, mainly because the snowstorm was sucking the air out there lungs and suddenly they could breathe normally again like they were deepthroating they man and he decided to pull out at the last second. For a moment, Ed forgot about everything. He stood at the shore, staring into the night sky. Ed lived for things like this. He loved the quietude of nature, the majesty of the sky, the tranquility of the lake. For the first time in a while, Ed actually missed Lath. Sure, it was destroyed at the moment because screw the multiverse, but the memories of the place still existed. This whole Path reminded him of northern Lath.

 

Ed looked happy for a change, but Elsa wasn’t feeling it. The place looked nice, certainly. The beautiful night sky was not quite cutting it for Elsa. All it did was conjure up memories of isolation. Staring through the window of her frozen room at the night sky, making her feel alone, even with Anna’s occasional knocking. But looking back, during that time, Elsa learned a little bit about self-love.

 

“I could freeze the water so we could get across.”

 

“So could I, but I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’ve learned not to trust the water or anything for that matter while I’ve been around this.”

 

“How do we get across this lake then?”

 

“My best bet would be on one of these boats.” Elsa turned to see Ed walk over to a wooden boat and place his foot on it. She looked past him to see some more boats further down the snowy beach.

 

“Alright, but I’m rowing.”

[Reinforce]

Chandra

Pathway of Truth: C6

 

Chandra could only watch on in disgust and horror as the Neos lookalike forcefully kissed her fellow planeswalker. What happened next was even more disturbing, a black mist seemed to rise out of his mouth, and condense together to form what appeared to be a clone of Jace, albeit a version wearing a black cloak instead of Jace's blue cloak. With original stumbling back away from the copy and falling back to the field of trees, it seemed like it would be up to her to take care of both the clone and the shapeshifter.

 

"You almost had me convinced you wanted to help us too, until that last bit anyway. Well, I'd say it's just about time you and your friend there stopped blocking our path."

 

As she spoke, Chandra's power flared up once more, fire burning in both hands as she prepared a spell. Whatever the spell was, it never reached completion, as a burst of fire from nearby interupted her, originating from a figure nearby, dressed in a medieval set of armour and a gas mask on the face. 

 

"Another fighter, this place is getting too damn crowded."

 

With a sudden movement, Chandra reached down, placing both hands on the ground as a sudden burst of mana flowed into the earth beneath her. Without stopping for a moment, a second surge of mana summoned a phoenix, which she promptly jumped onto, leaving the ground for her spell to affect. On the ground she'd just left, a rumble started as the ground shook, quickly building up into a minor earthquake, beginning to rip apart the ground in a radius around her. Across from her, the masked fire mage jumped into the air, wings made of fire appearing out of it's back, holding the mage into the air as the earthquake rippled through the land around her.

 

Ending Location: Still C6

 

---

 

Ayame

The White Room

 

Walking forward, the half-demon approached the path she feared the most, opening the door with the sword firmly resting on it's face. Discomfort seemed to fill her as she walked through the wooden corridor, advancing quickly to the windy day, and the glass bridge and grass fields in front of her. As she started to walk across the field, what seemed to be fairies crowded around her, asking questions as they waited for her to acknowledge them. 

 

"Who are you?" "Why did you come here?" "Why do you want to deny reality and access the door?"

 

The questions fell unanswered, as Ayame walked on through the fields, fast approaching the mirror ahead.

 

Ending Location: Pathway of Truth - A4

 

---

 

Darcy

The White Room

 

Once she'd reached the starting room once more, Darcy stopped for a brief rest to recover from her last fight, before advancing on to the next door. Looking between her choices, she eventually decided on the door with the baby on it, walking through into a field of deep snow, the Pathway of Remembrance. Slowly advancing through the snow, Darcy found an old artefact among the snow that had lost it's use and value, a broken and old copy of her Vacuum, the artefact she'd once needed as a crutch to help her magical abilities and to control the Dragon's Flame the first time she and her sisters had acquired it. Leaving it behind, the dark witch moved on, up to the stone pillars leading out into a larger open space.

 

Ending Location: Pathway of Remembrance - E1-2

[Dad]

Killua, Pathway to Remembrance

 

Killua was very happy to be alongside his comrade again.  And now, at last, he was able to ask Gon the question he wanted to.  "Do you think Arthuria was right?" he said solemnly.  "When she said our universe may no longer exist?"  They had just stepped inside the forest, and Killua was already contemplating what he would do if he had no home to return to.  "I mean, there was so much we haven't done."  Killua folded his arms behind his head, as he and Gon casually strolled through the freezing cold and snow.  Then, Killua's legs began to itch suddenly, making him looking down.  "The one time I regret wearing shorts," he said, annoyed.  Wiping the snow away from his legs, he revealed what appeared to be some kind of feelers

 

"Eh!?"  Killua jumped back, then kicked away the rest of the snow.  After uncovering this slump, Killua regretted it.  Beneath his feet now, lie the head of the Chimera Ant Queen.  He sighed, not wanting to relive the past.  "I hope there won't be much of this."

 

He reburied the queen's head in the snow, and leaped over it, continuing into the forest.  It was incredibly thick, and nearly impossible to see what was ahead.  Judging by the size of the trees here, climbing to the top would be a waste of time, because the canopy of the forest would mesh together, and cause more confusion.  "The first thing I'm doing when I get back," Killua said putting his arms behind his head again.  "Is taking that world trip with Alluka.  I don't think she would forgive me if I didn't come back," he said with a phony smile.  "I think I'll take her to Heaven's Arena, too.  She would like it."  Killua bobbed and weaved between trees, his head still in the clouds.  It was as though he was oblivious to the fact that Alluka, Illumi, Zeno, Silva, and the rest of his family--no, everyone he associated with, ever, with Gon being the obvious exception--was dead.  He remained hopeful.. Hopeful that he would see all of them again.  Hopeful that he would fight for Alluka, and break Illumi.  Hopeful that he would come across Zushi again, in a friendly sparring match.  Hopeful that Kurapika and Leorio had not changed.  But it was that ignorant hope that kept Killua from breaking.  "What about you Gon?

 

What are you gonna do if--when we get home?"

 

 

---

 

 

Dr. Nefarious, Inch of Will

 

He paced about the lounge.  After watching the various occupants off themselves by jumping into an unstable wormhole, Nefarious was curious to learn more.  What were their current coordinates?  What region of space was this?  If this truly was an alternate universe, and his own was gone, did that mean he could attempt to control the Great Clock again?  No, not with Ratchet and Clank around.  But perhaps there was a way he could at least observe the current struggles of the Lombax.

 

"LAWRENCE!!" he shrieked.  Appearing from thin air, the robot-in-tux appeared, regretfully.  "Yes, sir?"  "Is it possible that we could observe Ratchet and his friends as they go through these. . . pathways?  I'd like to witness his demise at least."  Lawrence sighed.  

 

"I'm not certain sir.  But perhaps, one of the experienced members of this ship can tell you."

 

"You think Kokonoe knows, do you?"

 

"It is possible, sir."

 

"Good.  I'll interrogate her myself."

 

Making his way to Kokonoe's laboratory, Doctor Nefarious barged in, and made his presence known.  "KOKONOE!!  I require your assistance," he shrilled.  "I wish to watch Ratchet and Clank di--I-I-I mean, er,fight, yes fight their way through this gauntlet.  So that when they FAIL--ehem, when they come to troubles, I may root for them," Nefarious said as Lawrence held up two tiny streamers behind Nefarious.  "Do you think it at all possible?" he asked as he stuck his head incredibly close to Kokonoe.

 

 

---

 

 

Wesker, Pathway to Death

 

His regeneration time had been cut to 1/4.  The magic of the blade that struck him still lingered.  Irritated, Wesker stumbled about, until he found the body of the tank that died first.  Ripping open the creature's chest, Wesker began to dissect the creature.  Removing one of it's 4 hearts, liver, a single lung, and parts of it's intestine, Wesker surgically inserted these parts into himself, to speed up his healing process.

 

Carefully, he sewed the organs into place using the plagas worm as a surgical knife, and strands from his shredded clothing for stitching.  First, the heart.  He had to increase blood flow drastically if he was going to actually regain his strength.  Replacing his own shattered heart, Wesker cautiously aligned the valves and pumps.  With a quick stitching, it was complete, and the heart began to beat properly.  Next, the liver.  Because blood flow had increased, Wesker could feel his face healing from the barrage of slashes he took.  Sliding open a large flap of skin, Wesker began to insert his new liver where the other no longer existed.  It was a simple operation, and went smoothly.  With the insertion of the liver, in addition to the virus that aided Wesker, he took a single needle from his jacket pocket and pumped an eerie blue liquid into his veins.  The combination of the three began to extract the magic from his system, allowing Wesker's regeneration to begin to return to normal.  

 

Next, the lung.  Wesker had lost one in the previous battle, so he went with this operation next.  The virus itself had begun to sew close the gaping hole in his body, and so Wesker simply held the lung over it's proper placement and allowed his virus to take hold of it, sewing it into place automatically.  Lastly, the intestine.  Thankfully, the virus had beat Wesker to the punch.  His own intestines had begun to regrow, and would develop over the next hour.  His wounds healed, Wesker watched the powerful magic that destroyed him, leak from his pores.  Reacting quickly, he grabbed a vial, and captured a large sum of it.

 

"I'll find a way to make use of this.  I'll show them true terror," he said to himself.

 

Ending Location:  E 8

[Love of Ghibli]

Butlerok: Path of Truth:

Butlerok had been walking down the path for quite a long time. Granted the scenery was definitely a nice change of pace from what he had been dealing with in terms of the whole deep dark hallway of nothingness that he had just overcome, but this pathway provided its own challenges. These challenges came in the form of these very annoying little sprite kins constantly pestering him with questions. And these weren't your usual questions these were some dark probing matters. What made things worse, was since he carried the souls of Genryuusai and Hades with him they would ask questions that only those two could answer. After a while it was just grating.

In the beginning, Butlerok didn't mind answering honestly so it he never truly realized that he couldn't lie. It was when the sprites started asking about Dorian is when he tried to guard his words though he would then realize that he couldn't do such things. At that point he just remained silent. Fortunately, Butlerok comes with his own counterweapon to the sprites. Ragnarok! The weapon took his chibi form and grew behind Butler shouting back and asking a multitude of questions getting nothing, but objective and blank response. Normally, moves would've been made to kill the creature, but they simply theorized that these little fairies are simply part of the path. Thus like every other construct in this path they do not possess a soul that can devoured and nourished upon. Therefore; Ragnarok proceeded to spend his part of the journey lambasting the fairies.

Butler was walking in the forest when a familar scent wafted pass his nose. He came to a full stop and looked in all directions. I SMELL IT! I KNOW I SMELL IT! Ragnarok shouted. Butler looked around as he too actually smelt something. It was smell of food. The smell of a good, pure and strong soul. Could this be a construct of the path? Butler asked out loud icidentally. No, that is another one of you adventures who are currently traveling down this path. What? He simply replied to the sprite kin that floating above him. All members of the Counter Corp and Divine walk down the same paths. Meaning you are all at some point likely to run into each other.

Butler didn't waste another second. After speed blitzing to be near the same area as these floating glass bridges Butler & Ragnarok looked on as they saw the man with the little pink girl on his back. Hey baldy look its... Kenpachi Zaraki.

Ending Location: Wherever Kenpachi is...

 

Rhadamanthys: Path of Truth:

 

Loud roars/yawns could be heard as the one of the three judges of Hell could be seen flying through the woods suffering from that immense of problems known as bordem. Quite as it was kept while that last battle was definitely personal for him it was blood-pumping. He longed for that kind of battle again. But what did this path have for him. Nothing. It just kept providing nice scenery and annoying fairy creatures that kept trying to ask him questions. Unlike Butlerok, Rhadamanthys just senselessly slaughtered all of the fairies that were in his way. It wasn't that the questions were to prying it was just that he was in battle mode. He wanted to hurt something.

He used his cosmos to hopefully see if he could find something worth his time. He actually saw something though. It appeared to be woman. Of course surrounded by more sprites. Rhadamanthys literally flew through the fairies...killing them effortlessly and landing opposite of Ayame. He looked this woman up and down, Rhadamanthys was slightly impressed. She didn't ooze power, but she had some sense of confidence. The question now was whether she was friend or foe. Well there was only one way to find that out.

Tell me woman, what side do you align yourself with?

 

Ending Location: A4

[Dad]

Kenpachi & Yachiru, Pathway to Truth

 

He stopped, not approaching the Arrancar any further.  Instead, Kenpachi was the one approached this time.  He heard his name behind him, and turned around slowly.  Yachiru peered over Kenpachi's shoulder, wondering what all the commotion was.  "Whozzat Kenny?"  He didn't reply, because he didn't have an answer.  Kenpachi stood still now, quickly realizing that these were more members of the Divine.  He hadn't crossed their paths physically, and no memory of them crossed his mind or Yachiru's.  "I'm not sure, but apparently he knows us," Kenpachi said at last.  Now things were taking a turn for the worse, as Kenpachi realized he was caught between not one, but two Divine members, taking note of the Arrancar over his shoulder.  Unsure of what approach to take, Kenpachi did not want to risk any further casualties, and began to back away slowly.   "Normally, I wouldn't run from a fight, outnumbered or not," he said to Yachiru.  "But I won't let you get hurt.  Not again."  Yachiru nodded, as she understood Kenny's predicament.  "Go, Kenny," she said softly at first.  "Go, Kenny!  Go, go!"  Kenpachi obliged, suddenly darting away.  If he could at least be down to one Divine, and not two, Yachiru would be fine.

 

He blasted his way down the pathway, leaping as high and far as he could.  However, as he drew closer to the center of the pathway, a sense of raw, evil, maniacal energy hit Kenpachi, causing him to stop where he was.  "You feel that Yachiru?"  She nodded over his shoulder.  Could this have been just another Divine member?  Or someone stronger?  Everywhere he turned, there were more Divine than before.  Kenpachi either had to blaze through this pathway, or fight through.  But judging by how much danger lie further ahead, than behind, dashing ahead was not an option.  Annoyed, Kenpachi turned back to see the Arrancar and other in the distance.  He was pinned between 3 members of the Divine.  But perhaps, if there were a gimmick in the pathway, some kind of more open field . . . 

 

He risked it.  Kenpachi bolted forth, leaping over a gaping hole in the field of the Pathway to Truth.  As he leaped, he could see a man and a girl he did not recognize.  One of them was the source of that intense energy he was feeling.  But he would not be willing to face it.  Not now.  He kept running.  It felt like an eternity trying to escape this hell.  Then, ahead of him, a black mirror that reflected the world around Kenpachi.  Or so he thought.  Without hesitating, Kenpachi leaped through the mirror, and crossed over into the reverse world of the Pathway to Truth.

 

Ending Location:  C6

 

 

---

 

 

Papa Legba

 

He was able to count the kills gone around on one hand.  But as he witnessed the death of Sephiroth, and the near death of Albert Wesker, Legba grew irate.  He had long since lost his patience, and erased Black Dynamite's soul completely.  Now, he was simply biding his time, before he could draw strength from a wish.  Fortunately for the demon, Wesker was growing desperate.  He would surely turn to Papa Legba for redemption, would he not?  He ran his bony fingers over a glass orb, and it's view marked Protheus.  "Ah, dis one," he said amused.  "Dey will have fun dealin' wit him," Legba chuckled.  That was when he got a sinister idea.  The longer the Counter Corps spent dealing with Protheus, the more he could collect.  With minor influence, Legba turned his attention back to Wesker, and planted an idea in his head.  And soon Wesker would hear the voices.  They would speak to him, and say, "give yourself away."  But to what, and for what purpose?

[Tesability Black]

~??? - Path of Truth - ???'s POV~

"I was wondering when you would show up," the suited stranger remarked toward the masked newcomer. "The Path certainly took its time with you."

He had only finished that statement when the ground quaked under himself and the shadowed double, though neither were shaken from their positions. The second quake that occured, however, nearly dissolved both of them, as if something was happening to the Path itself.

"Argh, that idiot Omni is going to destroy the land at this rate," he both growled and roared in unison before turning toward the mirror that the original mindmage had fallen through, shaking his head with closed eyes immediately. "Bah, I might as well pull the shards of that Spark my counterpart absorbed to form a new one, then." Raising his hands in front of him after reopening his red-irised eyes, he appeared to focus on the space between them, expecting something to appear.

And soon something did. It started as a brief flicker of faint blue, then a pair of flickers, then a small contained flash. However, the now-vivid blue light began to stabilize at its small size despite the minor electrical bolts that seemed to come off of it. "Huh, too few shards to create a proper-sized Spark. Ah, well, I have the template now, so I can probably..." The tiny sparking ball of vivid-blue began to spin with ever-increasing speed and generate more and more lightning-like bolts, the stranger gritting his teeth a bit as it began to enlarge slowly in size. A small sliver of red energy also emerged within the newly-formed Spark, making the stranger wonder for a brief second if it was his own energy creeping in, his counterpart having managed to taint the energy of this Spark or if the original is on the verge of tapping into Red mana as well.

He believed it was theoretically possible for a person to tap into another color of mana after enduring extreme amounts of emotional duress, with red usually being linked to intense insanity, but never found proof of the possibility...not that he was allowed to look to begin with.

Taking a few steps forward until he was right in front of the double, the stranger literally pushed the newly-formed Spark into it, whom momentarily glowed with the light of the new energy...

...then opened its yellow eyes to the world.

"Ah, finally." A devious smile forming upon his face as he leaned forward before placing his head beside the double's own. "Break him," he whispered into the shadow's ear. "Do not kill him, but make it so he won't be able to fight back. I have plans for him."

The shadow construct nodded in silent obediance before he leaned back, looking further down the path toward the utter disturbance he felt. "While I wish to eliminate that soul for his transgressions against Origin itself, I am needed upon another path." A faint smile crossed his face once more as a dark thought entered his thoughts. "I find it amusing how he has such a twisted sense of gratitude. One Omni saves his life twice and now he rebels against her father..." And with this, he vanished from view for the time being.

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

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

He finally sat up into a sitting position, his thoughts still trainwrecked by the earlier invasion of his mental privacy as a shudder overcame his body for a brief moment. That reversal of roles, was that was it was like when he could hear everyone else's thoughts growing up? Bringing his knees up to his forehead while wrapping his arms around them, he tried to steady his breathing as yet another shiver swept over him, prompting him to lower his head onto his knees to restabilize.

"Why am I here," he muttered to himself. He felt so out of place among everyone else, who knew why there were there, but he...

He didn't know his purpose here...

"So. Jace Beleren, are you willing to join the Divine?"

He couldn't help but tense up at the sudden voice in his head, though he almost-immediately relaxed himself, which was slightly surprising. It sounded like the voice was...concerned? Symapthetic? Worried?

However, he stopped any moving he was doing when he realized the question asked. He had been asked if he was willing to join the Divine? Why? He moved his arms from around his knees to bring his hands to the sides of his head at the building headache that was forming from all this. He should know the answer to that, people have always wanted to use him for his abilities, not because they wanted to be with him. For most people, he was a tool and nothing more...and it always hurt greatly.

Another question that comes to mind is...why did he want to hear the voice again?

"I'm sorry, man."

At this next voice, one he recognized, he knew had to get going. He could have sworn he had heard the voice of someone he knew, but why the apology? There was only one way to get that answer...

...he had to suck it up and endure what was beyond the mirror...but he didn't want to give that...thing...what was needed to get moving. He lifted his hands up toward the mirror, to brace himself for the pull that would follow, but at the last second, he lowered them and pulled back.

"I...I can't..."

"You must."

A small weight suddenly became felt upon his right shoulder, prompting Jace to turn his head toward the source to see what looked like his Cloud Sprite sitting upon his shoulder. "If you do not go through all three paths, you will die here and your soul will become erased." Jace paled at these words. "Then you will never be able to bring back the dead...including Kallist."

"Bring back the..." Another nod came from the little blue fairie, whom looked toward the mirror to see a corroded version of itself before looking back toward the mage.

"Courage is the ability to do what you need to do, despite the fear trying to hold you back from it. I can see all the questions you have in your eyes and there's only one way to get the answers. You may even be able to answer a few of your own beyond the mirror as well."

He lowered his head at these words, a shiver oversweeping him once more at the fact that as soon as he passed through the mirror, his thoughts would be exposed to all nearby.

He might just have to accept the Simic offer to perform the needed surgery to finally fixed this issue after this is all said and done.

Before he could give himself a chance to back out, Jace pushed through the mirror to appear upon the otherside, a slight headache forming for the briefest of moments as the Path surpressed the enchantment that had been keeping his thoughts in his own head when he did. The Sprite on his shoulder had now become a decayed version of itself, looking to have been dead for a couple of years, though it acted as if it was unharmed.

"I find it amusing how he has such a twisted sense of gratitude. One Omni saved his life twice and yet he rebels against her father..."

That pair of sentences, after he heard them, stopped all trains of thought due to confusion, a state he was starting to get rather-reacquainted with by this point, for a full minute except two questions.

What did he mean by 'saved my life twice'? And what's an Omni?

[Love of Ghibli]

Butlerok Pathway of Truth

Ragnarok and Butler were literally taken aback as they witnessed Kenpachi actually take flight and run away. Well that was certainly unexpected. Butler thought to himself. The Captain Commander definitely has a different mental image of the man. WHO FREAKIN' CARES!! Do not let the only meal that we've seen since we walked through those doors get away. Ragnarok said cartoonishly pulling on Butler's cheeks. Butler pulled out his Dessert Eagle and he shot Ragnarok in the face. As the cute creature reformed its face Ragnarok slithered back into Butler and the Kishin grew a pair of wings. The problem isn't just that he ran, its that he was a lot stronger than when I ate him. Sorry sir, this requires further study and knowledge. Butlerok took a kneeling stance and he took off like a rocket in the same direction as Kenpachi. Granted he left the Arrancar there by himself and he closed in on his target. 

At a distance Butlerok noticed that there was an abrupt pause in Kenpachi actions, then a sudden disappearance. This was the only thing that mattered though was that he not lose sight of his prey. That was until he arrived to the point where Kenpachi paused. Butlerok felt Protheus' energy and aura and needless to say he was impressed. And it looked like he was in direct combat with someone else. Well that was an amusing thought, who would actually try to challenge Protheus to some form of combat outside a construct of the path, because that is what they do...or something like that.  Well we have to go check it out. 

Temporarily leaving their hunt Butlerok flew over and watched the battle between Tenshi and Protheus roar on. Of course, Butlerok turned on his Alpha Stigma just so it would be easier to understand what is happening. What is happening though is that these two were throwing around power and life force like they were me-liable sources. It was hilarious though to watch the Rukh literally dance around all of these attacks and these two combatants. To watch as life be drained from the surrounding environment was slightly impressive. Maybe this was something that Kenpachi wanted as a way to buy time. Pretty smart if Butlerok must say so himself.

The fight took an amazing turn as it looked light Protheus got blasted out of existence. Butlerok tilted his head in slight amazement and disbelief. Though he turned to look back to the woman and she was clearly exhausted. Hey...Hey...Let's eat her! Ragnarok said revealing his chibi self. Wait its not over yet. Butler said as he pointed to Protheus flying in the air. Then he pointed back down as the female seemed to have undergone some kind of power-up. Everything was just getting more and more awesome. It seemed as if Protheus had decided to take things to some other kind of place where this would end in sword combat. Butlerok did his best to actually follow them and be in the distance so he could continue to spectate. 

Soooo anything good happen. A familiar voice said coming from behind Butlerok. He turned around to notice that Dorian has been floating in the sky for some time now. Young Master! Butlerok said once he turned around to bare witness to Dorian. Yeah to be quite honest I was wondering the forest being annoyed by fairies and then I got lost. Used cosmos and with that I saw the light show. Aaannnd I've been hiding in skies ever since. Fun part of being weaker than them.

 

Ending Location: C9