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

[Tesability Black]

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

For the next few minutes, there was silence among the odd trio as they walked forward. Even Jace wasn't really thinking about anything, which was strange, considering whom he was. Then again, those few minutes of silence probably helped with Chandra's own ability to think, not having to deal with wandering thoughts.

"Um, Jace?" A tiny voice became heard on his right shoulder as he felt a pair of infinitely-small feet kick into it lightly. As soon as he turned his head to get a better look, he remembered the tiny sprite that went through the mirror with him...and was more than a little shocked to see its zombified appearance.

"What happened to you?" It only shrugged.

"This is what all of us really look like, the other half is only a veil. Kind of ironic how even the Path of Truth lies about itself." At this point did the little thing look down and away, as if it was embarrassed by something. A brief moment passed before it looked back up, its little dots for eyes meeting Jace's huge blue eyes in comparison. "Would you really still help Lilliana Vess after how she played with your heart?"

Jace finally stopped walking, a deeply-wounded feeling suddenly emerging as the center of his chest started to literally hurt from the reminder of the cruel vixen that once had him wrapped around her fingers.

"...I do not know, nor do I wish to speak of that damned b**** any further," he said with a low tone and a lowered head before walking on with a now-heavy thump to his steps. "It's her own fault she made deals with demons," he grumbled faintly under his breath.

"Bottling your emotions won't help resolve them, you know..."

It wasn't long before they found themselves near the beginning of a short glassy path that led to a crystalline wall with an opening within it...

Ending Point: C10

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

[spoiler=About this particular round and its disconnect from the character sheet]This battle is gonna be more like an actual NetMonster battle instead of a traditional RP battle, which means I'm gonna be using the version of Tesability that I actually have on my computer. This means some of the moves are not gonna match her listed abilities. You can say I'm testing out how she may end up playing out in the possible future.

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

Soon after the sudden intrusion that saved Tesability's tail left, another barrier surrounded the trio as a whole. From the outside, the barrier glowed for a moment and vanished, allowing others to pass through it as if absolutely nothing was there, not even the ones within it. From the inside, however...

...the scene changed to accomadate the pair that would soon fight.

The place surrounding them appeared as a city tinted with various colors of green, one destroyed a long time ago by corrosion and lack of care. There were various sorts of other beings here, a few of them being humans, but a good number of them being various creatures, even a dog and a few robots, all of them unaffected by the green tint.

Absolutely no one took notice of a dragon, a human and a strange floating orb of red and yellow suddenly appearing in the middle of the empty street.

"Wait, is this what the YCMaker forum looks like," Talen asked in curiosity after seeing a few of the nearby wanderers. "Alright, Tes. I don't think I have to tell you what to do," Talen calmly stated after she turned back to face the pair, her own gaze focused upon the orb of red, blue and yellow. "Blast that virus back out of existance."

"Pointless..." Tesability pulled her head back from her once-battle-ready stance in shock as Talen took a step back herself.

"It's never spoken before," the human shouted in shock at the sole word.

"Everything...will...decay... Will...fall... Will...die..."

"NU DEY WOWN'T!" Her fangs sparking with electricity, Tesability jumped forward into the air towards the orb, opening her mouth wide as she quickly closed the gap between the two. However, she didn't get to do what she wanted to do.

Instead, she felt something invisible wrap around her middle before throwing her down into the ground hard, causing her to bounce off it several times before finally skidding to a halt. "Owie..."

"What was that?!" With her sudden outburst did Talen clap her hands together in front of herself before seperating them, summoning a black screen in front of herself. Within less than a second did she pull up the log of the started fight when she saw six lines in the bottom half of the screen.

Dragons fearlessly battle mages...
Thunder shocks Phantom...
Tesability attacks Nemesis with ThunderChomp...
It is extremely weak against this attack!! 0 damage!!
Nemesis used Suplex...
87 damage!!

"When did Nemesis get Suplex?"

Tesability peeled herself off the ground before turning to face the orb, though she had no idea if it was actually facing her or not. Stretching out her wings, she tried to charge the falsely-passive foe once more as the air around her began to form into a cyclone before compressing themselves into an orb in her open maw which she tried to unleash it upon Nemesis as a form of breath attack. Once again, she failed to hit it, her muzzle forcibly turned to one side before being thrown again to one side.

Tesability attacks Nemesis with Enraged Gusts...
0 damage!!
Nemesis used Suplex...
68 damage!!

A growl leaving her throat, Tesability picked herself off the ground once more and let out a loud roar, triggering the barking of a nearby dachshund as she did. Her body began to glow brightly as some of the scarring that was starting to show from data becoming brused and sliced into began to repair itself, though it wasn't a full heal.

Tesability uses MegaHeal...
Tesability regains 112 Life Points!!

"All...will...cease..."

Soon the buildings began to shake, almost causing Talen to fall over onto herself, though Tesability immediately jumped up and stayed above the ground with her wings. Bits and pieces of many of the timeworn buildings became pulled away before becoming sent flying towards the now-airborne NetMonster, pummelling her and tossing her about in the air as the shards made impact.

Nemesis attacks Tesability with Avalance...
It is extremely weak against this attack!! 137 damage!!

"Tes," Talen started to say as she steadied her footing, taking a second to look at the floating screen in front of herself before looking back towards the combat scene itself. "This is gonna be one nasty fight..."

Ending Point: A8 (within a pocket dimension)

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

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

Having taken the needed minute to recover from the absolute shock of being rudely awaken by his darker half, Neos was already back to walking towards the exit of the path, his nerves still shaking heavily from the news he got earlier.

Arturia tried to kill him.

Arturia tried to kill him.

Shaking his head at the severe dread this thought brought, he looked ahead of himself just in time to catch...

...wait, was that light?

Entering his view was what looked to be lampposts lit with flickering flames that reminded him of various candle-like Pokemon that he's seen before, which allows a small smile to creep onto his face.

"Well, it looks like your boss appreciates that little 'gift' I left him."

And that frown immediately fell off Neos' face before he turned his head behind him to look at the source.

"I was hoping you'd stay gone," the false human growled, at which Gemini only shook his slightly-lowered head. "Haven't you caused me enough trouble already?"

"Tsk, tsk, did you really think it'd be that easy?" Gemini lifted his head as he placed a hand upon his hip. "You've never actually defeated me, and until you do, the Path won't let you leave."

And to this, Neos almost let out a full roar, slamming down a pair of fists through the air. "And I can't defeat you because I can't kill you! You're saying I can never leave!"

Gemini simply shook a finger at Neos with his other hand, a cheerful grin on his face, surprised that the Ditto hadn't asked yet what he meant by 'gift'. "Don't you know the rules differ depending on who is doing the fighting? For us, it'd be the first one down that loses."

"...a proper Pokemon battle," Neos spoke in realization, to which Gemini nodded.

"How about it? You win, the Path releases you and you can move on to the next part. If I win, however..." At this point did Gemini flash a full grin, revealing all four of the fanged teeth that the pair have, which could have them easily mistaken for vampires if it wasn't for their yellow-tinted skin. "I finally become owner of the body."

Neos was silent for a few moments. He didn't want to fight this cheating bastard of a foe and yet, it seemed like if he didn't, he would not be allowed to leave. With a gulp did he finally slide into a fighting stance, trying to ready himself for whatever Gemini may dare to throw at him...

Ending Point: A10

[Love of Ghibli]

Gyokuen Ren: Path of Rememberance

 

To be quite honest it was fun flying down memory path with Solomon. Gyokuen and her archnemsis went back to a time when they weren't trying to kill each other in the name of their ideals. They were the best of times. The two talked about the different misadventures that they had trying to get peace between different civilizations. Yeah what was with Folcalor! I think we had to stop three wars because he wouldn't stop "fooling around" with different women. I know, right! But that is one thing I never understood if you find out your man is cheating on you why go against the other woman the aggression was caused by the man. Its a problem society hasn't seemed to out have grown.

But you know its odd that you mention him.. Because there is something I've been meaning to ask you. Gyouken said with a sinister smile on her face. And that would be what Solomon said with eyebrow raised. Sooo seeing as your father didn't raise you in any kind of natural way...I was wondering...how was "IT." Solomon looked genuinely confused as he didn't understand what she meant at all. After a couple of second of awkward finger jestures from Gyouken Solomon's face turned bright red. Oh there it is! Gyouken exclaimed as someone who had just declared victory. Well...well...uh it was uh!

It was really awkward at first, but we eventually got the hang of it a third voice intervened. Next to Gyouken she witnessed the rukh begin to cluster into a giant ball and then flying out of that ball came. Another old friend. EEEEPPP SHEBA!! Gyokuen yelled in excitement. She then hugged her new friend with all of her might because it was as if she had just witnessed an epic reunion.

 

Ending Location: D6

[Dad]

Revy

 

She sighed.  Stumbling over to Reimu, Revy obliged and latched herself onto Reimu's back.  "Somehow, this is still really awkward."  Revy thought about what she had seen over the last few hours, which felt like days.  Over the course of these events, she had been taken into space, seen the face of the devil himself, fought an alien body-snatcher, and fallen in love with a man who probably didn't know what a television was.  To add to that, she had been forced to relive past events in her horrible life, recount the loved ones she lost, and had been given the opportunity to change everything back to way things were.  Perhaps, if she died now, things wouldn't be so bad.  Sure she would have some regrets, but then, who didn't?  Of course, it's not like she wanted to just drop dead.  Hell, truth be told, Revy was tired.  She was ready for all of this sheet to be over with.  For once, she was sick of fighting.  The thought of going back to her world--going home--was the most appealing thing right now.  But, she could dwell on her own selfish ambitions when things were finally wrapping up.  

 

"So, Reimu," she said getting comfortable.  "What's this 'fun' you got in mind?"

 

 

---

 

 

Kite

 

He stared at Killua for a while, realizing that the boy would almost certainly be dead if this other person hadn't been standing over him.  He turned his face to Gon, who's eyes were filled with tears.  Naturally, this made Kite angry.  He hated to see people cry, but Gon more so.  This was mostly because he and Gon had already gone over this.  He was going to punch Gon in the arm, but even if he wanted to, Gon would just ignore him.  Instead, Kite, turned his attention back to Killua, before speaking.  "What happened here?" he said to no one in particular.  "And who are you, since you seem to know what you're doing to this boy?"  Judging by the position of this third party, they only just arrived, likely not showing up of their own accord.  Did Gon call for help?  One more thing to piss Kite off.  Then again, considering Kite didn't even know where on Earth he was, this was not the strangest thing to occur.

[Maeriberii Haan]

 "What's this 'fun' you got in mind?"

 

"Alright, since this is the Pathway of Truth, I'll be blunt to you regarding what I'll do. We'll fly now. Fly as fast as we could. Fly, fly up towards the sky and the end. No single thing will be able to catch up to us with this much speed. Don't worry about the strong wind, my barriers will protect us from it.

 

Sounds quite nice, eh?"
 

For all intents and purposes, this should've been Marisa's line. Flying as recklessly as this was not really her style, but well, to reach the end of the pathway without wasting energy further, Reimu believed that this would be the best way anyway. There might still be a mandatory confrontation sooner or later that both of them need to face, hence, no point in wasting more time in the dreary pathway. The smell of death and decay there was starting to annoy Reimu anyway, and she believed Revy would feel somewhat the same, probably.

 

"So Revy, hold me as tight as possible now...'cause we're going to launch!"

 

Having enough courtesy to warn Revy first about what she was going to do, Reimu then took off towards the sky, floating using her power. Her two yin-yang orbs started to spin rapidly around her, fast enough so that they looked like a red and white ring circling around her. "One..." Reimu whispered. The ring spun faster and faster, and she erected several layers of barrier in front of her to act as a windshield. "Two..." Mana started to gather on the ring, and the rotation speed became even faster, to the point of the orbs looking completely like a static ring now. "And...Three!" As she declared that the countdown had hit three, blasts of pure magic was fired from the orb ring backwards, propelling Reimu and Revy forward at incredible speed.

 

It was quite overkill and it looked somewhat awkward and not her style at all, but then again, she somewhat copied this idea from someone that preferred things like these over more refined beauty. Not that it mattered now. Reimu and Revy tore through the sky like an awkward-looking jet fighter, and at some points, the two was moving really fast to the point of it looked like they're blinked short distance again and again. Around some kilometers in, Reimu realized that she couldn't maintain the speed longer, and decided that it would be the best time to stop. But even with her stopping the orbs from propelling her, she was still moving way too fast, and the place that she and Revy was seemingly required to go through was below there. Sighing after realizing her reckless conduct would screw her up, she erected a barrier right in front of herself to stop her from going further. She of course smashed directly into it, which hurt a damn lot, but it was successful in stopping her from going too far. Now able to perform a safety landing, Reimu floated downwards and landed near a crystalline bridge, where she dropped Revy down before calming herself after what she did.

 

"...Note to self, I shouldn't try this ever again. Leave the crazy stunts to crazy people, just like people say.

 

Revy, you're fine right? When you're ready, I guess we can continue to move forward. And...sorry for that. Won't happen again, I swear."

 

 

A miracle had happened.

 

The white-haired boy grabbed Yukari's hand tightly as she was starting to lose hope regarding her ability to heal the boy, and as he did so, her healing spell slowly started to show that it was actually working. The wound was slowly getting covered as tissues were restored around it using her magic. Veins connecting to each other, muscle fibers growing back, patch of skin tissue forming to cover the gaping wound, and after a while, it was clear that it was a success. It took longer than any of her previous attempts as far as she could remember, but well, this time she was not even expecting that it would be a success, so seeing this actually worked was completely wonderful for Yukari.

As she was overjoyed with the result of the healing, she noticed a new presence not far from the three. She turned around to see a tall, slender man in white clothing, wearing a blue cap on his head. He did look quite suspicious, but then, Yukari was quite surprised when he interacted with the white-haired boy like they're old acquaintances. With that, Yukari decided that he was definitely not someone dangerous to either of the boy or herself, which was something to be thankful of, of course.

 

"What happened here?" the man said, though it wasn't clear who he was talking with. "And who are you, since you seem to know what you're doing to this boy?" Now this one was seemingly asked to her. Yukari felt little obligation to tell him who she actually was, since she would have nothing to back it up for now, and thus, she decided to introduce herself as someone she used to be.

 

"My name is Maribel Hearn, if you are asking me with that question, and I'm just a college student that happened to be a passerby in this whole thing. I happened to have learned about healing magic, so I have some ideas regarding on what should I do in this situation."
 

With that said, Yukari almost wanted to ask him back regarding who he actually was, or who these boys were, but it felt like it would be not really nice for her to as that now, so she decided to stay quiet for now. She still felt a bit awkward near that man, though it probably just due to how he looked. Right now at least, even with the white-haired boy had been healed, Yukari decided to stick around for a bit to see whether her healing worked well enough. She couldn't really restore the lost blood from the heavy bleeding earlier significantly enough, and that was one of her biggest concern now. But at least, the wound being fully closed and the damaged tissue being restored means that at least the boy had some chance now.

 

Hopefully.

[Reinforce]

Ayame

Pathway of Truth: A8

 

Laughing, Ayame leaned back a bit as Lydia fell silent, looking up into the grey sky above them. Tilting her head back to look at Lydia once more, she was somewhat amused and curious to see the subtle signs of emotions playing across the other girl's face before Lydia spoke again.

 

"That must be nice, to at least have them when you have no-one else to talk to."

 

Falling back into silence, Ayame looked forward, over the scenery in front of them. In the distance, she could make out the glass bridges and the corridors past them that seemed to be where they would be heading next. She wasn't expecting what happened next though, a masked figure flying on demonic wings appeared and flew next to them, not attacking but simply choosing to ask her a question.

 

"Just how far are you prepared to taint yourself, if it means saving your world? Would you be willing to accept the darkness trapped inside you, if it will help you to your goal? Will your family and friends accept you, if they know what depths you're willing to go to for that wish of yours?"

 

Though surprised, Ayame figured this was another obstacle on the pathway, and spoke up to answer the questions.

 

"I'm willing to taint myself as much as required to save my world, even if that means I have to work with the shadows trapped in my mind. As for the last question, they wouldn't like what I've had to do, but they would accept that it was necessary to save the world. That's a moot point though, I don't intend for them to even realise anything happened."

 

With a slight nod to her, the figure flew away, leaving Ayame rather confused over the whole situation.

 

Ending Location: A9

 

---

 

Chandra

Pathway of Truth: C10

 

It was nice, for a few minutes there Jace's thoughts had quietened down, allowing her to think about the confusion she was feeling. 

 

Maybe the survival of the plane of Ravnica could hold the reason. If a whole plane managed to survive thanks to a distortion, maybe the creatures I have previously summoned could use that connection to escape the destruction of our Multiverse. It would help if I knew a bit more about how creature summoning actually worked though. 

 

Chandra decided to put the problem aside as Jace started to talk to the fairy that had come with them. She listened in idly as they walked, taking note of the resentment he had for the woman Chandra didn't know, before they approached the crystalline corridor ahead of them. Walking through the corridor, they found themselves in front of a pitch-black mirror that seemed to reflect their appearances in it. Focussing in on her own appearance first, she could see the similarities to the image she'd seen in the first mirror. She seemed cruel in it, with hellish flames making a backlight around her body, and her face twisted into a vicious smile, eyes looking right back at her. 

 

Ending Location: C10

[Phantom Roxas]

[Death B5½] - Arthur, Eria, MachGaogamon, & Gagagigo

This wasn’t real. That much they all knew. The Pathway was just trying to trick them. So why did the sight of Isamy terrify them?

Eria drew out Obelisk’s card. As her did, she could feel her hand burning. She didn’t even to check to know that it was Megiddo’s brand. The current of water holding Gagagigo was tethered to her staff, but she knew it wasn’t going to hold. Throwing the card forward, Obelisk manifested himself, his entire hand dwarfing Isamy. As his colossal body took shape, he began to push against the walls of the dark sphere. Cracks began to form around it, but the darkness seemed to be distancing itself from Obelisk, as if trying to adjust to his size.

“This is all your fault, Gagagigo,” Obelisk said, his hand still trying to close in around Isamy, though she parried him with her scythe, forcing him to try and catch her with both hands.

Gagagigo watched helplessly, his feet dangling over the endless darkness below. ”My fault?”

Obelisk successfully caught Isamy with his hands flat against each other, though he was wincing, ichor dripping from his hands. ”You’re scared of hurting Eria again. Which makes Me curious what happened last time.”

Eria’s hold on her staff loosened for a bit, and Gagagigo began to slip through the arm of water.

”Do it, Eria,” the voice of Isamy echoing as the construct of the Omni sliced through Obelisk’s hold, severing each of the god’s hands at the wrist. Obelisk howled in pain, but Isamy’s voice echoed louder. ”Let the beast fall. Gagagigo abandoned you before, lusting for the power Kozaky offered him. He allowed himself to follow Xansvita to the Sphere Forest. Even the single act of kindness he offered you since then has only brought you closer to the fate Megiddo has in store for you. Had he died before all of this, you would not have needed to share his suffering.”

”Come on, Eria,” Arthur tried to reach out to Eria, and MachGaogamon brought his hands together so that Arthur and Eria could stand face to face. ”You’re strong. You have the power of gods with you now. Gagagigo would have no reason to abandon you.”

”It’s fascinating that you would hope to reassure her by invoking her godly powers,” Isamy remarked dryly. ”You may no longer desire to cleanse your world of gods, but you still can not reconcile your heritage. Even now, you still hesitate. After all, you considered defying the agreement this team established.”

MachGaogamon closed his eyes, afraid of what Isamy meant. ”Arthur, what does she mean?”

Arthur was silent. Obelisk was yelling incoherently, raising an elbow to try and crush Isamy, but Isamy guarded by spinning her scythe around. Obelisk responded by raising one knee, but Isamy’s scythe was spinning rapidly enough to block that as well.

”I know she’s just trying to tear us apart,” Eria warned. ”But we can’t keep secrets. So please, Arthur, tell us… tell me what she’s talking about.”

”Remembrance,” Arthur spat out. ”You’re talking about the Pathway to Remembrance, aren’t you, Isamy?”

”Of course,” Isamy confirmed. ”But you and I both knew that. I am your fears, after all. The moment the four of you pledged to work together, you shared your fears as well as your promises. Arthur, you rely on MachGaogamon for your sanity, and Eria for your love.” A column of darkness shot up in the middle of the sphere, but it could not obscure Obelisk, who kept fighting against Isamy.

”Arthur, let me fight,” MachGaogamon asked. With a nod, Arthur held up his Keyblade to transform MachGaogamon into MirageGaogamon, then activated the Burst Mode.

”Look at yourself,” Isamy laughed, the column of darkness splitting in two, bending and twisting and coiling until they were surrounding Obelisk. ”You are not even at the end of this Pathway, and yet the very sight of me is bringing you down. MirageGaogamon, you’re still nothing more than Arthur’s dog. Why do you still stand by someone who continues to hide from his past, now in the most literal way possible?”

Eria created a platform of ice for Gagagigo, jumping onto it and raising her staff, which began to shine red. ”Because Arthur has a future to fight for!” The sphere began to fill with water, hitting against the torrents of darkness. More voices continued to laugh, but Eria tried to focus on Isamy. ”I hate the Divine. People like Arthur, they joined you because you gave them hope. You gave them an easy way out of their suffering. Arthur joined you for that reason, and I know that MirageGaogamon joined him to help Arthur. They were in it for themselves, but you and Protheus… did you ever care about anyone other than yourselves? Why would anyone-”

”Are your words meant for me, or for Arturia?” Isamy interrupted. ”Your dear Arthur still stood by my side, no matter how briefly, and MachGaogamon helped him regardless of his own desires. Even your little pet chose to align himself with but another of my followers.”

MirageGaogamon vanished, Arthur in tow, before appearing behind Isamy, his flail quickly swinging towards Isamy. However, just before it could, it was Isamy’s turn to disappear. Now she was staring face to face with Eria, as the sphere of darkness began to form a whole. Eria began to pull the water towards her, and Gagagigo turned began to bring his arm down on Isamy, but for Eria, time slowed to a crawl as Isamy flatly muttered, ”I will not be lectured by someone whose only served the Throne of Heroes.”

With a swift kick, Eria was launched out of the sphere of darkness, the Millennium Staff falling from her hand as the platform supporting Gagagigo began to shatter. The wall of darkness closed itself up again, leaving Eria alone as she began to fall into the abyss, and Obelisk’s body shattered into particles of light.

”Eria! Arthur screamed, but MirageGaogamon was diving towards Gagagigo. Isamy simply stepped aside and sighed in disappointment at the display.

---

Eria could feel something rush through her as she began to fall. She created something water around her, trying to soften her blow, and the ice slowly began to freeze. The drop in temperature tingled against her skin, but only for a moment. Once it was solid, she crawled along the ice, trying to get back on her feet. She moved to draw her staff, but couldn’t find it. ”Please don’t tell me…” But the staff was gone. Immediately, she began to worry about how the others were doing inside the sphere. She wanted to use Slifer’s power, but after what happened to Obelisk, she wasn’t sure if even that would be enough.

Megiddo’s brand began to burn her hand more. She glared at the brand, remembering the monster that appeared before her in the Rejected World. ”Over my dead bo-” She stopped herself, remembering where she was. Pressing her hands right down on the platform, a column of ice formed, propelling Eria up to the sphere.

---

Arthur weighed practically nothing, but now MirageGaogamon was carrying Gagagigo on his back.

”Tell me, MirageGaogamon,” Isamy said. Do you fear me?”

MirageGaogamon scoffed at the question. ”I saw you die against Ophelia. I understand Gagagigo and Arthur's regrets. I have no reason to fear you.”

”You’re hardly in any position to fight, though, as long as you’re carrying those two arou-”

MirageGaogamon grunted as Gagagigo slammed his back with his tail, MirageGaogamon letting go of Gagagigo for just a moment before grabbing him again.

”What the hell are you doing, Gagagigo?”

”You said it yourself,” Gagagigo said. ”You have nothing no reason to fear Isamy, but Arthur and I do. This is between us and her.”

”You can’t be seriou-”

”We get it!” Arthur shouted. ”Just… leave this two us, alright? Go after Eria.”

Isamy chuckled. ”No need.”

Arthur’s eyes began to shine. ”What’s that supposed to mean?”

”If you are worried for Eria, she should be fine. I have my answer. You and Gagagigo were both willing to fight for yourselves. That decision was what I - or, rather, the Pathway to Death - required of you.”

Gagagigo narrowed his eyes. ”That’s all?”

”Hardly,” Isamy laughed. ”Consider me a warning. An example of what you must do to make it to the next Pathway. But you and Arthur must know this: Should either of you attempt to stand alongside your friends, then the Pathway will not be forgiving.” Spreading out her arms, the Isamy construct faded away, and the darkness began to feel less heavy. The sphere was gone.

---

”What happened?”

Arthur, MirageGaogamon, and Gagagigo all turned around, seeing Eria below them, standing on atop a column of ice. When Arthur realized that everyone else was looking at him, he noticed that his whole body was glowing. That specter of Isamy was gone, but the Pathway still continued onwards.

”We’ll sort out the details on the way,” Arthur said. ”Let’s keep moving.”

”What about the others?” Eria asked. ”We need to help them.”

Countless red eyes appeared within the shadows, surrounding the group on all sides. ”I don’t think these guys are giving us a choice.”

”And you’re just going to listen to them?”

”It’s what that Isamy said,” Gagagigo told her. ”It’s disgusting to have to admit that I’m listening to her, but this is our first Pathway out of three, and we agreed that this would be the most dangerous, correct? I’m sorry, but… I can’t risk it.”

”Isamy just said that trying to fight at everyone’s side would actually be a bad thing.”

Eria pursed her lips. ”You can’t possibly believe that.”

More and more eyes appeared around them, while MirageGaogamon held up the hand carrying Arthur. Eria crafted a small trail of ice, jumping onto the hand, with Arthur catching her.

”Just for now, Gagagigo and I will have to go through this Pathway alone. You and MirageGaogamon can go help Sora, Kairi, anyone else you find.”

Eria shut her eyes, but still held on to Arthur’s hand. ”After this Pathway, are you going to Remembrance, or Truth?”

”I have to go to Remembrance at some point,” Arthur said. ”Whatever is there, it has to be the place for me. Truth can wait.”

Arthur’s light guided the four of them, though the Pathway to Death itself continued to watch them. MirageGaogamon charged directly at the eyes, and with any luck, they would be heading forward.


Ending location: Leaving B5½

[Tesability Black]

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

Jace had not looked up as he walked after the mention of a person that had once plumented him deep into the waters of depression. Though the light of the glowing sapphire around him did slightly help to ease his wounded nerves, his feet did not stop moving until he felt the little fairy on his shoulder kick as hard as it could, catching his attention long enough for the psychic to see the black mirror in front of him.

What looked back at him was an image he hadn't seen in over a decade, even approaching two.

Yes, he was indeed looking at himself, but the hood of his cloak was down to reveal brown-colored, short and wild hair instead of the strange bluish-black it appeared to be now for some reason now. The lines that would often glow when he used his magic were not at all visible on the skin of the reflection, as if they had never been there. The outfit he wore now had become adjusted to the smaller build, making the cloak especially look bulky now. Around the ankles, wrists, waist and even the neck of the double appeared to be heavy bands of metal, a loop attached to each of them where a chain could easily hook itself to all of them.

After seeing the metal, Jace stepped back and looked over how the double beyond the mirror was holding himself up and it realize that the younger twin was barely able to stand, was hunched over slightly forward because of the rings.

The rings...the weight of guilt. The same guilt that reflected upon his mirrored self's face.

Was it possible that, despite having physically done so, he had never truly grown up since he left Silmot's Crossing?

"Everyone has their Purifying Fire," the double in the mirror spoke, which caught Jace off his shaken guard at the fact that it spoke, though he did not know the reference meant. "Come Remembrance will be yours."

And with that did the younger-looking reflection appear to hop backwards, deeper into the black of the mirror. Thinking that this mirror was the same as the one he fell through when he tried and failed to punch out his own reflection, Jace lifted his ungloved hand and carefully placed it upon the mirror to see if it would go through. A moment after he felt the glass under his fingers, it gave way to them.

This mirror was the same as the one before...

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

Pathway of Truth, C4

 

Something about her was messed up. I know it was mostly my own fault, but...something else was wrong.

 

Tenshi had heard everything about the cyan-haired girl before her not long ago, after her shadow warned her about it. Tenco, the name she bestowed upon herself, was apparently still a part of her, and that was a reason that she was there facing her now. It was at this time that Tenshi reached a bitter realization at how her attempt to kill her when Tenshi's ideal was challenged back in Truth ended up making the situation even worse for her now.

 

But that aside, what Tenshi could sense from Tenco now was a toxic killing intent, a stark contrast to the girl’s sensible, if a bit naive self the last time she met her. In a twist of fate, Tenshi had swapped her position with her compared to their last meeting, a fact Tenshi would've laughed at if she's not in a life or death situation. There was no sign of Tenco's reasonability left, no signs of the girl's seemingly genuine intent of stopping Tenshi from going on her self-destructive path anymore. It felt silly that Tenshi was the one wishing for Tenco to stop, but she admitted that her desire to stop Tenco mainly was born out of her selfishness, so she could proceed forward. So both of them could proceed forward, without any grudges left between them.

 

Five minute passed, and neither side had made any moves. In this calm before the storm, Tenshi started to think of potential scenarios that could happen during the battle between them. Best case scenario of course would be if she could simply convince Tenco to stop with only words, even though it would be quite hard to achieve. After all, she's bad with words and was too used in using her sword and danmaku to settle matters. She's not even in a good position to convince anyone of anything, not after all the sins she had done before. Sins that she couldn't simply erase.

 

Another scenario that would be just slightly worse than the ideal one would be if she could knock Tenco out cold, take her sword away from her, and wait for her to wake up so she could talk with her in a less tense condition unlike now, or just leave her alone and continue her way down the pathway if it’s too hard to do. That sounded simple enough, yet it was far from being something she could easily pull off. After all, despite the girl in front of her was physically a normal human as far as she knew, Tenco was armed with her Sword of Hisou, something that could easily kill Tenshi, and she had to fight Tenco while Tenshi had a handicap. Most other endings aside from the two would involve at least one of them dying. Not desirable in any means.
 

After the quick overview of the possible endings, Tenshi went to observe Tenco again. She was still seemingly frozen in her rigid stance - a weak, amateurish one at that. Something was off. Something must've caused Tenco to not attack her so far. Having a breathing room before the unpleasant fully unfolded was something Tenshi could appreciate. Facing her own weapon wouldn't be a nice occurrence, but at least, she knew that since Tenco didn't have enough experience using the sword, she shouldn't be able to-

 

Tempest of Heaven and Earth -Vs. The Sword of Hisou

 

“Die for your sins, Tenshi Hinanawi.”

 

Before Tenshi could finish her thought, a massive scarlet beam was fired from the sword, going forward with the full intent of destroying anything in its path. Tenshi managed to see the attack coming moments before it would have blown her apart, allowing her to dodge it, but all that was on her mind was the feeling of unpleasant surprise as she caught within her eyesight the path of destruction that the beam carved through the forest.

 

Since when she learned about that attack?

 

But as if Tenco was unwilling to give Tenshi enough time to think, a golden spear was thrown right towards her heart. It was still readable, but as she dodged it, the spear turned into a scythe and reaped around in a circular motion. Summoning a keystone to delay the hit, Tenshi propelled herself upwards to avoid the attack before immediately following it with a barrage of keystones from her position. She was currently on a quite good position, and since Tenco wouldn't be able to fly, Tenshi thought she was safe. Yet, even that feeling didn't last long as a golden arrow was fired towards her. Tenshi managed to shift its trajectory a bit by ramming it with a keystone, but it still managed to graze her. It was a small wound, but the nature of the arrow made it hurt like hell as if it was a direct, vital hit.

 

The arrow’s spiritual and physical structure was shaped by the one that fired the attack with one purpose in mind: to kill her in one shot by exploiting the weaknesses in her spirit. Tenshi was familiar with pain as she had experienced it far too many times, so she merely gritted her teeth to withstand it. Though that said, the nature of her current body and how much the blood loss from her arm stump affected her only made things even worse.

 

Tenshi could see Tenco now, standing unscathed after her barrage, a golden bow was on her hand momentarily before it dissipated and returned to its original form. The hatred in her eyes were quite noticeable.

 

“Painful isn't it? I will make you suffer with your own weapon, Tenshi. This is for the sake of all that you've trampled before!”

 

“Tenco, could you listen to me for a bit? I'm really sorry about everything, but this isn't the time-“

 

“I don’t need your stupid apology! All meaningless, useless, pathetic!”

 

In a way, it was nice to have this aerial advantage. Tenshi would be able to read and counteract Tenco's assault better from here, despite her threats. As the short-hair's form obscured itself again, Tenshi had figured out what she would do next. By closing off her eyes, she was able to focus her mind and harmonized herself with the earth below her. Fully attuned, she then opened her left palm, and the ground below Tenco started to collapse, forming a sinkhole. It was followed by Tenshi slowly closing the opened palm into a fist to shut off the sinkhole, as slowly and tenderly as possible to not crush Tenco with the attack. It wasn't the most well-thought out idea, but Tenshi thought that it would just incapacitate her enough until Tenshi could later excavate her. She had no idea whether it worked yet, so Tenshi decided to bait Tenco into replying to her.

 

“I know I don’t deserve it, but…can we at least work together with each other now?”

 

“Are you kidding me? Working together? I know it, you're just trying to kill me when I lower my guard, aren't you? Why else would you say something completely opposite of what you said not even two hours ago?”

 

Hearing that reply, Tenshi couldn’t help but to put up a sour smile. Tenco was right, even if her words was painful to hear. Tenshi really did sound like a hypocrite to the girl – not two hours ago she was the one that attempted to kill Tenco. More importantly, Tenco replying meant the attack didn't work, but Tenshi couldn't locate the position of the short-hair yet. Tenshi decided what was best to do now was to wait, and for now Tenshi would try continuing her effort in reaching out to Tenco.

 

“Tenco, I know that everything about me from back then and the things I’ve done were completely stupid, misguided, and most of all, wrong. I know that I don’t have any right to actually ask for your apology, but right now, I’m trying my best to change. I understand that I made a lot of mistakes, and I know where I was wrong at all this time. Right now I’m just trying to reach the end of the Pathway, for barely any reason aside from finishing what I’ve started.

Just…can we set this aside for now? Spilling more blood between us wouldn’t do us any good, Tenco.”

 

“...Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe that? People can’t change that much in just two hours! Pretending to be rational, acting like you’ve atoned and changed your way... you’re making me sick! You celestials are always acting all high and mighty, spouting nonsense all the time without even knowing what those words actually meant, and you're actually expecting me to buy that?

 

Back then, I thought you still have some sort of goodness inside of you even with all you’ve done. I thought you’re simply brainwashed, or lost in your way, or just misguided. Apparently I couldn’t get any wronger than that. I regret ever considering that you should be saved.”

 

“…Really, can you at least give me one last chance to prove myself? I have no intentions in continuing my stupid actions anymore. What do you expect to achieve in killing me at this point? All you'll accomplish is mimicking my mistakes.

 

So, let's just end this nonsense, shall we?”

 

“Stupid, stupid, I don't want to hear any more of your lies! I'll scatter your ash to the wind!”

 

As Tenco's tone became more hostile, a dragon made of pure, bright orange flames broke through the ground and the hole Tenshi dug to trap Tenco, and it soared straight towards the sky, roaring mightily. It went on and engulfed Tenshi within itself before she could even move to avoid it. It was completely different from her use of fire in the previous pathway. The fact that Tenco's power had developed really rapidly and she had mastered the use of the Sword of Hisou seemingly instantly somehow magnified Tenshi's worries. The dragon coiled around her, and somehow it chained her into her current position and not allowing her to move, all while Tenshi was also being cooked inside.

 

Tenshi did her best attempt to struggle against the binding – her current body wouldn't be able to protect herself from the fire, but the binding wouldn't budge. The heat was unbearable, and all seemed to be hopeless at that time.

 

Yet, even after a minute of Tenshi being burned alive, nothing actually happened. The heat still hurt like hell, but it didn't actually damage Tenshi in any way – not even her hair were damaged by it. At this time, Tenshi could see that Tenco merely was staring at her right now down there, not even following the attack with further assaults to finish her off.

 

She's still holding back even now? I’m completely defenseless and bound. She could just fire off a big attack and I’ll be dead. Why was she hesitating?

 

A definite oddity, but even with that in mind, Tenshi was well-aware that she was still at Tenco's mercy now, and soon she returned her focus to figure out a way to escape her predicament. Trying out anything she could figure out, in the end she decided to find an opportunity to strike Tenco with a stealthily summoned keystone. Just one direct hit before this oddity ended, and-

 

“Weather Rhapsody: Heavy Storm!”

 

A light shot up towards the night sky.

 

In a flash, the twinkling stars above was eaten and covered by the sudden convergence of a large mass of dark clouds, engulfing the sky like a black curtain. Small downpour followed the hordes of dark clouds, before strong winds were summoned around the immediate area.

 

Tenshi, caught by surprise, was unable to anchor herself properly and got swept by the raging wind, shot down from her position before crashing into the sea of trees below. She managed to not fall unconscious from the impact to the ground, but it wasn't much of a consolation as Tenshi realized that Tenco had removed the only advantage she had over her, binding her to the ground using the weather.

 

Perhaps not the best time for it, but Tenshi had to admit that she was quite amused by this development in Tenco’s abilities. So far Tenshi had observed that she had a better combat skill and battle adaptability than the short-hair, but on the other hand Tenco managed to figure out many of the sword’s quirks in a really short time and used them in an effective way to boot. Granted, this amusement was diminished as Tenshi started to suspect something else was going on with Tenco's instant-mastery of the sword.

 

“World Leyline: Dragon Stream!”

 

The earth below her started to shake violently as the attack was declared. Thinking that she was setting up for an earthquake somehow, Tenshi decided in a split second to rush forward to Tenco’s position to avoid getting caught in the inevitable falling trees caused by the incoming quake. When she returned to the snow field though, she could see Tenco was standing around there, with the scarlet sword being planted into the ground in front of her.

 

And then, a mocking smile was formed on her face.

 

“So easy to bait. How stupid can you be?”

 

The ground below her started to shine really brightly. That was the moment Tenshi realized that she had gotten herself into a trap, and that it’s too late for her to attempt to dodge the incoming attack. At the next second, a grand pillar of crimson light shot up towards the darkened sky, reducing everything caught within it to dust.

 

---

 

...I don't know. What am I to you? What are you to me?

 

As her attack dissipated, Tenco dropped to the ground, completely drained. Using such a powerful attack was not something she’d ever consider to dream about not an hour ago, and actually executing something like it was completely taxing for her frail body. The right arm hadn’t even been fully connected to the rest of her body despite her using her knowledge of healing magic amplified by the qi produced by the sword itself to help the transplantation process.

 

I don't know.

Was I seeking you? Did I like you? What was it?

 

Something else also bothered her. So far, the sword was simply moving on its own, imposing its will upon Tenco's body as it responded to the girl's desire of defeating Tenshi. At first she was fine with it – after all, the sword should’ve read everything about her opponent by now and now made itself a counter of Tenshi. It moving on its own to exploit said weakness wouldn’t be too much of a stretch. But now she felt more cautious about the weapon, though that didn't mean she didn't appreciate the help. No matter what, she needed any help she could get her hands on.

 

The battle was too close for comfort so far. Despite Tenco being able to secure the Sword of Scarlet Perception, she could still feel the awful gap of ability between the longhair and herself. Tenshi had a lot more combat experience and raw power than her, and even with the scarlet sword, that gap could be closed easily. There had been several occasions already where even the attacks she knew to simply be a lower tier attack of hers coming close of killing her, like the rain of keystones and the pitfall attack. If those simple attacks could kill her with ease had she was just a bit less vigilant, Tenco could only imagine what her stronger attacks would do towards her. She couldn't rely on miracles anymore to survive.

 

But...even more than that, something else became Tenco's concern now. So far, she had somehow prevented the sword from killing Tenshi a few times already. She paused for too long several times, she withheld her attacks a lot so they only do a fraction of the damage they should’ve done, among other things. While admittedly some of the pauses were intentional, with her still not being sure on how to approach Tenshi properly, but everything else was an issue. The slip up with the fire dragon was the worst of it. Freezing on the ground like that, not being able to finish the job. It really all was on her.

 

And now what? I don't know. But...

I wanted to see you. And to go on a journey, together.

 

She knew the reason why she froze. No matter how much she hated it, she understood what happened.

 

“It’s finally over. With your death, hopefully-”

 

“No way I'd die to that kind of attack. I still have no intention to die. Not now. I won’t die now. I have no reason to die now.”

 

It was not surprising that Tenshi survived. Annoying perhaps, but expected. Frustration in her voice, Tenco replied to the disembodied voice in an irritated tone.

 

“Couldn't you just stay dead? Just…leave me and my life alone, will you?”

 

“I refuse, I believe I still have something to do. And you too, there’s many more important things to do and think about aside from your obsession of killing me.“

 

“Shut up, shut up! Haven’t I said that your words are making me sick?

 

Sword Formation: Sword Bits!”

 

Tenco’s fury returned in full force after another failed discussion attempt from Tenshi. The moment Tenco could locate her position, several rough copies of the scarlet swords that were made from the lingering temperaments materialized on the air, circling around Tenshi. Using her sword as a way to direct the bits, Tenco instructed the blades to start mauling and tearing the longhair apart, but at that same time Tenshi had summoned an earthen dome to block the assault for a moment before firing off pieces of the dome towards Tenco.

 

“Sword Formation: Shield Bits!”

 

In response, Tenco formed another batch of sword copies and used them to block the pieces of earth before they could harm her. The swords arranged themselves into some sort of formation, and something that looked like an energy shield formed between them, shredding the boulders to pieces.

 

“Sword Formation: Rifle B-“

 

“Rocket Punch!”

 

Tenshi didn’t let go with her assault. Just as Tenco’s shields disappeared when she was going to fire off another barrage, a fist made of stone hit her right on her face, knocking her into the pile of snow behind her. It didn't injure her much aside from breaking her nose, but Tenco was still quite annoyed at how she could still be surprised by that kind of silly attack. When she rose up from the pile of snow, she saw that Tenshi had apparently replaced her missing right arm with a rough substitute made of stone.

 

“A rocket punch, seriously? How childish can you get, Tenshi?”

 

“Tenco, I don’t want to hurt you, but…I still...I still want to live! I made a lot of mistakes, but rather than dying, I'll do my best in atoning for those sins. So-”

 

“Like hell I would let you go away and avoid karma! What do you think made you deserve forgiveness?”

 

“...As rock-headed as me, huh? You really are going down the same path I used to take.”

 

“I AM NOT YOU!

 

Tch, I shouldn't even talk to you now. Your words are poison, rotten to the very letter.

 

Weather Rhapsody: Scorching Sun!”

 

The raging storm in the sky was suddenly stopped by the light fired towards it from Tenco’s sword, and with it, the dark clouds disappeared completely, and it was replaced by a harsh sunlight coming from somewhere, illuminating at least the immediate area where the two were at the moment with its light, while the snow around them were starting to melt from the heat. Removing the storm above and replacing it with bright sunlight seemed to be a bad idea since the sky had been Tenshi's domain so far, but there was something that Tenco wanted to try out now.

 

She wouldn't let herself be chained to the ground. With her wish of escaping Tenshi...it was alright to dream about the sky, right? Then...it was time to take the sky from the Celestial's grasp.

 

“Take flight! Ailes de Lumieres!”

 

---

 

As a replacement, this is surprisingly not shabby. Not as rigid as I thought, at least.

 

Tenshi's new stone arm was, by no means, comfortable or convenient, but she really had no other alternatives left. She could utilize it to grab into things, which was moderately useful. More importantly, she was quite satisfied that she could pull off an actual rocket punch now, something that she had been wanting to do for a while. Well, of course it’s not worth losing an actual arm for, but silver linings. Rather than waiting for her fist to return to her, Tenshi summoned another fist from the ground and attached it to her right arm.

 

Earlier, she managed to survive the dragon stream by knocking herself out of the way with a stone pillar. It was quite painful, but better than being disintegrated. Right now though, Tenshi was standing in awe at the sight that unfolded before her. As Tenco declared her attack, two large, scarlet wings made of temperaments formed, and with those, she immediately took flight with ease, now staring at Tenshi from up there in the sky, the scorching sunlight made it look like she was an avenging angel here to enact justice to evil. Was that imagery intentional? Tenshi thought of that as she prepared to take to the skies too.

 

CRACK!

 

A strange thing soon happened before she could take flight. The ground fell into a chasm that suddenly formed at the location, leaving Tenshi standing on one of her keystone on the place where the ground used to be. That was not her own work that caused the collapse, and Tenshi soon noticed the presence of two people fighting with each other and causing the chasm to form while they fall into it. Well, whoever they were, it shouldn't matter. What was important was the fact that the casm existed.

 

Assuming this pathway behaved like the previous one, I think I have around five to fifteen minutes before the ground and the snow formed again like before.

 

Enough time, hopefully.

 

Just as she began to take flight, Tenshi was immediately pressured by a rain of scarlet beams from the sky, which she responded by using her keystones and any earthen platforms she could get a handle on in an attempt to slow down the incoming beams. With those assisting her, she could dodge the rest of the incoming beams not blocked by the stones easily. Not to let up the pressure, Tenco rushed down from her position and charged straight at Tenshi using her sword, which she managed to block using several keystones in a shield formation, but the force of the attack itself was enough to knock her back for quite a distance.

 

The volley of attack was followed by another round of scarlet beams. While blocking the beams with her keystones, Tenshi decided that this time she would try going for the offensive for once, and fired her rocket punch once again. It travelled right at Tenco at the speed of a bullet, but this time, the shorthair had expected the attack and managed to slice it into two before it could actually hit her. The slashing motion was then immediately followed by a huge beam of scarlet light, and once again, Tenshi barely managed to dodge it before she herself firing off several more keystones at the girl in retaliation. Tenco in response used her wings of light to protect herself from the fired keystones, and as soon as the rocks were engulfed in the light, they immediately disintegrated without much fanfare.

 

Still refusing to give Tenshi any breathing room, Tenco proceeded to fire off another flame dragon at Tenshi, followed with several waves of fireballs and sword projectiles. This time, the setup for the attack was clear enough for Tenshi despite the bright sunlight disturbing her sight, and thus, Tenshi didn’t give it a chance to trap her again. Tenshi went on and summoned as many keystones as she could. Using them, she arranged the keystones and crashing them towards each other without a second even passing after the initiation of the attack, and the result was a crude-looking eastern dragon made of stones. Her dragon charged at the flame dragon that Tenco summoned and breaking it apart before proceeding to block the entire volley of projectile that Tenco fired with its own body.

 

After doing so, it was visibly in shambles, but it went on and charged straight forward into the Tenco above, who simply looked at it somewhat derisively before she planted her sword into the dragon’s gaping mouth moments before she would’ve been crushed between its fangs. The sword absorbed any traces of spirit from the dragon, and in the next second, the mighty creature was reduced to its base components before it crumbled.

 

The next attack that Tenco used was something that Tenshi had been quite familiar with, as she had used it several times before, without any success. The golden blade of the sword became elongated, extending rapidly until it was long enough to be able to reach Tenshi from her current position. Experience told Tenshi that doing so would only make the blade less agile and easier to dodge, and Tenshi wondered what was the short-hair's intent with the attack. Before the swing would hit her, a simple backdash was enough for Tenshi to dodge it, and when Tenco extended it once again and swung upwards, Tenshi dodged it by keep moving higher and higher before she rushed at Tenco’s position, her rock arm prepared to strike. It felt really easy for her, too easy perhaps…

 

“Wings of Light!”

 

Unsurprisingly, it was a trap. Tenco had forced her to go on a certain path to reach her, and now she was prone to be attacked by her without any chance of dodging. As she was now on the same level as Tenco with little distance between them, the two wings constructed out of the lingering lifeforce and temperaments were now closing in on her, in an attempt to embrace and engulf her with its destructive embrace. Tenshi was less than amused with the attack.

 

“No chance this kind of half-hearted setup would kill me!

 

Prepare yourself, Tenco!”

 

Her granite arm turned into a long and sharpened stone blade, and ignoring the incoming wings, Tenshi pushed herself forward just so she could get the miliseconds of opportunity for a direct strike. A desperate attempt for a hit. An uncalculated, imprecise attack, something Tenco would’ve been able to dodge it easily in any other situation. Tenshi didn’t even have the audacity to think it would actually work, aside from from stopping Tenshi herself from getting annihilated by getting close enough to Tenco to avoid the laser wing’s embrace range. As the wings moved closer and closer to her, Tenshi lunged forward with her sword arm extended. It would be a good enough distraction so Tenco would have to force herself to move and allowing Tenshi to strike her with a non-lethal attack the moment the opportunity presented itself.

 

“Gotcha, take this!

 

W-wha-?”

Yet, something unexpected happened. Tenco somehow didn't manage to dodge the attack. What Tenshi thought was a weak thrust managed to pierce Tenco’s stomach in a direct hit, and blood started to gush out rapidly from that wound and her mouth. The blade itself emerged from the other side of the body, drenched in blood, bile, and small pieces of the girl's internal organs. Much to her horror, Tenshi realized that this attack was killing the short-hair. In panic she pulled the sword out, but it only made the girl's wounds even more severe. Tenco's intestines were pulled outside along with the sword thanks to Tenshi’s frantic action, and the blood steam that gushed out from the now-gaping wound became much worse. The wings of light disappeared from Tenco’s back as her eyes slowly faded and her skin turned pale. Completely shaken and at loss, Tenshi could only stare at Tenco as her body fell towards the chasm below. Her cold, empty gaze still locked at Tenshi who could only utter her apology repeatedly as a whisper.

 

“…I-I’m sorry.

 

I'm really sorry...”

 

---

---

 

“Amato, wait for me!”

 

The short greeting from the grey-haired girl didn't lead anywhere as said girl immediately turned around and entered the tower. Not understanding what happened, Tenco frantically followed the girl throughout the insides of the tower. She could see that it was completely empty and devoid of any furnitures, but she had little care about that. She only cared about why did her friend left her behind like that.

Where had she been all this time? Did she actually survive Tenshi's rampage at the end of that battle? There were a lot of questions inside of Tenco's mind, and all those questions had clouded her happiness from finding out her friend was actually still alive.

 

“You have no reasons to hide from me. Please, can we talk? I want to hear more about you. I'm sorry for leaving you behind.”

 

Yet, there still were no answers. Struggling to climb the stairs, Tenco ascended slowly as she felt the steps had become steeper and steeper. But she pushed on, and managed to reach the second floor. Amato was not there, surprising her. Did she jump out of the window to avoid her? This wasn't funny anymore. Slowly what was left of her feeling of happiness from the reunion had turned into aggravation.

“What are you hiding, Amato?”

 

“Why don't you ask that to yourself?”

 

A familiar voice answered her. Her excitement returning, Tenco turned around to see the source of the voice. She was fully expecting it to be Amato. Yet, what she found there was another girl. A short-haired girl wearing adventuring clothes and a nice hat. That girl looked exactly like herself, but Tenco couldn't feel more unfamiliar with the girl, at least for a moment before realization creeped into her mind.

 

That girl smiled before her.

“I'd like my body back, Amato.”

 

---

 

The moment Tenshi’s sword pierced her abdomen was the moment the world came in to a halt for Tenco. Time itself seemingly stopped as she felt the immense pain from the open wound caused by that strike, and then nothing. Tenshi pulling out the sword only made things worse for her, and without anything to hold her up on the sky, Tenco unceremoniously fell down into the chasm below, with her own blood falling alongside her. Rapidly losing blood from the wound, it became harder and harder for her to stay conscious.

 

“..Ugh…I can’t die here…

 

…I can't die here...I can't die here...I can't die here...I can't die here...”

 

Repeating the mad mantra over and over again, Tenco stand defiant of her seemingly inevitable death. With only sheer force of determination that kept herself conscious, Tenco channeled the temperaments into her wound to pull back her intestines and close her wound completely. Once she was done it seemed like there was no signs of the wound aside from the torn clothing from where Tenshi had stabbed her. Before she hit the ground, she summoned back her wings and rushed back upwards only to met with Tenshi looking at her with a hint of worry in her expression. How disgusting.

 

“Haven't you had enough? Please, stop this. I don't want to hurt you like that again. I guess, if that it was you want...

 

If and when this is over, you can go ahead and k-“

 

Tenco could hear the voice of the person that she reviled the most. Her forced, fake apological tone, her attempt to look like she cared for her, her attempt of pitying her, all of it made her sick. It was completely sickening. Pathetic. Annoying. Hopeless.

 

“Didn't you hear what I said before? Shut up!

 

I hate you! How can you even say that when moments ago you almost killed me?!”

 

“Tenco…”

 

“I said shut up! Are you deaf?

That's it, I'll personally cut your tongue before you die. Whatever afterlife you'll go to, nobody would like to hear your toxic chatter.”

 

Touhou Labyrinth - Rising Star Nova (VS. Tenshi Hinanawi)

 

Powered by her anger and frustration, Tenco blitzed towards Tenshi at the maximum speed she could manage. Before her opponent had any actual chance to respond, Tenco was already right there in front of her, performing a rapid strike meant to immediately decapitate her. Tenshi attempted to protect herself by summoning a wall, but it was not fast nor strong enough and Tenco easily broke through the wall. The force from her slash sent Tenshi crashing down to the forest again, leaving Tenco disappointed that she didn't manage to decapitate the longhair with that attack.

 

Tenco attempted to catch her breath now that Tenshi was away. Her almost dying again cemented how much she still failed to maximize her advantages on this fight. But, for a moment, her musing was disturbed when she realized that somehow for some unknown reasons, what looked like a blazing kilometers-long miniature of the moon had crashed down towards the chasm underneath her, seemingly targeting what looked like a giant there. That was quite weird, though at least Tenco made her way out of the attack just before the moon exploded. Deciding to not mind more of that other battle, her focus returned to her own now.

 

She still needed to use anything she could use to land a fatal blow to Tenshi. Once that’s said and done, once she could confirm that the life of that vulgar excuse of a celestial had ended, then she could finally think about anything else. But the issue was how she wasn’t able to fully control the immense power she’s currently holding in her right hand yet, and there’s also that one certain issue that held the sword from killing Tenshi again and again. It almost costed her life when she froze the moment before Tenshi pierced her with her sword. If she kept on being distracted, being controlled by this issue, she could easily get killed.

 

It was as if her body refused her order all this time. It was as if she herself was unwilling to attack Tenshi. This feeling, this stupid, stupid feeling...she hoped that by killing Tenshi she could stop the thought, but now that same feeling had made it pretty much impossible for Tenco to kill the longhair.

 

…Stupid, stupid, stupid! There's no reason why I should feel anything to this murderer. The sooner I can display her head on a pike, the sooner I can finally leave this behind me.

 

Amidst the basking sunlight behind her, her wings spread wider and wider as she flew, and when each of them were several times bigger than herself, she fired a rain of scarlet beams from them to the ground, intending to disintegrate Tenshi wherever she was at the moment. It didn’t take much time before the barrage visibly brought destruction to the immediate area of the forest nearby, but it wasn’t enough. It was far from enough. Tenco prepared for another salvo of the assault, and she gathered the temperaments from-

 

“Take this! Big Bang Punch!”

 

Her attempt to rain down fire towards the land below to surely end Tenshi was foiled when a gigantic golden fist made of earth smashed right at her, interrupting her attack and sending her to the atmosphere. Even while she managed to put up the wings of light to protect herself from being crushed by the force of the attack, she was only managed to do just that, and it didn’t even slow the punch down as it pushed her upwards and upwards…until she hit an invisible threshold behind her, where the fist crushed her between itself and the threshold. For some reasons, it was hollow inside, allowing Tenco to effortlessly break it apart using her wings of light, before rushing forward again right at Tenshi, her agitation increasing by each passing seconds.

 

Perhaps there really was no mistake in this sentiment she had. It was just like what she remembered. Maybe, it was indeed true that the greatest of all hate were born from the greatest of love.

 

Tenco snickered at the thought as she rushed in for yet another attempt to kill the only person in existence that she truly cared about.

 

As she went down, two rapidly spinning fists were fired at her direction, but Tenco couldn’t even be bothered by those small fists right now. She simply ignored them and went straight to their source, using only her wings to engulf the fists while she blitzed downwards. Tenshi started to be clearly visible not long afterwards, standing in the middle of what looked like a broken down earthen dome, undoubtedly the thing she used to protect herself from the assault Tenco launched earlier.

 

“Tenco, you're clearly hesitating. You could’ve killed me several times already.”

 

“Ugh, didn't I tell you to-“

 

“Just this once, I need you to stop and hear me. I'm being hypocritical again, yeah. But, this entire thing is just so...meaningless. I really don't want to hurt you anymore, so can't we just make up?”

 

“You...”

 

“I know I can't just ask you to listen. After all, I have rejected your similar offer back then, but at that time, I was completely blind, I don’t even know what exactly I was doing. I…yeah, it was due to my own stupidity, but…I’m trying to change that now. I just don’t want you to fall on the same hole as I did.”

 

“SHUT UP!”

 

Tenco pointed her sword at Tenshi as temperaments gathered on its tip, yet her opponent seemingly didn't seem to care much about the threat of being blasted apart.

 

“If that how you desired things to be, then…well, I won't just let myself die here. I still have the will to continue living, despite my past sins. I’ll atone to them by giving my best to everyone else until my time comes!”

 

“Damn it...just die already and disappear from my life!”

 

“Oh, before that, seems like there's something you need to deal with first.”

 

“W-“

 

From behind Tenco, the earthen fists that she thought had been crushed by her wings returned to her direction without losing their earlier speed, and Tenco was caught by surprise again. The fists drilled at her, and she was knocked down straight into the ground, the force created a small crater around her, and the sound of bones breaking could be heard.

 

“My attacks aren't just for show. Now, let's-"

 

“I won't go down now! Inferno Blaster!”

 

Something that could be said as hellfire itself started to engulf Tenshi’s entire body from right below her just as she walked to pick up Tenco and her sword. The attack actually managed to char her this time, but at the last moment before she would be fatally wounded, Tenshi managed to summon a pillar of earth and fired it directly at herself as hard as she could, just like earlier. The reckless action knocked her outside of the attack’s range, and before the attack could be re-aimed at her, she took off towards the sky.

 

That was close. Too close.

 

With no movements from Tenco for a minute, Tenshi decided to do a quick self-examination to see the extent of the damage that the attacks she had fired so far had done to her body. Some of her hair had been burnt out, and there were a lot of scorched marks and bruises on her body too, but overall, they all were not something to be worried about. Her stone arm was on the verge of melting, and it was really hot to touch right now. The attack not killing her instantly was a testament on the resilience of a Celestial's body, even a fake one. So, for the most part, she was still feeling fine.

 

Now, for how long would she be able to deal with Tenco until her body finally gave in?

 

---

 

Ten minutes passed had passed since Tenshi managed to avoid Tenco's last attack, and there were still no signs of the shorthair moving. For once, the battlefield was quiet, and Tenshi took the time to think more regarding Tenco and herself, just so she could find a proper thing to say that hopefully could stop her from attempting to kill her. As the battle dragged on and on, the feeling of guilt piled up more and more inside of her. This entire mess wouldn’t happen if it’s not for Tenshi herself. There were nobody else here to blame.

 

Another ten minutes had passed. Tenshi had made up her mind. Let this be her last attempt to get through. Taking a deep breath beforehand, Tenshi then let her voice rang throughout the air, intending for the short-hair to hear her as clearly as possible. She couldn’t afford anymore misunderstanding on top of everything else.

 

“Tenco, you’re still there, right? If so, there’s something important that I wanted to say to you. This might be a little bit long, so I hope you could stay still there and listen.”

 

It was going to be pretty long-winded. What followed was Tenshi simply pouring out her feelings and everything that was on her mind for Tenco to hear. Would it be effective? She had no idea. All that she wanted to do now was to speak about what was inside of her.

 

“Back in truth, I really was just acting like a child that threw a tantrum, just like you’ve said to me. Quite pathetic isn't it? So unable to accept reality, I lashed out at it just so I can stay delusional for a bit longer.

 

That sounds like me, all right. Childish, single-minded, inconsiderate. I was thinking that what I did was the only way to achieve my ideal. I stopped caring about what others really feel about what I’ve done, and pushed onwards and did anything and everything that I think will help me in my goals, without thinking about the repercussions, without thinking of what others wanted or felt about my actions.

 

It's true that my main desire was simply trying to fix everything, all so I could be seen by others as a hero. But, you never hear about any true heroes that willingly massacre hundreds or thousands others, right? But you have me here. Someone who was too focused on her goal and being the selfish, inconsiderate jerk that I am, I did all that with barely any second thought. I did that without batting an eye. It was painful, both physically and mentally. But I still did it. All so others can see me as a hero. All for that selfish wish.

 

Quite a sick joke, isn't it? Even thinking about that now is making my stomach churn. That was a lot of crap.

 

Even if I could somehow fix everything and nobody had any ideas about what I did, I'll never be able to see myself as a hero. It’s not something you can set aside, leave behind, and forget. What I did was wrong, I regretted doing that, but it had happened and it had stained me, and even if I die now, I’d just be another victim of my massacre, nothing more. My mistakes won't just be undone if I were to die here.”

 

At first she started off slowly, but Tenshi gradually gained more and more confidence in her voice. She stopped worrying about the possibility of Tenco sneaking in an attack as she spoke. At this point, she couldn't fear death even if she wanted to. The only thing she feared was being unable to achieve anything before she died. Being unable to change for the better before the chance was closed.

 

“When the worst people of all time is the one that knocked some sense on you regarding something as basic as this, you know you’ve messed up real bad. Like, I wouldn’t even think that I would ever have to thank someone as despicable as Protheus for this. That’s how bad I’ve messed up.

 

Sheesh, when I started this journey, the only end result I’m thinking about was my simple desire to not be alone and be able to befriend the others. I thought I could achieve all that by being a hero and save Gensokyo, just like Reimu, and I set off like a naïve kid going into a carnival. Of course, a war’s not a carnival, and right now, you can look at how that little girl ended up being after all that crap. Look at how bad I’ve screwed over. The last scrap of innocence inside of me had been burned away after all that had happened.

 

I killed a new friend that I had just made, betraying her not long after I saved her. I ignored my other two friends during the battle against the centaur-thing out of my selfishness. Thousands of my other selves got massacred by my own hands. I killed the only person that still chose to trust me despite all that I did. And I made you to be like this, on top of all other horrible things I did so far.

 

I don't think you'd be in any position to forgive me now. It’s perfectly understandable why you acted like this towards me. It’s perfectly understandable why you stubbornly refuse to forgive me. By all means, I don’t even think I deserve that forgiveness. If the situation permits it, I would have treated this battle as my execution, and I would let you execute me for all of my offenses.

 

But, I couldn't just end my story here now. As I’ve said again and again, there’s something I still need to do. Even with all my past sins, if I just die like that, I’ll be completely useless and that’s it. If I’m dead, then it’ll be it. No more Tenshi Hinanai. So what? Big deal. Nothing would really change if I die. I will just die as a failure, as a complete jabroni that never changes. Nobody would remember me, and I will still die alone.

 

For now though, I have decided to live. For now, I wanted to live. Because if I continued, I know I can still do things to make the world better. I can still change, and I can still change the world for the better, I'm sure of it. It’s not the end of the line for me. I haven’t fallen too deep into the moral event horizon yet.This might sound quite selfish of me, as always, but hopefully you understand now.

 

As you’ve said, people cannot change themselves in two hours, but really, I believe people have the ability to start trying to do so within that time.”

 

Tenshi stopped for several seconds. She wasn’t sure whether she worded her plea in the right way or not. She felt, for a bit, that it might sound a bit too selfish and forceful, not the impression she wanted Tenco to receive from those words. But, with that already being said, there’s no use to fret about it, and Tenshi continued to talk again.

 

“I guess there’s also another selfish reason behind this, Tenco. I don’t want you to go down the same path as me. Like, how you acted now reminds me on how I acted back then. The blind determination to reach one goal, no matter what happened…

 

I know you're better than this, Tenco. So please, stop this meaningless battle. You're only hurting yourself.”

 

Another pause. Something was odd. No screams of refusal, no words of denial came from the short-hair's mouth. She heard nothing. The silence was enough to tell that right now, Tenco finally listened to her words. Overjoyed at the thought, Tenshi continued her words towards its final parts.

 

She was somewhat hesitant on saying it, but she was aware of the necessity of declaring her seriousness on the matter. A little threat wouldn't hurt, right?

 

“If you refuse…then I, myself, I don’t have a reason to die here too. So pardon me if I roughen you up a bit.”

 

And so, with that said, Tenshi waited.

 

And waited.

 

And she thus waited until finally an answer rose up from somewhere near her, just after around nine minutes of complete silence.

 

“Those wouldn't be enough to make me trust you. This yet another attempt of you to lie to me, just like what you did with Gengetsu, right?”

 

“I have no reasons to lie about this now.”

 

“That is so, huh? If any of those words from your long speech hold any water in them, I guess there’s apparently still some value inside of the bag of dirt that is you. I will still doubt it, however.”

 

“I take that it’s supposed to be a compliment?”

 

“Treat it as whatever, I don’t really care.”

 

Despite the relatively lax-sounding quips traded between the two instead of the spiteful yelling of before, Tenshi could still sense the lingering killing intent emanating from the short-hair, who had somehow appeared above Tenshi. She probably flew over there when Tenshi was busy with her speech. The fact that she actually listened for once made Tenshi quite elated, however.

 

“I’m sorry for sounding like a broken radio, but let’s just stop, shall we? There’s no point anymore in this battle, me.”

 

...Damn it.

 

It took her a while, but Tenshi then realized her accidental slip, and the moment she turned to look at Tenco, the short-hair's expression had returned into pure lividness and hatred once again. The events really were still out to screw her over, Tenshi thought. In response, she gritted her teeth in preparation of what to come.

 

“…I AM NOT YOU, HAVEN'T I TOLD YOU ENOUGH?!

 

Everyone...why does everyone keep on seeing myself as your reflection?

 

I am not you, I'm not you, nor I'm anywhere close to you! I just... I just wanted to be myself, I just want to have my own life. I don’t want to be known as just merely a part of you, or any where related to you! That’s my wish! Is it really hard to accept?

 

I guess... I still don’t think how I tried to deny that fact by copying the original Tenco and burying everything about my origin and treating her story as my own story is the right thing to do now, but... it’s better than being you.

 

I just want to stop thinking about you! You’re driving me crazy just by existing. I am someone whose very nature is to despise you. I won’t forgive you, since when I’m born, you cannot forgive yourself.

 

At this point, I don’t think that I care if you’re really innocent after all. No matter what, this desire to loathe you will exist as long as you exist, and when you die, I could finally start becoming someone else other than you. If you’re gone, I can stop being fixated to you. I can get rid of you from my mind. I can finally stop being known as you, and start becoming me.”

 

Tenco started to violently break down, torn apart by her unstable state of mind. Tenshi could easily feel that the girl was getting more and more overwhelmed by her own emotions. The entire thing regarding her, her origin, and how she acted were not really her fault after all. It’s just surprising that she didn’t break down like this sooner. For now though, Tenshi could only just stand there and listen even if she was somewhat disturbed by the situation, without being able to do anything aside from replying to Tenco's rant the best she could.

 

“Shouldn’t you be able to just determine your own path now? You can think. You can decide. You have your own consciousness, your own heart, your own ‘Self’, so why do you keep on anchoring yourself with my existence?”

 

“Because everyone else treated me as you! If you just disappear, then everything would be fine for me!”

 

“Why should you listen to them? Why should you care? Just follow your heart when it comes to this.

 

Can't you just ignore my existence and forget that I even exists?”

 

“I…I can’t do that!

 

You…you stupid, idiot, selfish jerk…I just…I can’t leave you alone like this! If you’re still around, I still want to care about you, damn it! No…why couldn’t you just LEAVE me instead! Stop haunting me! Get out of my life!

 

…Idiot! Just shut up, shut up, shut UP!”

 

“Uh...?”

 

Tenshi didn’t expect that much contradicting points from her words. It became clearer and clearer that something was clearly wrong with Tenco’s head at the moment. Well admittedly, it’s been obvious since earlier, but it was perfectly undeniable now. Tenshi couldn’t exactly think of a proper reason why she’s like that, but it was clear that Tenco was trying to avoid a certain topic. Probably it’s for the best if Tenshi could move the topic away from it just to be safe.

 

“Stop hurting yourself like that, Tenco. This is not something you enjoy, right? It’s not something that you wanted to feel, right? If so, just stop torturing yourself with all of these thoughts, and start all over again. It’s never too late to change course.

 

As I’ve said, if you really must-“

 

“You don’t understand…You never understand…You never even try to understand me, Tenshi… Don't you get it? I can't...I don't actually want to kill you.

 

I can't bring myself to kill you, no matter how much I hated you. You jerk... I cared about you a lot, but this is all that I get?”

 

“…Pardon?”

 

As the tone of Tenco's voice changed, the harsh sunlight on the sky faded. Tenshi could now see Tenco clearly, covering her eyes with her left arm while she laughed a bit. It was certainly a puzzling development of situation. Moments ago it was as if Tenco was about to break down and cry, but now she was laughing quite loudly, albeit it was quite painful to hear. Perhaps she really still was on the verge of a breakdown.

 

“Ah ha ha....

 

This is it. The true reason I’ve been holding the sword back from killing so far. It is really hard to kill the only person you deeply cared about. Well, I knew this since the very beginning. I guess it's time for me to set things straight with you, Tenshi.”

 

“Wait…what do you actually mean?”

 

Tenshi had a gnawing bad feeling of what would come out next. Her earlier musings made her suspect a few possibilities, but she ended up becoming more and more convinced that the worst of those possibilities were the case here.

 

She really hoped that she was wrong this time.

 

“Of course, Tenshi. There’s only one thing that I could mean with those words.

 

Tenshi, I love you.

 

I love you, I really do. I love you with all my heart. You’re the only person in my mind from then, until now. I can’t stop thinking about you. I want you.

 

And I hate it. I hate this feeling. I want to see you suffer, because I love you. I want to cut you apart, because I cared about you. You're mine, and mine alone. So, my wish was to discard you so I could stop this feeling from overtaking me.”

 

All hopes remaining for Tenshi disappeared at that exact moment.

 

“…What?”

 

“I love you, Tenshi Hinanawi. Are you too stupid to get what I said?”

 

"Uh…

 

Don’t you think this is getting a bit too…”

 

Cursing inside of her heart since her worst-case wild guess was right, Tenshi’s reply trailed off as she didn’t have the heart to point out the many reasons why this would be wrong on so many levels. Tenco once was a part of her. She was born from her. That was like, both incest and beyond at the same exact time. This situation was completely absurd and Tenshi wished that it didn't lead to this. But, since it didn’t seem that Tenco’s listening to her anyway in her trance-like state right now, it probably wouldn’t matter if she actually spoke against it.

 

“I don’t even know what myself is right now. I don’t even know whether this feeling is genuine or just a part of me being a former piece of you. What I know is only that I loved you, and so I must kill Tenshi Hinanawi. I don’t even know whether this is actually love or just another excuse for me due to my inability to shift my mind from you.

 

I might’ve forgiven you too easily, or I might’ve been too unforgiving to you. I’m probably now just an inconsistent being that doesn’t even any actual sense of self that I’ve clamored for so long. Perhaps in the end the entirety of my thoughts are defined as what I used to be, a part of you that you buried deep inside.

 

A maelstrom of love and hate. As they said, the greatest of love came from the greatest of hate, and the greatest of hate came from the greatest of love.

 

I’m pathetic. Full of excuses. But at least, I’m not you. That’s all that is important now. And because of my love for you…

 

I must kill you right here. I have made up my mind. I will show my love to you by impaling you with this blade.”

 

Tenshi lost anything that she would’ve said before it could reach her lips. She was completely at lost at how to act. She was speechless, surprised, shocked, confused. It was weird, it was awkward, it was squicky, it was odd, it was unexpected, it somehow made perfect sense, and that last point’s the worst part of it all. The girl that, for all intents and purposes had just confessed her love, whatever that meant right now, to Tenshi, was standing there still, her expression being hard to read as she stared at Tenshi emptily. Was it a gaze of hatred or longing? Everything had just gotten more and more confusing for Tenshi.

 

It was all felt too forced. There was no development. Tenshi could’ve sworn she hadn’t even met the girl more than five times so far. It was like she’s strangled on a red string alongside her, but Tenshi didn’t want to have anything to do with this. It’s just plain wrong. She wanted to love and be loved by others, but it’s not like this. Even with Tenshi wanting to make peace and fight together with her, this was getting more and more uncomfortable. It was creepy and unnatural.

 

If it’s anyone else, didn’t matter if it’s a guy or a girl, if it’s done on a different time, if it’s done without the entire murder attempts earlier on, Tenshi would probably be able to reply to this more coherently, heck, she might even actually consider to accept the proposal. But this? Well, the girl in front of her used to be a part of her and Tenshi effectively gave birth to her, the two were currently floating around preparing to blast each other off in the middle of a war that would determine the fate of the multiverse, this girl had attempted to murder Tenshi through the last hour, and that’s not getting into the whole hatred deal and everything else.

 

What followed was pretty much a moment of awkward, yet dreadful silence. No sounds could be heard that time on the sky, and with the beautiful moon as the only thing watching them closely, the two floated still in the air, not making any moves towards each other. The silence went on until finally Tenshi gathered enough thought to make sense of the situation, and hoped that she could push the topic away from Tenco’s feeling to her as far as possible.

 

“That’s why I said you need to choose for yourself. You know that you can live not as the girl that others wanted or expected you to be, but as the girl you wanted to be.

 

But…this once, can we just, I don’t know, let’s just try making peace with each other now. I’m tired of fighting, Tenco. You know you are too. Let’s stop this nonsense.”

 

For all intents and purposes, it wouldn't be wrong for Tenshi to see the short-hair as her daughter. It was weird. Tenshi normally would be unable to even comprehend such a notion, but, she felt some comfort in accepting that fact now. Perhaps it really was why she was trying her best to reach out to Tenco.

 

But, was there really any way for her to avoid a direct conflict? Madness had overtaken Tenco's mind as her feelings all had been laid bare before Tenshi. Seeing all of the girl's feelings being shown like this was the most intimate Tenshi had felt with someone, and it only disturbed her more and more. Was this really what love was supposed to be? Not even her feelings for Reimu was close to this.

 

Tenshi was visibly shaking now as she anticipated the next words coming from Tenco.

 

“And that is why I need to kill you!

 

As long as you exist, I won’t be able to see myself or be seen as someone different from you, I will always be driven by my hatred and love for you, and…it’s the only way. I refuse to back down. Not against you. Either you or me, one has to fall here.

 

If you want to stop me, then there’s no other choice! Tenshi Hinanawi, kill me…

 

…Or I shall kill you!”

 

That Which Remains Unchanging ~ True Conclusion

 

It was a bold declaration. This time, with her intense and excessive feelings fueling her rather than holding her back, Tenco meant every single words of what she just said. The next strikes would be done to kill, and she would not give Tenshi any more leeway and breathing room. Her words were spoken with such fatalism, it was clear that she was ready to die at this point as long as she could get a clear shot to kill her foe. She raised her left hand into the sky, and the wings on her back started to grew as it absorbed as much lingering temperaments and life force as she could from the air.

 

“…You’re trying to leave me with no other choices, huh?”

 

As Tenco’s wings grew larger, the stone fists floating around Tenshi gathered around her, slowly forming a bigger and bigger fist that slowly covered her entire body, forming a protective layer as a preparation for whatever Tenco had in mind.

 

“You better not hesitate this time! This is it, Tenshi! It’s the time to kill or be killed!”

 

“…If that is what you wished...then... perhaps this would not be a mistake.”

 

“Again and again, you're just repeating the same words. Please, just let me kill you now. This is the end, Tenshi!”

 

“Well then, might as well! Have at you, Tenco!”

 

Turning the entirety of any scraps of temperaments still lingering around her into pure energy, Tenco coated herself with that energy and her wings as she rushed at Tenshi in a blinding speed. Realizing that the protective layer around her wouldn't be strong enough against Tenco's ball of energy, Tenshi launched herself towards Tenco instead. It was hard to admit, but Tenshi had realized that she was left with no choices in the matter. Sooner or later, she would be outlasted by Tenco, and the girl was too locked in her mindset to be able to be convinced to stop. It’s either Tenco or herself, and Tenshi still wished to live to see the end of the war, or at least, she felt that there’s still more important thing for her to do. Thus, it’s only natural for her to retaliate, no matter how much she didn't want to go through with this.

 

Which of us before was more truly naive?
Was it you, far off in the distance…? Or was it me?

 

She hoped for Tenco to survive her attack, but with her deciding to not hold herself back at all this time, that would definitely spell the end for the short-hair, a former part of her, her descendant. Acknowledging that, Tenshi charged towards the glowing figure with her giant fist. Banking everything on that one last assault. This time, her will to live, her selfishness once again overruled her will to save others. Her resolve to get a better ending powered her fist to smash through the glowing figure, itself being the last thing that would stop her from choosing her own ending.

 

Everyone I have known is now left to the past.
They could not resist change.

 

The two crashed into each other at full force, and the force of the impact immediately shattered Tenshi’s giant fist, but she immediately leaped out from it and launched a quick thrust towards Tenco after turning her rock hand into a blade once gain. The short-hair parried the blow, but then, she could feel that a force crashed her back. It was a three meter-wide keystone, and it drilled a hole through her stomach as it pushed both her and Tenshi down crashing to the ground.

 

Everything… changes.

 

Before the keystone fully obliterated her however, Tenco fired off a blast of qi from her left hand to break the stone to pieces, and immediately healed herself from the gory wound left behind by the stone obliterating her chest, all while still parrying Tenshi’s blade hand. Her blade arm locked like that and the two being moments away from impact to the ground, Tenshi turned her hand back into a fist, and fired it off straight to Tenco’s face. She managed to dodge it this time. Without the sword hand blocking her, Tenco immediately went for another attempt to decapitate Tenshi, but in a quick reflex, Tenshi grabbed her wrist and twisted it, and then, from the stump of her rock arm, a keystone drill formed which she drove straight to Tenco’s heart.

 

Surely the stars will rise again.
Surely the sin I feel will weaken.

 

Tenco decided that the best course of action was to completely immolate her surrounding in a fire made of pure ki, just as the two crashed directly at the snowy ground. The snow surrounding them immediately melted off and evaporated from the heat, and Tenshi was forced to let her assault off to get away from being burned to crisp by Tenco. Even with her resistance, prolonged exposure surely would be fatal.

 

“It’s time for our last dance, Tenshi Hinanai. A dance between angels.”

 

Tenco didn’t waste further time afterwards, closing the distance between them almost in a flash before launching unrelenting succession of slashes from different directions in an attempt to overwhelm Tenshi. The long-haired girl barely managed to block the slashes with her rock blade. On top of all that, the relentless assault forced Tenshi to recreate her blade arm repeatedly so the Sword of Hisou didn’t get a chance to just break through it after it analyzed its structural weaknesses.

 

I’ll be crushed by these emotions I cannot resist.
I’ll shut my eyes to this unbearable reality.

 

Tenco’s swings were powerful, especially with the power of the sword backing her up, but it was clear that she still had her human-like endurance hindering her. Time passed, and her swings became slower and slower. Not by much, but it was enough for Tenshi to get an opening in between of the slashes, and kicked Tenco’s chest as hard as she could while she prepared a volley of keystones to bombard the downed girl as soon as she was far enough from her.

 

“Sword Formation: Shield Bits!”

 

The temperament barrier blocked the keystones without much problem, but Tenshi used the distraction caused by it to close in again and swing her sword arm as hard as she could towards Tenco. The short-hair blocked the strike with a horizontal blade block, relying on the sword's absurd durability to stop the swing. Still keeping the sword away from her body, Tenco then summoned a scarlet sword-like construct on her left hand, and stabbed it straight at Tenshi. Tenshi was in no room to dodge, and the sword pierced her bare stomach. The shock from the attack hitting loosened Tenshi’s force on her swing, and Tenco used the time to back down and retreat in an attempt so she could recover her lost stamina. Once she was far enough from Tenshi though, Tenco flicked her left hand, and with that command, the sword that was planted inside of Tenshi’s abdomen exploded.

 

Time flows ever so cruel.
Pushing everything to collapse.

 

The result was far from pretty. Blood and guts were scattered around Tenshi, and a huge, messy hole was there in place of her stomach. What was left of her intestines dangled from that hole, her spine was clearly visible, and Tenco believed that she could see some of her ribs and maybe a part of her lung. It was a miracle that somehow she was not blown into two and managed to stay in one piece after the explosion. Though, for someone who had their internal organs blasted apart, Tenshi didn’t seem to be fazed at all. It was a bit bizarre to see her almost casually hacking away what was left from her dangling intestines, and proceeded to move on seemingly unfazed even with her abdomen area almost completely gone from the explosion.

 

…No matter how we live.
…No matter how we die.

 

In truth it was unbearably painful for Tenshi. At this point she just stopped caring about the pain since it would just hinder her on the battle for her survival. Tenshi was still quite uncomfortable in pushing for this much violence against Tenco, but with her showing no signs of stopping, with a heavy heart Tenshi realized that it would be herself or that girl. Only one of them would be able to walk out of this place.

 

“Last dance? Doesn't sound that bad of an idea.”

 

Tenco used the Sword’s qi to refill her stamina before she fired off a blast of scarlet light at Tenshi’s direction. Tenshi managed to dodge the laser with ease, and without wasting any momentum, she created a several meters long keystone drill, and charged straight at Tenco. From her movement, Tenco seemed to think that the attack would be easy to dodge. Just as she moved out of the way of the giant drill however, it broke off into pieces of smaller drills fired at all directions, and several of the drills ended up hitting her directly before she was able to set up a barrier. Having her ribs being crushed by the drill, Tenco started to cough blood as she used the sword’s qi to break down the drill piece and heal her wound once more.

 

Ah, there is nothing we can do to resist!

 

The tables had turned now. Tenshi became far more relentless in her assault as she realized there was no other choice, a significant departure from her almost-pacifistic attitude earlier. Tenco was the one to goad her into this situation, so Tenshi felt that it wasn't really her fault to attack with this much ferocity.

 

What was left in the end
Was the root of everything, itself apart from change.
Before its eyes, I felt its gaze both beautiful and cruel.

 

The long-hair immediately charged again at Tenco with another drill, this time coupled with several keystone projectiles coming from all directions. Setting her shield bits in time, Tenco was able to protect herself from the projectiles and the drill itself, before she turned the bits into rifle bits and started firing at the vulnerable Tenshi after the attack. And while she was busy protecting herself from the barrage of beam attacks with her walls and pillars, Tenco summoned more bits to assault Tenshi from all other directions while she herself tried to find an opening to get a shot in hitting Tenshi with her sword. As she closed in however, Tenco felt the ground below her was shaking, and she moved out of the way just in time before a stone stake protruding from the ground impaled her. Though, even with her being able to get away from the spike, her focus was broken down in enough time for Tenshi to destroy her bits before rushing to create more spikes anywhere Tenco was trying to move.

 

There I was
Drawn in my that one
Distant thing that will never change

 

She was too tired physically to use the wings of light again, and with that fact, Tenco realized that the only option left for her was to just go for close combat now, where she wouldn’t be threatened by the spikes for the most part. Once again, she closed the gap between her and her opponent in a flash, and Tenco immediately let out several quick stabs in succession before creating a distance between herself and Tenshi. Some of the stabs managed to hit Tenshi’s bare skin from what she saw, but it didn’t seem that it inconvenienced her more than making her momentarily wince due to the pain. She kept her determined look even when blood was still dropping from those stab wounds and the huge wound from earlier.

 

Ah,
Even if even I will one day completely change.

And then, a straight punch towards Tenco’s face knocked her backwards. And it was followed by another punch to the gut, which made her fell on her knees, and then, not seeing the punch as enough, Tenshi followed it by kicking Tenco’s face as hard as she could, slamming her straight into the snow.

 

“Do you truly wish to kill me...? You really are still not trying hard enough. Come, this is what you wish for, right? If you really have all that feeling for me, put the entirety of your feelings into your swings!”

 

This battle had become more and more disturbingly enjoyable for Tenshi. She realized this, but she felt that she had little reason to restrain herself right now. She still really disliked the idea of having to kill once again - especially not killing Tenco of all people, but then again, it’s the matter of her survival. Tenco had pushed her to this point, so she shouldn’t feel any guilt about this, no matter how wrong this was.

 

She then pinned Tenco on the ground before she could get back up, and started to beat her up with her fists, not willing to give her any chances of retaliating. When Tenco tried to use her sword to attack her despite her current situation, Tenshi just forcefully wrestled the sword away from her, and threw it away not far from their current position before she resumed her beating of Tenco.

 

“Once again, I’m sorry, but I don’t have much choice about this. Thanks to you, mainly.”

 

“S-stop apologizing and just die already...”

 

As her voice weakened, Tenco fired off a fireball from her hand in an attempt to hit Tenshi to give her an opportunity to escape the mauling, but all that it did was merely sing a patch of her hair, with Tenshi herself not even caring about that attack as she continued to punch Tenco in the face. Still not giving up, the short-hair summoned a sword in her right hand, and tried to move it so it could hit Tenshi, but Tenshi merely grabbed the sword with her stone arm before shattering it.

 

“It’s not too late to give up, Tenco. Even if you’re the one that asked for this, I’ll still stop if you also desired for this meaningless conflict to stop.”

 

“…You’re joking right? No way in hell I’ll stop until either of us die!”

 

“Then…goodbye.”

 

Without Tenco holding her sword away from her, Tenshi was now able to summon it back to her without any problem. Wielding the golden blade against the completely helpless girl before her, she prepared herself to swing the sword and end this entire nonsense so she could continue reaching the ending that she wanted. The ending where she could be happy. The ending where people could see that she had changed even if she’s dead by that point.

 

Just one swing, and this would all be over.

 

Yet, at that last moment, she hesitated.

 

No matter how you try to justify it, a murder is still a murder, Tenshi.

 

Would it still be meaningful? Would whatever the path she takes after this be right if it's build on Tenco's corpse as its foundation? If she wanted to prove that she had changed for the better, wouldn’t killing the girl before her here be counterproductive to that goal? Wouldn’t that mean she hadn’t changed after all? If she tried to justify Tenco’s death as necessary for her to reach that goal, she would be as deluded as ever.

 

Tenshi couldn’t accept that as a fact. She wouldn’t fall for the same hole that trapped her before, not after all that had happened. Tenshi froze on her position, still in the position to swing at Tenco. Gazing at the short-hair's unrelenting expression, that hesitation inside Tenshi gradually became a determination.

 

I’ll just let myself be.
As long as I’m here together with you.
…Ah, if I could, I wish I could face everything here.

 

A determination to accept the end.

 

Embracing
This one distant thing
That will never change

 

She never finished the swing. At that last moment of hesitation, Tenco saw an opening, and rose up with a sword on her right hand and lunged at Tenshi in a desperate attack.

 

Taking

Everything in, I am here.

 

Seeing that, Tenshi decided to simply close her eyes and smile.

 

I gaze
Up at the distant sky
Lifting to the heavens all that I once was

 

Facing

The only thing that remains unchanging.

 

---

 

And just like that, Tenshi had suffered her last defeat.

 

There’s no more fancy deus ex machina left for her. No more sheer willpower that would let her survive. This was pretty much it for her. No more revival. No more saving grace. This time, it was clear that her story had ended the moment her final adversary delivered her final blow to her.. This was the final moment for her before her curtain was pulled down.

 

Tenshi was lying on the ground, completely in shambles physically after Tenco’s last assault on her. The fact that she was still alive even with these wounds would've been a miracle in itself had it was not because of how she cheated to even have this body in the first place. She had been dead ever since the end of her battle against Protheus, and it was merely due to her sheer refusal to die at that moment that she could use her sword to remake her body one last time. She had been operating on a borrowed time.

 

But, for a certain reason, even as her end was coming closer and closer, Tenshi was not sad nor she felt any fears. This turn of events did not disappoint Tenshi even a bit, and she was simply smiling a little as she thought about that one last hesitation that sealed her fate. She turned her gaze towards the short hair, who was still holding her own sword in her hand. She was visibly on the verge of crying, but the girl tried her best to hold still and look tough.

 

Seeing her act like was actually quite nice. This feeling, was it pride? She was glad that the short-hair could go this far. It was clear that what she said earlier, on how Tenshi really didn’t want to kill her, was true. With Tenco trying to look tough here, she was actually pretty cute. She definitely looked far better than the hate-filled mess that she was moments ago, or the fatalistically determined expression she had before her last onslaught. Struggling to move her lips, Tenshi decided to try to console the girl a bit.

 

“It’s finally over, Tenco. You got what you wished for in the end.”

 

“Stupid...you're always making everything harder for me. Just...die already, will you?”

 

“Hey, this is what you wanted, right? It’s better if you just smile now. You’ve won after all, go try celebrating it or something.

 

Though, this once…may I ask you come closer?“

 

There was no movement form the person she was talking to. The short-hair didn’t move an inch from her current position. She kept on trying to look like she didn’t care about Tenshi’s condition, but the more she tried to ignore her, the more miserable she looked as Tenshi saw it, and in a sense, that made her even cuter. Tenshi was reminded of her younger days when she saw Tenco like this, but well, it’s not really the time for her to think of it that way.

 

“Tenco…please, come closer. I want to see you clearly this one last time.”

 

With the second try, it seemed that Tenco actually listened to her this time. Still trying to maintain her emotional distance from the dying girl, the short-haired girl did as Tenshi said and went closer towards her, and kneeled on her side. Tenshi’s smile turned into a childish grin seeing the short-hair like that. Right there, before her eyes, was the girl that used to be a part of her, embodying the hidden parts of her true self, things that she wouldn’t readily admit to others.

 

“You really have gone a long way...”

 

That girl used to be that, and that was all there to it. But now, she had grown up into a new person entirely. Even if she tried to claim someone else’s identity for herself, Tenshi knew that right now, Tenco was someone different from both her and the girl that she used to emulate. Seeing her becoming more and more independent, seeing her change like this, it gave Tenshi a warm and fuzzy feeling inside of her heart.

 

“Damn it, why? Why did you hold yourself back even after that? You can just kill me if you didn’t throw your blade away. You know you’d be killed if you do that, so why?”

 

“Well, it seems that I’m still alive right now, so…”

 

Her weak attempt to make a joke didn’t seem to get any response from Tenco, but at least she tried to brighten the situation by a bit. She didn’t want her ending to be a sad one. A sad ending would've meant that she deserved to be mourned.

 

She kept on saying that she did not want to die before she could be sure that she get a satisfying ending, before she did something meaningful. She gave herself the right to choose her own ending, and she chose to end her story right here instead. That was the only satisfying ending that she could get right now. And to tell the truth, Tenshi was happy with it. She might not been able to save everyone, but she managed to save one person.

 

“Shut up! You…can you even understand?”

 

“What’s left there to understand? I guess there’s a lot, but still, I hope you can forgive me for not understanding them. There’s just…not enough time for me to do that.”

 

“Tenshi….damn you…! You goddamn idiot! Why do you let me kill you?

 

It’s just…seeing you like this, it didn’t even satisfy me at all. I thought…I thought if you just die, all my problems, all my doubts and everything would just end right there.

 

But now…why does this hurt a lot? Please answer me, Tenshi!”

 

“You really do love me after all, huh?

 

I guess it matters not whether this is truly from the deepest part of your heart, or whether this is just a form of expression from you due to your nature. The fact is, you cared about me with your heart and you stood here accompanying me during my last moments, and I guess for that, I’ll need to thank you.”

 

Holding her daughter's hand, Tenshi could feel the warmth she radiated. At this end, she was finally able to digest the excess feeling the girl had on her. It used to be something she feared, something she was appaled about. But, this time all that Tenshi could feel was the comfort of knowing someone still cared about her at her last moments.

 

“I…don’t think I actually would return your affection, even if I would be given more time to do so somehow. It would simply be too awkward, but…I guess a one last present would do, and that was what I thought.”

 

“…A present?”

 

“I think the only gift that I can give to you is a future, Tenco. A future where you can be the person that you wanted. Not the person you expected to be, not the person others expected you to be. A future where you can be free from me. Hopefully this is not too shabby as a gift.”

 

“…I don’t want that! I-I want you!”

 

The girl's grip tightened on her hand. Tenshi could feel her tears falling towards it, mixing with her blood. Her senses faded as her determination to stay faltered, but she could still feel the girl's presence.

 

“Once again, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. My apology might’ve come too late to do anything, but at least I think…if you can forgive me…"

 

"...I already said for you to stop apologizing, didn't I? Please, drop it already, Tenshi. It's meaningless now."

 

"Heh, I guess you're right.

 

…Wow, I really sound like my mother now, talking to you like this. I’m starting to feel the old woman vibe right here coming from myself. At this rate I'd be full of wrinkles before I die.”

 

This time, her attempt to break the ice was met with a small chuckle from the short hair, who was still trying her best not to cry right now. Meanwhile, Tenshi mustered up the remaining pieces of her strength to continue talking.

 

“As you've said, we might share some similarities. We might share some of our origin. But in the end, each of us is our own person. No one, neither me, nor others, has any right in dictating how you should live your life. Now, there’s nothing stopping now from doing anything you wanted to do as yourself.

 

You might still need to help bring this war to a close due to obvious reasons, but after that, it’s entirely up to you. It’s your life after all.”

 

“I…I guess.”

 

Her willpower could only maintain her form for so long. Each seconds passing Tenshi felt like she was burning her very soul into ashes, pieces by pieces. Ah, she wished that she could stay on the girl's side for as long as she could, but she really wasn't long for this world anymore, and she didn't want to hold the nameless girl for longer.

 

Her only regret was that nobody would be able to see her as anything but the worst villain after this, but perhaps that was something she deserved. Although, she did wish that Reimu was here. So she could tell her how much she had changed. So she could tell her that she finally felt like a hero. So she could make a promise to her, that they would be able to resolve incidents together.

 

Ah, what a distant wish. It would've been nice if that happened, but this was fine too.

 

“I wouldn't last much longer, Tenco. I suppose this is goodbye for-”

 

“No! This is not a goodbye! I won’t accept this as a goodbye!

 

Tenshi, even if it takes a thousand year to do so, I will meet you again somewhere! Even if I have to reach the edges of oblivion itself to find you, I’ll make sure we’ll meet again! Don’t you dare saying that this is a goodbye!”

 

Turning herself towards the girl, Tenshi, who was already unable to see the short-hair, gave her the best smile she could muster at that moment. Her heavily wounded body started to evaporate in the meantime as the willpower binding it together became weaker and weaker, unable to maintain its form.

 

“Ah, in that case…a ‘see you later’ would be more fitting, won’t it be? Well then, since this is not a goodbye, you don’t have to be sad like that, Tenco. If you really wanted to meet me again...then smile with the proudest smile you have. Wipe that tear off from your face, and smile for your future.

 

I hope when I meet you again, I can be truly forgiven by you. So, may your journey be filled with blessings. You have suffered enough alrea...d..”

 

Tenshi's form became weaker and weaker, and she was unable to finish her words. She was no longer able to see Tenco, but her hand was seemingly pointing at the Sword of Hisou in her last moments. Tenco ended up picking the weapon, and the moment it was on her arm, she knew what she would do with it.

 

“I’ll definitely see you again in the next dream, Tenshi.

 

This is my promise, so, may you rest well. Right now, this is the least I could do, so...”

 

As she said that, she stabbed what was left of Tenshi's form with the sword, and a big fire started around the two immediately afterwards. It covered the snowfield area like a dome, but it somehow didn’t burn the trees just outside of the dome’s radius. The fire burned brightly for several seconds before disappearing, leaving a snowy field, a tower, and a slightly smiling Tenco in its wake.The sword on her hand shone brightly as it absorbed what was left of Tenshi's essences.

 

It was as if she had realized something that had been in front of her face all this time. It was stupid of her to not realize it until it was almost too late for her. But...at least she understand it now.

 

“You’re right. If I keep anchoring myself to you, I’d just go down as the biggest loser in history. It’s no longer important whether you need to be forgiven or not now. No matter what, I will always love you. And with that feeling within me, I’ll start a new page of my life story.

 

...In the end, did I really owe everything about me to you?”

 

---

 

“My my, just now, you're showing a face full of regrets, Iku. It's all the fruits of your own action, so watch it well as we reach its conclusion.”

 

Gengetsu casted a playful aside glance to the purple-haired woman on her side as they watched the fire dome from on top of a tree. They had been watching the battle since it started, and as the memory constructs of Tenshi, they were aware that they're not long for this world too. The purple-haired woman, Iku, was silent the whole time, not even responding to Gengetsu's quips.

 

“You sent Tenshi to her death and made this place her execution ground, but in the end, you still cared too much about her. For you, it's still like seeing your own daughter die, right?”

 

Iku was still silent. The angelic demon noticed that she was trembling.

 

“We're simply born from her memory, and us memories are also shaped by her perception and thoughts of us. For you specifically, Tenshi thought that all that she did to you would make you despise her. But, in the end, you're still Iku. You're still someone she cared about deeply, and you cared about her too when nobody else would. To compare, I'm simply just her friend that she made after a few hours.

 

Come on, Iku. We're not long for this world either, so let's have our own last dance.”

 

Hearing that, Iku was unable to hold herself anymore, and tears started to fall from her eyes. Seeing that Gengetsu went to approach her and let her cry on her shoulders. The demon took a sigh as she noticed the nameless girl had left the snowfield. That girl carried the hopes of those that had fallen within her. The road ahead of her would test her way more than what she had experienced so far. As Gengetsu hugged Iku as to console her, the demon simply wished that this aimless soul would be able to find what she wanted to do.

 

“The world is yours to take now, nameless girl. What direction will your story take?”

 

---

 

It took her a while, but Tenco managed to reach the edges of a beautiful, crystal-clear lake after around twenty five minutes of walking. She took a quick glance at the moon and the starry night sky that became the ceiling of the pathway. It felt somewhat odd, her enjoying the beauty of the pathway as carefreely like this not too long after what happened earlier, but eh, getting stuck on the past as badly like that would be worse. That’s not what she wanted. That’s not what she wished for. For now, the best thing Tenco would do was to leave her past behind, and move forward to continue her live as herself.

 

She took a boat trip towards the other side of the lake, where her next destination should be. The trip itself was quite uneventful, with Tenco’s sight still focused on the beauty of the lake and the glimmer of the night sky above her that was reflected on the lake’s clear surface. It was pretty cold there, but Tenco made a fire on the boat to warm her up, and using some soft manipulations, she managed to put it near her without getting herself or the boat burned.

 

Tenco somewhat wondered about the nature of the lake itself as she rowed further and further crossing it, but her common sense decided for her that it would be best for her not to touch the water at all. It was…all of it was so beautiful, so calming, and as Tenco enjoyed the whispering cold air that passed her gently, she felt more and more relaxed, so relaxed perhaps, that she started to close her eyes, and within seconds, Tenco had already fallen asleep on her boat, smiling as she closed her eyes and drifted aimlessly on the boat around the cold lake.

 

What was a roughly one-hour nap felt a lot longer for Tenco when she woke up to see that her boat was burning, and the fire itself almost consuming her. It was like a funeral rite for a seafaring culture, but the problem was Tenco had no intention to die at that time. Using her sword, she absorbed the fire’s energy back into it, and she enveloped what was left from the boat with temperaments to avoid herself from drowning on the lake. Shifting her sword into a ladle, Tenco went on and rowed as fast as she could towards the shores on the other side of the lake.

 

A long-winded staircase met her not long after she landed on the harmless snowfield there, and without seeing much else to do or go there, Tenco ascended through the stairs until she came across a small dark pond at the end of the stairway, and nothing else.

‘Are you satisfied with your past?'

 

Satisfied? What did the voice exactly meant by that? Tenco wondered. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t exactly say that she was satisfied with her past, yet she couldn’t exactly say that she was disappointed by it too. After all, there was barely anything about her true past. Still, after some time of thinking, Tenco believed that she had found the answer she believed to be the right one.

 

“Think I might go a bit elaborate here if you don't mind. I just have some things that I need to drop to something that's willing to listen before I leave this place. Fine by you?"

 

No answers, no reactions. Tenco decided that it was a signal that whoever was the source of the voice didn't mind about what she's going to say.

 

"Alright then, here goes.

 

I barely had any past to accept. I don’t even exist as an individual until around two or three days ago. But even then, I’ve met several friends within my short time in this world. I’ve met some other peoples too, some peoples that I grew to respect, and it felt nice to know them. And finally, it’s quite pleasant that I have met someone that I could honestly love within that short amount of time. She might be dead now, yes. I might not even truly loved her, and my obsession with her might just be merely another thing she left inside of me when I was born. But…what’s important is that I loved her. I’ll let time to decide whether my feelings are true or not. If my feelings for her are false, then I’ll just forget her after several years or so.

And my origin... I’ve grown to accept it, despite it being hard to do. At least, I think I get what she meant back then when she pushed me to live my own life despite of my origin. It doesn’t matter at all. No matter my origin, what’s important is what I decide to do with this gift of life that I’ve been bestowed with.

 

So…in the end, I couldn’t exactly be satisfied with something I barely experienced, but I guess I can accept the entirety of my past as a part of me now.

 

Is that satisfying enough for you?”

 

As she finished her small speech, she felt that the barrier in front of her disappeared into nothingness. It was all quiet now. Without anything else blocking her path, Tenco took one last deep breath before moving along to the very end of the pathway.

 

---

 

“The final pathway. Death.

 

Fitting, wasn't it? Death as my last trial. In that case, I shouldn’t be slacking around. The end is near, and the late riser wouldn't get too much bounty at the end of the day.”

 

Tenco stared down the one last door remaining in front of her. It was marked with the drawing of a skull, and from what Arturia described back then, this would be the Pathway of Death. Whatever lie beyond that door would be something that would symbolizes her future, something that she still had no actual idea about. For someone that still has the barest idea of what would she do next, what would the pathway show her this time?

 

Shaking with eager anticipation, with the question still etched on her mind, she walked through the door into the darkness that resided beyond it.

 

"Thus, the first chapter of my story will be written now."

 

---

[Gαr]

Gon, Path of Remembrance

 

Gon wasn't able to answer the newcomer's request for help as he was too distraught. He was sad and angry that Meruem nearly killed Killua, he was relieved that the Ant was now gone, and he was grateful that one of the two girls was able to help heal Killua. He couldn't focus enough in order to extend her some of his Nen and his natural En wasn't helping until it started to naturally recede as she slowly healed him. He was just crying and mumbling to himself, too emotionally compromised to be of any help during the whole healing process, which went on for an uncomfortable amount of time, almost too long for any progress. Killua's hand grabbed the girl's hand eventually and that brought a smile to Gon's face, although he was still crying. "...thank goodness, Killua..."

 

"What happened here? And who are you, since you seem to know what you're doing to this boy?" He heard a very familiar voice behind him, but Gon just passed it off as some sort of stress induced conscience in order to get in some more Gon angst. It wasn't until the healer introduced herself as Maribel Hearn to the source voice that Gon stopped mid-sob and think about the voice.

 

"K-kite...?" That was impossible, Kite was dead. Gon didn't like to think that, but he knew better than to face not face reality. Wiping tears and snot on his sleeve, Gon slowly turned around to see his fellow Hunter and friend, alive and well and not all patched up like he was when he was under Pitou's control. "B-but t-that can't be...You're dead, I saw your body...Neferpitou told me...and even showed me...How...how..."

 

A new stream of tears fell down his face, but Gon rubbed balled fists in eyes and sniffed. Gon managed a smile. It wasn't his brightest, as he was still a little weary, though it was one of his more sincere. All of his smiles were sincere, but this one more so. "Kite, I'm so happy to see you again."

 

Gon turned around once more to the girls and bowed. "And thank you for healing Killua and helping me."

[Dad]

Revy

 

"So Revy, hold me as tight as possible now...'cause we're going to launch!"

 

"Launch?  What are we, N.A.S.A?  I mean, I guess that's cool--"

 

"One..."

 

"Oh, you're really counting down.  sheet, hang on," Revy said wrapping her arms behind Reimu.  "Just gonna get comfy here--"

 

"Two..." 

 

"Wait, are you going on three, or aft--"

 

"And...Three!"

 

"Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa sheet!" Revy said as she felt Reimu take off.  Even the slow start, from hovering, was miraculous to Revy.  Saying that, Revy's grip tightened as they shot forward down the path.  Unfortunately, the ride only got bumpier as Reimu came to a sudden jolting stop.  

 

"Reimu, what the hell!?  I'm more afraid of you now, then those Divine fucks!  Jeez!"

 

...sorry for that. Won't happen again, I swear."

 

"Yeah, I bet.  I'd rather limp the rest of the way," Revy joked.  They had landed just before some crystalline bridges, which led into a rather long, oddly lit corridor.  They were similar in appearance to the first corridors that Revy had come through before meeting Reimu at the beginning of the pathway.  Wanting to give Reimu a break, Revy limped over to the inner walls of the corridor, and leaned on them for support.  She turned her head back to Reimu, and gestured her over.  "C'mon, let's get this over with," she said now hopping ahead of Reimu.  Revy took her time, inching her broken leg when she had to, and hopping on her good leg when ever possible.  

 

Fortunately, her broken leg didn't hurt much anymore.  She wouldn't dare say it was healing, as it would take some time.  With all that being considered, Revy still couldn't lean on the damn thing, for fear it would break even further.  Maybe if she had a splint or something to brace her leg, this would be easier, but there was no material in sight.  She continued hopping along, further down the lit, narrow corridor, just until she could see another mirror.  She approached it carefully, eyeing the mirror with concern and caution.  "Why is this thing black?" she asked aloud, reaching a hand for the mirror.  Thinking it would be solid, Revy put more of her weight forward into leaning towards the mirror, but ended up falling through it.  "sheet!" she cried out as she fell in.

 

It was then she discovered this mirror would lead herself and Reimu to a third alternate world in this pathway.  And inside of it, was her old crew, waiting to greet her.  Dutch. Rock.  Benny.  They were all here.  And just to add to the party, they brought friends.  Good friends.  Like Balalaika and crew.  The old broad took a large cigar from her scared mouth and face and stepped on it, grinding it to dust.

 

"Good to see you again, Revy," she said eyeing Revy up and down.  "You look a bit worse for wear.  What's the matter?  Going soft?"

 

Revy sighed, standing up straight at last, leaning against a large boulder.  "Yeah.  Like your ass."

 

 

---

 

 

Kite

 

He wasn't satisfied with her answer.  Kite frowned, as Maribel introduced herself.  Though Killua's recovery was important, it wasn't supposed to be done this way.  Killua shouldn't have gotten himself into this stupid situation in the first place.  And Kite was willing to bet that Killua had been running his mouth again to do so.  "Tch," he remarked.  He strolled over to Maribel, and took her hand away from Killua.  Without saying a word, Kite glared down at Killua, as he stood between the boy and Maribel.  

"Kite?  What are you--"

 

Then he kicked him.  Killua rolled over twice, before stopping.

 

"Fix yourself up," Kite called.

 

Killua was in pain, but oddly enough, he was not upset.  Instead, he was stifling laughter.  What Maribel had done, he was grateful for.  He had regained enough of his strength to at least finish patching himself up.  

 

"You're a disgrace sometimes, Killua," Kite said with a smile.

 

Then, Kite heard someone behind him.

 

"Kite, I'm so happy to see you again."

 

"Gon?  Oh, sorry.  I forgot you were there," he said with a blank expression on his face.  Killua, however, was now trying even harder not to laugh, as he manually began to use lightning to burn a seal over his chest.  He giggled slightly, and his finger slipped just enough to send a blazing trail of white lightning into the forest.  "Whoops," he said raspily, still giggling at Gon and Kite.

[The Warden]

|_)Witch of Courage, Lydia(_|

|_)Pathway of Truth: A9(_|

 

Lydia was silent as the strange masked figure flew by, grilling Ayame on such a strange subject. She remained respectfully silent as Ayame answered, though the girl couldn’t help but feel a little on guard. Now that she thought about it, wasn’t there someone also going to ask her… oh. Off in the distance, Lydia could see the fluttering of a sparkling blue butterfly. If anything was going to grill her about her truths, she knew it would be from a butterfly. “Ah, be right back” she mumbled as she flew away from Ayame.

 

Drifting through the dusty world, Lydia came upon not one, but a swarm of the colourful butterflies. In retrospect, she realized that talking to butterflies was actually really freaking stupid, but, hey, she ain’t the brightest bulb at times. “So you know why we’re here?” the butterflies whispered in a legion of children’s voices.

 

“I need to know whether what I want IS what I want. I don’t know, really. My head starts to hurt a bit when I think too deeply about it, and I was hoping the Pathways would help me find the answer. Death didn’t help too much, since I went nuts just from seeing my Future. Knowing the truth of my decision is pretty terrifying really” Lydia admitted guiltily.

 

“But you know the truth, why be scared? Isn’t it what you want in life? Some excitement, some fun? Being a Counter Guardian gives you that whenever you are called upon” the butterflies urged.

 

Lydia bit her lip as her boot idly tapped on the ground, kicking up dust clouds with each tap. “Is it? I know I made Zac help him out because I was bored, and fighting evil forces sounded like a lot of fun. But the reality is far from it. Hell, I almost had a heart attack when he had been kidnapped. I can’t it took me until two days ago how terrifying it all is. At any point you can die, and I can’t even count how many times I may have gotten lucky. To be a Counter Guardian, means I have to throw away my life for it. Any potential future. I could wait a while to do, or axe myself the moment I get my wish. It will be the greatest honour ever, I’m just not sure if I want it” she explained.

 

“Then, why not ask yourself it? Far beyond you will find the truth you seek, beyond the sapphire mirror. Go then, to find the answer” the butterflies whispered as they scattered like petals, drifting away to parts unknown.

 

Lydia nodded as she glided back to Ayame. “Sorry about that, I had to go talk to some butterflies. They warned me about something far ahead, which I think has to do with that” she explained, pointing at the large blue structure far ahead. “You know, I have the strangest feeling that whatever is ahead requires you to do it solo. Will you be fine on your own?”

[Maeriberii Haan]

"Yeah, I bet.  I'd rather limp the rest of the way,"

 

"Speaking of limp-" By then, Revy had hopped from Reimu's back and started to walk across the crystalline bridge and through the corridor beyond it as best as she could, hopping at times probably to ease the burden from her broken leg. It's slightly hilarious to see her walk like that, but hey, it would be rude to laugh at her valiant and determined effort. Reimu followed the hopping Revy by walking slowly, deciding to just let Revy take the lead while she watched her back.

 

 "C'mon, let's get this over with,"

 

"Yeah. Let's clear this one as soon as we can and advance. We probably have spent too much time here anyway."

 

It didn't take long until the two of them came across a pitch black mirror at the end of the corridor. Revy was seemingly looking at it curiously, but Reimu's intuition said that it's probably not wise to inspect it further-

 

"Why is this thing black?"

 

"Revy, whatever you do, don't touch it just yet!" Reimu yelled at her just as Revy started to lean carelessly on the mirror. Of course, the mirror ended up being yet another portal-like object, and Revy fell through it just as Reimu tried to knock her away from the mirror. Seeing no other options, Reimu then proceeded to follow her through the mirror, and what was next was a free fall sequence where for some reasoning she couldn't utilize her ability to float. She watched and watched as both her and Revy was falling through the sky, but not long after, the woman in front of her disappeared, and Reimu proceeded to crash straight into what looked like the rooftop of a Shinto shrine.

 

"Damn, this hurts a lot."

 

"Well, of course it would hurt. Thanks for telling the obvious."

 

"Who are you?"

 

"Me? I don't know, who are YOU?"

 

"Stop copying me."

 

"You're the one copying me."

 

"Can you just shut up?"

 

"Or else, I'll exterminate you!"

 

"Can you please not finish my line for me?"

 

"Sure-, wait, it's MY line!"

 

"This is a joke, isn't it?"

 

"Probably."

 

---

 

Well, whoever this new person was, Yukari was not exactly keen on how he acted. Despite the fact that he did seem to be a nice person, if quite pretty much a hardy one, his attitude didn't exactly sit well with her. It...reminded her too much of herself. Then again, she couldn't get people to laugh out and be like what the two boys were right now, unlike this man.  At least, the white hair's recovery did look like it's a success, which satisfied Yukari enough. With that said and done, she felt that her presence was not really too needed anymore that time, and she definitely need some rest too after she used much of her remaining energy to heal the boy. She nodded at Renko, who had been standing still behind her all the time during the entire thing, to signal that she was done. And then, after she was sure Renko noticed her, Yukari turned to see the the two boys and the man.

 

"Sigh...I guess that's pretty much it. With you being healthy enough like this, my assistance wouldn't be needed anymore here. Time for me to take my leave then.

 

Goodbye."

 

Yukari was not trying to be heard that time. She was too tired to bother with things like that by that point. With her formal farewell said, she started to walk away from the location, followed by Renko. Though, it didn't take her ten steps before she collapsed on the ground due to fatigue, and Renko, who saw that happened from behind her, only shook her head in response before picking her up and carrying her back to the forest, then laid down the unconscious blonde woman near a tree.

 

"Well, that could be embarrassing. For now though, just rest and enjoy your nap, you sleeping beauty."

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian: Path of Truth

 

The field was devastated with explosions as the combatants of all the various battles unloaded their signature techniques on each other. On one end the only two black combatants were having a glorified shoot out. Rhadamanthys was dealing with a 3-on-1 situation and Butlerok was fighting against the main man Yh Wach himself.

 

Oh come on! This is simply racist! Dorian exclaimed. Why are the only two black people fighting each other? He said as he repeatedly shot fire balls at the speed blitzing black Quincy. Well if you don't want to fight you are free to stop moving so I can shoot you. He said as he kept unloading shells at Dorian who was also moving around in a rapid fashion. Awww, someone got jokes don't they? He shouted as did an arch shot over the Quincy's head. The attack naturally missed but the explosion that was caused was enough to knock the Quincy off of his feet and cause him to temporarily lose balance. Dorian took this chance and he pinned his opponent down. Gotcha! Dorian stuck his fingers inside the Quincy's ear's and proceeded to unleash flames inside the man's skull. Within second's victory was his. I could've done that better.

Rhadamanthys lazily dodged the attacks of his opponents. The Viking was clearly the strongest of the three but it seemed that there was nothing special to him other than strength. Rhadamanthys flipped the man on his back and he stomped the person in the ground. Then the pretty boy looking character stepped forward and he proceeded to discuss about some fancy aspects of his ability. From what Rhadamanthys could gleam it made something poisonous. Though within seconds he was in immense pain! It seemed as if his blood was somehow turned into something toxic. Each second got more painful until Rhadamanthys simply grew tired of the watching his opponent laugh at his misery. With a second Rhadamanthys speed blitzed passed the man and tore out his throat. That was two down and it seemed that the third person was pretty quite. Rhadamanthys tilted his head and as that immense pain simply disappeared. Annoying. Since the shadow dude didn’t say anything Rhadamanthys simply gathered his cosmos in his hand and released it on the creature. Then there was not a creature. That was pretty uneventful.

Meanwhile Yh Wach and Butlerok felt the fall of the Stern Ritte. Hmm it seems your companions are much stronger than I initially anticipated. Yes, it would be wise to never underestimate your opponent. Butlerok replied as he unleashed an all-powerful Screech Alpha on his opponent. Yh Wach pulled his sword out and them cut the attack in half. Unfortunately for the original Quincy that was simply a distraction. Butlerok had gathered a large concentration of Rukh around Yh Wach. Halhal Inflagar! He shouted and the Rukh arose in a fiery tornado that completely engulfed the Quincy. It looked like a solid hit, but the tornado dispersed and Yh Wach not only looked unscathed and Butlerok took extra note of how weird his eyes were. This does not look like at good thing. 

Didn't you say not to underestimate your opponent? Yh Wach spoke as he now saw the world with his eyes open.

[Kingdom Xathers]

Alexander Zenith/Alister Azimuth/Ratchet/Bayonetta

Pathway of Death
START

“... egads, it’s frikkin’ dark up in this mother… Umbris, you’ve got something that can help--?”

“I’m on it. Spell Activate: “Dark-Piercing Light”!”

A brilliant burst of light erupted from a card held within the Neo-Spacian’s hand, allowing Alexander and the others to see their surroundings, however little they could see; the oppressive darkness around them was thick, practically dense, as if applying pressure to the light from all sides in an attempt to crush it outright. “... anyone else feeling… uncomfortable?” Alexander spoke up, speaking what had to have been on everyone’s mind at that moment.

“I’d say it’s more like “uncertainty” than “discomfort”,” Gabriel spoke up, the shivering of his plushie body accompanied by the sound of tiny bells. “... then again, I think both terms are rather appropriate right about now….”

“Now-now, Gabriel,” Bayonetta chastised coyly, “aren’t you supposed to be the brave lion here? This is no time to be acting like a little pussy… cat.”

(Gabriel’s DIGNITY harshly fell!)

“I’m a little more anxious to get this show on the road, if you guys don’t mind,” Ratchet spoke up, his arms crossed as he tapped his foot. “The sooner we deal with the Divine, the better.”

“The Divine are the least of our concerns right now, Ratchet,” Bayonetta replied as she continued to tease the momentarily emasculated Gabriel.

“She’s right, Ratchet,” Alister agreed. “We’ve no idea what this Pathway has in store for us, and rushing in without any foresight could very well get us into a mess of trouble.”

“Still,” Alexander spoke up, “what if we do run into any of the Divine? Especially if it’s Red, or Sayer?”

“Well, Sayer should be simple enough,” Bayonetta replied: “Shoot to kill. Although, I’m sure you, Alister, want to take a different approach with the dragon, correct?”

“I just want to know what’s going on inside his head,” Alister responded. “Once I do, I’ll know whether it’s worth trying to--”

“I wouldn’t waste my time with that, Alister.” The General was cut off by Ratchet’s rather blunt interjection. The younger lombax had a very smouldering expression, the light from Umbris’ card only serving to exaggerate the shadows cast over his eyes. “What he did to you, Al… a real friend would never have done what he did to you, and Red sure as hell isn’t your friend, especially not like my father was to you.”

Alister sighed ruefully. “Ratch… no one could ever replace Kaden,” he replied, “that much is true… but that’s not the main reason why I wish to speak with Red. Look, when… when I left the Divine, Red was… … I feel like I betrayed him personally by leaving the Divine. He and I understood one another, and--”

“Are you even listening to yourself, Alister?!” Ratchet snapped, his eyes widening with fury. “If the two of you really understood each other, like you say--”

“Ratchet, let me finish…!” Alister interrupted, his own temper beginning to develop. “Red lost the only other person he could confide in when I left, and I fear his current mental state is a result of that--!”

“--OR! it could just be that he’s always been that way!” Ratchet shouted back, his fur standing on end. “Why else would he be on the Divine’s side in the first place?! They’re trying to control their worlds, right?!”

“But Red’s not trying to control his world! He’s just trying to fix a mistake, just like--!”

“--is THAT what he told you?!” By now, Ratchet’s patience and restraint was running thin. “How do you know he didn’t just make up some sob story just to take advantage of your good nature?! Y’know, like what Tachyon did--?!!”

“WHAT DID YOU--?!?!!” Alister found himself advancing on the younger lombax furiously, only stopping a couple of feet away due to Alexander holding him back by his good arm. Even then, Alister struggled to release himself from Alex’s grip. “YOU DISRESPECTFUL--!! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW?!” Alister growled, saliva practically spraying out of him mouth by the pint-full. “YOU--RED’S GOAL IS A NOBLE ONE! HE ONLY HAS HIS WORLD’S BEST INTEREST--!!”

“Ratchet, please!” Clank spoke up, unable to bear watching the scene unfold before him. (Meanwhile, Bayonetta had wandered off a few moments ago, feeling she had no personal interest in the current conversation.) “This is not the time to argue, especially not like--”

The little robot’s pleas only fell on deaf ears. “”Noble”, you say?” Ratchet retorted as he ignored Clank. “I swear, the more I hear you defend him, the more I’m seeing the similarities… … YOU CLAIM HIM TO BE SO “NOBLE”, ALISTER?!!” Ratchet screamed, his breaking point drawing nearer. “A NOBLE PERSON WOULDN’T THINK ABOUT KILLING PEOPLE! ESPECIALLY NOT THEIR FRIENDS!!”

Upon hearing this, Alister ceased trying to struggle. “Wh… what are you talking about…?” he uttered quietly. “Y… You don’t know that for a fact--”

“Don’t I?” Ratchet stuck a hand into his pant pocket, retrieving it to reveal a small, red scale held between his fingers. “I beg to differ, Alister.”

“... you retrieved one of the scales?!” Alexander gasped out in shock. “And you… Ratchet, don’t tell me you--!”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Alex,” Ratchet replied, his tone almost calm, or at least calmer than it had been previously. “Thanks to the lake, this scale here told me exactly what was on Red’s mind. He was planning on killing you, Alister,” he said with a point of his index finger toward the General. “I’ve no doubt in my mind now.”

Alister was stricken still with silence, unable to believe what was being said. Alexander, however, was shaking his head in disbelief. “That… that doesn’t seem right, though,” he uttered quietly, his intuition struggling to discern fact from fiction and opinion. “I don’t know how, but… none of this sounds right--”

“Oh, for crying out--are you seriously defending him, too, Alex?!” Ratchet snapped angrily. “You know him even less than Al does, and--and are you telling me that this damned scale is lying to me?! Or is it just that bleeding heart of yours doing the talking?”

“Bu… what--?”

“This isn’t even any of your business anyway, Alex!” Ratchet continued. “Just, why the hell are you so hellbent on trying to help everyone else with their problems, when you should be dealing with your own issues? … and everyone wonders why you’re so messed up,” he added in a barely audible grumbling.

Now it was Alexander’s turn to be at a loss for words, going wide-eyed and slack-jawed, and falling oh-so-very silent as he proceeded to stare blankly ahead.

“What the hell is your problem, Ratchet?!” Umbris snapped, furious at the young lombax for what he had said to Alexander. “I thought you were already over this back on Remembrance. Why the hell are you going off on us about this? We’re not the bad guys here--!”

“You’re right, Umbris” Ratchet cut in, “you aren’t the bad guys here: Red is, and we should be concerned about getting him before he gets any of us, not trying to ask him to join our group therapy session--”

“YOU are not going ANYWHERE, Ratchet,” Alister growled out, his left hand finally free to grasp Ratchet’s arm tightly, “not until you learn to calm the f**k down and think straight--UGH!!” Alister found himself falling flat on his back, having once again been suckerpunched in the jaw.

“YOU, of all people, are telling ME to calm down?!” Ratchet shrieked at the General, the assailing fist still clutched tightly and shaking furiously. “No, Alister, F#@K. THAT. I’m not just gonna sit around while the likes of Red and Sayer are running around doing as they damned-well please! Whether you like it or not, I’m gonna put a stop to this myself! Alister… I don’t care about how you feel about Red… I’m not going to let him or anyone else take you away from me after I only just got you back! Red, Sayer, I don’t care WHO!” he declared, his fist held over his head, “but the next Divine I see... IS FKING DEAD!!” Ratchet threw down his fist, and before anyone knew it, a sudden flash of light accompanied by a loud BANG momentarily blinded the other lombaxes, as well as Umbris and Clank.

Through the ringing of his eardrums, Alister could faintly hear the sound of hoverboot propulsion, and by the time his eyesight returned to normal, his fears were confirmed: Ratchet had run off into the darkness, leaving them behind. “Dammit, no…,” Alister uttered fearfully as he worked to get himself back on his own feet. “Ratchet… Ratchet, where did you go?! RATCHEEEEEET!!”

“Oh yeah, scream louder Al. THAT’LL make him come back,” Umbris groaned in frustration, still trying to wipe the flashbang from his eyes.

“... this is my fault…,” Alister whimpered out ruefully, his head hung in shame. “It doesn’t matter what I try to do… I always end up making a mistake… I just….”

“... forget that for a moment, Alister,” Alexander spoke up, still somewhat shaken from the scathing words Ratchet had for him. “Right now, we have to find Ratchet before he gets himself killed….” He took a moment to pick up the once-again-left-behind Clank. “... Ratchet may think this is none of my business,” he continued, “... but… I’m not just going to stand by and let another person I care about get killed, especially when there’s something I can do about it.”

“Good to hear,” Bayonetta replied as she re-entered the scene, having witnessed everything that had happened from afar. “Now, we had best get a move on, boys, lest the little one really does meet with a sticky end. And I don’t want to hear from any of you about being “afraid of the dark”, either,” she added.

---

Ratchet - A2

---

Anger. Anger and twisted determination were what fueled Ratchet’s trek through the thick darkness. He had stopped using his hoverboots in favor of walking on foot, as his portable spotlight was unable to reveal more than a few meters ahead of him (It’s a miracle that his rage wasn’t clouding his better judgment too badly at this point; he knew speeding ahead without seeing far ahead of himself was not a smart move). Still, he moved forward, ignorant of the voices and growls that attempted to reach him through the darkness. It wasn’t until he had moved about 100 meters that he became aware of something he was… lacking.

His back… it just felt so… bare without Clank strapped to it. The absence seemed heavier than Clank ever was. Ratchet was about ready to kick himself… in his anger he went and abandoned not just the other lombaxes, but his own friend, as well. He was starting to miss the little robot, feeling that his company would have been a welcome comfort….

… but he would’ve just been in the way. He knew that Clank would have tried his best to get Ratchet to reconsider what he had set out to do. Ratchet couldn’t have that; he had already made up his mind.

Still, as this was running through his mind, Ratchet’s pace slowed to an idle walk, just enough to eventually bring his attention to his surroundings… right after feeling something disturbingly squishy and slippery on the sole of his right foot: looking down, Ratchet made a disgusted grimace as he found a flattened goldfish-like creature underneath his foot, its face caved-in and contoured around the shape of his boot. “Ugh! A drophyd… wonderful,” Ratchet grumbled as he scraped the guts off the bottom of his boot against the ground, all while taking notice of some other bodies strewn about: a few Thugs here, an Agorian or two there, a pile of drophyd suits over there… clearly there was a massive slaughter here, and yet… what, or who, could have done all of this? As he continued to survey the area, he caught sight of something that was barely revealed by the spotlight. Something… familiar. All too familiar.

“... … … y’know,” Ratchet groaned to himself as he let out a resigned sigh, “I really should be used to seeing my garage wrecked by now….” Indeed, it was his garage from Veldin once again, except this time it had its entire roof blown off, and everything else inside was singed and thrown into disarray. “... but that doesn’t mean I’m going to enjoy fixing it any more than I did the last two or three times it’s happened…!” Though somewhat irritated at the sight, his curiosity was the stronger force as it pushed him to approach the ruined structure. Within, there was barely anything recognizable that managed to survive the destruction, though he did--partly out of instinct--pocket a few stray bolts that he had found scattered about. As he was about to pick up a gold bolt, however, something underneath it caught Ratchet’s attention: a small piece of paper.

Or was it? It was covered in a layer of ash, so he couldn’t really tell for certain. It wasn’t until he brushed it off that he saw it was a photograph… one showing him and Talwyn, both seated together at a diner or something similar, holding hands with each other while happily grinning at the camera. Upon closer inspection of the photo, Ratchet’s heart skipped a beat as he noticed a gold band around Tal’s finger… an engagement ring. Ratchet’s eyes welled up a bit as a fair few different emotions surfaced all at once: happiness, sadness, confusion… those were just the ones he could name right off the bat. So… was this part of this Pathway’s power? To show one their possible future? Was the photograph in his hand showing him what could be? A life spent with Talwyn as his one and only…? But… can that future still be possible? If it was… would that mean he would survive this war? Blinking the tears out of his eyes, Ratchet looked back at the photo in his hand… … only to find that it was now showing a different scene--of Talwyn, alone, wandering the halls of the Intergalactic Museum of History, staring forlornly out the window of the Lombax History Wing. “... what…?” Ratchet uttered in shock, confused at how the photo could have changed so suddenly. He shook his head, thinking either his mind or the Pathway was playing tricks on him. The fact that the photo kept changing between the two images did not help matters.

“Wh… what’s going on…?!” Somewhat spooked, Ratchet dropped the photograph, which floated down before it slid under the ruined workbench. Part of him wanted to try and retrieve it, yet he remained hesitant. That hesitance gave him enough time to take notice of yet another photograph--this time in a frame--on top of the workbench. Although the glass of the frame was shattered, Ratchet could still see the image through the cracks; a picture of himself, standing alongside… a group of lombaxes?! He had to blink his eyes a bit to see if they were working properly, but they were not lying to him. Still, aside from Alexander, Ratchet didn’t recognize any of the other lombaxes in the photograph. There was one which stood at six feet… six-and-a-half, maybe, fairly built physique, calm blueish-grey eyes, and… wait, hair? Actual hair and a beard? Curious. But not as curious as the slim, grey-furred lombax with light-blue stripes and orange eyes…. Wait, that helmet on Ratchet’s head… is that…? But it is! The Dimensionator! It was starting to make sense, now; the photograph must be showing a future in which Ratchet had found the Lombax Dimension! But, how did he manage to get the Dimensionator to work in the first place? How did they even get their hands on it--?

… now wasn’t the time to be pondering this, Ratchet realized. He had to get going. Carefully placing the frame back down on the workbench, Ratchet made his way out, through a hole in the back of the garage.

After a bit more walking (around corpses), Ratchet came across a village of some sort, one that appeared to be a mishmash of both the natural and the technological. Quite odd, he thought to himself, as he took a moment to study the architecture. It was then that his curiosity steered him to enter one of the buildings closeby, where he found himself in a room filled with numerous picture frames lining the walls. Quite a lot of these frames seemed blank to Ratchet, though perhaps it was only because some of these frames didn’t concern him in any way. “More picture frames? I don’t get it…,” Ratchet uttered quietly to himself, barely above a whisper as he crept closer to one frame in particular, this one actually showing a picture. This one was a curiosity, however, as it was just a headshot of someone whose head was scribbled over with a black marker, obscuring the face. The only other detail that wasn’t written over was the armor the individual was wearing--

“The F U C K?!”

Ratchet repressed the urge to gasp as he heard another voice in the building blurt out an F-Bomb. The voice was familiar... ... so, he had finally found who he was hoping to cross paths with. The Lombax caught a glimpse of the dragon's form, his back turned to Ratchet as he, too, was occupied with something. Didn't matter to him; right now, Ratchet had the element of surprise. Quietly equipping the Walloper, Ratchet positioned himself to make his next move. That move being to charge up to Red and sucker punch the left side of the dragon's face.

[Reinforce]

Ayame

Pathway of Truth: A9

 

The other girl flew off, seemingly to interact with the swarm of butterflies nearby. Idly thinking, Ayame figured the swarm of butterflies was probably Lydia's version of the obstacle she'd just cleared. Although she wouldn't have minded hearing what the other girl talked about, she though it probably wasn't her place, as it seemed that what occurred through the obstacles was a deeply personal set of experiences anyway. Lydia arrived back then anyway, and briefly spoke to her again.

 

"Yeah, I'll be fine going on alone. I'm getting the feeling this ahead is where I'll have to face the darkness trapped inside me anyway. It's probably better this way, I don't want to drag you into the consequences of my mistakes."

 

Giving a soft smile across to Lydia, Ayame then focussed on the area ahead, eyes narrowing as they approached the corridor.

 

---

 

Chandra

Pathway of Truth: C10

 

Unlike the cruel image she was looking at, Jace's mirror version seemed to be a younger looking version of himself, weighted down by heavy metal rings. It wasn't until his own mind provided an explanation of them that she realised just what the rings were, guilt weighing him down even as he struggled on. It was rather shocking for her to see, but even more what it said to him. She didn't actually hear the words it spoke first hand, but Jace's still projecting telepathy provided them to her. 

 

"Purifying Fire huh, now that's a phrase I haven't heard in a while."

 

She spoke that quietly to herself, before looking back into the mirror at the figure watching her.

 

"Well, see you on the other side."

 

Having said that, she took a step forward, walking directly into the mirror and entering the next part of the pathway.

 

Ending Location: CX

[Tesability Black]

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

And the man in yellow hadn't even moved when the dark double lunged forward with a flurry of strikes, kicks and punches. Only after a quick use of Agility was Neos able to keep up with the swings, blocking as many as he could, though a few cheap shots still got through with the strange blue light around him being his only way to see.

"Are you even trying," Gemini asked in a taunting manner after kicking away from Neos by a decent distance upon yet another block, a sinister smirk on his face.

Neos simply chose to ignore the question, instead opting to allow his hands to glow before jumping forward. However, just before he started, Gemini began to summon three points of pale-pinkish light in front of himself, similar in pattern to a Tri Attack. Just as he was at point-blank range, Gemini's grin grew wide as the three points connected to each other and released a large beam at the false human, launching him far away from the dark-purple double.

Gemini winced slightly as he landed on his feet, the drain from the unusual attack trying to take its toll before looking up toward Neos, who...

...to be perfectly honest, was quite flat on his back, his whole body literally smoking from the impact of the odd attack. Neos looked like he was in a whole lot of pain, as if hit by a weakness he wasn't expecting. But how? It was the wrong color to have been either a Flying or Fighting move and it was the wrong shade to have been a Psychic move. But how could that be? He could barely move a muscle without being in a lot of pain, and that's saying something after taking strikes like Judgement to the face before.

What even was that move, anyway?

"Like the move," Neos heard Gemini taunt as the bastard walked up to him before lightly kicking him in the side, netting a groan out of the false human on the ground. "It's called the Light of Ruin, a Fairy-type move that was discovered long after you left."

"F...fa---ugh!" Gemini planted his heel into his chest, making him hurt even more than he already.

"Pathetic."  Lifting his foot up, the cruel bastard took advantage of the fact that his counterpart appeared to be in a lot of pain and began kicking him harder and harder in his ribs, though making sure that none of the strikes were fatal blows. "You've been in bed with members of the Rakdos Cult, even Rakdos himself while he was in disguise, and you're seriously saying that strike hurt way worse than those 'sessions'?"

 

Wincing at first, Neos tried to open his mouth, realizing just how close he was to being knocked out from that one blast. "I...I didn't..."

 

"Yeah, yeah, I know, breeding season sucks. A little amazed you didn't wind up jumping onto your so-called 'boss' for such needs," Gemini teased before stomping on one of the bright human's legs and netting himself yet another yelp. "You're always pulling that one exchange with him every time he tells you "f*** you" to your face, after all..."

[The Warden]

|_)Red the Arisen who just got decked(_|

|_)Pathway of Death: C2 ½(_|

 

The force of the impact sent Red flying through a wall, with the photo flying from his hand and shattering on the part Red wasn't gauche enough to break. Slumped on the dark dirt, Red screeched horribly at the pain clawing at his face as the wound had opened up, and was slowly leaking blood. Whatever had hit him, was going to pay dearly. Shaking his head and sending blood flying, he craned his neck around, teeth bared at whoever had hit him. To his surprise it was… “Ratchet?” Red said in confusion, his one good eye wide and surprised at the Lombax he thankfully remembered the name of.

 

“Hmph… so you know my name, huh?” Ratchet huffed menacingly as he slowly approached Red from the darkness, the Walloper on his right arm still humming from the attack. “Lemme guess: Alister told you about me?” He gave Red a quick once-over, taking note of the laceration on the dragon’s face.  “... I see my rocket actually did a number on ya.  Bet it hurt, didn't it…?” Ratchet asked, his anger flaring yet still under control, if only barely. “Probably not as bad as what you put Alister through, though.”  The Walloper collapsed and retracted into Ratchet’s inventory as another weapon--something resembling a morning-star--materialized in his hand.

 

Red’s face changed from surprise to being absolutely livid with rage. A shaking claw felt at his face, and at the raw meat that was his face. The blood… the blood on his shaking hand. HIS, blood. “That was you?!” he hissed barely above a whisper as he gave the Lombax his fiercest glare.

 

He was shaking with rage, with dragonic fury. This little brat sucker punched him, and already thought himself ENTITLED to be condescending?! No. Nooo. That will -NOT- do, not one bit. This little brat needed to learn some manners, and, RESPECT for his elders. Screw play-acting, this little whelp has surpassed Red’s patience in record time. “Pathetic little brat. What will your little rattle do against MY scales beyond give them a pleasant scrub down? You overreach yourself brat; you should run on home, back to mummy and let the adults play. Speaking of which,” he jeered, staring around carefully for signs of movement in the darkness; “Where are the others? Did they send you to finish me off?” he taunted, a sheet-eating smirk slapped on his face.

 

Ratchet’s eye twitched--spazzed, really--at the dragon’s taunting, and yet he still held his ground. Tapping the so-called “rattle” with his free hand, Ratchet merely scoffed. “Well, look at you!  Still think you’re all that, even when half of your face looks like hamburger meat.” He took a moment to scoff again, shaking his head as he began pacing back and forth. “... y'know, all Alister could talk about recently was you, about how he saw you as such a noble, selfless person, a friend, even… but right now, I don’t see a single damn thing that he saw in you.” He stopped his pacing to shoot Red a fierce, accusing glare. “... how much of it was real, Red? How much of that bond you two shared was truly there?”

 

Red seethed as Ratchet paced in front of him, but, his hand felt empty. His staff was missing. Far beyond the Lombax, he could make out the faint glow of the Light Gem, but he couldn't make a Move for it; Ratchet would react too quickly and break his claws with that weapon. He needed enough time to distract him, to allow him to make a mistake. The rat clearly wasn't in a fit mental state, so that wouldn't be too hard. As such he went along listening to Ratchet for as long as he cared for, just waiting for his moment. “... how much of it was real, Red?”

 

Red paused, everything just stopped for him. He was decidedly silent, weighing up the answer as he tried to bite on his underbite. “How much of it… was… real?” he wondered to himself, his face sharing his own internal concern. Staring down at the ground, he found what he was looking for: A chance to break the Lombax. Wearing his best slasher grin, he stared right into Ratchet’s eyes, his own slowly bleeding as he stared down his foe. “NOT A DAMN BIT!” he roared furiously, smirking with unsuppressed malice. “Did he honestly think we were friends? If he did; he was an even bigger idiot than I first thought he was. To treasure something so meaningless, so pathetic. It’s how I managed to use him for so long. And, it’s how I managed to DOMINATE him in our fight. He begged for me to stop, got down on his hands and knees even; but I refused as I continued to ruin him. You only got to see the finale Ratchet, can you imagine the anguish only I got to witness during the main event? It was… GLORIOUS!” he declared madly, laughing all the while as he relished in his own acting.

 

The look on Ratchet’s face expressed not even half of the horror that filled him at that moment. To think… Alister actually trusted this… this fiend, saw him as a friend, someone he could relate to… and this dragon had been playing him from the very beginning! “You….”  The Lombax’s emotions were starting to get the better of him, his eyes beginning to tear up at the thought, both in sadness for Alister, and in anger toward Red. His grip tightened on his weapon’s handle, the rage was almost unbearable.

 

“Oh, what’s wrong?” Red sneered, “You going to cry now little Lombax?" His smirk, that irremovable smirk pointed at the Lombax. He was going to milk this for twice the cow’s worth. “Did I make little Ratchet sad?”

 

Ratchet’s body was practically quivering now… but in the back of his head, he knew that he couldn't let Red have this. He couldn't give in to the taunts, he could not--no, would not--give Red the satisfaction! Using all of his willpower, Ratchet managed to calm himself down, just enough to keep a clear head. Once more, Ratchet shook his head. “... heh… you must be the fool, if you think you’re ever going to get the better of me here… … and besides,” he added, blinking away the tears in his eyes, “I’m not entirely convinced, Red.  The way I see it, you were jealous.”

 

That struck a nerve. Red’s good eye twitched fiercely, well, it was more like a continual rapid vibration. “M-me?  Jealous--?!” he stuttered.

 

“Alister could have stayed with you and the Divine,” Ratchet continued, taking note of Red’s reaction… and actually starting to enjoy it. “He could have stayed, been your ally, your “friend”, even. But he chose us in the end. He chose to be with the people who actually gave a damn about him. We are his friends, Red. WE are his family!"

 

“And besides…,” Ratchet added, “... he already had a best friend once… and if you think you could EVER be half the friend that my father was to him, then let me just tell you this: it’s NEVER gonna HAPPEN!”

 

It was Red’s turn to shake again. Every point made struck at his cold heart straight and true. He couldn't even look at Ratchet in his eyes. As hard as he fought it back, and as hard as he clenched his teeth, he couldn't help but cry. Drops of red and clear fell to the dirt, and Red clenched the ground so tightly his claws dug thick pits. What did that brat know? He couldn't even possibly understand what he --and Alister-- had gone through. What pains of loss and mourning could he understand, from the view of the villain? What did he truly know about the concepts of losing EVERYTHING important to you? What did he even understand about throwing away your future in the face of duty. How could he act so mighty when he never truly knew what it meant to give everything up, and to lose everything else?

 

These thoughts burned in Red’s mind, but instead of rage, Red just found amusement, as he just realized something; something very important. Red, he just started laughing, not maniacal, nor rapt with madness. Just pure straight laughter. He continued to laugh as he stared Ratchet dead on, his black pupil shrunken and focused. “Oh, so the great detective figured it out huh? Bravo, bravo Ratchet” he laughed, clapping nice and slow, a good condescending clap as he hid his tears. “But, you forgot something important: He meant NOTHING to me; just a tool, a means to an end. Why could I be jealous of something I never WANTED?! And yet here you stand, self-righteous and proud; when you IGNORE your own hypocrisy!” he roared, spit flying everywhere as he pounded a triumphant fist into the ground.

 

“Friends?! Family?!” he spat scornfully. “If you valued those traits, then why aren't you with him right now? Why are you here fighting me? It’s because, really, you don’t care, do you? Your self-satisfaction comes before anything, or, anyone else. If I could hazard a guess, you’re here because you fought with Alister over the issue. No doubt he wanted the passive approach, but you just couldn't accept that, could you? No, clearly everything would have to be violence and bloodshed. Thinking yourself right, you ABANDONED him to hunt me down. Am I right? Do tell me I'm right Ratchet. I'm just DESPERATE for the reason why you’re here alone, with me; instead of tending to your oh so injured friend” he sneered, his tone pure acid.

 

And like acid, Red’s words began to eat away at Ratchet’s restraint. Who did this dragon think he was, questioning his motives, making HIM out to be the bad one, making HIM regret having that argument with Alister and Alexander, for striking Alister just because he wanted Ratchet to calm down?!  He knew that Red was right, but how could he even bring himself to admit that?  Should he even admit??  Was he WRONG???  WHY was he FREAKING OUT over thi--

 

… … … … … … at that moment, Ratchet’s face went completely blank.  Not one sign of expression anywhere; not even his ears or tail betrayed his inner thoughts.  All he did was stare blankly ahead at Red, the emotionless gaze almost giving the dragon the creeps. (“Okay, this might’ve been too far” Red thought to himself.  He wanted to break the Lombax’s concentration, not his sanity.)

 

 

… … … … you know what…?

 

… … … … … …

… … funk….

 

… ... THIS… …!!!!

 

 

 

An unearthly shriek escaped Ratchet’s lips as his body more-or-less began to move on its own, its first order of business being to swing the morning-star--actually, a flail--at Red; the spiked orb flew out in a wide arc, hurtling toward Red’s right side, but, the dragon caught the ball in his claw before it could meet its mark; he didn't even care for the protrusions as he held onto it tightly. Pulling as hard as he could, Red used the weapon to pull Ratchet into range, allowing him to grasp the Lombax by his throat with his bloodied hand. Each digit gracefully curved around his thin Lombaxian neck.

 

Picking himself up slowly, Red stared into the eyes of the struggling Ratchet for every foot of height he gained. There was no expression on his face, just barely masked fury. “One, very important thing you should have learned by now, Ratchet” he whispered gently as his prey continued to struggle in his grasp. “IS TO KNOW YOUR PLACE IN FRONT OF YOUR SUPERIORS!” he screeched as he flung Ratchet into the air, winding up his good leg to punt the Lombax off into the darkness. With a quick = sign, he Moved his staff back into his waiting claw. The polished wood felt good in his hand as he scanned the darkness for Ratchet. “Come out little Lombax, so I can destroy you” he called sweetly to the darkness, crushing the Scorpion Flail underfoot.

 

Red couldn't see where the Lombax had been punted too, and yet he could hear a faint, almost detached giggle. It was soon replaced by the sound of something being jettisoned, and that something was approaching fast.  Frantically, Red hunted for the source, which turned out to be a rocket, fired with love. It struck him dead in the stomach, blasting him 5 feet back, grinding up dirt beneath his feet before exploding. Red weakly gasped in agony, unable to do anything else as his legs buckled beneath him; a big black scorch mark smeared across his belly. The leather strap holding his medallion had been scorched in the blast and had come loose. Snaking around his neck it clattered to the cold stone ground. “You…” he groaned to the darkness, before vomiting up a great deal of blood. Trying all he could to keep his arm straight, he swung his staff, unleashing a wide crescent of light that launched off in the direction the rocket had come from. That was all he could manage as his insides were on fire, a curt reminder to a certain black panther’s attack as he collapsed again, his eyes watering and his body shaking from the impact.

 

The energy wave that Red had launched was making its way toward Ratchet, and fast. He was not quite concerned, though. With a slight, quizzical tilt of his head, Ratchet quickly thought of what to try next; materializing another weapon into his hand, Ratchet fired it in front of him, right in the path of the energy wave. The deployed round took the shape of an elliptical holo-shield, wide enough to protect Ratchet from the light energy that crashed right into it; what was not blocked simply sailed harmlessly past Ratchet. At this, Ratchet gave yet another hollow giggle. "Well, that’s a shame,” Ratchet mused as he turned to look toward where Red stood (or tried to, at least). He could just barely make out Red’s silhouette, seeing that the dragon was now clutching at his stomach in pain. “Aww~ wuzzah mattuh, Wed?” Ratchet chimed tauntingly in a babyish tone. “Is duh widdle dwaggie having a tummy ache?” His expression quickly changed from a goofy, wide-eyed grin to a deadpan, serious scowl. “Well, tough sheet.”

 

Red shuddered painfully, his body quivering from shock alone. “I… HATE YOU!” he shrieked angrily, catching Ratchet’s silhouette as the gloves came off… metaphorically. “I hate you… SO... MUCH!!!” he punctuated for emphasis, despite still not being capable of moving yet. His face was nothing but hatred and rage as his shaking claw sketched a lightning bolt into the air. “SHOCK!” he screamed, his voice breaking as a lightning bolt surged down at Ratchet. Without ever thinking about aim, Red started to fire as many Shock spells around Ratchet as well. He didn’t care what happened, so long as he hit the damn Lombax. “I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!” he kept screaming between casts.

 

“Yeah, like I haven’t heard THAT before--WHOA!!” Ratchet’s snappy response was cut short as a lightning bolt that struck down had just barely missed him. “... uh-oh.” Ratchet began to scramble about as he tried to avoid getting struck by the lightning bolts being called in rapid succession. “Sonuva…!” He had to do something, anything. Otherwise he’d get--

 

“BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!!!!” Whoops, too late; In the confusion, one of the lightning bolts finally managed to hit the Lombax, who proceeded to spaz out almost comically as the electric current ran through his body. As soon as the literal shock had ceased, Ratchet merely flopped down onto the ground.

 

Red roared in triumph, the limp rag doll was now at his mercy. He limped through the darkness, the pain of his internals no doubt bleeding out doing nothing but fuelling his anger. Reaching Ratchet, he gave a pained kneel in order to grab the shocked Ratchet, and proceeded to ram his body into the ground, crushing him with enough force to hurt without breaking anything. He wanted to enjoy this. As Ratchet cried out, Red took the opportunity to lessen his pain, so he could give a swift but less powerful punt, launching Ratchet and leaving him to flop on the ground twenty feet away. “Do you understand now, Ratchet? Your little gizmos, and your toys will never be able to compare to my infinite power. You are NOTHING TO ME!!! And, now, you are going to die here alone... by my hand. Any last requests?” he said triumphantly as he limped towards Ratchet again. “Huh. Now that I think about it, I forgot to offer Alister this chance. So I figure I might as well be courteous with you. Think of it as a kindness.”

 

Ratchet’s head was spinning, the daze doing nothing to nullify the pain he was feeling at that moment. He struggled to push himself up off the ground, his arms and legs shaking from the strain. Through the pain, Ratchet could see Red strolling towards him --a limp in his right leg that Ratchet now noticed-- as the dragon taunted him, taking the moment to offer the Lombax a final request… and then, when Red mentioned Alister once more, Ratchet’s mind instantly thought of the General, how the dragon had nearly shattered his body completely by the time Ratchet and the others came to his aid… and then, he remembered the vision he saw from Red’s scale, the image of Alister’s broken body sprawled out on the ground as he bled from the wound in his torso, the General reaching futilely toward the dragon he thought was his friend… … … … … that was the last straw.

 

“... yeah,” Ratchet spoke up, his right hand clutched tightly as he finally found the strength to get himself upright.  “Yes, Red… I do have one last request:

 

“KNEEL!!”

 

His OmniWrench now having materialized in his right hand, Ratchet then flung out his arm, aiming the wrench’s trajectory right at Red’s right leg.  The Comet-Strike attack struck Red right in his knee. And that… that was it. The horrific, spine-curdling, eardrum burst scream Red unleashed was equalled only by one other event in his entire life: The day when the Sorcerer first invaded his mind. His body toppled like a mountain, and that was it for him. He was shaking from the unsuppressed pain, his body recoiling in on itself as his wings tried their best to shield him. He continued to scream as tears washed from his eyes like a flood, blood dripping down his face. He looked so pathetic lying there on his side, hands at his now almost certainly broken leg. He didn't even care about Ratchet at this point; only for the pain to stop. His body was shaking from the shock and the pain, ice water in his veins as his vision turned hazy.

 

Ratchet, meanwhile, took the opportunity to scramble to his feet as Red continued to writhe in the sheer pain of his possibly shattered leg. A part of him actually felt sorry for hurting Red in such a way; perhaps it was the way Red was crying out in agony. He almost wanted to try and help the dragon, or even just apologize….

 

… but he knew better than that. Alister became injured because he had shown Red mercy. Ratchet… he wouldn’t make that same mistake. The wrench, having returned to Ratchet’s clutch, was unceremoniously thrown to the ground as he materialized one more weapon: a large, multi-barrelled monstrosity that could not be neatly categorized as any one weapon. Ratchet hoisted the R.Y.N.O. V in his grasp, taking just a few steps back before aiming it at the dragon.  

 

Red’s body was twitching uncontrollably, his wing jutting bolt upright to give Ratchet a clean shot. Between his agonized gasps of pain, Red managed to stare at Ratchet as he approached. His eyes were shaking in horror of what Ratchet was holding. “Wh… wh… what is that?” he whimpered, dumbstruck by the sheer scale of the weapon, if it could even be tagged with such a simple title.

 

Doing the best he could to ignore his conscience, Ratchet merely scoffed defiantly. “What's wrong? Scared of my "little toy"? Hmph... I guess your power isn’t so “infinite” after all.” 

 

Red’s eyes tightened. That was… wasn't that what…? Impossible. The dragon was frozen not only in fear, but in horror of himself. “Impossible, how could he…?” he whispered, staring at the ground, as if awaiting his own execution. Was this some cruel twist of fate? His line, and that line. He remembered them so long ago, why was he repeating this? Was it… a reminder of what happened when he pursued this path? Was he, wrong, in trying to pursue this path? Had Memory!Titan been right, all along?

 

It was over. This had to be done now. Ratchet steeled himself as his finger tightened around the R.Y.N.O. V’s trigger.  “... I’m sorry, Al,” he uttered softly, his expression remorseful for all but a few brief seconds. The moment that salvo was unleashed, Red hid himself behind his left wing by frightened instinct. The defence was pitiful as the salvo of bullets and rockets tore through his wing like paper, whatever nerves in their screamed in agony as the bullets and rockets struck him non-stop. The bullets did little to him, but the rocket fire blasted scales off left, right, and center, threatening to open up more wounds alongside the ones he already had. His wing membrane was falling to the ground like confetti, as if to celebrate his death. In a fit of last-second self-preservation, Red took a haphazard aim with his staff and fired one last desperate beam of light straight into the main barrel of the R.Y.N.O. V, just as his staff was blasted from his grip by a stray bullet.

 

The R.Y.N.O. V instantly jammed. Ratchet stared at it in confusion as the mega weapon still continued to hum, louder and louder.  To his horror, the weapon was also expanding rapidly. “What did you--?!” was all he uttered before he attempted to throw the R.Y.N.O. V aside. It hadn't even travelled a foot away from him before it exploded right in front of him, violently knocking him backwards, sailing a few yards away before tumbling along the ground, not stopping until his body struck against the wall of the house from earlier.

 

Ratchet gasped faintly, trying to pick himself up again, but to no avail. The strength had just been drained from him.  He could only faintly see Red in the distance, the dragon struggling to his feet… and that was all he saw as darkness washed over him, putting his consciousness to rest….

 

Red peaked through his torn wing, dripping red with droplets of blood from the torn vessels. Resting his ruined wing behind his back, he crawled lamely through the darkness towards Ratchet, snatching his staff along the way. Destroying him was all he could think of. Crush. Destroy him for his leg. Kill. And then once more for his wing. ANNIHILATE! Maybe a third time for good god damn funking measure. His crawling paced faster and faster as he got closer to the comatose Lombax. His blood lust refuelling his recovery from the shock. On all fours, Red was above the comatose Lombax. SUFFER! The one who ruined his eye, his leg, and his wing. The one who denied him the ability to walk or fly. The one who stole his pride. His staff was shaking violently in his hand as every hate-filled emotion surfaced, goading him onwards. He held the point of his staff a foot above Ratchet’s head. Take him out. Destroy the one who tried to destroy you. Make him pay for what he stole from you. Kill. Kill! KILL!!! Without mercy he struck…

 

Solid ground. He had missed Ratchet’s head by an inch on the left side, and the gem dug deep into solid ground. His seething fury burning through his cold body, he took aim and struck once more. He missed by an inch above Ratchet’s head. Red was starting to get just the tiniest bit agitated by this. He struck again, and again, and again, and again. Each time missing by an inch to the point that there were even holes on either side of Ratchet’s ears. He screamed in fury as the tip of his Light Gem glew brightly. If he couldn't stab him to death… he could BLAST him to death. The energy built and built and built as Red laughed maniacally. And at the last second… his arm jerked and fired the beam off into the distance, aimed unintentionally at Ratchet’s discarded wrench. The small explosion scorched the area as the wrench was left ruined and charred.

 

Red’s hands were shaking, from more than just shock. He dropped his staff in horror, staring at his own claws. Why? Why couldn't he do it? Hadn't he just tried to prove to himself that he could destroy whoever was in his way? Didn't he just try to destroy the only person here who he could call his friend… the one who still saw him as such? Oh… oh ancestors. Red dropped to the ground next to Ratchet with a thud. What the hell was he doing? This is not what he had vowed so long ago. He was supposed to protect people, not try to kill them. Even… even if Ratchet sought to harm him… to even kill him, he knew he couldn't return the favour. No matter how much Ratchet had harmed him, and the kid had already made a large list of those. He knew he couldn't take a life that still had a future. It wasn't right. The sheer gravity of the situation pressed down hard on Red, as he fully understood it all. “What have I done?” he whispered in horror as he realized quite clearly what he had done. Red sobbed into his claws as he looked back at the Lombax, and beyond him. In his hazed visions, there were four people lying in the same space. Ratchet… Alister… Himself, and… a familiar purple dragon. What Ratchet had said, he had said that too, long ago. 

 

Unfit for finishing the job, Red tried to crawl away, but something kept pulling him back; back to the Lombax. His injuries, if they weren't tended to, he would most certainly die. There was so little chance for his friends to find him in the darkness. He couldn't just leave him there… could he? Wasn't that what he wanted when he tried to impale him? When he tried to blast and electrocute him? No, his own sense of duty was too strong, and his nerve far too weak now. It was just… such a senseless waste of life. And Red had had enough of that. He just couldn't bring himself to allow Ratchet to die. It wouldn't be fair… to Alister. He had lost his race, he shouldn't have to lose his… umm, nephew? ... godchild? He didn't deserve that just because Ratchet was a stubborn brat. Finding the energy to sit, Red cradled the injured Lombax as he went to work. “I'm not going to let you die just yet” he whispered. 

 

His tail grasped his staff as pure water leaked from the tip of the gem. Guiding it expertly, Red forged a cocoon of water around the Lombax, with a face-hole to allow him to breathe. The pooled water raised upwards with Ratchet safely ensconced in the darkened water. Changing the tune, the staff unleashed a chilling wind, snap-freezing the hollow cocoon to keep Ratchet secure inside. Now, what to do with him? He couldn't carry him, as with Red’s leg damaged beyond repair, he would need both hands and his staff as a crutch to even walk. What other option was there? He could leave him frozen to a wall, but… that would leave him as prey for the other Divine, or the darkness itself. He couldn't risk it; they wouldn't be as merciful. And he couldn't rely on a Counter Corp finding him by sheer chance, as it was nothing short of a miracle that the two had encountered each other in the first place. Seeing no other choice, Red placed the cocoon to his own chest and froze it to his scales. The ice was at least soothing to his own injuries, but he wasn't yet done. He sighed loudly, “I've made such a mess of things” he said quietly.

 

Guiding more water out, Red measured it as carefully as he could, so it would fill the hollow cocoon. With the right amount, Red uttered a small prayer as the Light Gem cast its light onto the water, giving it a serene glow. The Holy Water was guided into the cocoon, submerging Ratchet’s body in the healing liquid. It would be a slow process to heal him, but there was little else he could do.

 

With the reverse-piggybacking Lombax secured to his chest, Red forced himself up. His right leg bent awkwardly, trying its best to stay off the ground. With both hands on his staff, Red began his sad little hop into the dark unknown. “The things I do for my duty” he grumbled as he hopped away, leaving a slight trail of blood behind him as he went..

[Tesability Black]

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

 

"Purifying Fire huh, now that's a phrase I haven't heard in a while."

 

Jace couldn't help but turn his head towards the pyromancer next to him upon her faint whisper, somewhat surprised to hear that she knew what his own reflection was talking about and he didn't. He was about to open his mouth to ask her about the strange phrase, when she looked back towards her own reflection, an appearance she has pulled before only with an enraged face instead of a cruel one.

 

"Well, see you on the other side."

 

"Whoa, wait---!"

 

Without even a second did she jumped beyond the mirror, leaving the man dressed in blue alone for the moment. Stomping a foot against the ground at this, the mindmage looked back toward the mirror, completely empty since his own reflection appeared to have hopped back and away from the other side. "I guess I have to follow..."

 

Just as it happened before he even entered the Truth Path, he felt as if he was being pushed forward from within, a very-confusing sensation to experience. Maybe he still had access to some of his clairvoyance magic, he would have to find out after this was done. And so, keeping his hands in front of himself as he did, Jace pushed through the mirror to the other side, not yet realizing that the little skeletal sprite that had been on his shoulder didn't follow after...

 

The large soul that was following him, however, wound up phasing through the mirror, appearing on the other side without entering the mirror's hidden world... It was not allowed to grant aid in this particular case...

[The Warden]

|_)Witch of Courage, Lydia(_|

|_)Pathway of Truth: A9(_|

 

Lydia smiled back, though it hid a lot of concern and worry. What those butterflies had said, she was going to be tested ahead. With incredibly control the hunk of earth Ayame had been sitting on tilted gently to slide her off onto her feet. “I’ll see you on the other side… maybe” Lydia said sparingly as she glided swiftly across the glass bridges and into the sapphire structure.

 

Her form was haphazardly reflected in the colourful walls as she glided swiftly across it. Every reflection shared a different look, some were happy, others were said, and many were indifferent. But they were all here, and they could all reflect how she felt inside. She had no idea what she should be expecting as the mirror at the end whizzed towards her, but all she knew was that it wasn’t going to be pleasant. “Here we go” she thought grimly as she flew right through the glass. Her vision went completely blank, everything was completely white. Or, was it black? Wait… were her eyes closed?

 

Lydia’s eyes snapped open, to find herself in the midst of a castle dungeon, brought to her by M.C. Escher. There was no rhyme or reason to the interlocking staircases that ran right ways, upside, and to the side. This was a very familiar scene, and Lydia waited patiently for a few seconds, idly tapping her foot in impatience. After a minute, she sighed loudly. “I guess it was too much to ask for David Bowie in those very tight pants to appear and sing to me” she remarked in disappointment.

 

 

She tried to pick herself up by the wind, but nothing worked. There wasn’t enough breeze to carry her here. She sighed again, as she had to begin the archaic act of walking. “How you turn my world you precious thing” she sang softly as she descended down the closest staircase.

 

“You starve and near exhaust me” she continued as she walked down another convoluted staircase.

 

“Everything I’ve done, I’ve done for you.” Up another staircase.

 

“I move the stars for no one.” Sideways across to another wall, or, floor.

 

“You’ve run so long, you’ve run so far.” Up another staircase.

 

“Your eyes can be so cruel.” Down another one.

 

“Just as I can be so cruel.” Sideways again.

 

“Though I do believe in you.” Up.

 

“Yes I do.” Up.

 

“Live without the sunlight. Love without your heartbeat.” Down.

 

“But, I… can’t live… within you. I can’t live within you.” Up.

 

Lydia had been running up and down the staircases, without making a single bit of progress. And to her most grinding of chagrin, she had found herself back where she had begun. She had gone completely around in circles. “I can’t live within you” she sang mournfully as her own inner music player stopped. 

 

She sighed softly as she rubbed her temples in frustration. What was the point of an inner labyrinth in her own mind? Beyond, hmm. Lydia’s eyes caressed the dungeon, noticing how every staircase essentially always returned to where she was at some point. They were all running around in circles, and so was she. This was nothing more than an endless loop so long as stayed on the path, so… Walking towards the edge, Lydia peered over the edge, and she saw an endless abyss running through the middle of the labyrinth. All of the labyrinth ran around it, but there was that empty black void staring back at her. Lydia gulped hard, knowing full well what it meant.

 

Taking several hesitant steps back, Lydia closed her eyes as she ran as fast as she could, leaping off the side of the platform into an endless oblivion. And from around a corner, a little girl with amber hair done up in a ponytail and in a pink poufy dress peered at the spot where Lydia had leapt from. She narrowed her eyes as she slunk back behind her corner.

 

 

Emptiness; or, was it? Everything was completely black, but, it felt… wait, what did it feel like? It felt like there were tiles beneath her feet, and there was an incredibly uncomfortable air. Without warning the lights came alive, row by row. With each awakened light, it was revealed that Lydia was in an enormous white office building. With each light roaring into life, another row of cubicles was illuminated, as well as their occupants. In every single cubicle was a small desk, and an occupant in a suit typing gibberish onto a computer screen. Every Occupant was the same: Same grey-blue suit, polished black shoes with black socks; same porcelain white skin with a texture-less face. “Umm, hello?” Lydia said uncomfortably to the closest Occupant.

 

The Occupant didn’t register her, much preferring to continue to write lines of gibberish into a word document, or an excel, or whatever business-looking thing they could work with. Every row was the same as the previous one, same Occupant, same gibberish, same cold shoulder. This place gave Lydia an incredibly cold feeling inside, as if, as if… this was the place where imagination came to die. Everything was so cold and unfeeling, so ordered and confined. Just being here felt like there was a rock in her stomach as her concerned expression reflected back at her from the sterile white tile floor.

 

She tried to shake off the horrible feeling this place gave, but it clung in the air, as if it was bred in all the cubicles. She tried to act like she belonged there, but she was as conspicuous as an elephant at a giraffe party. She walked by countless cubicles, their occupants never even registering her as she went by. She was a nobody in a cold and empty world. Unable to take it anymore she ran by the seemingly endless rows of them, the wall on the far side never seeming to get closer, no matter how hard she ran. Her chest was tightening from the effort, and her legs burned as finally, the wall started to move closer to her. Running towards it, she grabbed the doorknob out of that nightmare and twisted it hard, escaping into the white beyond it. A voice calmly cleared their throat as a woman in black-framed glasses and an amber beehive hairdo looked over the top of her cubicle to the gently closing exit door. She raised a coy brow as she returned to her work.

 

 

Lydia was outside the building, and really, was this any better? She was in a city painted in the colours of a noir. Everything was some grim shade of grey, with the only colour being her. Sadly, there still wasn’t enough breeze to carry her, and walking was out of the question as Lydia faced off with a seemingly endless crowd of faceless men in suits walking in one direction. There just wasn’t any openings in their groups, as if they were just one solid mass. Looking to the left, all the men came around from a corner on the left side of the building. On the right, they all turned the corner around the building.

 

Following the crowd along, Lydia turned the bend as others did, to see that down the street, the faceless men would turn right again. Except, now that she noticed, every time they turned that first corner, their outfits inexplicably changed to the least attractive idea of what casual wear even looked like. But still, she followed the faceless, and as she turned the other corner, she saw a familiar sight: The faceless men would turn right around the building; though in this particular side they all wore the same plain white long pyjamas with grey bunny slippers and a nightcap. “They all move around the building… because… the right way is always to the right” she whispered, a distant memory passing through her mind.

 

“Remember young lady, that to get anywhere in life is by going with the system. You cannot get anywhere by fighting against the tides. Follow the crowd, and you’ll do right. Because the right way is always to the right.”

 

That’s right, he had said that, hadn’t he? Another top notch example of her father’s life training skills. That’s exactly what a corporate pawn would do she thought bitterly as she followed the crowd around the side, where the faceless men would be back into a more dishevelled form of their suits, complete with a mug of tar and a toothbrush in hand. Making it back to the front of the building again, they all returned to their full corporate appearance, complete, now that Lydia noticed, with a briefcase. Lydia sighed in frustration as she walked back to the entrance, and stared out into the endless column of faceless men repeating their day. Work, minor rest, sleep, the half-hour before work. It was nothing but an endless boring cycle.

 

All those men endlessly repeating their lives until they died, and Lydia didn’t have that long. Guarding herself, she dived into the crowd, the faceless men silent as they co-ordinated to imprison Lydia in their crowd. No matter what she tried to do, she couldn't break past the rest of the men as they dragged her along with their endless cycle, threatening to drown her in it. “NO!” Lydia screamed as she summoned all she could to blast past the group.

 

The faceless men didn’t really care as she escaped onto the empty streets of a silent city. Glancing over her shoulder, the faceless continued their endless cycle, oblivious of the woman who had just shoved through them. Lydia grunted in satisfaction as she walked off, having avoided the system yet again; sadly, she couldn’t avoid something else entirely. The city, no, the world, it just felt so empty. As if all spirit and soul had been sucked out of it.

 

“How could you live life without imagination? Who would want to be another stick-in-the-mud faceless suit who doesn’t have time to do anything but wallow in how empty their life is?”

 

Lydia’s boot hit something hard, which turned out to be the violently blue tree roots of a violently blue tree. Somehow Lydia had walked out of the city without even realizing it into the wilds. No, that couldn’t be right, and she was actually. The randomly coloured plant life she had come across was invading on the city, their roots were tearing apart the road she had been walking on. Well, at least they were something to look at, at least she had to admit as her boots impacted on the gentle bubble-gum pink grass that had replaced the cold black asphalt.

 

Small coloured wisps hung in the air, giggling loudly as Lydia passed by. Fairies flew overhead, scattering their fairy dust as they gathered around the various bluebell flowers that grew all around. But every time Lydia tried to approach the fairies, they would scatter in fright; hiding behind whatever they could as they glared at Lydia with their little fairy eyes. Clearly she wasn’t welcome in this world. Drifting past the fairy garden, Lydia found in no short order that the path the forest had lead her on constantly intersected with the city again, creating an odd contrast of light and shadows. Of hope and emptiness. Of… imagination and cold reality.

 

Lydia was so lost in finding synonyms for what she felt about the city that she realized she had reached the end of her path. Before her stood on open air garden, where the clashing of the two realities was at its strongest. The colour and light was fighting hard against the cold unfeeling monster that was reality, and they all swirled together. And, at the end, were two mirrors. With no lack of uncertainty, Lydia edged towards those mirrors. And both failed to reflect who she was. In the left mirror was her when she was about ten, wearing that pink pouffe princess dress she had loved to death. On the other side, was her aged about twenty years, wearing a blue-grey pant-suit and glasses; her hair was tied up in a bun, and had many flicks of grey.

 

Without warning the two reflections stepped out of their respective mirrors, which shattered into nothingness behind them. “Excellent, you have arrived, albeit late. Tardiness is not appreciated young lady” Old!Lydia chided in a tired tone. 

 

“Oh shut up old woman. She can come whenever she likes!” Young!Lydia declared petulantly, stomping her foot in annoyance.

 

Old!Lydia cleared her throat noisily as she regards her younger self. “Ignoring the voice of your Imaginative side, I, your much more grounded Realist side welcome you Lydia” Realydia declared in her same tired tone, holding out her hand to Lydia.

 

As Lydia reached out to shake it, Imaginydia angrily grabbed her hand to prevent the shake. “Don’t do that, it means you accept her!” she warned.

 

Realydia scoffed in frustration as Lydia was just confused. She wrenched her hand free of Imaginydia’s unusually sturdy grasp. “What do you mean accept her?” Lydia questioned.

 

Imaginydia rolled her eyes immaturely. “It means you choose reality over imagination, duh” she said childishly.

 

Realydia scoffed loudly, before clearing her throat. “I was merely greeting our true self. Only a hopeless dreamer like yourself would believe I would try such an underhanded tactic. People don’t work like that you brat” she chided as she addressed Lydia, “Lydia, in this world you are supposed to battle your true self. However, your uncertainty has bred two possibilities for who your true self can be: I, your realist side that you have listened to for the past two days, or… her” she said disdainfully, sneering at Imaginydia, who poked her tongue out and pulled her eyelid down.

 

“Yeah, me” Imaginydia chimed in after her rude gesture, “I’m your voice of imagination and creativity; you know, your sense of fun. You’ve been listening to me for years now, until she came along” she sneered to Realydia. “She’s been threatening to take you away from me, and I WON’T let that happen!”

 

“This is all… just… what?” Lydia stuttered, still completely incapable of understanding this bizarre predicament.

 

Realydia pushed her glasses up curtly. “It’s simple, you have to choose who your real self is. Then, you have to fight and destroy the one you didn’t choose. If you choose me, the most practical choice, then you will have to fight and destroy her” she explained, pointing an almost enthusiastic finger at Imaginydia. “You will then be allowed to leave once you have accepted your true self, which of course, will be me” Realydia added smugly.

 

“As if you old cow. Lydia’s been listening to me for years until a few days ago. She still wants to have fun and be creative and imaginative. She doesn’t want to be some boring old cow like you who only cares about what’s practical and what’s safe. Life is too short to be some faceless pawn in some cold white building” Imaginydia argued.

 

“Why you little…” Realydia hissed, before composing herself.

 

“So, whichever of you I choose, that’s who I’ll be? And the other side is just…?” Lydia rambled on, still kinda confused.

 

“Gone” both fragments answered together, before glaring at the other for stealing their answer.

 

“JINX!” Imaginydia cried out.

 

 “Oh yes, very imaginative” Realydia scoffed, before crying out in pain as Imaginydia pinched her leg.

 

“I said JINX you saggy titted cow” Imaginydia shouted, before addressing Lydia. “So, who you going to choose? Me, of course, seeing as how I’m much more fun, and so will you. You’ve been too much of a downer recently and this cow here’s been going on and on about how cruel reality is. It’s such a drag.”

 

Realydia seethed furiously in silence, unable to even make her own point out of fear of pinching. “Realist” Lydia said dryly. 

 

“Thank you” Realydia smiled briskly before shooting a smug glare at Imaginydia. “I was not saying how cruel reality is, I was merely expositing how Lydia must be a lot more serious, as her actions have consequences. The world isn’t the sunshine and rainbows it always was, and that she must abandon her flights of fancy so she could be calm and mature about these situations, just like Arturia is. If we have aspirations of being a Counter Guardian, then we must be serious about our commitment to such a goal. Fun and games end once the pact is made.”

 

“I call bull. Lydia can have fun and STILL be a Counter Guardian. She doesn’t have to be some tired old cow like Arturia, who decided, by the way, at the last minute to tell the CC that everyone they ever cared about was dead. The Throne will need a fun-loving and easy going person to lead a new Counter Corps if necessary, and by choosing me it will get just that!” Imaginydia explained defiantly.

 

“The CC needs order, not a BFF” Realydia growled.

 

“They need a fun leader, not some tired old cow” Imaginydia growled back.

 

“ORDER!” Realydia shouted.

 

“FUN!” Imaginydia shouted back.

 

The two looked like they were about to kick each other’s ass, which would be kinda helpful in dealing with this issue. But then the winner would be the one Lydia had to be, and these two were clearly in no fit state to decide on what Lydia should be. “Don’t I get a say in this?” Lydia inquired, her thin brow raised high.

 

The two stared at Lydia, as if, they had only just noticed she was there. Realydia recovered quickly, straightening herself out in record time. “Oh yes, of course. I apologize. I tend to get quite passionate when trying to defend my point” she apologized.

 

“And I just love it when I need to give people reality checks” Imaginydia added grumpily.

 

“So, who are you going to be?” the two inquired together, and once again, glared at each other.

 

“Give me five minutes, alone” Lydia answered and she walked away, leaving the two to continue glaring at each other.

 

 

Lydia had found a swing set nearby, and she gently swung back and forth, her feet firmly planted on the sand beneath it. She always loved coming to the park, now that she thought about it, even when she was an adult. Zac liked it to, as well. There was just something so sweet and memorable about it that Lydia couldn’t help but smile. “What should my choice be?” she wondered to herself, expecting a Dizaster to answer.

 

Actually, they had been very quiet the entire time. That wasn’t right. Plumbing her own mind desperately, she couldn’t find any trace of the Dizasters at all. They weren’t in her head. “Oh god, don’t tell me they were taken were they?!” she panicked.

 

She almost began to hyperventilate, before realizing a possible solution. This place was the truth about her, and her alone. They wouldn’t be in this world, probably, they were facing their own truth somewhere else. She sighed in relief, but that still didn’t fix her problem. She still had to decide whether to accept fantasy or reality and, how could you make that choice? How could you just decide one or the other? It was like asking whether you never wanted to grow up, or were ready to give up your life in monotony until you died.

 

“Can’t decide huh?” a familiar voice inquired as the swing next to her heaved, as if someone had sat on it.

 

Lydia’s head whipped to the side, but, there was no one on the seat. Had… had she really heard that, or? “Sometimes I find it hard to choose as well” that voice remarked on her left side.

 

Whipping to the left, there was still nothing there. “But I know you could always make the right choice” the voice mused from behind her.

 

A familiar warmth could be felt on the back of her neck, and it spread around her. It was as if… as if… someone she knew full well was hugging her from behind. Obviously there was no one there, but Lydia couldn’t help but rub against the friendly arm that wasn’t there. “You always made deciding easier” she smiled, a shimmering tear rolling down her cheeks.

 

“Lydia, of course I value you as a friend. Why do you keep asking me that when the answer’s always the same?”

 

“Because I just like hearing you say it Zac. It makes me feel good inside to hear you, and you alone, say it.”

 

“You are a whack job sometimes Lydia. But, I guess that’s why I like you. You make everything brighter with your spontaneity and your craziness. But, you still know when to be serious. You’re like sweet and sour rolled into one. Oh man, that was corny. Heh heh heh. Really Lydia, don’t ever change. No matter what people tell you, don’t change. Cause, if you did, the world wouldn’t nearly be as bright… oh man I did it again, ha ha ha.”

 

Lydia smiled happily as tears rolled down her face, each sparkling pure as they impacted on the sand, leaving no marks. Because happiness, true happiness, could never stain the soul.

 

“HOPE DOES NOT EXIST. HOPE IS A LIE. DESPAIR IS TRUTH. I WISH FOR EVERYONE TO LEARN THIS TRUTH. AS I DO. SO SHALL YOU.”

 

Lydia looked up in shock, feeling an unsettling presence around, utterly negating what she had felt before. But, there was nothing there. No 200 foot high hydra, or, anything. Why? Why did that memory have to arise when she was feeling so good about herself? Why did that god damn Witch have to take away her… huh. After LERNA had said that, Lydia had then put her into her place. Had proven her wrong and proved hope was even greater than despair.

 

Had she? Had she really? If anything Lydia couldn’t feel the hope or the passion she had felt when destroying LERNA. No, not destroying LERNA… freeing Galina. By accepting the blood price of the Witch, Galina was freed from her self-made prison, only for it to be rebuilt around Lydia. She had felt the pain and misery of so many people, none more so than LERNA herself. Sometimes, she could almost feel the Witch’s despair inside her. Poisoning her mind, body, and soul. Burning away everything like acid so she would only be as cold and empty as she had been.

 

In a ways, she had succeeded; not in the way she had intended, but LERNA had indeed shown Lydia despair. And now, it was coming back again. She could recall the fight quite clearly, cause, how could she not? It had only been a few days ago. Everything still seemed so clear, especially, the fear. She had been so terrified in that fight; to have been fighting such a titanic opponent. It had been nothing like she had ever faced before. The despair, the deaths, the sheer destruction. Lydia’s hands tightened on the swing’s chains as she could remember everyone who had fallen as a Troy. She had shared in their despair, carried it as the Regret. And then released it on Xansvita just so she could be free of it all. Be free of everyone else’s pain and misery, so she could be alone with her own.

 

Her swinging ceased as she stared into her own lap, the tears changing their tones as pure liquid black misery leaked from her eyes. “Galina, why did you make me experience your own despair? Why can’t I escape like you di-?”

 

Lydia paused. Galina, she had escaped, because someone had else had made it through her endless barrier of despair, so they could help her. To shoulder her burden so it wasn’t so great. She didn’t give Lydia her despair, Lydia had offered to shoulder the burden, so it would stop hurting so much. It wasn’t her despair anymore, it was just her own self-pity. Lydia laughed wryly, why was she being so stupid about this? It wasn’t a curse, just the result of saving someone from their own. How was she so stupid to have not realized this whenever the truth laid before her? She had been dwelling on her own self-pity for so long she had mistaken it for Galina’s despair. But how could it be? LERNA was gone, gone for good, and Galina could finally rest. 

 

Really, what had she been feeling so bad about? She got a glimpse into the cruelty of reality, but, it’s not all like that. There were good people like Arthur and Eria, the former who defeated that horrible Madara creature with his own ideals, just as she destroyed LERNA with her own hope. And she sure as hell wasn’t being all mopey. There was also Sarah, who still stood strong even though she was possessed by a demon. The CC weren’t all textbook examples of good, but they were all there to try and do the right thing. Some people had even defected from the Divine because they knew what they were doing was wrong.

 

Lydia wiped the black tears from her eyes, as she addressed the problem at hand. “Why do I have to choose either of them?” she mused, gently swinging again. “Why do I only have to choose the one? I know now that I can’t be the dreamer I once was. But, I can’t just face reality like some bored corporate executive. The multiverse must be such a big and beautiful world; how could anyone want to look at it with anything beyond wonder? It’s so big, and there are so many possibilities. So many different worlds out there. And… Protheus wants to ruin it. He wants to make everything as grim and as miserable as he is, because the world just isn’t fantastic to him anymore. I can’t allow him to do that to everyone in the multiverse. And I can’t allow myself to be miserable anymore. Life is too short, and the multiverse too great. Thank you Zac, and… thank you Galina. You’ve both have been such a big influence on my life, and I can’t keep moping like this. It would be an insult to the both of you” she smiled sweetly as she left the swing, which dissolved behind her.

 

She walked confidently back to where her ‘true’ selves were waiting, the world evaporating into nothingness behind her as she faced the two off. “That was longer than five minutes young lady, but I will be lenient this time. So, have you made your decision?” Realydia demanded.

 

Imaginydia bounced eagerly on the spot. “Yeah, have you decided you’ll go with me?” she demanded eagerly.

 

“No, she’ll choose me” Realydia asserted forcefully.

 

“No, ME!” Imaginydia shrieked.

 

“SHE WILL CHOOSE ME!” Realydia screamed.

 

“ME!” Imaginydia screamed back.

 

“ME-! Eh?” Realydia was about to scream, but noticed that Lydia was looking at the ground, and, she had summoned her staff. “Wha-what are you doing?” she said fearfully.

 

Imaginydia laughed cruelly, pointing at the visibly sweating Realydia. “Looks like she’s chosen me!” she declared proudly, before realizing that Lydia wasn’t walking towards her. “Huh, wh-what gives?” she stuttered.

 

Lydia stared into the eyes of her ‘true’ selves, and neither of them were reflected in them. “I’ve decided to choose NEITHER of you” she declared loudly.

 

Both of the ‘true’ Lydia’s jaws dropped. “Bu-bu-but, you have to decide” Realydia implored.

 

“Yeah, you have to choose me” Imaginydia chimed in.

 

“Why? Why do I have to choose one of you? Why do I have to be either one of you? Why can’t I just be me?” Lydia demanded.

 

“Because we are you” the two implored.

 

“No, you’re not” Lydia countered, “if you were, you wouldn’t be arguing like this. I have decided that I’m going to embrace both sides of who I am. *Sighs* I know that you can’t always be a dreamer, but if you give up on the dream, then you’ll be nothing more than an empty shell going through life without dreams or ambitions… or hope. I don’t WANT to be either of you. I’ve lived long enough to know my time as a child has passed me, but I also know that my life will never diverge to the point it makes me some empty businesswoman who is too afraid to break free from the system. I have a new destiny beyond my world now, and, so, I’m going to defeat my true self. The one who I know I should be. I am going to defeat you two shadows, so the real me can come forth, so we can accept each other on mutual terms” she declared.

 

“But that’s against the rules!” Realydia declared angrily.

 

“Yeah, you can’t do that!” Imaginydia shouted.

 

“Can’t I?” Lydia smiled as she banged her staff into the ground.

 

The two shades shrieked as the land beneath them pulsed, launching them high into the air. Lydia leapt into the air to chase after them as gravity gave up. Lydia’s speed caught up with Imaginydia, who was flailing hopelessly in the air. With a quick grab and a spin, the little brat was sent hurtling into Realydia, catapulting the two onto the only floating land nearby.

 

The two frantically disentangled themselves from each other, and tried to summon staves of their own, but, they failed. “Why?!” Imaginydia demanded, flicking her wrist trying to summon a staff.

 

“Because we’re not the real her anymore” Realydia explained in terror.

 

“Too right” Lydia said from above them.

 

The two shades looked to the sky in terror, as Lydia was high above them. And above her was an enormous sphere of technicolour energy. “C-C-Can we talk about this?” Realydia said hopefully.

 

“Yeah… don’t do anything hasty” Imaginydia begged.

 

“After you two arguing the whole time and trying to decide my life? No, I don’t think so. I’m putting you two out of my misery, so I can continue with my life. So, goodbye, and good luck wherever the hell you end up. Cause you sure as hell aren’t staying here. THE BEAUTY OF LIFE!” Lydia cried as she hurled the enormous sphere at the floating rock. The two shades held each other in terror as the sphere annihilated the floating rock, and by connection, them.

 

The world shimmered and flickered as Lydia’s own psyche morphed, maturing, gaining its own sense of self. Lydia had to blink rapidly, to find herself back where the shades had encountered her. However, everything was more harmonious. The imagination and reality intermingled beautifully, and, it felt so much more calm and soothing than before. Lydia chuckled warmly as she noticed another mirror that was waiting for her. But, this time, it only reflected her, and only her. “It’s good to be back” she said to her reflection.

 

Her reflection nodded, sharing her warm smile as her hand reached through the glass, waiting for Lydia to take it. The Sorceress had no hesitations in taking her reflection’s hand, embracing the true her as everything faded away, spreading warmth and light throughout her new world.

 

Witch of Courage, Lydia

 

…

 

W҉ìt͘ch͘ ̶of̴ ͞Co͡ura͟ge,͠ ̨L͡y͟d̀ía̕

 

…

 

W̰̰̽̎ͪ̌̓ͮi͍͇̗͉̹͔͓ͤ̏̔ͨ̉̇ͅt̷͉̰̖͌͐ͮ̔ͅc͓̪̯͉͈͍͖͙͓̑̐͛ͬ͆̽ͫh̷̉́́̐҉̮͖̼̜̖̻̥ ̬̘̤̖̙̖̙̳̊̚͡o̞̹̰͓̳̞̘ͤ̍ͬ͘̕͝f̴̲̗̀͢ ͂ͭ͏̡̛̭̱͖̝͕̱C̴̡̬̙͇̳͖͚ͭ̑͑ö̪̣̼̭͙̒̎̈́u̺̯͈ͦ̎ͫͥ̑r̸͔̥̋̀a̷̼̣͙̩ͩ͐̈́ͣ͘g̔ͭ͌ͩ̾͏͕͎̙̖̜͜e̙͕̻͕͖̰͋̑̑̅̃̕͡,̟̯͆ ̢̄͒͛̚҉̼͎̩L̬̩̰̳̖̤̻̟̓ͥ͆ͫ͊͛̽͢y͎͔ͩ͛̎d̶̯̗͓̫̝͈͙̯̊̍͆͑͗͆͐̈́i̴̫͈̞͈̺̻͚̣̋ͧ̌̔̌̀a̷ͥ͋҉̵͖̭̳̞͔

 

…

 

W̎̎ͪ͋̆͂͑̋̉͑ͦ͋́̚̕͏̡̩̤̳͔̰̭͕̣͖̞̼͎͕̯̼̹͔̘ͅi̽̈́̾͒̏̑ͦ̀ͥ̿ͧ̀̂̾ͪ̐̓ͧ̕҉̥̱͎͕͚͍͙͈̭̯͓͙̪̗̗̀̀t̵̴̘͎̻̱̥̬͈̜̗̦͙̜̝ͨ̒͆̈́̔̎̀ͅͅͅc̥̬̖͎̫͈̣̟̭̪̜̭̖̬̦̥̗̍͑͆̈̔͗̕͢h̵ͮͥ̎̀͗̽̕҉̴͓̱̟̗͉̘̦̖̻̱͉̹̀ ̈̒͐̂̉̀̒́̿̑̓̋̒̿̀̚͢͏̜̣͇̩ͅo̢̼̮̱̳͕̳̗̻̩̺̪̻̘̽̂ͮͤ̒̇̇̽̒͑ͨ̎̅ͪͧ́f̹͇̲̱͍̮̱̘̣̹̜̠͈͖ͭ͂ͮͪ̈ͣͨ̃̑͗͋͛̅͋͒͜ͅͅ ̴̃̈́͗̓͏̛̬̞̗̝̖͎C̴̸̸̨͓͇͇̠̮̪̪̊ͪͭ̂ͥͪ̈́ͫ͌o̸͇̥͉̤̪̪̠ͥͣͥ̎ͤͥ͂͗ͭ͢ͅu̶̢͍̳̝͈̼͌̃͑͊ͣ̑̏̀̂̒͊ͭ͠r̸̸̗͕̟͙͂̇͑͂ͦ͑̇ͪ͜a̴̭̖͕͕ͯ̐̊́̀̾̌́ͧ̃̒̈̿͜g̸̳̥͉͍̲̮̞̣̟̖͓͍͔̫͚͖ͯ̽͋̒̂̒̓͋̇ͬ͗̑̚͘͟͡ȩ̵̝͚̲̯̰̻͇̪̳͔̺͚͖̬͎̘͚̞͋ͦ͗̌ͮ͟,̵̼̪̗̰̹̰̗͎̗̯̥̬̣̔ͧͪ͋ͫ̊ͤ̈͆̃̎̕ ̯̯̦̩̤͈̠͙ͧ̇̈́͌͂ͮ̓ͨͩ́̿ͤͮ̅̈́ͨ̅̚̚̕͡͞L̢̛̯̜̻͕̭̣͇̔ͩͣ̍̕͜y̫̱̺͈̹͍̖̮͕̥̟̌͗̅̀ͩͧͫ̑̓̄ͨ͂͋̚͜ͅd̵̹̮̣̼̭͇͖̝͎͚͕̩̥͉̆̆̑̌̏̋͌̒ͯ̊̌͒̆ͣ̓̕i̴̅͊ͯͨ͛ͪ͆̽ͮ̄ͥ̿ͧ̄͏̡̖̳͔͎̟̤̼̜̖̹̠̥͍̥͚̳͞ā̦̼̗̗͒̈̈ͩ̏͢͠

 

…

 

Tͪͮͪͬ̽ͦ̊͑̆͗̽ͬͧͫ̐҉́͢͏̲̘̱͈͈̺̬̠̠͖̪h̴̤̬̲̭̣̗͉͖̞̖̄̒̈͌ͭ͆̉ȩ̵̷̮͕̺̪͈͍̮̺͚͙̲̟̺̼̤͇̫͇͑͒ͤ͆̈́̔͒̾ͣͮ͞ ̛͔̥͇̮̫̳͕͓̟̟̠̬̜̝̗̝͎̀͂̂͋̋̒͒̽͂͑ͣ̔̒͌ͬͥ̕ͅS̱͖͕͈̮̫̥̜̐̾͒̀̚͟ớ̖͓̺̫̦͈̣̱͇̠̱̃ͫͯͮ̇͋̈́̃͒ͥ̈̕͟ŗ̷̤̬̩̰̪̣̰̬̘̥̪̯̤͙̰ͬͧ͗ͮͥ̏̓ͦ̇ͭ̉̀ͥ̕̕c̷̺̩̙̬̼ͬ̂̐ͣ̋ͥͦ͗͛̿ͦͮͯ͒́̀̕͡ḙ̸̻̤̱̖̟̻̻͍̬̤̯͔̞̠͍̓̄ͬ̿͌̇̋͐̀̕͝rͨ̊̓ͥ͆̅̒ͯͬͤ̑ͧ͜͜͏̖͉̠̖̠̦̫̣̟̠̤̖̬ë̢̘͚̝͖͇̤̪̞̬̯́ͧͮ͐̒̎ͣ̂ͥ͐̋̃ͥ̈̏̄͆s̅̿̂̅͊ͭͬͨ́̑̍͞҉̭̭̗̦̞̱̱͖̳̟s̙̭̩͇̎ͣ̀̔̔̐̊̓ͤ͛ͮͦ͋̏͘̕͡ ̵̡̤̜̪̩̱͈̞͎̦̞̱͗̈́̍͛ͯ͡o͗̍͆̓̈́ͯ̍̊̆ͮͫ̐͛ͪͪͥ̍̚͞҉̗͍̞̼̩̩̻̰͇̖͕̯̦͙̦f̈́ͬ̓̍ͬ̅ͮͦ̇́͏͟͏̠͍̯̙̝͔͈̬̣͓͉̻ ̢̡ͮ͆͗̎ͩ̑̅͊ͯ̿̆̕҉̞̱̹̼̝̣͉̭͎̳͎̦͎͈͈Ḩ̵͓͈̭̑̈́͐̓ͦͪ̂̅ͣ́̈́̐̉̆͟͜͝ͅo̡̰͖̰̻͚̯̟͙̝̮̘̼͎͔̭̯̹̲̞ͥ̏̋̍̇ͨ̽͌̎̏̈́̔͛̓͟͝p̡͕̙̬̱̥̞̪̥͎͇̲̞͔̯͙̱̝̩ͤ͐ͮ̊͆͋̂̏͊́͂͂̆̊̊̎̚͘ͅe̶̷̺͍̼̗͎̯̖͌̑ͥ̔͞,̴̸̨̰̬̟̹̻̱͇͇̬̩̦͉͔̪̰̽ͩ̒ͧ̈̑̎͑ͬ͂̿̚ͅ ̾̃̊͐̒̀̽͑̄̃̓̑̃͐͆̄́͑̽͏͏̫͖̖̥̯̩̺̗̠̠̫̻̲̀͢͞ͅL̄̌̆̅ͯ͋ͬ̒͋̏̈̊̄͟͡҉͍̫̬̙̭̗̝̯̬̙͖͙̜̣͙̦́͞y̫̥͓͎̟̤̰̮͈͈͔̖̌ͦ̏̑̊ͯ͋̿͑̎ͯ̃̇̔̏̄̚͜d̴̯̹͉̳̪̼͚̈́ͭ͒ͫ̽̑ͤ̈̅̈ͨͯ̀̕͞ĩ̸̶̩̣̹͕̯̩͙̙̯̤̭̫͈̮̝͇̒̂̉ͫͦͮͫ̀̿̔̀̀ͤͧ̅̎̃͞ǎ̵̜̞͓̺̩̙̳͙͍͈̣͓͙͉̥͍̗̃͂̈́̃̉ͪ̏͛́͘ͅ

 

…

 

T̪̮͓̤͙͇͖́̓ͭͭ̅́̈̚h̤̜̺̝̖ͪ͐͟ę̹̺̱̦ͤ̋̽̓̍ ̧̯̬̰̱ͩ̔̍ͧ̓̔̒̅̇S̸̞̙̖̰̣̗̭̱͊̇̈́̉̔ͭ̀ͪ͝ỏ̧̓ͦ̓͏͙͉͈͉ͅr̷̝̰̣͚̱͎͙ͨ̂̅͐̽̉̋͐̎͟ͅc̸̼̦̳̉͋̊̇̔̑̒e͕̮̔ͭ̓ͥ̀̚̕ṟ̻̩̺̠͕̻̺ͧ́͊̆̚e̸͔̼̣̼̪ͧͭ̉̈̂ͥͤ͆̕s̷̞̾̓̓͑̕s͕̼̺͇̲̜̱̺̋̌̒ ̶̨̡̫̝̟̳ͭͬͮ̎̏ͫ̃ͪo̩̟͖͂ͥ̈̊͊ͮ̕f̡̛̯̹̖͈͚̩̼̀̌ͧ̏ͫͭ̑̿͜ ̹͎͉͙͉̦̌̃ͫ͑͒̕̕H̼͇̪̀̀o̶̥͇̩̲̣̭̦͂ͣ̐ͤ͢p̴̶͙͖̝͍̐̾̉͛̐̉e̴͈͖̩̣̩̻ͦ́,̨̛͎̗ͬͬ͊ͨ̏̉͑̚ ̝̣ͪͮ̏̊̊ͫ͝Lͫͬ͟͏̲̖͔͓̻̝̖ͅỹ̶͎̻̞̮̒ͩ̄̋̒͜͡d̺̬̳̤̜̺̑̋ͩ̽̽͝i̷̴̥̲̾͆ͪ̐ͤą͈̯̫̪͍͉̼̺̰̆ͬͬͩͯͤ

 

…

 

T̨̽̏̇͐͊ͭͨh̿̀͐ͧ͑͂͞e͋̅́ ̙̈́̄̂̅̾̄̀̚S̞̈ͥ̅̓ͪo͐ͧ̇҉̲̮̻͉r̡̠̻̰͓̖͋̊̔͌ͬ̒ͣc̟̼̩̥̤̮̰͒ͯ̂ͯ̐͡e͖͖ͨ̋r͖͉̠̗͕ͪ͊͂͛̂ͤͅe̤̝̯̬͕̱ͥ́s̪͙͆ͮͮ̂̓́s̛̲̰̘͙̅̏̔̔ ̓͊́͊́ͨ҉̟̩̦͓̬oͪ̉f̴̤̭͊ ̙͇͚̊͗̓̊̎̉͘H̨̬̽ǫͨ̋ͤͮͭ̊pe͊̂̕,̝̮̩̺͚͔͐̒ͅ ̬̐̊L̀y̢̜̥͍͎̯̎͛̂̽̀̑d̳͓̤̰͋ͅi͈͕͇̟͇̞̽ͩ̿͌ḁ̲̲͇̬͖̤ͧ͑͛͢

 

…

 

The͘ Soŕc͞er͝e̸ss ͡o̷f̶ ͜H͝o̶pe̵, ̸L̷y҉dįa

 

…

 

The Sorceress of Hope, Lydia

A11

[Tesability Black]

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

The black-scaled dragon was buried half-way into the pavement of the green-tinted city that had formed around them within Death's Path, pain shooting though her body as she tried to pull herself out of the rubble she was in. She had half a mind to just burrow deep into the ground to see if she could use her MegaHeal a few times in safety so she can blast the spherical mage into kingdom come...

...mages...

...evil...cruel...mages...

...were it not for them, her world would still be active and alive, filled with activity and color, not empty and dead, a shed-away shell of the Internet that had evolved without her. The World Wide Web had become more without her and the rest of her friends...

As she pulled herself out, the red glow around the orb of yellow and blue began to glow brighter than normal, a move she recognized as either Aura or Surrounding Force. Most-likely Surrounding Force, since Nemesis also used other moves shared by its fellow Bosses... Just like before, the various cuts and scrapes that formed around her as well as the forming discolorations that were starting to emerge among her dark scales began to slowly disappearing, reforming and healing to a more-healthy appearance for the being of data as she pulled herself out of the crater she was in.

It was at this point, however, that she noticed that her human partner had disappeared from view...

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

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

"Come on, there must be something here I can use to help her..." The human between Hunter and Champion was running among the various corroded buildings that formed the strange city, a supposed depiction of what a familiar site to her would appear if solidified.

Among the buildings, however, was a weird distortion near one edge of the city, close to the large trash pit. The large sphere of black interlaced with electricity of all colorations and splotches that could be compared to stars made her brownish-silver eyes wided behind her glasses at the sight ahead of her. "YCM's Misc area has a Void?" Looking back towards the direction of the battle between mage and dragon in time to see her partner pulling herself out of the ground, Talen winced before looking back towards the distortion. "Here goes nothing."

Just like before with the battle screen, Talen placed her hands together with a focused look on her face before separating them in front of her, revealing a small window asking for the URL of a site with a NetMonster cage. She knew that there was no such cages on this site, but if there was a distortion like this here, it's possible a very-strange exception had formed.

The human would be stupid to pass up an opportunity to capitalize.

Entering the URL of the strange Void's location, the woman held her hand back and closed her eyes for a second, thinking of what to add afterwards. Hearing another cry of pain, she nodded before opening her eyes and added a simple phrase to the end of the URL.

GCRP.

The window began to glow upon hitting the Enter before balling up and diving into the starry blackness. Tense moments passed before something began to emerge from the dark, a bird created from pure electricity that constantly sparked about.

"Finally," it gripped, shaking its many feathers about in the open space after landing upon the ground, the light that had came from the window of energy that pulled the creature out returning to the human's left hand. "Quite literally everything and nothing in there."

"You're not a Thunder Dragon, but you sure as f*** will work," the human remarked with her hands up in the air to show peace. "Help me out and I'll let you go free, no other strings attached."

Hearing this, the blue-energy bird looked up towards the human, eyes narrowed at her. "You sound de---" A loud cry echoed nearby, catching its attention quick. "That didn't sound pretty." Turning its head toward Talen, it nodded its light-blue beak at her. "Alright, you've got Gumcir's help. Lead the way."

And with that, both Bird and human bee-lined back towards the battle between Champion and the End of a World...

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

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

Tesability was actually crying, shedding crystalline tears from the pain she was feeling. The flaps of her wings were punctured, almost to the point of being unable to heal them due to how shredded the flaps of her wings were. She was at the point where, even if she did use MegaHeal again, her foe's next Avalanche would kill her.

"Gudbai...Tawen," she managed to weakly mutter, her neon-green eyes beginning to close from lack of strength.

"You'd better not revert, Tes!" The sudden outburst had her reopen her eyes wide, with them widening further as a Thunder Bird flew through the orb in the form of a solid beam of yellow light, a Stinging Saber before stopping and turning around to begin glowing for a bit more.

"Let's see you dance, Nemesis," the Thunder Bird, Gumcir, cried out before surrounding itself with electricity before flapping its wings toward the orb, releasing a wave of Thunder Blast at it. The red and yellow floating orb let out a solid cry of pain that almost flattened the two NetMonsters and the human against the ground.

"All...! Will...! End...!"

"Bullshit, Nemesis," Talen remarked as she helped the dragon onto her paws. "You are one virus we're not letting manifest in any shape, form or fashion, even as Protheus." Raising a hand towards the orb while pointing at it, she regained a serious look on her face. "Tesability Black, Guncir, ThunderChomp its ass."

Both Bird and Dragon began to have its individual maws start to electrify before zipping forward at top flying speeds, the inability to deal with them both at once allowing both attacks to land and shock the orb. A forbidding echo emerged from the orb as it began to glow brighter and brighter. After a few moments did Nemesis explode, releasing all of the energy it stole from elsewhere into the air around it.

For a few moments, no one could see because of the blinding white light, even if they tried to shield their eyes...

 

(I actually randomly generated Gumcir in my NetMonster game while working on this post and decided to use it.)

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian: Path of Truth

The team stared at Yh Wach and his new creepy eyes. They could all tell that the battle had just started, but that wouldn't matter this was a strong team, how powerful could one person be. Dorian launched himself at the original Quincy first. He launched a stream of fire to completely encase the man. Yh Wach simply stood still and smirked as the specter charged at him. The flames did nothing and Yh Wach literally smacked Dorian up in the air again. Similar to last time Rhadamanthys was already in his face for the immediate follow-up attack. Yh Wach simply extended his hand and caught Rhadamanthys' fist in midair. The two began to have a quick exchange of blows and Rhadamanthys realized that he was going to have to take this man seriously.

So you were holding back this whole time? Rhadamanthys inquired. Well it didn't occur to me that Genryuusai would have such powerful allies. But this is well within my abilities. As the two continued to clash fist Yh Wach jumped back dodging on of Rhadamanthys' lethal blows and he waved his hands. Rhadamanthys didn't give the action any mind as he fearlessly charged at his opponent. Within milliseconds Rhadamanthys found himself covered in pitch blackness and he had somehow hit a wall. He punched this seemingly expandable and unrelenting. On the outside Yh Wach was snickering at how easy that was. Rhadamanthys had been trapped in a barrier with the Quincy cross. Well that worked out. He looked up as Dorian came down to attempt another attack. Yh Wach simply looked at the over confident boy and he started to laugh. Dorian tapped into the Seventh Sense briefly and accelerated at Yh Wach ready to take his head off. With a slighty head movement to the side Yh wach dodged Dorian's attack but he noticed a fine slit on his neck. "Well would you look at that. You had some actual bite to go with all of that bark. You're flatter me sir! Dorian shouted as he tried to give Yh Wach a right hook across the face. Unfortunately Dorian was once again non-chalantly dodged then the father of the Quincy pulled out a small metal vile from his pocket. Wolke. Yh Wach fired a small blast point blank at Dorian sending the young specter flying and renderd him unconscious.

 

I haven't used any of those toys in so long. Oh to be young again. Yh Wach looked at Butlerok as the Kishin walked up to the Quincy. You don't seem to be worried about your friends. You've done nothing that would give me a reason to be upset.

[Dad]

Revy

 

Dutch, Rock, and Benny made their way over to Revy, and actually helped her to her feet, with Rock being the one she could lean on.  It seemed that Reimu hadn't made it through, or wasn't going to, so Revy accepted this for now.  She knew they were fakes, though they still pretended to be her friends.  "What'd ya want, Bal?  I'm kinda in the middle of saving your ass in another dimension right now," she said sarcastically.  Balalaika laughed, holding her chin.  "Surely, you aren't serious, Revy.  You can barely stand, but you're gonna save me?  Our universe?  Please.  It's just like you to talk big and then fail when you're deemed most necessary," she said spitting.  "You're full of sheet Revy, you always have been."

 

Revy scoffed, shoving Dutch and the others off as she leaned back against the bolder now.  "And exactly what the hell are you doing right now, you scarface'd jabroni?  Probably sitting on your ass while your pussy goons throw away their piss poor lives so you can get revenge on the last guy who said he wasn't willing to funk your ugly ass," Revy said laughing now.  Balalaika frowned at this, annoyed at Revy's remarks.  "Deflecting Revy?  Really?  What are you, twelve?" she remarked.  Balalaika then raised an extremely large rifle, and pointed it at Revy's head, at which time she topped laughing.  "Tch," Revy scoffed as Dutch, Rock, and Benny now raised pistols to Revy as well.  "Shoulda known," Revy said taking a few limps backwards, and raising a single gun.

 

"Always knew I'd have to kill you one day, Rock," she said with a frown.

 

Rock nodded.  "I am sorry about this Revy.  But when you disappeared, we were without a leader.  We were disorganized, and a mess to be honest," Rock said looking away.  He lowered his gun just a bit, as he continued talking.  "We ended up getting absorbed into Balalaika's crew when we were running low on funds and needed work.  No one was willing to hire a bunch of mercenaries, and we didn't wanna work for 8 crappy dollars an hour.  So this is how it went," he said looking back to Revy again, and raising his weapon once more.  "We didn't have our same old fearless leader.  Dutch had some connections, but without a real pointman--or point woman--we just weren't as appealing.  Black Lagoon fell apart without you.  And of course, we all blamed you," Rock said chuckling.  "I mean, you left us for dead."

 

Revy could tell now that this was wrong.  This thing that was speaking, wasn't Rock.  Because in the back of her mind, before she fell off that boat, Revy knew Rock had changed.   He wasn't the same passive aggressive jabroni that this clown was portraying.  He had taken a much more assertive mind set.  He had begun to get jobs faster than Revy or Dutch could, and was much more open and honest.  But this?  This was "bullshit.  First off, lets clear the air.  'Cause you ain't my friends," she said cocking the hammer on her gun.

 

Balalaika's crew also raised their weapons now, and pointed their sights at Revy.

 

"Revy, why do you always-"

 

"Hey!  Shut the funk up!" she yelled at Rock.  "I'm so tired of this immortal, perfect image being cast on me!  I'm not fearless, God damn it!  I never was!" Revy was furious.  Not at being called fearless, but something in her had flipped.  "I'm tired of being cornered because everyone feels like I owe them something!  funk you Balalaika!  I don't owe you sheet!"

 

She threw her gun to the side, and fell to her knees.  She was being over come with emotions, but Balalaika and company did not lower their weapons.  Revy looked up at Dutch, Benny, and Rock, and just scoffed.  "Look at you.  Pretending to be someone I know," she said solemnly.  Revy began to speak softer now.  "You think if my friends were really alive, they'd act like this?  Sure the guns, maybe, but the rest?"  Revy chuckled ever so softly, barely noticeable.

 

"There it is.  The pity party.  You always did put up a front--"

 

"Balalaika," Revy said interrupting the older woman.  "You are the only real one here.  And yet, you're the most funking oblivious.  If my crew was really here--hell, if your crew was really here--do you think I'd be fighting for anything other than money?  But my boys, your boys, everyone we've ever met or talked to is probably dead.  But here I am, still fighting for nothing."

 

Balalaika approached now, her weapon still pointed at Revy.  She got down to Revy's level, and began to speak.  

 

"Poor Revy.  Her friends are dead or missing so she's ready to give up.  She doesn't know what to fight for, poor you," she said mocking Revy.  She slapped Revy hard, and Revy winced, her head now turned to the right.  "Grow up.  Get over it.  If you don't know what to fight for, then end your own life.  Take your fingernails, and run them through your neck.  Or maybe I should do it for you?" Balalaika said holding the rifle to Revy's head now.  Revy was admittedly afraid.  For the first time in her life, she was willing to admit that.  She was visibly shaking, and threw up to the side of herself, spitting.  Balalaika laughed again, withdrawing the gun from Revy's temple.  "I don't believe what I'm seeing," she said taunting Revy.  "You're scared.  YOU'RE ACTUALLY AFRAID!" she said roaring with laughter.  "LOOK AT HER!!  BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"  Wiping away a tear, Balalaika raised Revy's head to look her in the eye.

 

Revy however, was not crying.  Balalaika was smiling.  "What's wrong Revy?  You can't run from this one babe.  Not with your legs like that."

 

Revy balled a fist.  "Running?" Revy said shoving Balalaika away.  "No.  I'm tired of running.  I'm so tired of runnin'."

 

BGM:  Runnin'

 

 

She braced her back against the boulder, and helped herself up.  "Yeah, I'm afraid.  I don't wanna die, funk that.  I guess, maybe that's what I'm fighting for."  Balalaika stepped a bit closer to Revy, the rifle still pointed at her.  "And?  You're still a hopeless--"

 

"Ive got plenty of hope.  I've found a lot of things I didn't think I was gonna find.  Hope is one of em.  Even if I never see you fucks again.  Even if I never make it outta this whole shitty ordeal, I ain't runnin'.  You can believe that.  So let me get the hell up outta here so I can put this sheet to rest.  You're done Balalaika.  And I'm done with you."  

 

Balalaika put her forehead to Revy's, and pulled her by the collar of her tank top.  "If you think a little cosmic catastrophe is gonna stop me or my crew, I'll make sure you see me put holes in the last of Black Lagoon personally," Balalaika said with an evil grin.  Revy frowned, and made some extremely fast movements that even Balalaika hadn't seen coming.  Her crew, and Black Lagoon, froze.  Balalaika grinded her teeth, and Revy uttered two words.  "funk you."

 

The shot rang out, and Balalaika's left side of her head splattered onto the boulder, as Revy drew her second gun from beneath Balalaika's chin.  The woman's corpse fell backwards onto the ground, and dissipated into dust almost immediately.  Strangely enough, instead of firing on Revy, Black Lagoon and the remaining men of Balalaika's crew lowered their weapons, looking at each other, then looking at Revy.  They divided evenly and stood to either side of Revy.  She limped forward, and immediately, some of Bal's spare men moved to help her.  But Black Lagoon stopped them.  Dutch shook his head.  "Let her go man.  She'll be fine."

 

And as she walked to the opposite side of the entrance of the mirror, the world around Revy swirled, rumbled, and twisted until Black Lagoon was no longer behind her, and she could see several wooden platforms floating before her.  

 

"Yeah.  I'll be fine," she said to herself, trying her best not to smile.  Her other gun was oddly enough lying on the ground at her feet.  Slowly getting to the ground, she picked it up, and stood back up, leaning on the nearest wall.  The sky was lit a bright orange, and it reflected brightly off of her silver plated guns.  The glow was warm, and reminded her of someone.  "I wonder if he felt this already," she said chuckling.

[Kingdom Xathers]

"Team Lombax"/Death Path/A2

 

“Raaaaaaatcheeeeet--!”

“Alister, could you BE any louder?!” Umbris hissed at the General as Team Lombax (+ Bayonetta - Ratchet) proceeded through the darkness in search of the young lombax. “I don’t think the Divine have been alerted to our position yet!  KEEP IT UP!”

“F-Fine, just shut up, alright?!” Alister stammered in a softer, yet still gruff tone, furious over a multitude of issues swimming around in his head, not one of them pleasant.  “I can’t help it if I’m just the least bit concerned with making sure that MY GODSON ISN’T DEAD SOMEWHERE!!”

“Inside voices, Alister,” Bayonetta chastised, her “Love is Blue” handguns armed and prepared for any unexpected guests who may decide to attack them from under the cover of darkness.  “For what it’s worth, I’m concerned for the little one’s well-being, too.”

“Mainly because he reminds you of a stuffed animal,” Umbris remarked with a terse chuckle.

“... well, that’s besides the point,” Bayonetta replied defensively, her face turned away to hide her blushing cheeks.  “What I’m trying to get at is….”  She paused momentarily to breathe out a sigh.  “... oh, but it seems a bit silly now that I think about it… I’m not sure why else I did it aside from making a Call Back to what I had done before.”

“That being…?” asked Alister.

Quietly sighing again, Bayonetta strode over to the General.  “Azimuth… that Watch you have, it’s the same one in Ratchet’s possession, correct?”  Alister nodded as he pulled it out to show her.  “You see, General, once upon a time, in another dimensional crisis not-too-unlike this one, Ratchet and I had worked together in the same group (Alexander can tell you, he was there with us).  At one point, I had asked him what his most important thing was, a thing that he cherished above all else.  Of course, I was quick to tell him that Clank wasn’t a “thing”,” she added.

“Yes, I do recall that conversation, Bayonetta,” Clank replied.

“In any event,” Bayonetta continued, tapping a finger on Alister’s Watch, “the young one proceeded to produce that Watch from his pocket, saying that he held onto it, to honor your memory as well as the memory of his father.  I’m sure you carry it around for very much the same reason, General?”  Again, Alister nodded, this time a bit more somberly.

With a slight smile, Bayonetta held up both of her hands to the General, palms up and empty, before proceeding to act out a small magic trick; balling up one hand into a loose fist, she then reached the index finger and thumb of her other hand into the small gap of the fist.  Pulling her fingers out, she revealed one end of a thin, silvery chain held in her grasp, and then proceeded to pull the rest of the chain out of her fist, an 18-inch length of silver now lazily swaying from her pinched fingers.  “What I am telling you now,” Bayonetta said as she motioned for Alister to hand her his Watch, which he does, “I have told to Ratchet before, and to another before him: When you love something, never lose it.”  Calmly, Bayonetta weaved the chain through the loop on Alister’s Watch.  “You must keep it safe, close to your heart.”  Circling the chain around Alister’s neck, Bayonetta neatly locked the chain, allowing the watch to fall to Alister’s chest.  “Understand, Alister?” she asked gently.

“... I do,” Alister hoarsely uttered, a hand held over the Watch as it now hung from his neck, “it’s just… what if I screw this up again?  I mean, worse than before?  I… … I just don’t know…,” he trailed off as he hung his head.

“Don’t know what?” Bayonetta asked in curiosity.  “Something troubling you, Alister?”

“You too, Alex,” Gabriel spoke up as he addressed the other lombax.  “You’ve been rather quiet since we crossed the threshold.  Are you still, err… upset about what Ratchet said to you?”

Alexander merely held up a hand.  “Don’t worry about me right now,” he told the others in a cracked tone, trying to give a small smile despite his mood being far from cheerful.  “I’ll be fine for a bit….”

“Well, don’t you wish to give a little moral support to the General?” Bayonetta asked.  “I mean, you are practically the go-to lombax for… … Alister?” the Umbra Witch uttered in surprise as she noticed the General trembling almost violently with sobbing.

“... I thought I knew what I had to do,” Alister confessed in-between sobs.  “I thought… I thought I had it all figured out...  that fixing our universes would mean… … … … … … would mean having to sacrifice my life, so that my universe would continue on as it would have before: without me….

“... … but… … … now I don’t know what I should do!  I don’t know if I can go through with it anymore, knowing that I would be leaving Ratchet alone again!  For me to just… disappear after just having come back, I… … I know, I have a chance to be a part of Ratchet’s life. A second chance.  That’s what makes this so funking hard for me…!  If I die, Ratchet will be devastated… but if I live… who knows what could happen… ….”

“... well, for what it’s worth,” Bayonetta replied, feeling sorry for the General and his dilemma yet still maintaining her cold-headed demeanor, “it’s not as if your continued existence will make your universe even worse than it currently is right now… but you can at least make it better for Ratchet.”

“... yes, but--”

“No “buts”, Azimuth,” Bayonetta cut in, hands firmly placed on her hips as she peered straight into Alister’s eyes.  “You can’t just falter like this just because of the uncertainty of your future.  You should be thankful that you even have another chance at another tomorrow.  Believe me,” she added with a slight adjustment of her glasses, “I haven’t lived for over 500 years because of fretting over when Inferno will claim me (Then again, I did spend most of that time in a casket at the bottom of a lake… but that’s irrelevant!).  Alister, you, and you alone, have the power to decide what your future shall be.  Do NOT fear your fate.  Stand, Alister.  Stand, and open your eyes… all of you,” Bayonetta said, addressing the group as a whole.  “The future, much like the darkness around us, is nothing to be feared.  As long as we remember that, tomorrow is ours.”

“Well, thanks for the delightful pep talk Bayonetta, but you forget one thing,” Umbris chimed in, “and it’s that Ratchet is still out there somewhere, and he’s still pissed off. Now, I don’t know about his future, but we better find him before he does something stupid with his present.”

“Which is what I was getting to next,” replied the Umbra Witch.  “Now, no more of this “fearing the future” nonsense, boys.  We had best be going.”

“Indeed, Mr. Zurkon wants to get this show on the road,” spoke up the Z-Wrench as the group began to move once more.  Alister, not too keen on hearing Mr. Zurkon talk his ear off with nonsense, wasted no time passing the Z-Wrench off to Umbris (who immediately flipped the General off) for the time being.

“... … you sure you’re okay, Alex?” Alister asked the other lombax as soon as the two of them were at the back of the group.  “I know what Ratchet said to you was--”

“--completely right,” Alexander finished, a sad smile crossing his lips.  “I… I do worry about the problems of others too much, and not enough about my own.”

“W… well, you’re getting better about that, at least,” Alister replied as helpfully as possible.

“Not by much,” Alex replied with a sad chuckle, “... but thanks, for at least trying to make me feel better.  Still… he’s also right about that “bleeding heart” part, too.  I mean… in spite of what Red did to you, I wanna see the good in him, too.  It’s there, I know it is, it’s just… … I dunno,” Alex sighed out.  “Maybe I’m thinking about this too much.  I should try to focus a bit more on myself….”

“You’ll be fine, Alex.  You’ve a good heart, and it’s in the right place,” Alister said comfortingly.  “Even if it is none of your business, I wouldn’t mind having your help in this.”

“... thanks, Al,” said Alexander, his smile a bit more cheerful now.  “... so, how do you propose we handle Ratchet?”

“Well, I’ll tell you what,” Alister answered, rubbing his hand along his still sore jaw, “I’m staying as far away from that right hook of his.  Little punk hits like a truck….”

Alister couldn’t help but to laugh at his own statement, and Alexander shortly followed suit….

“Well, now,” Bayonetta breathed out as the group entered a building that was both natural and futuristic, taking note of the multitude of picture frames spread around the walls, shelves, and counters, among other places.  “I’m not one for social media, but I don’t think whoever lives here understands the concept of “posting on the wall”.”

“And you do?” Umbris snarked at the Witch, earning himself a pistol-whip across the bridge of his nose. “Ow.”

“Curious…,” Alexander uttered to himself as he picked up and stared at one of the picture frames; the frame revealed a photo of himself standing at the top of a cliff as he gazed off toward the ocean, the sunset casting its reddish orange radiance over the landscape as the waters reflected the glowing sphere.  “... I wonder who took these?” he added, somehow feeling uncomfortable about the photo.

“I was just wondering that myself, Alexander,” Bayonetta replied as she looked at a photo featuring herself, Jeanne, Luka, Rodin and Enzo, all standing around a supposedly brand-new sports car.  “Supposedly” because the roof and hood had been caved in, most likely by the Umbra Witches themselves.  Enzo, meanwhile, looked absolutely horrified.  “Honestly, Enzo,” she said with a slight chuckle, “if you keep buying all those lavish cars, how do you expect to provide for your children?”

“Certainly doesn’t pay to be a short, fat Italian, does it?” Gabriel chimed in as he looked up from the frame in his plushie hands, one showing himself with Russell and Carla, all standing and posing in front of the rebuilt Detroit Skyline.  “Still, it seems like all of these photos are of possible events in our futures.”

“Great, just what I needed,” Alister huffed out as he also glanced at the picture frames, “even more reasons to guilt-trip me into doing something stup--WAAAAAHH?!?!”

“Alister?!” Alexander blurted out in concern.

“WHAT THE FUCK!!” Alister shrieked out, visibly appalled and confused at what he had just seen. He flailed his good arm about as he continued to unleash his Cluster F-Bomb: “THE FUCK! THE FUCK THE FUCK THE FUCK THE FUCK THE FUCK THE FUCK THE FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFU--!!!”

SMACK!!   Alister stopped immediately as Alexander administered a desperately-needed slap to the back of the General’s head.  “Alister, you gotta remember that children could read this some day,” Alexander pointed at helpfully with a cheesy smile on his face.  “Now, just what is it that’s making you curse more than a New Yorker stuck in traffic during rush hour?”

In silence and with his face still frozen in its shocked expression, Alister picked up the offending picture in question and held it up for the rest of the group to see.  Alex, Bayonetta, Clank, Gabriel, and Umbris all leaned in to get a better look… … …

FINISH THEM!

... … and were all struck with stunned silence as they saw what was most obviously a wedding photo… of Red and Alister.

“Oh… Al... I know we’ve joked about this before… but… frikkin’ hell…,” Umbris said slowly, trying to process the… the… horror.

“Err…,” Gabriel spoke next, struggling to find the right words to say, “... you… you two make, um… such a lovely couple…?”

“At least the, erm… decorations are well-made,” Clank added, the awkwardness being strong in this one.

“... … how would that even work?” Bayonetta pondered, her mind having taken an unfortunate pit stop in the gutter.

Alexander, however, had yet to recover from his shock, remaining quiet for a good minute or so.

“Oh dear,” Clank spoke up again, taking notice of this, “I do hope Alexander did not retreat into his own mind again.”

“DAMMIT, ALEX,” Alister hollered out, all but resigned to this humiliation, “JUST SAY SOMETHING SO WE CAN GET THIS OVER WITH!!”

“Al, I… …,” Alexander uttered slowly, his eyes becoming misty as he looked at the General.  He placed both hands over his heart before finally completing his sentence: “Alister, it would do me a tremendous honor... if you would... If you would appoint me as your Best Man for your wedding!”

That… that did it, Alister was so done.  With a pathetic, squealing whimper, Alister proceeded to fall backwards onto the floor as he fainted.

 

“Must be the pre-wedding jitters,” Umbris joked.

“Oh, leave him be, Umbris,” Bayonetta chided the Neo-Spacian.  “The last thing we need is for the General to leave Red at the altar because of our teasing.”

“If the wedding will even happen, of course,” Alexander spoke as he examined some more photographs that involved Alister in some way.  Amongst them were: a shot of him being interviewed at a late-night talk show, a picture of him in a fancy bathrobe while a handful of very attractive females wearing fuzzy lombax ears gathered on either side of him (there was even a business card attached to that photo advertising “Playbax Magazine”), a photo of him and Ratchet standing before a gravestone with the name “Kaden” carved into it… and what looked to be a similar shot, but this time with just Ratchet, now standing before two gravestones.  “Like Gabriel said, these are all “possible” futures, all different outcomes.  Sure, they may happen, but they’re just as likely not to.”

“So, I’m guessing we jumped the gun with that wedding photo, huh?” Gabriel uttered embarrassedly.

“Not unless it was a... shotgun wedding!”  Umbris would soon come to regret that pun as the others booed him while throwing rotten fruits and pieces of furniture at him.  “Seriously?!  A fuckin’ futon, Bayonetta?!”

“Just be glad it wasn’t the refrigerator,” Alexander said as he pointed at said appliance behind him.  He then strode over and knelt down next to the unconscious Alister.  “Al.  Hey, Al, wake up.”

“... uuuurrrrggghhh… dammit, Zayon, there’s no diamond big enough for that ring,” Alister grumbled in his slowly waking state.

“Zayo-kun…?” Alexander repeated in confusion.  An idea crossing his mind, Alexander held a hand over Alister’s forehead, and for a few seconds, Alex could hear what was going on in Alister’s head:

“What I’m getting at, Alister, is that I think this photo has more to do with me than with you.”

“Then why the hell am I the one seeing it?!”

“Hell if I know, but I wouldn’t worry about it too much if I were you; it doesn’t seem to be a future that’s connected to you specifically.”

“Ugh…!  I swear, my life’s gotten so f***ing ridiculous since you all showed up.”

“Sorry ‘bout that.  … still… that photo just resonates with me… it’s like I know it’ll happen….”

“KNOWING AND HOPING ARE TWO COMPLETELY DISSIMILAR THINGS.”

“Uh, excuse me, I.T., but this is an A-B conversation--”

“THEN “C” TO IT THAT ANY FURTHER CONVERSATIONS YOU HAVE ARE NOT WITHIN EARSHOT.  ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY CONCERN YOUR--”

“Aaaahh~ SHADDAP!!  Anyways, Alister, you had better get going; your buddy seems to be worried about you.  Aren’t you, Alex?”

Alexander gasped as he quickly removed his hand from Alister’s forehead, just as the General finally awoke.  “Err… chatting with your “Others” again?” Alexander asked.

“Uh, yeah,” blurted the General.  “... wait, how long was I out?”

“About two minutes… why?”

“Funny, it felt like it was a lot longer….”

“Maybe the other Azimuths run on a variable rate of time,” Alexander speculated.  “Still find it all strange, y’know….”  Alexander glanced over to the right, where yet another photo caught his attention.  Approaching it, Alexander picked it up to get a better look at it.  “... … … oh my god, is this what I think…?  Al, you’d better take a look at this!  You’re not gonna believe--”
 

“Sure, why not?” the General sighed out.  “I mean, it’s not like anything could possibly top that wedding photo--”  His ranting stopped, as his heart skipped a beat or three, upon seeing the photo--or, rather, photos--in Alexander’s hands:

The first, rather distressingly, depicted a very haggard Alister… and Red (and a few other equally-disheveled-looking people in the background), with something in the General’s arms: It looked like a baby lombax, except, baby lombaxes usually don’t have horn nubs, or such prominent eyebrows… or fangs. Oh god in heaven what is that?  It was so adorable, and yet so very unsettling at the same time (as many newly-born babies usually tend to be, yet this one really took the cake).  This… whatever it was, it couldn’t possibly be… oh god, it had Alister’s eyes… or were they Red’s?  They both had very similar eyes, it was hard to tell.  And its fur, the same exact shade as the General’s, with tiny stripes speckled along its body.  A tuft of vibrant red hair rested atop its head like a tiny crown, and a matching tuft tipped the end of its tail--oh dear lord, were those wings?! Tiny red wings were barely visible, but they were undoubtedly there. Actually, now that he looked a little closer, he noticed (which wasn’t a hard act to do here) that the eye markings were different from each other. The right one was somewhat similar to his, but the left looked as if someone had scratched the little blighter over his eye.  He found this rather curious, until he took notice of the rather nasty-looking scar around Red’s left eye.  Coincidence?  Perhaps….

The other photo was placed right next to the first, and showed a slightly older-looking Alister (though not by much) and Red (who hadn’t changed at all since the first photo) posed on either side of another individual.  Alister almost instantly recognized this as the baby from the first photo, except now he was fully grown, and, Alister had to admit, he was certainly quite handsome, some of the physical traits of Alister and Red melding together in him surprisingly well.  His facial structure shared Alister’s rugged features, yet he also had a longer muzzle, and Red’s incredibly prominent underbite. The horns on his head also resembled Red’s, except they curved toward the back of his head. It was rather strange how he dyed that goatee of his purple though… oh, wait… that’s not a goatee. That was another horn. Rather strange, but he was still pretty damn dashing in that academy uniform though; at least their son would be getting a decent military education, even if it was a bit off-putting seeing those wings of his poking out the back. But hey, it’s still better than the old outfits where you had your tail stuck right up your- Well, that was for another time…

The final photo had no sign of Alister, or Red, or, anyone else. It was just a shot of the Dragobax that was much easier to describe because it has an actual image.

[spoiler=Rex]

 

He had certainly grown quite well into his looks, even though, for some reason, he felt like he really shouldn’t approve of those dual goatees. And, it was somewhat heartening that he at least had a decent sense of fashion, even though that was a lot more skin --and scale-- than he really should be showing. He could do with some shoes as well, there was no need to be a savage. Those nails could use a trim as well. Also, why was he dressed like that instead of proper military attire? At that age he should have graduated military academy and gained some sort of rank by now, at least a sergeant or a lieutenant. Odd, there seemed to be something written in Lombaxian at the base of the fame. Taking the frame from Alexander, Alister read the writing aloud: “Our son Rex Titan Azimuth. Wherever in the universe he may be, we just hope he’s safe.”

A strong paternal feeling burned in Alister’s chest, and, he couldn’t understand why he was tearing up like this. Those words resonated with him so strongly, and his own heart yearned so desperately to find- “Rex…” Alister whispered softly.

... wait, what was he even doing?  Why were such feelings being brought to the surface?  What was happening to him?  His world felt as if it was spinning; he was suppressing the urge to vomit as much as he was trying to keep from bursting to tears.  Alexander caught the picture frame just as it slipped from Alister's grip, but before he could ask what was the matter, Alister had bolted for the back door.

"Al?” Alexander yelped as Alister busted the door open.  “Alister, wait up!  AL!" Alexander called out, placing the frame down before giving chase after the General, with the Zurkon Wrench hopping along after him.

The others, who had also caught sight of the photos, hung back in the house, once again struck with disbelief.

“... there… there are no words…,” uttered a slack-jawed Umbris, once again at a loss for a witty comment.

“... again, I ask: How does that even work?” Bayonetta asked, her curiosity now kicked into overdrive as she tried to work out the “details” in her head.

“Hmm. In old languages, Rex is usually indicative to mean ‘king’. I just wonder, where does the ‘Titan’ element come from?” Clank wondered aloud.

“Well,” Gabriel spoke up, studying the photograph in the center, more specifically the difference in height between Alister and Rex, “I’m not quite sure they had the foresight to give him that name for how tall he’d eventually be.  Then again… well, sometimes, when naming a child, the parents would look to friends and other family members for inspiration, sometimes even those who had passed some time ago.  Maybe “Titan” refers to a friend of the dragon’s,” he speculated.

“That was something I had considered. A middle name is usually assigned from the middle name of the parent of the same gender, or in honour of someone who was quite close to either of them. I would presume the good General had a hand in the first name, and, given how the two act, there’d be a compromise so the dragon would assign the middle. If there wasn’t, I’d be almost certain that his middle name would have been ‘Kaden’,” Clank mused.

“Sounds about right,” Gabriel agreed.  “Now, I’m guessing, the child had to have been conceived after their wedding, otherwise…,” he paused as he gave a quick glance towards Umbris, “... it really would have been a shotgun wedding.”

“But who was the one carrying the little bugger around?” Bayonetta questioned, smoke actually emitting from her ears as she was still trying to comprehend the whole thing.  “I mean, it can’t have been Alister--he just doesn’t have the right hips for it,” she added with a slight sway of her own hips.

“Figures you would say that,” Umbris replied after recovering from his stupor. “Somehow, I’m thinking science had a hand in that.”

“So… he’s a test tube designer baby?” Gabriel asked.

“Most likely.  Of course, picking the X and the Y Chromosomes wouldn’t be too much of a problem, but seeing as males are incapable of reproducing alone, especially when they are from different species, not to mention that males can’t produce anything resembling eggs (which are needed for the core of the embryo) as sp*rm are little more than genetic information, so basically they’d need to implant the material in a surrogate mother, or anything else that can produce eggs (I hear Ditto are also good for that when it comes to breeding Pokemon from a male-only species, but I digress.).  Oh, jeez, listen to us,” Umbris blurted out, “talking about homosexual interspecies reproduction and other things that most people would consider amoral.  Gods, how low we’ve sunk.”

“Yeah, and meanwhile, Alister’s having a complete meltdown outside,” Gabriel added.

“Alexander can handle that,” said Bayonetta nonchalantly as she busied herself with yet more photos.  “Sad, he seems to be the third-wheel in this whole scenario.  But I’m certain he was quite happy for them either way.”

“Indeed, though I thought discussing uncomfortable things about the General and his life partner had become our ‘group thing’,” Clank remarked, complete with finger air quotes.

“Al?!” Alexander called out as soon as he was outside, scanning the darkness in front of him to see where the General had--oh, but wait, the General was right next to him, back pressed against the wall right next to the door frame.  “Al, what’s wrong?” he asked with concern.

“”What’s wrong?”?” Alister repeated, desperately fighting back the tears.  “Alex… you saw for yourself, didn’t you?!  I… I never thought… ….”

“Never thought that you and the dragon would violate so many laws of nature and bring a hybrid child into the world?” Mr. Zurkon cut in with his usual manner of speaking.

“Never thought I would ever HAVE a child!” Alister roared at the Wrench/Synthenoid, the first of many tears finally breaking through.  “I… I just… … … even… even if I had a child before the war, they would have either perished in our dimension, or had all but forgotten me in the other… heh, and given my reputation, they might as well have done the latter….

"... but to think," Alister continued, a sad smile crossing his face, "that in some way, shape or form... I would have a son... that Red and I would have a son….”

“... and, even though he’s not your son directly,” Alexander spoke up, “you… still care for Rex as if he were yours, because his father, that Alister, would do the same.”

“... yes,” Alister nodded, the smile still on his face as more tears fell.

“Mr. Zurkon wishes to say something--!”

“Zurkon, I don’t wanna hear it,” Alister snapped as he smile instantly dropped. “I am not in the mood for any of your bullcrap about how I’ve no need for my fucking ballsack!”

“But, General--”

“Oh, fuck it--WHAT the fuck IS it, Zurkon--?!”

“I’M SORRY!”

For about the third time this post, silence once again strikes, its current victims now Alexander and Alister.  The two lombaxes stood dumbstruck as they both stared at the Z-Wrench as if it had suddenly grown an additional appendage.  A few seconds later, Clank slid, quite literally, into the frame, also blankly staring at the Zurkon Wrench with the same awed expression.

“Did--Did Mr. Zurkon--” Clank began.

“--just apologize--” Alister continued.

“--in the first-person?” Alexander finished.

“Mr. Zurkon knows that Mr. Zurkon can be abrasive at times,” the Z-Wrench spoke. “That is how Mr. Zurkon do. But at this point, Mr. Zurkon… apologizes for his abrasive behaviour in regards to your progeny. Mr. Zurkon only made comments on it in jest, but Mr. Zurkon can now see that it is a sore subject for you, General Fuz--err… Azimuth.  So, Mr. Zurkon sincerely apologizes.”

Alister was almost at a loss for words.  “I… Zurkon, I… … I mean… now you express a conscience?”

“Mr. Zurkon, too, knows the joys of having an offspring of Mr. Zurkon’s own.  If there is ever anything that Mr. Zurkon loves more than killing and destruction, it is Mr. Zurkon’s family.  And it is clear to Mr. Zurkon that you feel the same for your fellow lombaxes, General Azimuth, as well as for your indirect-future son.  So, again, Mr. Zurkon wishes to express Mr. Zurkon’s sincerest apologies, and hopes that you could find it in what you fuzzy aliens call a “heart” to forgive Mr. Zurkon so that we may start anew.”

“... I must be dreaming… or malfunctioning,” Clank uttered as he stumbled back inside the house.  “Could someone please help me re-calibrate my sensors...?”

Alister couldn’t help but to snort out a short laugh at Clank’s dilemma before turning his attention back to the Z-Wrench.  “... well, you, uh… … you’re certainly showing a great deal of maturity about this, Mr. Zurkon.  I, erm… applaud you on the effort you are making and deem it a good start to what I hope to be a better relationship between you and I, so… yes, Mr. Zurkon, consider your apology as good as accepted--OOF!”  Alister was taken aback by the Z-Wrench’s sudden attempt at giving him a hug (in this case, slamming into the General while still in Wrench Form, not taking into account its own strength).  “Ow.”

Alexander couldn’t help but to smile happily at this display.  “Aww, look at that, you two are finally starting to really get along.”

“Yes, well,” Alister grunted as he wrenched the Z-Wrench off his chest, “we still have a lot to work on, but, like I said, it’s a good start.”  He gave a slight nod to the Z-Wrench, a faint smile on his face.  The Z-Wrench, too, seemed to be giving its best attempt at a smile.

“Sounds like you boys finally straightened things out,” Bayonetta spoke up as she appeared in the doorway, Gabriel once again in her arm while Clank and Umbris followed behind her.

“Yep, seems we’re good now,” Alexander confirmed with a thumb’s up.  “What about you guys?  Have you found anything of interest?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Bayonetta replied as a demon appeared right next to her: a small, fidgeting, skeletal creature consisting of a skull and a pair of pearly white arms attached to what looked almost like a giant hairball.  A scepter was held in its hands and a crown rested on its head.  “Right now I need to send a message to Rodin,” she explained as she handed a note off to the little demon.  “I need him to check on something for me, but of course, I can’t leave the Pathways without becoming stuck on the outside, so I’m having Little King Zero here take a note to him. Go on, little one,” she addressed Zero, “and remember, no stopping or turning around along the way.”  With a jittery, incoherent language, Little King Zero complied as he zoomed off into the darkness, note in hand.

“And what exactly did you find, Cereza?” Alexander asked, curious.

“... not telling~” Bayonetta replied in a teasing manner, finger pressed against her lips.  “If I did, it may not come true,” she added, her eyes briefly betraying the genuine concern and anxiety she was feeling.

“Other than Bayonetta’s little discovery, there was nothing else of note,” Umbris added in a somewhat bored tone.  “So, without any further adieu--”

“Oh!  Hang on, one sec,” Alex blurted out as he rushed back into the house.  He came back a few seconds later, slipping something into a bag that had suddenly appeared in his hands.  Once the thing was inside, the bag vanished as easily as it had appeared.  “‘Kay, ready to get going?” Alex chimed in as he activated another “Dark-Piercing Light”.  “We’ve still got a friend to save.”

“Indeed,” Bayonetta agreed as she lead the way, “and the sooner we find him, the sooner--AACK!”

BLAM!!

“What was that about?!” Gabriel yelped out, confused about Bayonetta’s sudden outburst and seemingly random gun-firing.

Her gun still aimed at the spot where she had fired, Bayonetta slowly turned to face the rest of the group, all of them staring at her anxiously, before sheepishly replying with only one word: “... … cockroach.”

[Alexander faceplanted!]
[Alexander’s SPEED harshly fell]

[Alister faceplanted!]
[Alister’s SPEED harshly fell]

[umbris faceplanted!]
[umbris’ SPEED harshly fell]

[Gabriel is loafing around! (8-3)]

[Clank facepalmed!]
[Clank flinched, and couldn’t move!]

---

A few minutes later, the group stumbled upon the ruins of a temple, some portions of which seemed to be fading out of existence.  “Curious and curiouser,” Bayonetta mused aloud.

“Indeed,” Alexander agreed.  “Wonder where this came from?”

“I would take it that someone else had been here before us, and had left a while ago,” Clank hypothesized.

“Yes, but the question is: Whom?” Alister asked, head tilted to the side.

“... well, I can think of one possibility,” Umbris replied as he knelt down to pick up something.  Standing upright again, he held up the object for the others to see: a vibrant red scale.  “One of Red’s scales, right?” guessed the Neo-Spacian.  “Looks like we’re on the right track.”

“So, this illusion was for Red...?” Alister uttered out slowly, looking back toward the ruins.  Without waiting for a response, the General charged forth, the others frantically running after him as he made his way into the ruins of the temple. Much of the decorations that had been there were gone, leaving the structure with a cold empty feeling, as if it had been abandoned for decades, or even centuries. The stones were covered in lichen, and some parts of the walls looked completely ready to fall apart. The only intact thing was a fireplace and mantle. Numerous empty photo frames lined the mantlepiece, and they looked like they had been recently disturbed. Getting closer, Alister’s boots crunched on something hard. Staring down, he found he was standing on a broken frame.

Stepping off it, Alister grabbed the first photo he could find: It was of a group of people he didn’t recognize, except for Red. These must be the people from Red’s world, all of the people he cared about. Guess dragons aren’t a rarity in his world huh? They all almost looked cartoony really. Hmm, those dragons with the glowing gems must be like Red. Didn’t he mention he had some high status before? Flipping the photo around, there was some writing on the back: “I wish it could be this way. I want to be with all of you for the rest of my life…,” Alister read aloud.

“Now, that's odd; it seems we have ourselves a sentence fragment,” Bayonetta mused as she read the writing as well, taking note of the comma at the end.  "I wonder why it ends so abruptly there?"

Clank was watching with concern when his optics noticed a second photo in the ruins of the frame. It must be have been hiding behind the first one. Quickly running over to it, he gingerly removed it from the ruins, and took a dramatic double take on the image. “Perhaps this will explain why,” he declared as he handed the photo to Alister.

Claiming the second photo, Alister’s heart sank as he looked at it. Red was standing profile to the picture with a black background, and he looked absolutely miserable; even more miserable than when the two had parted ways back in the Sphere Forest. Red’s right hand was outstretched, and sand was pouring from it. Scattered all around his feet were piles of broken hourglasses. Flipping the photo around, there was more text on the back: “...but that is just an empty dream. An illusion. Time is up, my friends. And soon, only I will remain.”

“I wish it could be this way. I want to be with all of you for the rest of my life, but that is just an empty dream. An illusion. Time is up, my friends. And soon, only I will remain.”  Alister sighed out heavily, the full passage leaving him feeling pensive. “Red, what have you been hiding?” he uttered under his breath, more confused than ever.

“What does that even mean?” Alexander pondered.  “I mean, it all sounds very ambiguous, if you ask me….”

“Guys, we’re wasting time looking for breadcrumbs,” said Umbris.  “The less time we spend playing Mystery, Inc., the sooner we can find Ratchet alive.”

"Well, if we're going to be comparing ourselves to those meddling kids," Bayonetta chimed in, "I'd rather be the Velma.  You know, the one all the fanboys actually want to get "jinkie" with."

"So, who does that make the Daphne?" Gabriel asked.

"Well, that role would go to the one who's the most prone to getting themselves into trouble," replied Alexander.

"... so... Alister, then," Umbris suggested.

"Fuck off, Shaggy," Alister snapped at the Neo-Spacian.

"Does that mean I am the Scooby-Doo?" Clank asked.

“Well, you’ve certainly got the laugh for it, Clank,” Gabriel chuckled, causing Clank to make his signature “Myeh-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!”.  “Well, that just leaves Alexander as the Fred, I guess… … … aw, crap,” Gabriel cursed, a realization dawning on him.

“Yup,” Umbris chimed in, “looks like you’re stuck with the role of--”

“Nope!  No, no, no… let me do it,” Gabriel interrupted in a resigned tone as he hopped out of Bayonetta’s arms before scurrying over to stand before the fireplace.  Taking a moment to gather his nerves, Gabriel proceeded to strike a pose while crying out at the top of his voice: “Dah-dah-dah-DAH-dah-DAAAAH!!  PLUSHIE~~ PA-HOWER!!”  Though embarrassed beyond belief, he was nonetheless relieved when the others applauded his performance.

“Well, don’t you worry, Gabby,” Bayonetta said as she picked Gabriel up again, “you are far more useful and helpful than a yammering little pup.”

“Yeah, well, if we’re all done playing around… ZOINKS!” Umbris blurted out as he spotted yet another scale on the floor. “Jesus, was this bastard moulting or something?”

“Well, if he was, his scales wouldn’t be separate like this,” Alexander said as he went over to pick up the scale.  A rusty scent hit his nostrils as he held the scale in front of his face.  “... strange, I never noticed this scent before,” Alexander commented.  “Smells like rust… wonder if that’s from the pigments in… the scales….”  His voice trailed off as he noticed a red smear that was now visible on his white-furred fingertips.  “... oh no, this… this is blood.”

“And there’s more of those scales, too,” Umbris added, pointing along the scattered trail of scales leading toward a gaping, vaguely dragon-shaped hole in the wall that none of the group had bothered pointing out before.  “Feh, cartoon physics…,” he uttered with a shake of his head.  “C’mon, gang.  I know I said we should stop the detective work, but it’s time we split up and look for more clues.”

“Good, now we’re actually getting somewhere,” Bayonetta said as she lead the way out through the hole.  She only took one step outside before one of her gun-heels got caught on something, causing her to stumble and lose her balance.  Try as she could to right herself, she ended up falling on her fine ass after her heel was caught a second time.

“Looks like I’m not the danger-prone one in this case,” Alister snarked, much to the Umbra Witch’s chagrin.

“Oh, choke on it, Azimuth,” Bayonetta grumbled before taking note of what she had tripped on: a series of holes in the ground, each one large enough to get a high-heel stuck in.  “Jinkies.”

“Cereza just said “Jinkies”,” Alexander declared.  “It must be a clue!”

“Oh, could we please stop this nonsense?” Bayonetta half-demanded, half-begged.  “Curious, though,” she continued as she examined the formation of the holes in the ground.  Contemplating for a moment, Bayonetta proceeded to produce a tube of lipstick from… somewhere in her suit... it looked like it was from her cleavage.  Removing the cap, Bayonetta began using the lipstick to trace lines along the ground, each line connecting two of the holes together.  As soon as she was done, the rest of the group took a look at her handiwork; with the lines in place, the placement of the holes seemed to roughly resemble the outline of a lombax’s head.

“But… that doesn’t make any sense,” Alister uttered.  “Why are these holes positioned like this…?”

“They look like stab holes, if you ask me,” Gabriel commented.  “Looks as if someone tried to stab something… or someone else.”

At this point, Alexander was growing more worried, his body starting to shiver with dread. “Oh, gods….”

“With the blood on that scale… I’d say a certain someone beat us to the punch here; and he found what he was looking for,” Umbris said darkly, his eyes narrowed as he looked over his shoulder at the structure, “the ‘occupant’.”

“You don’t think…” Clank cut off, biting his fingers in worry, “that Ratchet must have…”

“He was angry enough to do something stupid,” Umbris retorted, “he was probably even angry enough to challenge the Dragon. The bastard wasn’t looking too good after we kicked his scaly ass into submission, it must’ve looked like an easy kill--”

“--but, Ratchet would never…!” Alister uttered fearfully, not just because of what might have happened to Red, but also of whatever lengths Ratchet had to have taken to go as far as he did.

“I know how you feel, General,” Clank replied.  “I’ve known Ratchet long enough to know that he would never have stooped as low as this.”

“That’s the thing about anger, though,” Umbris explained.  “Even a saint could be provoked to murder… everyone has a breaking point. Clearly, the thought of losing you was his, Alister,” he added with a glance toward the General.

Gabriel, meanwhile, took note of some interesting smear-like marks scattered around the area, most notably on the wall of the ruins.  “Interesting… say, would any of you think that those are blast marks, or scorch marks?”

Alexander took a closer look at one of these marks in question.  “... … … this mark… it looks familiar, actually… like… an electric strike?” he stammered, his body still shaking.  “And… and for it to leave a mark like this… none of Ratchet’s weapons can produce electricity forceful enough to leave this behind.  It… it had to have been magical in nature… … and Red… he’s the only one of the two with any knowledge of magic….”  He slowly turned to look over at Alister, the fear very evident in his eyes.  “... Al, I’m not liking this….”

“He must’ve been pretty pissed off,” Umbris commented as he spotted more scorch marks scattered about, “to have used whatever the hell kind of spell it was so many times. Looks like he was trying to hit a moving target.”

“Ratchet is rather nimble on his feet,” Clank pointed out.  “It could very well have been him trying to dodge the Dragon’s spells.”

“‘Trying’ being the key word in that sentence,” Umbris pointed out.

Gabriel once again hopped out of Bayonetta’s arms, scurrying over to something that had caught his attention from afar.  “... guys?  What would you make of this?” he called out as he pointed at a warped scrap of metal lying next to a large medallion.

“That medallion… it belongs to Red!” Alister said upon recognizing the large jewel embedded in the medallion’s center.

“General, you should be more concerned about the scrap metal. They appear to be the remains of the R.Y.N.O. V, a highly powerful and very illegal weapon Ratchet had in his possession,” Clank pointed out.

“Oh, great, AND I would forget that he uses illegal weapons,” Alister groaned out.  “Ratchet, I know you were upset, but did you have to use something so dangerous?!”

“Dangerous adversaries call for dangerous weapons, General,” chimed the Z-Wrench as it finally joined in the conversation.  “Mr. Zurkon of course speaks from experience, as Mr. Zurkon is also a weapon of mass destruction, and a damn good one, at that.  One that the Mrs. is very satisfied with--”
 

"Tee-Em-Eye, Mr. Zurkon!" Umbris blurted out in disgust.

 

“AL!” Alexander shrieked loudly, clearly distraught about something in his general direction. The others rushed over to see what was the matter, coming to a screeching halt at a particularly large blast site, with something nestled in the middle of it: a twisted, scorched piece of metal, barely recognizable as what it once was… except by only a few.  

“It’s… that’s… that’s Ratchet’s wrench,” Clank stuttered in horror. “He’d never let it leave his presence.”
 

“Are you certain…?” Bayonetta asked, all of the haughty air having evaporated and replaced with solemn dread.

“He even sleeps with it, Cereza!” Clank was practically wailing at this point, his own monotonous voice rising in pitch as it was overridden with sheer emotion.  “He would never go anywhere without it!”

“THAT FUCKING BASTARD!” Umbris roared, his fists, no, his entire body shaking furiously. “He couldn’t have you, Alister, so he’s gone after the next best thing!”

"This isn't right...!" Alexander tearfully gasped out as he collapsed to his knees.  "No... this can't be happening...!"

This can’t… be happening… Alister ran those words through his head repeatedly, but as he did, more words began to spring up, joining each other in a discordant symphony: How could you let this happen? … He is gone because of you! … You should’ve killed Red when you had the chance! … He killed him! … Alister gripped at his aching head with his good arm, his body shaking with barely suppressed emotion as the guilt consumed him… You failed him…! … Another lombax gone because of you… … You trusted a murderer… … His blood is on your hands… … He was your best friend’s son, and you’ve let them both down… … It’s all my fault… it’s all my fault… it’s all my fault… my fault… my fault… my fault… my fault… my fault… my fault… my fault… my fault… my fault… my fault… my fault… my fault… my fault… my fault… my fault…  Unable to bear it any further, Alister limply fell to his knees, his head hung low as his mind seemed to shut down….

---

---

Even in his subconscious state, the voices did not cease.  Alister had to have truly screwed up if even his own mind was berating him… … it took a fist to his face for him to realize that it was more than his own mind doing the berating.  Sprawled out on the floor from the punch, Alister looked up to see the multitude of Alternate Azimuths all crowding around him, many of them shouting furiously at him.  Standing above him was Left-Eye, fists trembling as he glared down at Alister with his good eye.  “Get up…,” he growled through gritted teeth.

Alister didn’t respond.  What was the point?

“He said, “Get up”!” Vortex Al demanded as he grabbed Alister by the collar and pulled him up off the floor effortlessly.  “What’s the matter, Al?” the cyborg taunted, his fist still tightly clamped on Alister’s collar.  “Ya’ gone spineless or what?”

“No, I think he’s just blind to his own stupidity,” Left-Eye remarked venomously.  “But I guess that’s what happens when you go and trust the first person who hands you a damned sob story.  Makes me glad I was killed long before Red ever came into the picture!”  He strode over and grabbed one of Alister’s ears, yanking so that he could stare Alister in the eye.  “Got nothing to say?  Maybe we oughta beat it out of ya…!”  Rearing back as Vortex Al held Alister in place, Left-Eye leveled yet another fist into the General’s face.

“STOP IT!” I.T. commanded, taking his glasses off and summarily crushing them in his balled fist. “Harming him won’t change what has transpired here. And it sure as hell won’t serve to bring Ratchet back!”

 

“He’s right!” Moony agreed, for once not lost in his own little world.  “Besides, can’t you see he’s suffering already?  Why would you want to hurt him even more--?”

“Because it’s what he wants,” Vortex Al snapped, his irises emitting a red glare.  “He’s the one who wants to punish himself for what’s happened.  We’re just doing him a favor!”  As he explained, Vortex Al slammed a knee into Alister’s gut, forcing the General to double over.

“Then you two are fools for obligating his foolish desire for self-punishment,” I.T. replied with a digitized growl. “If you can’t clearly see, we are all equally upset by this (Yes, that includes myself, as well). If you wish to take it out on someone, kindly take it out on yourself, so those who are attempting to think straight can decide on a plan of action. Harming him solves nothing and just threatens to make yet another copy of him to join us in this Watch. So let’s spare the rod to avoid the fate of establishing yet another tedious time loop.”

“And if you didn’t get the hint the first time,” said Zayon as he approached Left-Eye and Vortex Al, “then allow me to say it in a way you two can understand: Get your heads on straight and back the f*** away from him.”

“Yeah, sure,” Left-Eye scoffed, “this coming from the dragon-fucker himself--!”

“M-M-Mabufudyne…!”  A soft stuttering preceded a sudden blast of ice that struck both Left-Eye and Vortex Al, freezing them both up to their waists.  Zayon and Alister turned around to see a teary-eyed Sniffles scuttling over to them, his thick blanket still held tightly around him.  “... I… I couldn’t keep watching that…,” Sniffles stammered, shivering more from the anxiety than from the perpetual cold he was feeling.  “I-I know better than anyone not t-t-to hurt someone needlessly….”

“... thank you, Sniffles,” Zayon said gratefully, gently petting the sickly Azimuth on the head.  “Now, you two had better take this opportunity to chill out,” he then said to Left-Eye and Vortex Al.

“That goes for the rest of you,” I.T. declared to the other Azimuths in the crowd.  “You should all be ashamed for encouraging such barbaric behaviour” he added, then sighed despondently. “Right now though, we should give him his space. As angry as we all are, there’s one who deserves to be more so. Kaden, whenever you are ready.”

At the mention of Kaden’s name, Alister sobbed as he almost immediately huddled into a seated fetal position.  I.T. was right; if ever there was anyone who deserved to be angry over Ratchet’s demise, it would be his own father.  He couldn’t bear to face Kaden now, not like this. The other Azimuths slowly faded away, leaving Alister alone, or so he thought.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…,” Alister repeated between sobs, face buried in his knees as he couldn’t bear to look at the presence he knew was now right beside him.  “I failed him… I failed you… I’m so sorry, Kay….”

“... I know, Al….”  The familiar voice, quavering with grief, did its best to reassure Alister.  Kaden knelt down next to the General, wrapping his arms around Alister’s shoulders.  “… it wasn’t your fault, Al…. He knew the risks….”

“But I… I should have been there to protect him,” Alister insisted.  “I… It should have been me facing Red!  It… it should have been me… ….” Alister held on tightly to Kaden.  “... and now, I’ve lost him… … just like I had lost you….”

Kaden sighed sadly. “I know, Al. I didn’t want to believe it, but… I know Red wouldn’t have played for anything less than keeps. It was either him… or Ratchet. I doubt it could have gone any other way. But, if he has taken Ratchet’s life… could we have been wrong about him all along?”

Once again, Alister hung his head.  “... I was such a fool to have ever trusted him--”

“It’s not foolishness to believe in the goodness of someone Al,” Kaden said imploringly. “Believing he could be changed wasn’t what killed Ratchet… Al, what are you going to do?”

… what was he going to do?  That question was now running through Alister’s mind… but was there much point in thinking about it?  His fists clenched tightly as his anger began to grow.  He was biting back the urge to scream.  “... Red stole Ratchet’s future…,” Alister uttered with a barely contained fury, “... and he stole my only other chance to be a part of Ratchet’s life… I don’t know what future he thinks he has… but he’s not going to live to see it.  Now… it’s my turn….”

---

---

Alister soon awoke from his trance, fifteen seconds after having blanked out from the emotional trauma.  He lifted his head, revealing a blaze of fury and hatred that burned savagely in his eyes.  “Red... ... You won’t live long enough to be the only one that remains…,” Alister hissed darkly.  “For what you’ve done, Red… I’ll see to it… THAT YOU WON’T LIVE TO SEE THE END OF THIS DAY!!”  Without further warning, Alister engaged his hoverboots and thrusted himself headlong into the darkness.

“Alister…?!” Alexander gasped out in shock watching as the General sped off.

“He’s got the right idea, Alex,” Umbris declared as he assumed his feral, Dark Panther form.  “Time to make haste!”  Umbris, too, sped off into the darkness, following after the General.

“Bu--Wait up!!”  Alexander ran after the Neo-Spacian on foot for a few feet before getting on all fours, transforming into a four-legged lombax-like feline which then followed after the others.

“How cheeky; now we’re the ones getting left behind,” Bayonetta huffed as she watched Umbris and the lombaxes run off.  “We had better go after them; who knows what awaits them in the darkness.”

Clank, who had been cradling whatever was left of Ratchet’s wrench for a few seconds, gave Bayonetta a determined nod.

 

“Well then, hop on, Clank,” said Bayonetta as she, too, assumed the form of a panther.  “We’ve a dragon to slay and a little one to avenge.”  Clank complied as he and Gabriel straddled themselves onto Bayonetta’s back.  “Now, hold on tight.”  With that, she too sped off in order to catch up with her teammates.

[The Warden]

|_)Red, the Arisen & Ratchet(_|

|_)Pathway of Death: D3(_|

 

Red’s journey in the darkness had been nothing short of exhausting. His injuries had been piling up on him nicely, his body ready to revolt against him constantly hopping ahead, or rather, hopping diagonally. Red was still so rattled he could barely tell forwards from his diagonal incline, having left him going onto the D column of Death without even really noticing. Red was breathing so heavily from the strain, ever held back by the sheer desire to stop moving. But he kept going diligently forwards.

 

He was doing all he could to ignore the dark whisperings that had accompanied him through his little romp. Villain. They would serve no purpose to him, though their whisperings had grown louder now that he made it to the bridge. Useless. He gave himself a brief reprieve from walking, so he could hang on his staff for a moment. Traitor.

 

This looked like it would be a good place to stop for a break, but he knew he had to go on. His body screamed at his stubborn mind to stop, but it refused that request. Empty. He kept forcing himself onwards, one more step, just one more step. The effort was sheer agony on his tired body. Murderer. And he felt envious of the Lombax who was cosily frozen to his chest for not having to go through this. And so he kept forcing himself onwards on the bridge, the light from his staff forced back the night terrors that came at him; unable to pass the serene barrier it had made. Alone, always alone.

 

But for all his trying, his body gave up at the T-section of D5. Unable to take anymore, he planted his staff into the ground to ward off the darkness as he sat on the side of the bridge, his legs hung over the dark oblivion as he fought the desire to lay back. Destroyer of lives. That damnable Lombax, the very idea he had brought him with him was irritating, to a degree. To feel such duty to something that quite literally tried to execute him; it cast doubts on his commitment to the Divine, if some other thoughts hadn’t already. Monster.

 

Craning as far forward as he could, Red stared into the face of the comatose Lombax. Jinx. He had to admit, when not trying to kill him Lombaxes are, in some ways, kinda adorable. Not when wet, since they do have a bit of a drowned rat look, but otherwise, kinda cute. Hopeless. Sleepings ones more so… good heavens he had spent too much time around Elder Magnus; the Dragon’s fruitiness was rubbing off on him. He shuddered from that particular thought.

 

Red shook off the thought as he heard a slight groan coming from his “passenger”; Ratchet’s eyes slowly opened as he awoke back into consciousness, still groggy from… wait, what the heck actually happened? Was it all just a dream, or did he actually go through all of that just now? Heck, he must be dreaming still since he feels a bit weightless and slightly unmoving--wait a sec…. With a gasp that sounded both startled and enraged, Ratchet began to flail his limbs about inside the ice cocoon, feeling the water swish around as his efforts began to tire him a bit. “So, you’re awake” Red remarked dryly, idly wondering how the lombax had recovered so quickly.

 

“DAFUQ YOU DO TO ME!?!” Ratchet shrieked out, trying his best to look the dragon in the eye, a tad bit difficult given his current point-of-view. “Guh, know what? Forget that. Just get me OUT of this thing, NOW!”

 

As exhausted as he was, it was probably still best to keep the charade going so Red mulled that polite request over for about, two, maybe three seconds. “Let me think, no, I won’t, for three particular reasons. One, removing you from that shell prematurely will sabotage the healing process and will most likely cause you to die faster. Two, you are now my prisoner. And three, you are much easier to handle when you aren’t able to run about like a whelp on fairy dust” Red replied curtly.

 

“”Fairy dust”? What the hell are you even--is that, like, codename for something illegal, ‘cuz whatever it is, I’m saying “no” to that!” Ratchet vehemently announced in a non-sequitur. He quickly dropped that thought as he then recalled what had actually happened. “... sheet, you blew up my R.Y.N.O. V… THAT WASN’T EASY TO GET A HOLD OF, Y’KNOW!!” the lombax yelled in a scolding manner. “I mean, not like the thing was legal in the first place, but--oh, don’t even START with me about ethics!” he snapped, sensing Red’s retort. “You’re the one who tried to kill me, after all!”

 

“After you tried to kill me first, I hardly see anything unethical about self-defence. More to the point, after you broke my leg and tore my wing apart, as well as potentially breaking a few more ribs with that rocket, I should say that it’s nothing short of a miracle that I decided NOT to kill you where you laid” Red said in his same dry tone, clearly too tired for this bullshit as he ignored the desire to flap his hand along with Ratchet's whining.

 

“This coming from the guy who would’ve killed Alister had we not stopped you,” Ratchet retorted with a seething tone. “But hey, what do you care?  You obviously never did in the first place.”

 

Red grunted sulkily, though, he had to wonder… would he had gone through with that? Hmph, that was for a later time. “You should consider yourself fortunate enough that I decided you were more useful to me alive than dead. Your sneak attack did more damage than I anticipated, so you will be my bargaining chip should I come across another of your group, seeing as how I am now in no fit state for a full fight” Red replied.

 

“Oh, really?” Ratchet responded. “And just what do you hope to get from this little “bargain” you hope to instigate? Some pity? Alister may not have seen through your little deception, but the others aren’t gonna fall for whatever trick you’re trying to pull.”

 

Red rolled his eyes, why are the kids today so melodramatic? Well, who was he to talk in that department really. “You’re a simple bargaining chip. My life, for yours. I should think that was obvious enough. Why would I go through the effort of keeping you alive otherwise?” he replied scathingly.

 

Ratchet scoffed. “Probably ‘cuz you didn’t have the dragon-balls to kill me right then,” he replied, none-the-wiser as to just how right he was. 

 

Red grunted painfully from how little the Lombax knew; the brat was surprisingly observant at times… or just lucky. “That’s not a part of the equation, whelp. I simply decided you were more useful to me alive. Otherwise… we wouldn’t be having this delightful little conversation, now would we?” Red replied scornfully, moving his head away to show the conversation was clearly done with. Though, there wasn’t much else to look at beyond endless darkness and nightmarish creatures trying to bust their way through the light barrier the Light Gem was producing. Fallen demon.

 

“Yeah, sure,” Ratchet scoffed again, the water in the cocoon swishing around again as he crossed his arms and legs while looking away from the dragon.

 

Red rolled his jaw fitfully as the tense air thickened. As much as he loathed the obnoxious rat creature stuck to him, he was the only companion he had in this dark lonely area. His heart yearned to tell Ratchet the truth, but, instead, he chose for the awkward conversation route instead. An excellent choice. “So… why were you wandering alone in the darkness anyways?” he inquired half-heartedly.

 

“Aside from wanting to kick your ass?” Ratchet retorted. “... to be honest, I don’t really know what else. Guess I was just… too preoccupied to even notice anything else.” As he continued to think about the past hour or so, Ratchet began to calm down a bit. “... dammit, Ratchet, you really messed up big, this time…,” he uttered to himself, beginning to feel like such a fool for his recent actions… not that he’d let the dragon know what had happened before their fight. “... what about you?” he asked of the dragon. “What brings you here? And I don’t just mean to this Pathway, but this whole… war in general.”

 

Red was silent as he considered that; but he figured that right now, the lombax still didn't deserve to know, especially since he was going to be let out at the end of of Death anyways. And if he found Alister.... “That is none of your concern. I simply possess a great stake that I cannot afford to lose hold of. I will use whoever I can to get what I want” he said crudely, his unseen eye narrowed in introspection as he himself barely believed his own lie. “It’s not important, to you, is what I’m saying. Though, you shouldn’t hate yourself too much. From what I saw, that stubbornness and blood lust you displayed is something seen in Alister as well. If the situation was reversed, he might’ve been the one sitting pretty in that cocoon.”

 

Excuse ME?! “Oh, sure, keep talking about Alister that way,” Ratchet snapped, his anger flaring up once more, “but that isn’t the Alister I know, and I sure as hell don’t appreciate you comparing me to something like that. Then again, I don’t expect you to know everything about him.”

 

Red laughed dryly, maybe this kid could be useful after all. “Oh really? Funny, I suppose. I’m just reminded of something he said to me before we fought. I wasn’t paying attention much between the begging me to stop, but, I do recall him mentioning how an alternate version of himself from your world, at one point, went and killed an alternate you for not doing what he wanted” Red mused, honestly not able to recall every detail. “I just find it funny how you’re doing something quite similar because you didn’t get your way, since I already know by now you fought with Alister. Maybe I should say you also share the same brattiness” he added with a smug smile.

 

Ratchet’s jaw clenched furiously. He didn’t want to hear any more of what this dragon had to say, even when, in the back of his mind, he knew there was at least a fair bit of truth to what was being said. He just… didn’t wish to believe it, or confirm any of it.  … it was true, though, that Alister did try to strike him down at the Great Clock, and he would have had Clank not shoved Ratchet out of the way… but that was something between him and Alister, and he had already forgiven the General for that….  Ratchet’s mind was spinning from all the anger, sadness and self-loathing that he was experiencing all at once, yet he kept up as calm a façade as he could manage. He wasn’t going to let the dragon have any satisfaction of knowing that his words were getting to him.

 

Red chuckled a little, at his own thoughts. “You shouldn’t keep those dark feelings of yours bottled up you know; it’s how the Shadows find you. No matter how safe you think you are, they will always find you. And they will happily feed off of you. Oh yes, you’d be like a magnificent feast to them. Six wonderful courses of anger, hate, spite, selfishness, stubbornness, and malice” he remarked. “You would do well not to leave yourself vulnerable to them.”

 

“... and what about you?” Ratchet snipped in reply. “I’m sure you’ve got a fair bit of baggage, yourself.”

 

Red laughed, completely missing the point... or at least dodging it. “Been there, done that, bought the highly detailed painting for a lucrative sum of gems. It’s just some friendly advice, from the fallen to one teetering on their own event horizon” he replied wisely. “It’s a lonely road you’ve chosen, I hope it was worth it.”

 

Ratchet was silent for a few seconds, his mind scrambling to find the meaning behind Red’s statement. Somehow, it left an ominous feeling in the pit of his stomach. “... what are you getting at…?”

 

“Oh, I suppose it doesn’t matter much. Surely after all this your friends will be quite happy to see you… if and when I choose to release you, of course. I’m sure all bridges will be mended instantly. It must be remarkable how some damages can be undone with a group hug, wouldn’t you say… Ratchet?” Red replied cryptically.

 

Again, Ratchet fell silent, but after a few seconds, he bounced back with a scoff, a smirk and a snarky quip; “Well, I hope you’re not expecting a hug anytime soon, ‘cuz you ain’t getting one from me.”

 

Red shuddered from that particular notion. As if he would hug that little rodent, not in a million years. “Perish the thought” he said in horror. Though, it was a good distraction for the fact that Ratchet completely missed the point anyways; but Red didn’t actually care, for once. It was still nice to actually talk to someone real, and not just a memory seeking to chew his hide over everything. Sure it was a snark off, but anything is better than nothing. Feeling his strength back, Red managed to haul himself up from the side of the bridge. Snatching back his staff, he gave a weary look to the dark shadows still trying to break through. Monster. Traitor. Evil. Jinx. He had known darkness and shadows before, but this was unlike anything he had ever seen in the Shadow World. It was a completely different type of darkness, altogether.

 

His right leg was still no good to him, so he continued his one-legged hope along the bridge, feeling incredibly stupid now that the Lombax was awake to actually witness it. Really, it felt worse than the fact that he had been the one to break it in the first place.

 

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

 

Red rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long trip.

 

Current Location: D5

[Love of Ghibli]

Team Dorian: Path of Death
 

Butlerok stood across from this new and improved Yh Wach but he wasn't scared. He simply leaped at the man and the two began to trade blows. Yh Wach drew his sword and proceeded to cross blades with the Kishin. They're blades kept clanging and causing quakes in their wake. The ground was splitting and cracking under their combined might. Butlerok grew two more arms from his back equipped with Hades' chains and tried to over take the massive Quincy by ripping his soul out. What unique weaponry you have there! Yh Wach commented as he was staving off this evil aura that was oozing from Butlerok in addition to the mad creatures attacks.

If you would just submit to being defeated already you wouldn't have to go through the embarrassment of having your soul ripped out in this vile manner. Butlerok replied. Yh Wach snickered as he simply extended his hand and choked Butlerok. Butlerok then slashed down on the Quincy with all of his might, but the blades didn't even breech the skin. Did you really think you were a match for me? Maybe Genryuusai hasn't filled you in, but I am the "A" "The Alimighty." Yh Wach proceeded to lift Butlerok by his throat and slowly choke the life out of him. I have seen all that was and all that will be. I humored you and your friends as a last favor to the former captain. You were never a match for me. But wherever Genryusai is in there tell him I said he at least did better this time. Maybe a little further and he'll be back to the monster I once feared. Yh Wach snapped Butlerok's neck with the flick of his wrist and the Kishin fell lifeless to the ground.

As Yh Wach walked away confident of his victory he realized he was stepping in a seemingly deep black puddle. It was weird that he didn't even notice this puddle being formed nor did he notice where it had come from, but that couldn't have mattered could it? He looked down and strangely enough there was an eye looking back at him. The quincy raised an eyebrow as this didn't look...good to say the least. He turned back around to Butlerok's corpse and naturally it was still there unconscious and all. The quincy looked back down to see that there were now two eyes looking at him. As he stared two eyes became three then three eyes became hundreds. Soon this puddle wasn't a puddle it was the ground itself. The puddle had been expanding. Yh Wach looked around and then he realized that his Gruntz that he had used on Rhadamanthys and the other boy he blasted were no where to be seen. "Illusion?" he muttered under his breathe.

Just then the litany of eyes opened up into mouths and they started to speak at the same time. WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT! HE FINALLY CAUGHT ON! Yh Wach looked around as he was slightly confused by the thought of him having been tricked. Don't be mad Mr. Almighty Man we've killed Gods before! You aren't that special! Yh Wach never broke his snicker though. If you're so strong why do you need this form of trickery? Hmmmm GOOD QUESTION! All the mouths replied. Just then the sky shattered and revealed nothing but darkness. "Interesting" Yh Wach noted. The only visable light was the light of the eerie eyes that surrounded him.

If you must know Genryuusai and I were having a conversation on what to do with you. Butler said as he seemed to walk out of no where. We had reached a conclusion, but seeing as how I didn't want my master nor my other comrade to actually see me in the state I will become. Moving you to this dome of Mad Blood seemed like the best move. Soo you've been holding back as well, then. Yh Wach surmised. No...what I'm about to do is something I don't actually want to do, but seeing as you are far stronger than any of the other opponents we've had to face so far. So you will be dealt with in the manner befitting your power level.

Butler started to glow and purple lightning started to crackle around him. Yh Wach watched on curious but then he noticed that someone behind this mysterious man. He was fat and slobby yet clearly a giant. His aura was green and malicious. Finally, he saw Genryuusai whose firey red aura started to fill this blank void with heat. It was then that Yh Wach realized what was happening. He waved his hands and rained down on the special Kirchenlied: Sankt Zwinger! At that moment a series of Quincy crosses rained down on Butler threatening to drain the beast of his power. However that was useless as all three of the participants proceeded to shout SCREAM RESONANCE! All of the mouths started to belt out a deadly KIYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAA The sheer sound of the choir of screams shattered the quincy spell! The three auras proceed to combine into one massive multi-colored aura of intense despair. Yh Wach couldn't sense what was coming, but it couldn't be good.