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

[Kingdom Xathers]

"... he...."

A stunned Alister looked down upon the shattered body of Galen Abernathy, nearly flattened by the Agorian's strike but nonetheless bleeding profusely from just about every orifice.

"... he knew... he knew this would happen...."

Behind the General, Alexander began sobbing uncontrollably, practically shrieking at the top of his lungs, as he was mourning the nurse, his friend, that now lay dying before him.

"... he knew this would happen... yet he did it anyway....


... sacrificing his life for the sake of another...."

We're your friends, Alex!

It isn't right for you to act like this!

... ... did I make the right choice...?

You have a world to go back to. I do not....

I'm so... sorry....

Guess the thought of "dying" again... is not an easy pill to swallow....

... take care of yourself, Ratchet....

The answer... shall come to him

... and to you... in time... ... ... ....

"... ... even though he knew he'd die... for the sake of others... he still gave his life... so that others could have a tomorrow to look forward to... ... ....

Alister lifted his head, just in time to see the Agorian winding up for another strike, this time aimed at the two lombaxes that remained.

... ... as I did once... I shall soon do once more."

 

A thunderous crash reverberated throughout the hall, reminiscent of an airship crashing against a massive comet. The impact itself was enough to shatter every window in the vicinity.

The Agorian has a twisted smile splashed across his face... that was, until the dust settled, revealing what became of his intended victims. What he saw immediately wiped the smile off of his face:

The Agorian's punch had been blocked, halted completely by a large robotic gauntlet hand, attached to the arm of Alister Azimuth, who was now giving the much larger Agorian a confident, seering glare.

"It's about time you decided to use Mr. Zurkon properly," chimed the robotic hands in a synthetic chortle.

"Ugh... can't you even stay quiet in someone else's mind?" Alister groaned, unamused by Zurkon's boasting even as he continued to hold the Agorian's fist in his grasp, not allowing the behemoth to pull it back or even move it to the side. "Now before I get down to business... Umbris!" he called out to the Neo-Spacian who had gone over to check on Alexander. "You know what the name of this heathen is, right? Could you tell me?"

Umbris was briefly confused by Alister's inquiry, but almost immediately complied, "Er, it's, uh... it's Gorlag. Gorlag the Heartless."

Alister couldn't help but to chuckle a bit. "Gorlag, the Heartless, huh...? How pretentious...."

"Oi!" Gorlag barked out. "That name didn't come cheap, y'know!"

"Doesn't matter...."

"... because I'm about to give you the thrashing of a lifetime. I don't even care that you're just a memory...," Alister added, flashing Gorlag a piercing glare and a sadistic smirk as he clenched his free gauntlet-adorned hand. "I'm gonna make you SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!!"

Swinging faster than the Agorian could anticipate, Alister slammed his fist into Gorlag's midsection, sending the behemoth sliding backwards into a pillar several yards away before dashing after him on his Hover Boots to deliver yet another Power Gauntlet blow.

Meanwhile, Umbris tried to snap Alexander out of his shock. "Alex, wake up! C'mon! Ya gotta snap out of it!"

But it was no use, Alex could do nothing more than to stare blankly down at Galen Abernathy's body laying motionless before him, even as the chaos from Alister's fight with Gorlag raged on around them.

Try as Gorlag might, the Agorian could barely even brush against Azimuth as the General continued to smack him around from all sides. It was like trying to swat at a fly. A fly that was swatting right back at him. Gorlag attempted to clamp his hands around the lombax, and yet he was intercepted as Azimuth grabbed onto each hand as they came at him from either side. With a great deal of effort (even with his strength boosted from the Power Gauntlets), Alister proceeded to lift Gorlag off the ground and over his head, throwing the Agorian behind him and into a wall. Turning on his heel, Alister placed both hands together, palms held outward, and charged a great deal of energy before shooting it out in a massive sphere towards the prone Gorlag, destroying the wall in the process and kicking up a large debris cloud.

"HELLO! EARTH TO ALEX!! WAKE UP!!" Umbris continued to shout into Alexander's ear, and yet Alex still remained in his catatonic state. "Dammit, Alex, you really know how to blank out, don't you?! COME ON!!!"

"Al... Alex...."

The weak voice that called out his name was what finally got Alexander to react with a gasp. Despite being dealt a crushing blow that should have killed him outright, Galen was still conscious, though barely, his raspy breathing barely audible. "Alex...," Galen croaked once again, "please... y... you don't... need to... mourn... over me... not... like this... ...."

"... I'm sorry...," Alexander responded mournfully, reaching a hand out to touch Galen's. "I... I should have helped you... I could have helped you.... but I was weak... I was a coward...."

"It's... alright...," Galen wheezed out, attempting a small smile. "Alex... you... still have time... to make things right... ... Mr. Azimuth... he needs... your help...."

"... but, how...? How will I be of any good to him? I'm... no good to anyone...."

"... you'll know... what to do... ...."

Alexander didn't respond. He didn't know how to respond to that. He didn't even know--

... and then, his eyes wandered over to rest on Galen's Wrench....


Though he could not see through the debris, Alister did not lay off on the offense. Each gauntlet charged with energy, he continued to fire discus-shaped bursts of energy into the dust cloud, each one with the intention of reducing Gorlag to nothing. He didn't care if it was overkill; it was quite cathartic. Therapeutic, even! Azimuth had not felt such an exhilarating rush in a long time, especially from causing so much destruction. Then again, he was a Lombax. Give them any sort of weapon--even a yo-yo--and they could level a entire Blargian Army--

The next thing he knew, Alister was pinned down to the ground by a massive hand, the sudden impact causing his gauntlets to fly off and land a few yards away, where they reformed back into the Zurkon-Wrench. Through the fingers of the hand that was pressing its crushing weight onto him and the floor, Alister's eyes met with those of a very furious Gorlag. "Y'know," Gorlag growled as he spat out a bit of blood, "I never truly considered how such a small rodent can be such a massive pain in me arse. I'm almost embarrassed for letting me guard down." As he kept Azimuth pinned with the one hand, he clenched his other hand into a fist, his knuckles cracking sickeningly, and drew it back, aiming it at Alister. "And that's an embarrassment... I intend not to suffer again...!"

"Get away from him, you BASTARD!!"

Before Gorlag could react, he found himself experiencing a shocking, painful sensation; Alexander, with Galen's Wrench in hand, was administering a great current of electricity into Gorlag's body, causing the Agorian behemoth to spasm uncontrollably. Alister, unfortunately, also had the misfortune of getting some of that shock, as well, but was spared further shock treatment as Gorlag unknowingly lifted his palm off of the General in his convulsion, long enough for Azimuth to gather himself and slip away. Even after that, Alexander was not letting up on the attack, ignoring Gorlag's cries of pain as he continued to channel the Wrench's electrical energy into the Agorian's flesh.

"... y'know... it's rather ironic...," Galen Abernathy sputtered out as he watched the scene unfolding before him, Umbris still by his side. "They... they all said... that Gorlag... had... a bad heart.... As it... turned out... ... they didn't.... just mean that... figuratively... but literally, as well.... Gorlag the Heartless... had a pacemaker... in his chest... to regulate... his heart's rhythm....

"When Alexander... attacked Gorlag... with my wrench," Galen continued as best he could, even with his strength and life waning, "the... electrical current... that ran... through his body... caused the pacemaker... to go haywire... which caused... Gorlag's heart... to experience... cardiac arrhythmia...."

"... and was that what killed Gorlag?" Umbris asked, his curiosity overwriting his shock and awe of Alexander's retaliation.

"... nope...," Galen strained out. "Turns out... the pacemaker... ... ... exploded."

A deafening, horrifying "POP!!" echoed throughout the hall; Gorlag's chest had suddenly burst open, blood and viscera scattering all over Alex and Alister. A few tense seconds passed as the Agorian stood motionless, a expression of pain and shock frozen on his face... before the giant finally toppled over, landing with a thunderous crash onto his back.

Alexander, out of sheer relief and sudden loss of adrenaline, collapsed onto his knees, exhausted. Alister, also exhausted, placed a hand on Alexander's shoulder encouragingly. "It's over."

"Is it... really...?" Alex uttered breathlessly, taking one last glance over toward Galen, his now lifeless body being carried over by Umbris. In spite of his small victory, feelings of shame and failure still clutched tightly at Alexander's heart as he dropped his gaze, hanging his head mournfully. "... I... ... I just... don't know anymore... ... ... ...."

Before anyone could do anything about it, Alexander slowly vanished before them.

"ALEX!!" Alister made a futile attempt to reach out for Alexander, but by the time he reached the spot that the other lombax knelt, it was too late. "... dammit!" was all Azimuth could utter as he slammed a fist into the floor. "Dammit... why couldn't he just wait...? We could have fixed this...."

"... he's... not gone...." Umbris and Alister shot a glance in shock at the body of Galen Abernathy that was now speaking to them. "He... hasn't given up completely... ... but he is... dangerously close...."

"But... but where did he GO?!" Alister plead with Galen.

"He's gone... to where this part... of his story... had ended...," Galen wheezed out. "And that... is where... you, too... must go.... There... he will remember... his lost truth...." With as much strength as his weak, shattered body could muster, Galen raised an arm upward, pointing his palm straight outward. Concentrating the remainder of his strength, Galen managed to conjure a new door before them. The deed done, Galen's body went completely limp, and soon it began to fade away, but not before he whispered one last sentence: "... Alex... he's... a good... kid... ... I... only wish... I had... given him... his... ... present... ... ... ...."



Bursting through the last door, Alister and Umbris found themselves on what was most likely the rooftop of the Rehab Center. Downstairs, they could he more screaming and explosions, for some reason. That reason soon made itself a bit more evident, in the form of a scattered fleet of space cruisers, firing off their blasters at the sides of the building.

"The hell is this, an invasion?!" Alister gasped out. For some reason, the ships looked vaguely familiar to him... but he didn't have the time or luxury to try and remember. They had to find--

"ALEX!!!" Umbris and Alister shouted out, spotting Alexander standing at the edge of the roof, oblivious to the chaos around him as he gazed down the side of the building, to the crashing ocean waves below. He looked as though he were about to jump. "ALEX, WAIT--!!"

"That's far enough."

Alister and Umbris stopped in their tracks as a voice commanded them from a few feet away. A figure cloaked in a black coat stood before them, its own gaze fixed upon the suicidal Alexander by the edge. A few seconds later, it moved its gaze away from the young lombax to face Alister and Umbris, it's emerald green eyes peering at them from under its hood. "You've done enough... all you could... ... but there's nothing more to be done...." As it spoke, the figure reached up to pull the hood back off of its head, revealing....

"... Alex...?!" Alister gasped out in shock and confusion. Indeed, it was Alexander that stood before them... and yet there was still the other Alexander by the edge--

"Wait, I get it now," Umbris blurted. "The one by the ledge is a younger Alexander, the one who went through this memory." The Neo-Spacian was right; upon closer inspection, the General could see that the Alexander by the ledge was a lot younger, his hair only reaching to his shoulders. "... but, Alex," Umbris continued turning back to face the cloaked Alexander, "why are you putting yourself through this? Why relive this memory?"

"... do you remember...," Alexander began, holding his arms close to himself, "... back at Duel Academy? What Vice Principal Paradiso once said about me... about my greatest Sin?"

Umbris unknowingly made a scowl at the mention of the (former) Vice Principal's name. If ever there was a person who could rival even Sayer for the title of "Biggest Slimeball".... "What about it, Alex--?"

"It was Sloth," Alexander continued uninterrupted. "I had always thought it strange, why I, of all people, could be associated with the wasting of time... ... ... but now I know he was right.

"There's a Sub-category of the Sin of Sloth... it's called Despair. Despair is considered to be a form of Sloth, for it, too, involves the wasting of the time one has in life.... that includes... taking one's own life...." The cloaked lombax gazed sadly back toward his younger self, at the poor youth who felt that there was nothing left to live for, lest it, too, would be taken away. "... ... I was only sorry... that I wasn't strong enough--"

"STOP IT!!" Alister furiously howled as he snatched Alexander by his cloak collar. "STOP THIS NONSENSE, ALEX!! YOU HAVE TO STOP DRAGGING YOURSELF DOWN LIKE THIS!! YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE UP!!!" As Alister unleashed his tirade against the other lombax, he proceeded to furiously shake Alexander, as if it would get him to snap out of it, to wake up. The General was practically close to hitting him, smacking him around, beating Alexander to a pulp, and yet he couldn't bring himself to do even that. As frustrated and angry as he was toward Alexander, there were emotions that Alister felt even more strongly at that moment: pity, sympathy, caring.... Tears were bursting from his eyes almost as frequently as the words tumbling out of his mouth. "You can't just give up like this, Alex... not when we're so close... please...."

... it was then that Umbris came to a realization: "... "give up"... ... wait... if Alexander had simply wanted to give up that one time... he would never have asked for my help to save him." He looked over toward the two lombaxes, Alister crying with his arms wrapped around Alexander to keep himself upright after having exerted so much energy. "Alex, you hadn't given up on life back then. Not completely. There was still a reason you wanted to cling to life."

"... but...," Alexander uttered slowly, "... ... I can't even remember...."

"You have to try...," Alister said calmly, unaware of the light-blue glow being emitted from the glyphs on his armor. "Please, Alex, you have to remember...."


Just then, the door close-by burst open, out of which stumbled about 5-6 raiders: 3 Thugs, 2 Agorians (normal sized, a lot smaller than Gorlag, but still imposing), and one Cragmite. "C'mon, lads," said one of the Thugs as the group of six spread out across the rooftop, as if searching for something, or someone. "The li'l pipsqueak's gotta be 'ere, somewhere." They paid no mind to Present!Alexander and company, perhaps due to the three not being a part of the memory. After a brief search, one of the other Thugs spotted the Past Alexander. "Ahh, there 'e is, th' li'l bastard."

Distracted by the commotion near him, the younger Alexander turned his gaze from the ocean below toward the group of raiders.

"Well, I don't see what we're doin' up here," grunted one of the two Agorian's. "Looks like the poor sap's about to off himself."

"'Ell, we can't 'ave that, then," replied to first Thug. "Ain't much fun for us, i'n'it? Besides, we're get'in' paid for erry lombax we kill, 'membuh?"

"... "kill"...?" the younger Alex meekly utter barely above a whisper.

He was ignored as the raiders continued their discussion: "So then," spoke the third Thug, "what do we do about Gorlag's share, huh? That bloke killed off so many and left us with barely more than zilch!"

"... ...!"

"'Ell, 'e's dead now, so I guess 'is profits get split wiv th' rest uv us, ay?" mused Thug #1.

"Hmph... bottom feeders," scoffed the Cragmite. "Doesn't matter who gets paid, so long as Emperor Tachyon's vision is brought to pass...."

"Oooh~ lissen ter you, talkin' like yer some acolyte," growled Agorian #2. "Actin' all regal an' $#!+--"Praise be Lord Tachyon for he shall cleanse the galaxy of the Lombax filth and bring the Cragmites to a new glorious age of rule!" Seriously, I ain't making this up! He actually said that word-for-word once!" he explained to his fellow raiders.

"Tachyon ordered this...?!" Alister hissed under his breath, appalled by what he was hearing. Sure, the General knew now what Tachyon was capable of, but to attack an Institution just for the sake of killing off every lombax in the galaxy?!

"Well, some of these other blokes Tachyon's hired aren't exactly doing a good job, otherwise he wouldn't have to send us in," Agorian #1 interjected. "I mean, like that one assassin that he sent to kill off that General and his son; managed to get the father, but apparently the son slipped out long before he even got there."

"...!!!"

"!!!"

"Oh, my--"

"Ohh, sh!t...!"

"I agree," Thug #1 replied, he and the other raiders completely unaware that Past!Alexander was now glaring at them, Galen's wrench still in his hand. "I mean, and hear I thought that assassin was all about the presentation! And then he goes and lights the house on fire! If I were him, I would've just left the house as it was--maybe roughed up a bit--and just leave the body to be seen as is, like, "Look at this, everyone! This is my handiwork, quick, professional, get the result you want with no mess! Available for bar mitzvahs and other family gatherin's, call now and get a second assassination for half the--!"

The Thug's sale's pitch was silenced as his head was blown clean off by a blast of electrical energy. The raider group looked down at their now-headless comrade before turning their attention toward the wrathful young Alexander, the lombax's face contorted with rage and hate as his inherited weapon crackled with power. "You... you... YOU DAMNED BASTARDS!!!!" The young lombax began to rain fury upon the raiders, firing electrical bursts in volleys one right after the other. He didn't care that they were all armed and firing their weapons back at him; he was going to make them all pay, make them all suffer for the pain he went through.

And even then, he had no need to worry about the rounds being fired at him by the raiders' weaponry; before any shots could even reach him, they vanished into thin air, leaving behind a ripple in the space where they had disappeared. As it turned out, the rounds were being intercepted by a dimensional interference--one of the first subconscious uses of Alexander's then developing dimensional powers. As the raiders were struck by confusion over what they were seeing, they failed to notice that more dimensional rippled appeared around them, out of which came out their absorbed rounds. The raiders were pelted from all sides, either from Alexander's energy blasts or their own barrage of energy rounds.

"... I remember...," Present!Alex spoke up as he and the others watched the event unfold. "I remember now... I was... so... so mad. I was mad--outraged!--that my life had been turned upside-down by these... these monsters! I... I wanted them to pay for what they had done to me, to everyone around me, to the people I cared for most, I... ... ...."

"You wanted revenge," said Alister, still in awe that Alexander, even at a young age, was capable of such destruction. "And I don't blame you; Tachyon's campaign destroyed many a lombax's life, and took countless others. Those of us that remained... we all wanted him to pay... even though it was partly our fault for the way he ended up...."

"... but revenge can't be the reason," Umbris interjected. "Living solely for the sake of enacting vengeance is not right.... and it's certainly not what made you decide to stick to living, Alex. There has to be something else to it...."

A small gasp escaped Present! Alex's mouth. "I... ... ... I can't remember... no... I don't remember. I don't remember ever jumping off the building!"

Alister and Umbris took a quick glance at each other before returning to Alex. "W... well, is that a good thing, or not?"

"I-Idon't--" Alexander cut himself off as something caught his eye: a cylindrical, metallic object was rolling its way over toward the younger Alexander, apparently having been pushed in that direction by one of the wounded Thugs. It stopped just as it touched Past!Alex's foot. The young lombax looked away from his onslaught down at this little device, noticing the small blinking light on one end, and the faint beeping sound coming from it... at first, the rhythm was slow, almost like a heartbeat, but as he continued to stare at it, the beeping began to pick up in tempo, until is was practically an alarm. Young Alexander took a few steps back--

BOOM!!!

A flash of light; a loud, ear drum-shattering bang; a vibration that struck the young one almost like a speeding car.... all of these things happened within the blink of an eye, and yet, for the few seconds afterwards, Young Alexander did not know what had happened. For a moment, he felt weightless, no solid ground beneath his feet, the air whistling through his hair and past his ears....

By the time he realized that an explosion had thrown him off the roof of the building, it was too late. Young Alexander was helpless as he plummeted down, down, down, toward the waves crashing against the rockface of the cliff that the Center was built on. Within the seconds after that, the waves would claim young Alexander completely. He didn't resurface. He never resurfaced... at least, not in the same world....







"Do you remember now, though?"

"... remember what, exactly...?"

"Alex, come on! After all of that, you still don't remember--?"

"What was it that I was supposed to remember?! All I remembered from this was that I was reckless and got myself thrown into the ocean for my troubles...."


Some time after they had witnesses young Alexander fall into the waters, Umbris, Alister and Alexander found themselves in yet another dark void, this time standing upon a large, stained glass surface.

Alister heaved a weary sigh. "... so, you can't recall anything important?"

Alexander shook his head, feeling just as confused as Alister. "All I remember, I guess, was that I wasn't as much of a coward as I thought. ... still, I did fail, in a way...."

"Alex... you have to stop letting your failures get the better of you," Umbris said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You gotta learn from them and move on. Otherwise, you'll just be scared to lose anyone else for the rest of your life."

"I know...," Alexander replied meekly, head hung low. "I just... ... how do I show myself in front of everyone after all of this...? I must seem like such a fool...."

"Somewhat hard to do when you're encased in ice, I would assume." A familiar voice spoke to Alexander, possessing an air of haughtiness yet a hidden bit of caring. Alexander looked about for the source, eventually resting his eyes on...

"Jeanne?!" It was, in fact, the Umbra Witch who had lost her life fighting against LERNA some time ago.

The lady in red gave a stern, yet coy and pitying stare at the lombax through her white hair. "Honestly, Alexander... if Cereza saw you like this, she'd have to give you a paddling, and I guarantee you'll not enjoy it one bit. She'll make sure of that."

"Please don't be upset, Professor," said another voice, this time coming from a young woman wearing a yellow-colored uniform, her reddish-brown hair tied in a ponytail.

"But, Luisa...," Alex began to say, "... ... heh... I'm not your professor anymore, remember?"

"You'll always be a professor to me," said Luisa DeLane, a hand placed over her heart. "You've taught us so much during your time as our teacher, and you've help with much more beyond that. You... even helped to get me and Mark together," she added with a warm smile. "I will never forget that."

"And I will never forget what you've done for me, Alexander," spoke a man in his late 30s, his shaggy blue-and-silver hair framing a square jaw covered in a five-o'-clock shadow. He wore a red uniform jacket over a nehru-collared shirt. His name was Wolfram Collingwood. "I will never forget how you managed to rescue me... and what you did to free Wulf from his corruption.... That means so much to me, and you will always have my eternal gratitude. Bless you...."

And this process continued on, as one by one the spirits of those whose lives were affected in some way by Alexander's involvement appeared to give him encouragement and thanks.

"You see, Alex?" Alister said, feeling somewhat choked up by the display. "It's like I said before: Everyone you've ever met and cared for... their memories will always reside within you."

Alexander simply nodded, as tears of happiness now ran down his face.

"Alex...." Another familiar hand placed itself onto Alexander's shoulder. It's grip was firm and slightly rough, but comforting at the same time. Alexander looked up into the eyes of his father. A soft smile crossed his aged face. "Come. I have something to show you...." Artorius led the way toward one more door....

"So... have you thought about what you wanna do, Alex?" Artorius asked his son as the two of them sat on the front porch of their house.

"... ... guh... I'm still not sure."

"Alex, c'mon, now...."

"Sorry. I just... ... I've been here for so long... I mean, as long as it's anywhere but here, I wanna go there, y'know?"

"... yes... yeah, I've been there once, Alex. Many times, in fact. And while it is true, that having no set goal gives you great freedom... you gotta remember that eventually, you're going to have to settle on something, and it has to be what you truly want. Get what I'm saying?"

"... yeah."

"... so, still can't think of anything?"

... ... ...
... ... ...
... ... ...

"... actually... I have thought of something."

"Hm? Well, c'mon kid, out with it?"

Alexander turned to face his father, a wide grin on his face. "I... I want to make the most of my life."

"...?"

"Having no set goal... True, that may not be how I'll live the rest of my life, but it sure beats not doing all I can do in this life. I want to make myself a better lombax, and I'd like to be able to help others to do the same. I... want to find my own meaning in this life. Once I do that... I guess I will settle down on a single thing. But until then...."

Artorius couldn't help but smile, happy that his son at least had something in mind. "Sounds good, kiddo." He patted Alexander on the head. "Just remember: whatever you wish to do, just be sure to always hold your head up high, and there will be no limit to how far your wings will help you soar."

"Thanks, Dad," Alexander said with a warm smile.

"... I'll always be proud of you, Alex...."

[Final Fantasy Revolution]

FFR

There were two people talking, one man and one woman, discussing their reasons for joining the divine and other such matters. It was the end of their conversation that he had decided to make his appearance, not just to the two, but to the Divine as a whole. After the words "Nothing separates us, promise?" He had popped up between the two, separating them. "Salutations!" He said, slinging an arm over both of their shoulders, in such a way, it could be noted, that prevented the man from drawing his blade if he were surprised. "Are we all ready for a swell time?" He walked forward into the view of the two, his green cloak waving as he moved, kanji letters meaning "Senpai" written in gold upon its back. "Listen hear you two, if you are to survive till the end, you'll need allies you can trust, and I'm a stranger so that has to count for something." He said, talking the entire time Protheous spoke and making difficult to hear. Now the asteroid had crumbled away at the bottom and was at the man's back, nearly making him fall. "Excellent, what perfect timing, till we meet again you two. Orevwa." With that he took a step back and made a soft landing on one knee, three paths ahead of him. "Remembrance seems like a good place to start." He announced to no one, he suspected, and walked into the Remembrance path; he wasn't a recognizable threat to Protheous or anyone...yet.

Sephiroth

Confusion had been clouding his mind as Protheous addressed the entirety of the Divine; truthfully, he had only started giving his voice any attention until he started speaking of the paths. It was then that a feeling Sephiroth hadn't felt since before he lost his sanity for the first time. Fear had now come into the mind of One-Winged Angel, he hadn't thought it possible before, not until his encounter inside his so-called perfect world. There was nothing left to discuss, he flew down into the abyss and then into his own white room. He chose the door that represented Death, a fitting choice.

Sesshomaru

For a moment, just a moment, after Arthuria had announced that everyone within his world was now gone, he began to try his blade. However, he sheathed the sword after brief reflection, if he had wanted to insure Rin's safety, he would have brought her with him. The air about the group had grown quiet, still, with the reflection of many weighing it down. "I've nothing to say to you, Arthuria." Sesshomaru stated, but in the end he dropped down into his white room, and, being reminded of Rin, walked into the door marked by a small child.

Arlene

"Though the forest may burn, the trees shan't refuse to regrow." The archer had said, she loved life and there had indeed been life in her world, but this ordeal was much bigger than her world. To be angry, she realized, is to be selfish. Luckily, she had only just arrived with Arthuria beforehand and hadn't need to find the cargo bay. Not seeing a spaceship before, she assumed she'd never find it on her own. "Tell me, might we fight together?" She turned to a couple, a woman with an icy demeanor and a man who seemed happy enough just standing next to the icy woman.

Sykes Huegares

A ship bad blasted past the asteroid at an incredible speed, and the man aboard was contemplating his next moves as it entered the swirling energy. Then, he was alone, Sykes Huegare standing in a white room and presented with three paths ahead of him. No ship surrounded him any longer, it was simply gone, most likely torn apart or disintegrated or some other such fate that didn't matter. "I wonder..." He pondered, thinking on all the information the computer file had offered him. With the information he possessed, he selected the Death Door.

[Love of Ghibli]

After the speech about the three paths of the door to Origin Team Dorian looked at each other and realized that for this last leg of the journey they would have to split up. While Gyouken wasn't really effected that much it was the other three made a slight pause in having to part ways. It was interesting to say the least. But now they would have to think about which of the three paths that they would each take. Ideally there was enough of them to each take one path and then have one left over. However, Protheus made sure to mention that these paths were methods of self reflection. For Radamanthys and Butlerok this never truly mattered. They were pretty confident in themselves and in their purposes in life. It was Dorian who thanks to his amnesia wandered in the mental spectrum. 

Dorian was simply scratching his head as he was contemplating which path to take. Ever since being caught in "the Madara's" version of Infinite Tsukuyomi Dorian has felt even more loss. It was then that he felt Butler's hand on his shoulder which was meant to be some form of reassurance. Slowly Dorian took a deep breath as he was ready to make his decision. Of course things were not going to go so smoothly.

"So, you're not gonna tell them that even if anyone does survive the fall through the Eternities, there's no guarentee that they'll be able to get out,"

 

It appeared as if one of the newer members of the Divine had felt some kind of way with sir Maximus' speech. It wasn't a full second longer that a dragon like creature then made its way to actually attack Protheus himself. As the creature made its way closer to the new boss of the Divine in a full second it bounced off what seemed to be nothing like an invisible wall. From team Dorian nothing but mocking laughter in form of a high pitched feminine voice. Gyouken stepped forward and snapped her fingers. The area around Protheus revealed a simple black dome barrier around him. The barrier then dissolved into countless black butterflies known as Rukh that simply disappeared as quickly as they appeared. 

You have to be more trusting than that. She said to Jace in a condescending manner. Life is about taking chances rebuking that thing we know as fate. That mystical being that says even before you were born your life was determined. Are we not all here to spit in that creature's face? She turned and looked at Jace again. She could see that in the beautiful sea of black Rukh there were like specs of White Rukh making their way. She simply smirked as she looked at these characters. Well maybe not all of us. With that said she turned around and faced the portal that lead to the three choices. The past is history and tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift that is why it is called the present. I am grateful to our wonderful host for giving us this opportunity and since this is the present I am so enthralled with I will choose the present. With that Gyouken walks through the portal and goes towards the sword symbol. 

Back in the Asteroid Dorian turns to Jace and shrugs. I don't know where you come from sir, but in my world we have these things called video games. And while they are pretty hard to beat you never give up especially at the end. You're new here but some of us have been on this journey since the beginning. We've lost a lot and gained a lot it would be pretty pathetic if we gave up at the end because we "might" not make it through some trial. Also, you have to remember most powerful people don't need elaborate set-ups like this to kill us they could just do it. So all systems are go for me. I lost something during this journey and the path practically has my name on it. Dorian steps forward and walks down the path of Remembrance to the symbol of the child. 

Back at the Dragon who quickly came to Radamanthys was simply staring at it. Ever since the battle with Skyes and the lava snakes Radamanthys secretly wanted a pet. He thought that with everyone from the Underworld coming to visit that he would be in a better mood about the subject, but that wasn't the case. It was now developing towards a need for a pet. Seeing as his life is one bloody war where his is either fighting Athena's forces or preparing to fight Athena forces. It seemed as if his time with Dorian had made him miss his own soldiers Sylphid and Valentine. Taking something weak and raising it till it was strong. Maybe he wanted to grow something for once. He looked back up as he made his way to the portal. Hmph I don't know what these "Eternities" you speak of are but in the eyes of the weak I'm sure many things appear strong. For Radamanthys one's only choice is to look forward so Naturally he would look towards Death. Though he chuckled a specter working for Lord Hades was literally at Death's door. 

 

Butler looked over his shoulder and looked to chibi Ragnarok who made himself known. Well you've certainly made my life more interesting since we've become one. Why don't you pick our path. Ragnarok stroked his chin and then shrugged. I don't even care! He said joyously. My sole purpose in  life was to help and this whiny man-girl become a Kishin. And look I've done soo much more than that now. I can keep moving, eating, growing, living, I'm almost sad that this may end. Why baldy? Why can't we just turn back time and stay like this. I don't want this to end! Ragnarok began to cartoonishly cry before he noticed Sephiroth fly into the void. He quickly regained his composure and tried to act cool. But since we do have to make a choice then that means one thing. Onward and upward. To INFINITY AND BEYOND! I feel like you've just committed eight levels of copyright infringement. Nevertheless Butler and Ragnarok walked through and were also looking for the door labeled Death. Also ironic seeing as Butler houses another Lord of the Dead and a Shinigami inside him. Before he stepped through he took one last look at the Divine and he could see the same Rukh that Gyouken could. Interesting. He mumbled as he walked through the portal. 

[Tesability Black]

Divine, Hollow Asteroid, Tesability's POV

 

While she did connect headfirst into the shield that suddenly appeared in front of her, the way she bounced off it and landed could almost seem amusing, to say the least.

 

When she connected, the energy from the impact bounced up and back a good distance, spinning rapidly in mid-air until she landed in the back of the group, her tail and hindlegs hanging over her head and forelegs, the tip of her tail covering the top of her muzzle with her black eyes suddenly having spirals in them.

"Owie," she stated in a daze. If she had expected a shield, she would have been braced for it and not have momentarily knocked herself out. But alas, she didn't...

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

Divine, Hollow Asteroid, Jace's POV

 

The illusionary Jace had to duck to avoid being hit in the head by the spinning dragon, almost getting hit in the face with the tail as she passed over.

 

The original Jace still shrouded in invisibility, however, wanted to growl at the sudden scolding his double got when he tried to warn them against jumping into the portal. Normally, he'd be able to get people to listen, had his forced sleep made him rusty? Do these beings really want to die, he thought to himself, especially after seeing several jump down into the portal anyway.

 

"Let's see you wake up in a cage, then," the illusionary Jace said with a tone of acid under its 'breath', eyes narrowing at the portal before glancing up toward the ringleader of this whole thing. The fact he couldn't even sense his mind, let alone try to read it, was disturbing. The last time this happened, it was with a shapeshifting vampire that tried having his underlings target him more than once.

...the original almost dropped his focus on both of his long-practiced illusions when a shudder crawled up his spine at the memory. A vampire trying to drain him of certain memories through the act of feeding was an experience he'd rather not repeat any time soon. The near-loss of his illusions caused him to notice something however, a strange pull in his chest toward the portal, toward the Blind Eternies that had been made visible to all. Was his own Spark trying to push him forward? Why?

 

Both the illusionary double and the original closed their eyes and lowered their heads, focusing on the internal cyclone of energy that seemed to be what allows him to travel between planes. He focused on it collapsing on itself before disappating into the calm surroundings...

 

Both the illusion and the original vanished from the Hollow Asteroid, allowing the portal's path to safely guide him down. He's going to need help for what he has planned...

 

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

 

Divine, The White Room, Jace's POV

 

Jace wasn't sure about everyone else that came through the portal, but he at least landed on his feet when he reappeared, looking around and giving a cursory scan of any nearby minds. Thankfully, it felt like he was alone, giving him a second to relax and take a breath.

 

"Beleren, what are you thinking with, because it's not your brain," he scolded himself as he placed his bare hand on his forehead, gripping his almost-black hair. Once the words were out of his mouth, he sighed in a slight defeat. "I sounded just like him with that." Lowering his hand, Jace took a good look at his surroundings, a simple room painted all white with three openings leading out of it. Each opening had a symbol above it, a skull, a sword and a child in that order from left to right. All three were simple outlines, no color visible, and the only reason he could even see them was the fact that each of them had an internal shadow despite the fact that there was no discernable source of light.

 

"...Acknowledging a certain part of yourself," a voice randomly echoed in his head, the voice being the man that the crazy dragon had tried striking at, though it still make the mind mage gulp. He had quite a few sins within his past, none of them he was particularly eager to face a second time.

 

"Argh, why am I listening to that damned Dimir lookalive," he almost roared at himself, gripping the back of his hair with both his gloved hand and his bare hand. "For l know, he just tried to kill everyone else for no reason. And how did he open that portal, that should be impossible...is it?" He felt another tug from within his chest despite his aggravation, this time with a faint trace of pain to catch his attention toward one of the three openings, which prompted him to let go and lower his hands before balling up his gloved one and placing it over his chest.

The opening had an ornate sword near it, the Pathway of Truth. Taking a step toward it sparked a faint feeling of hope, as if somethiing good could come from this. It was strange, though. He was so used to thinking things through, to finding patterns and weaknesses in others to exploit them, to suddenly feel like he was being driven by something close to instinct was...strange, there was no other word for it. It was one thing to 'borrow' the instincts of the Gruul clan, bestial warriors and berserkers who loved the glory of unchained combat, against one of their leaders when his own magic would not only fail to work, it would have recoiled against him and harmed him instead. It was another to have it sourced from himself, which was somewhat-disarming.

 

Shaking his head to try to purge the painful memory from his active thoughts after bringing a hand to his back and rubbing it, his curiosity began to get the better of him once again. He decided to see what would happen if he did follow this 'instinct', walking into the Pathway of Truth as he did...

[Dwarven King]

Doraga

 

Doraga stood at the edge of the hole, staring into the mass of energy as he listened to Protheus finish his speech. It wasn't quite what he would call inspiring, but it would have to do. They were all here to get to the door, nothing else. "So, we just jump into that mass of energy, appear in a white room by ourselves with three doors. From there we go through each door defeating any enemies we encounter while making sure you make it to the door with the key. And then all of our wishes will be granted and we all go home." He looked up at Protheus, a smirk on his face. "Very well then. I shall surpass these obstacles and wait for you at the door."

 

A quick nod and the Arrancar casually stepped over the edge and into the swirling energy. The energy did not sting nor pain him, but he could still feel it fill his body. The light grew bright and brighter until he could no longer see before him, before finally feeling something under his feet. The light slowly dimmed, revealing a bare white room with three days before him. The Arrancar stood there for a moment, observing the three doors before finally walking towards the one in front of him. "No need in wasting time." he said out loud as he opened the door of Truth.

 

Cally and Brian

 

"Wh-what?" Cally stuttered as the strange man appeared between them. "Who the..." her eyes narrowed as she watched the man walk forward and into the swirling energy. She hadn't even sensed him coming, wasn't quick enough to react to him, and she missed most of what Protheus had said because of his loud mouth. She wanted nothing more than to stab him, but Brian's reassuring hand on her arm stayed her blade.

 

"I heard everything Protheus had to say." Brian said to her. "There wasn't to many important details. We jump in and complete three paths before we can get to the door. Simple, really. Only there is one issue."

 

The Vampire turned her gaze to him, afraid of what he was going to say as she heard something she wished she hadn't. "What is it?"

"We will appear in our own white rooms...alone."

 

Her hand grasped his and squeezed tightly as fear clouded her face. "I can't do this alone."

 

"You have to. We have no choice. We can not let the wrong people win. You know that." He squeezed her hand back. "Now let's go, before we fall behind."

She nodded, tears forming at the corner of her eyes as the pair stepped into the swirling energy, getting swallowed up and eventually seperated.

 

Cally

 

Cally stood there dazed, her hand gripping nothing but air. "I'm...alone." More tears formed as she wiped them from her face. "No, I must not let this get to me. Brian's counting on me." With a quick nod, her resolve strong, she opened the left door for Rememberance and quickly entered.

 

Brian

 

The half demon observed the three doors for a bit, hoping to sense some kind of pattern or whatnot. "Pointless. Three doors with different symbols. I don't see a pattern." Giving up, he made his way to the third door, Death. "Death sounds like it's going to make me work. Might as well do that one so I can recover during the other two."

 

Theovak

 

The old Dwarf crossed his muscled arms as he listened attentively to Artoria, his gaze only leaving her to view the swirling mass of energy. "She wants us to jump in that?!" He couldn't imagine how jumping into that would accomplish anything. Then again, they were currently flying through the stars...something he never imagined doing in his life. Theovak was about to ask a question when he heard Artoria give her big reveal and saw a bald, ash white man lunge at her. "...our homes...gone?" The Dwarf went quiet as he looked around at everyone else, seeing multiple people breaking down in tears. It was quite noble of her to admit something of that caliber, but her "army" could very well fall apart right here because of it.

 

With a loud snarl, the Dwarf hoisted his hammer up over his shoulder and marched towards the swirling energy. "So ye say our homes are gone and can only be saved if we get to the door? Fine! Then so be it!" He turned to look back at the rest of the Corps. "That's we a Dwarf calls motivation. And a Dwarf with a goal and motivation, can not fail!" Turning back to the energy, he charged for and leapt into it, shouting "Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!"

 

The energy surrounded and consumed him. He expected it to be much like a fireball, as he had experienced a few of those, but no pain was felt. With a thud, he found himself standing in a white room with three doors, much like he was told. The old Dwarf did a complete turn, checking that he truly was alone. Satisfied that he was, his hammer dropped to the floor as he dropped to his knees. Tears flowing from his eyes.

"Me home! Me mum! Me wife! Me King! All gone!" The Dwarf tilted his head upwards. "Why Moradin?! Why send me on this quest only to have everything a Dwarf could love wiped out!" His shoulders bobbed as he looked down at his hammer, tears flowing down his face. He thought back to everything he had left behind in service of his God. But what if he was wrong? What if Moradin had no plans for him and wished for him to simply stay home? What if...no. "NO!" He refused to believe it would end this way. Artoria said that if she made it to the door, she could restore everything back the way it was. And Moradin is a God. Perhaps his God forsaw his world being destroyed either way, and so sent him in hopes he would aid this girl in restoring everything the way it was suppose to be. That had to be it. No, it was it. "NO! I will not give up! So long as me legs hold me, I will push forward in the name of me God, me home, me family, me King!" With a roar and tears still fresh on his face, Theovak gripped his hammer tightly and luached himself a the nearest door, caving it in with one mightly blow of his hammer as he ran through. The broken door laid on the floor, the symbol of Death showing.

[Dad]

Wesker

 

The Divine, one after another, plunged into the abyss below.  Wesker smiled, lowering his shades as he stared into the mysterious portal.  He contemplated his choices, and realized there was no door better suited for him than "Truth".  He dashed to the edge, and stopped abruptly so that he tipped himself over into the portal in a swan dive.  It was mere seconds later when he was confronted with his choice of doors.  He admired the craftsmanship of the doors, but only briefly, as a hidden, bladed tentacle whipped the "Truth" passage open.  A smile crossed his wicked face again, and Wesker walked slowly inside.

 

Kratos

 

Three doors.  Three choices.  Three.  Kratos had been faced with a lot of "threes" in his lifetime, but this would prove no different to him.  He had been thinking about his decision all the way until his feet touched the cold floor.  Perhaps, with proper thought, "Truth" was the way to go.  It would help him discover what he was truly looking for.  It would provide Kratos with a sense of urgency and need.  Perhaps this passageway would lead him to uncover what he himself had hidden away.  Leaning his palms against it, the door was heavy.  Kratos put some might into his arms, and gave the door two heavy shoves before it finally gave way.  

 

Kenpachi & Yachiru

 

"Oi, Yachiru."  She looked up at Zaraki with a curious look on her face.  "Hmm?"  "What'd ya think?"  Yachiru examined the doors closely, recalling Arthuria's words.  "This one to the far right.  This is Remembrance.  But, what have you forgotten Kenny?  Anything important?"  Kenpachi chuckled to himself.  "Not hardly."  "Well, this next one is Truth," she said gesturing at the center door.  "But I think you've already come to terms with that."  Kenpachi nodded in agreement.  "So what's this one then?"  Yachiru chuckled.  "That one's obvious Kenny.  This one is--" Yachiru stopped for a moment, recalling their fate before.  "It's--" She cleared her throat at last.  "It's Death, Kenny."  Kenpachi got the same look across his face, until he recalled what he had just been through.  ". . . .then I will give her my own."  His look of concern quickly turned to one of pride, and excitement.  "Yachiru.  This is the one."  "But Kenny--"

He knelt down to her, patting her head, and delivering a reassuring smile.  "I have a feeling, little lady.  This is the path we need to face.  Together.  And I have another feeling we'll see someone else we need to see along the way."

 

Kenpachi's mind moved to the white haired man with the long blade.  "Sephiroth.  I haven't forgotten about our fight."  He got excited again, and kicked the door of Death in, knocking it miles down the path.  

Revy

 

She stared at the first two doors for a while, wondering what could lie beyond them.  Death?  She saw enough of that on a daily basis.  It wasn't something that stood out to her.  Just another life lived and lost.  Truth?  Revy knew the truth of the world.  It was a cesspool ruled by monsters, corrupt politicians, and over-compensating, whiny fucks.  If there was anymore truth than that, she had missed it, and wasn't interested in another lesson.  "Remembrance?" she said softly, aloud.  Her past briefly flashed in the back of her mind.  Was she really still haunted by this?  There was only one way to find out.

[The Warden]

|_)Red, the Arisen(_|

 

Red had remained near the back during Protheus' speech. Ever since the departure of Alister, Red could feel nothing but waves of evil and discontent from the Divine. There seemed to be little bright spots since the new recruits, but every here was simply in it for their own selfish gain. Not that he could talk really. Was Red simply in it for duty, or for his own satisfaction? After all this time he had begun to question his choice of motives. The hurt, the hatred and the killing. How could they all walk with their heads held high as their hands and path are coated in blood.

 

No, no, he wasn't like them. He knew from the start what this entire journey meant, and what was waiting for him at the end. He had always known the answer to his own great question. And though it will kill him, this was the path he had chosen.

 

"This is the final countdown. For you see, now, NOW is the time to claim your rightful place as the Divine. Thus, I beseech of each and every one of you to fight. Just fight. If you truly wish to realize your desires...then fight."

 

Oh, the mad man had finished speaking. To be honest Red had grown tired of listening to the man's pontification. Every word oozed with smugness. Truly there has never been a more despicable being in the entire multiverse. Red would have come up with a few more synonyms, but his attention was stolen by a dragon trying to crash into Protheus, and failed utterly. The pathetic quadruped was splayed on the ground like a stunned insect; how embarrassing.

 

Stomping towards the portal, Red gave a moment of interest in the fellow dragon. It was certainly nothing like the ones from the Dragon Realms; most likely from a different universe. Dragons from his world, after all, didn't throw themselves head first at people unless they happened to be called Spyro. "Get up foolish child, where is your honour as a dragon?" he barked, his disdain evident in every word. "Disgraceful, utterly disgraceful what children will do without their Elders" he added as an afterthought as he stared into the colourful abyss.

 

This was what everything had been leading up to. Remembrance, Truth and Death. Three trials of the heart and soul. Three trials to prove his sincerity. If anyone were to think he would simply give in now, they were madmen, plain and simple. Without hesitation he leapt into the rainbow abyss.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

|_)The Evangelist Hapshiel(_|

 

Hapshiel had been prompted to the meeting area by that lovely young lady he so very much desired to get to know better. However, she was very good at avoiding him, but really, that just adds to the fun. As she explained the rather intriguing information about the Pathway to Origin, he could feel his bishieness fading as he was told that all he held close to his heart was gone.

 

For a brief second his bright hopeful eyes turned dark and heavy, before they returned to light. After all, if the multiverse can be harmed, so to it could heal. His pecs bounced up and down as he made a silent promise to aid the delectable young lady in her quest. Protheus Maximus will NOT succeed in his sinister goal, not so long as Love & Peace existed in the universe.

 

-----

 

In the cargo hold, the portal was waiting. The light was so warm and inviting, it felt like a gateway to Heaven. Oh, how long it had been since he had been back there. But the people of Earth so desperately needed his love and affection, so Heaven had to suffer until the world was sated. Without fear or hesitation, Hapshiel sauntered through the portal.

 

-----

 

ECSTASY! Hapshiel's body was alive with tingling as he appeared in the white room; oh, it felt like God's waiting room. How Hapshiel loved those long conversations with the man, such intimate and wondrous times he recalled as his hands took hold of the door marked with a Sword and twisted it erotically.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

|_)Magical Girl Lydia(_|

 

Lydia had left the Lombax situation a little while after she gave her opinion on the matter. Hopefully they listened to her as she joined the Counter Corps waiting on Arturia's speech. It was the usual grandiose speech given by Arturia and Emiya before. Three times is certainly not the charm, though, Lydia couldn't help feel like Arturia was hiding something.

 

"I'm sure you are all aware of the chaos that Isamy Maximus caused. She stole precious artifacts from your universes, and caused so much distortions that they all collapsed into absolute hell. When we recruited you...

...we took a risk."

 

Wait, what? "By removing you from your universes, we would cause a distortion of our own that would disturb the delicate balance and thrust your homes into oblivion mere seconds afterwards. Compared to the other five million universes affected by Isamy, the dozens we sacrificed couldn't have mattered. By now, most of those must've already deteriorated to the point of barely existing, so what difference could it make anyway? In the recent past, members asked to be taken home - like BB, Kurai, Maxwell - and for the sake of maintaining the illusion, they were sent into that oblivion."

 

Lydia's chest went tight, and it was impossible to breath. Zac, Remi, Adam; they were all... gone? She turned away in shock as she desperately fought back the tears. Her hand was losing its grip on Cuestick, the metal rod slowly slipping away. As it fell to the ground, her hand snatched out like a snake and grabbed it. Bearing down on her teeth Lydia fought the tears back as her eyes burned with pure resolve. "Isamy, it all started because of her. And now her miserable father or whatever the hell he is is now trying to ruin everything. All this secrecy and using, it ends NOW. This war needs to end, and the Divine NEED to be stopped. We CANNOT allow them to have their way ANYMORE. HERE HERE!" the Dizasters and Lydia cheered.

 

-----

 

Lydia swallowed hard against the lump in her chest as she joined the march towards the Cargo Hold. Her steel-like resolve supported her as she stared into the colourful abyss of Origin. It felt so comforting against the darkness, like a cozy home and a soft bed. But, there was one thing she needed to know. Approaching the Counter Guardian, there was only one thing she wanted to know: "Remember after the battle with LERNA?" she began, "back in Camelot, you told me that my defeat of LERNA had been recorded by the, Throne of Heroes right? So, what does that mean, exactly?" she inquired.

[Kingdom Xathers]

[... moments before Arthuria's Speech....]

The ice began to shatter lightly, slipping apart and vanishing in pieces until Alister and Alexander remained, progressively waking from their hibernation. Almost immediately, the two lombaxes clung tightly to each other, shivering violently.

"F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-F-Freez-z-z-zing...!!" stammered Alexander, who was still cradled in Alister arms. "Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Why am I-I-I-I fr-fr-freezing?!"

"Oh, f-f-f-for f-f-f-f-f--crying out l-loud, Alex...!" Alister gasped through his chattering teeth....

"St-St-Still...," Alexander added, trying his best to give Alister a smile despite his numb facial muscles, "th... thanks f-f-for not g... giving up on m-m-me...."

Alister returned the smile as best he could. "Th-thank you, Alex... f-f-for not... g-giving up... on y-y-yours-s-self...."


[A few minutes later....]

"Oh, gods, I needed this so much...," Alister sighed out pleasurably as he and Alexander were recuperating in the hot tub that Washu had "commissioned" to be installed in the MedBay.

"Leeeewwwwwd...!" Alexander chimed in response to Alister's statement--or rather, the way it came out--yet he had to agree: the warm, bubbling waters were just what the two needed after having been frozen for so long, not to mention the wonders they were doing for Alister's aching body. The General was still an elder, after all.

Ratchet, meanwhile, was quite elated to have the other two lombaxes back from their ordeal, though he was quite peeved that he was not allowed to join them in the hot tub; ""Only for medical purposes", my tail," he thought to himself. "Not like I haven't been risking it, too...."

"Sorry, kiddo, dem's the rules," Washu shrugged before zipping out of the room without giving Ratchet a chance to retort.

Kokonoe shook her head as she looked after the mad scientist that had made her leave. "Whatever. We gotta get this show back on the road," she said. "I still need to make my own announcement, as well." With a slight wave of her hand, Kokonoe conjured a holographic video screen. "You guys can stay here and watch the announcements on this," Kokonoe said to the lombaxes. "I'm sure you guys don't exactly feel like moving, so this is the best we can do. Ratchet, you're free to stay here with these two knuckleheads," she added, shooting a stern yet toying glance at Alex and Alister.

"Pbbbbt~!" Alexander let loose a raspberry as Kokonoe left the MedBay. "... although, she does have a point," he later admitted. "We really shouldn't spend so much time establishing more backstory like that."

"Hey, as long as you're over the majority of your drama and not going to go emo again any time soon," Alister responded, "I could care less."


A few more hours after that, the announcements soon began. Kokonoe cut ahead of Arthuria to get her point across first, though she kept it short and sweet: Kokonoe first presented Kratos with the recently-constructed Blade of Cybertron, crafted and engineered from the remains and memory banks of PredaKing. She also made a point to distribute replica Golden Fleece gauntlets to the Counter Corps (sans Kratos), explaining that the Gauntlets could repel just about any attack but, since they were replicas, they could only be used once before breaking.

"... and, that's it," Kokonoe concluded simply. "Floor's yours," she said to Arthuria as she herself left center stage.

Then it was Arthuria's turn to give her explanation of the Pathways and the Door to Origin... ... and then, she dropped the bombshell:

"By removing you from your universes, we would cause a distortion of our own that would disturb the delicate balance and thrust your homes into oblivion mere seconds afterwards. Compared to the other five million universes affected by Isamy, the dozens we sacrificed couldn't have mattered. By now, most of those must've already deteriorated to the point of barely existing, so what difference could it make anyway? In the recent past, members asked to be taken home - like BB, Kurai, Maxwell - and for the sake of maintaining the illusion, they were sent into that oblivion."
"In case you don't understand, all your friends are gone. Everyone you've ever known is gone. And... I do not even know if there'll be an afterlife for them."

Everything suddenly went silent. The lombaxes, the ship's crew, the other Counter Corps members, the refugees... everyone had gone still with silence. Alexander could only utter a faint "Oh, my god...."

Ratchet felt as if heart and lungs were practically crushed. For a moment, he couldn't breathe... his throat was strangling itself... his eyes flooded over... ...

Everyone he knew back home... Big Al, Quark, Ace, the Smuggler, Suzie, Sasha... Talwyn... ... they were gone....

... they were all gone.

After what felt like an eternity, Ratchet finally managed to emit a horrified, anguished howl....


Ratchet was not the only one reeling from this news: Mami Tomoe and Ruby Rose embraced each other as they cried into each other's shoulders. The various Duel Monsters mourned the loss of their allies and friends. The 3rd Street Saints and the C.O.G.s were left baffled and lost, at not only losing their respective home worlds, but there entire universes, as well....

 

 

 

 

"... what a waste...."

 

On the other hand, Sayer uttered to himself the above statement in response to Protheus' explanation.  "Sure, it's just a few million insects I don't need to concern myself with, but the thought of not being able to benefit from their demise... ... is stirring a rather nasty craving," he added as he actually glanced down toward his own abdomen, as if expecting the beast known as a stomach would roar at any minute.

 

"... oh, well," he blurted out loud with a sneaky smirk.  "Not like I won't benefit from this little game we're playing.  After all, I do still have a few tricks up my... sleeve...."

 

Still, there was something that seemed to be pestering him in the back of his mind: he had been trying to sneak a peek into the Counter Corps whereabouts, and yet... ... nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  He was rendered completely blind whenever he attempted to see through any R.O.D.s he had sent toward And With Strange Aeons, and he had absolutely no clue why that was so!  It was just like with--

 

"... like with the Vault...," Sayer uttered to himself.  "This has happened before, and it's really grating on my nerves.  I don't know how they're doing it... ... but I guarantee they won't evade me forever.  Isn't that right... ... ...

 

 

... ... ... Gabriel...?"

[Dad]

Killua

 

Before he could proceed, Killua was met with shocking results as the ice simply shattered before him.  "Huh.  Guess that sorted itself out.  At least these guys will be okay," he said to himself as Arthuria made her announcement.  The portal.  The three rooms.  Losing everyone he knew and cared about.  "Mom.  Dad.  Alluka."  For a moment Killua didn't move, until he realized, the longer he stood still, the longer it would be until he was able to make things right for his universe.  For their universe.  He started moving slowly towards the Observation Deck, stopping only to turn back to Gon.  "I think. . . I'm going to start with the hardest path.  I want preserve as much strength as possible for the end of this ordeal," he said balling his fist.  "If it means we have no home to return to--" Killua hesitated, but forced himself to go on.  "Then, it's been an honor having you as a friend, Gon."  In the back of his mind, Killua knew what path he wanted to start with, but also knew it was the most dangerous for him.  He had no idea what he was up against, and it was possible--no.  He refused.  Killua refused to let everyone who had just been left to die, die in vain.  A smile crossed his face as left for the Observation Deck.  "So much to do," he thought.

 

Kratos

 

The doors were open.  This path of "Truth", was quite bright.  The light felt warm, and reminded Kratos of something,  He had forgotten to thank Kokonoe.  "Hmph.  I can't die without her having my gratitude.  As you have my gratitude, Predaking," Kratos said to no one.  He stopped for a moment, realizing he no longer had to materialize a Blade out of thin air.  Instead, it was obvious:  the Blade of Olympus was no more.  It had been replaced by something more meaningful, but equally as powerful.  Drawing it from his back, Kratos the blade in both hands.  It was lighter than the Blade of Olympus, allowing for more thrusts, faster slashes, and more promising dices.  The sword was magnificent in design.  It was a sleek silver and black cut blade, much like Predaking's own, proud metals.  The one thing that stood out the most was the hilt of the blade, and it's centerpiece:  one of Predaking's eyes.  What purpose it served, Kratos did not yet know.  One thing was certain, however; he would use this sword to it's fullest extent.

[Merci]

Arturia Pendragon, Cargo Bay of the Aeon

 

When Kratos jumped on her, filled with rage, all she could do was blankly stare at him in return. He must've known that, even if he were to punch her, it would not bring his family back. 

 

As various members entered the vortex that led to the Origin, one by one, Neos approached the Counter Guardian with a question in mind. It seemed that he wanted to know about the artifacts and if Isamy stole any human ones. While Arturia herself couldn't be sure about what kind of key items were stolen, and frankly, it was impossible to predict due to the sheer magnitude of the things taken, but then her mind flashed back to the "And With Strange Aeons" and what the Vice-Admiral described her about the Vault before escaping it.

 

"The answer to your question is yes. Isamy has not only taken a few, but many humans, as well as other lifeforms too. In fact, this very spaceship and its whole crew had been trapped in a place called the Vault just thirteen hours ago." She explained. "They took what they could with them, but since it had been such a massive place, I doubt that they were able to even scratch the surface, let alone take everyone else with them... Also, as for your fear, it is ungrounded. The Door of Origin is not merely a wish-granting device, and you should not think of it as such. Rather, think of it as a piece of paper that determines the course of the multiverse, if that makes any sense. Whatever you add to it becomes reality, even if they don't exist."

 

Taking a step back, the former king gestured towards the swirl of colorful energy behind her, with warriors still walking into it one by one, before turning around as if to see it with her own eyes.

 

"Another way to put it is...let's say, put you in the controller's seat of the multiverse. From there, you are capable of writing and rewriting whatever you want. The laws of physics, the balance, existence itself, everything is at your fingertips. It doesn't matter if someone stops existing, and it doesn't matter if whole universes are removed from existence, because the Door is an even higher power than that. That's why it is a requirement for me to enter the Door on my own, since as a Counter Guardian, it is my duty to seek no gain for myself. So, even if your friend blinks out of existence, then he will simply be restored back to his former state, along with everything else. So have no fear about this person."

 

After having explained to him the situation with a stoic look, reassuring Neos's worries as she did so, he went on towards the vortex while she turned her attention to the magical girl Lydia, who wanted to know about something else. She wanted to know about the Throne of Heroes and what it meant to be recorded. But, of course. Such a thing was only natural.

 

With a nod, Arturia opened her mouth and tried to explain as best as she could.

 

"Hm, how should I explain this? Well, simply put, you are now a 'candidate' for a higher force, the same force that summoned Emiya and I. In other words, you have the potential to be a Counter Guardian not unlike us. To begin with, there are are two types of Thrones; the Throne that protects a single world, and the Throne that protects the multiverse itself. The former is made up of heroes who achieved a deed that helped save a single world, while the latter is made up of heroes who achieved a deed that helped save a great many universes. Typically, this is achieved by slaying an unstoppable monster that threatens the balance." She closed her eyes for a moment at this. "In my case, it was the Zoroastrian God of Evil, Angra Mainyu, while in your case, it was the Witch LERNA. I don't know what Emiya did, but I'm sure he must've done something similar."

 

Opening them again, she looked at the younger magical girl in the eye.

 

"As for what candidacy entails - when a candidate is being considered, at some point, a contract has to be made with them. In exchange for one thing, a miracle or wish to be granted during their lifetime, they will have to serve the Throne of Heroes as a Counter Guardian. Typically, this contract is only offered when you need it most, and afterwards, your duty shall be to appear in many different times and places, ending events that threaten the multiverse one by one. The Throne of Heroes needs people with your kind of power, so that you'll be able to defeat the foes that other Guardians cannot."

 

Her mind flashed back to the many foes that she had defeated in the past, of which there were many. It was hard to tell just how much there were, since the multiverse happened to constantly be in danger. It was like it was always trying to self-destruct and destroy itself, but then again, that was exactly why it had such a defense mechanism.

 

"Of course, this doesn't mean that you're destined to become one of us, nor do you have to become one now. Once this Origin War is over, there are always other opportunities for you, so you'll have plenty of time to think about it afterwards. There's no need to feel any immediate pressure or responsibility, and no need to force yourself into the role. It simply means that the Throne of Heroes is considering your potential... And besides - the contract is something you do not necessarily have to agree to." She nodded at this last part. "The role of being a Counter Guardian is a choice. Not a necessity."

 

Afterwards, she glanced over her shoulder to look at the colorful, swirling vortex of energy behind them. "That's all I have to say on the matter. You should go now, Lydia Armstrong."

[The Warden]

|_)Magical Girl Lydia(_|

 

Certainly a lot more to process. Lydia's face was a mask of her true feelings as Arturia explained quite clearly what her question meant. The idea of becoming a Counter Guardian, to be a part of something bigger and to help the world. She destroyed a monster who was threatening the multiverse. She saved it from a major disaster. Until now she had barely even considered what it was she had done.

 

What was she feeling? Pride? Joy? Resentment? Her feelings were all over the place, and yet, she still felt numb inside. By joining in this little crusade, she had doomed everyone else to oblivion. Everyone she had cared about to utter annihilation. It's not that she wasn't thinking, but... had it all had been in haste? "It's not them I'm worried for" she answered after a short period of time, her head tilted to the ground.

 

Slowly raised, her eyes stared into that of the Counter Guardian's. "It's me. Before all this madness, I hadn't even dreamed of the horrors of what reality is like. It all seemed to fresh and exciting, but when I felt the grief and despair LERNA and her Familiars felt, it was incredibly... sobering. The world isn't always as magical as I thought it was. The cruelty, the injustice, the lies, the trickery and everything else. And, to simply go back home after this. I couldn't do it anymore. I've changed too much for my life to ever be the same. These past three days has caused me to grow up a lot faster than what I had planned. My view has changed too much to the point that I'd be terrified every time my friends were put in danger. Before, I didn't always humour the thought of losing them. But now, it's just a horrifying nightmare. I simply cannot go back to all of that, which is why, if the Throne would offer me a miracle... I'd want time to split into two directions one second before Isamy invaded my universe. Have her plunder an alternate continuity, and leave the original alone" she explained, a tear of joy streaming down her face as she tried to bury it in itself. "That way, I could accept the role of Counter Guardian, and I could still be happy to know the real me and my friends are still alive and happy. Sure an alternate universe would be without me, but for what it's worth, the alternate continuity can suck it. Because the real me in the real timeline would be there to keep my friends safe. I'm not sure how much you get of this Arturia, but I simply cannot go back. Life would never be the same after this."

[Tesability Black]

Counter Corps, Aeon Spaceship, Neos' POV

 

"The answer to your question is yes. Isamy has not only taken a few, but many humans, as well as other lifeforms too. In fact, this very spaceship and its whole crew had been trapped in a place called the Vault just thirteen hours ago." She explained. "They took what they could with them, but since it had been such a massive place, I doubt that they were able to even scratch the surface, let alone take everyone else with them... Also, as for your fear, it is ungrounded. The Door of Origin is not merely a wish-granting device, and you should not think of it as such. Rather, think of it as a piece of paper that determines the course of the multiverse, if that makes any sense. Whatever you add to it becomes reality, even if they don't exist."

 

Neos shook his head at her words, he knew she didn't understand what he meant by 'blinking back out'. He had to admit it was a really-poor choice of words on his part.

 

"It's not them I'm worried for," he heard before snapping out of his thoughts in regards to what he was going to say. As he heard the girl speak, his own heart began to slow more and more in pity for her. At the end of her words, even though it wasn't considered appropriate for a human to do so, he came up to her and gave her a hug.

 

"It's true, life is never quite the same after any horrible event, but you should never let those experiences defeat you. If anything, they should make you stronger, for you know what to expect should something similar dare to repeat and how to defeat it." After a few seconds or until he was forced her off, whichever happened first, Neos let go of the girl and backed away a step before looking up toward Arturia.

 

"I also understand better than you think about what you said," he started to say. "However it is you that doesn't understand, the world I'm talking about was already on the verge of war between ten world-dominating powerful groups. If I can't find Jace and get him back to Ravnica, that world will destroy itself since the Guildpact is not there to stop them from doing so. Somehow I doubt the Door can undo what happens immediately after its use unless we go through all this again." With this did Neos turn toward the remaining people on the ship. "All I ask from everyone before they jump in is this: if anyone sees a man dressed in shades of blue to not kill him. Knock him or capture him if he doesn't submit, but do not kill him. You know it's him if you he reacts to you thinking loudly the name 'Jace Beleren' when close to him."

 

Hoping his words did not fall upon deaf ears, the false human turned back toward the portal, taking a second to study the myrid of colors. "Here goes," he said with a heavy heart before walking into the portal himself...

 

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

 

Counter Corps, The White Room, Neos' POV

 

And he landed flat on his back with a resounding thud, managing to crack the ground immediately underneath him. He let out of loud cry of pain from the nerves in his spinal cord yelling at him for the sudden impact, his eyes shut closed from the resulting bout of paralysis that came with it.

 

"That...is gonna suck...for a while..." With a bit of care did the false human get back up onto his feet, his back protesting as he did. "...and I can't waste a Recover, either."

 

"I sounded just like him with that."

 

Neos was immediately standing up straight at the sudden voice in his head. Taking a split-second to both close his eyes and reopen them, he scanned the white room around him, a light-blue light shining behind his neon-green eyes. What he saw was the strangest thing ever...at least for him.

This room looked exactly the same, both physically and with his second sight, a white room with three doors with a symbol above them. "I am hearing things," he thought before closing and reopening his eyes, the light-blue light having vanished. Unlike everyone else, whom had a child, a sword and a skull above their doors, two of the symbols were different.

Instead of a child, he saw a small blob with eyes and a mouth. Instead of a skull, he saw a simple puddle. Rememberance and Death respectively. He found himself staring at the puddle, placing a hand over his chest as a bad memory cropped up in his head. "I think Dialga knew I was going to wind up here," he remarked before taking a deep breath and walking through...

 

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

 

Divine, Hollowed Asteroid, Tesability's POV

 

Fortunately, most beings used to combat don't remain dazed long, so she rolled back onto her rump and shook her head to clear it. "Wa wash dat," she asked, a serious verbal accent making itself known as she did stood back up on all four paws, giving her body a good shake like she was a dog shaking off water. Her guard raised up again, she quickly scanned the room around...

 

"An' wewe deed bwu mage go?"

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

"Wait... Didn't the Protoss High Templars advise us against returning anyone to their supposed home universes at this point, lest they be sent into oblivion?" as The Jaws of Hell asked this, Jecht and Azumi suddenly realized that they too had completely forgotten the High Templars' warning, and bit their lips in response to this question. An 'f' sounding hiss escaped their lips for quite some time, but before either of them could say the 'f' word...

 

"Welp, she's boned," Bender stated flatly, "Nothing we can do 'bout that, huh?"

 

"Afraid that's the case," replied The Jaws of Hell, "But that's not important right now. We still need to set up these bugs so that we..."

 

"On it," Riley intervened as he began calibrating a few things, before launching the bugs onto the Hollow Asteroid, "And now we'll hear everything the others say."

 

"Perfect," said an eager Jecht, "Now we just wait for Protheus to send them on their way..."

[The Warden]

|_)Witch of Hope, Lydia(_|

 

The embrace wasn't unwelcome, but it lacked a general, human warmth to it. The strangely coloured man's words were sincere, but, he didn't quite seem to understand the issue at hand. Granted, it was rare to find a man who did, so she could forgive for a little bit of ignorance as he released her and left. "All I ask from everyone before they jump in is this: if anyone sees a man dressed in shades of blue to not kill him. Knock him or capture him if he doesn't submit, but do not kill him. You know it's him if you he reacts to you thinking loudly the name 'Jace Beleren' when close to him."

 

Must've been a friend of his who had joined the wrong side. This war had been tearing people apart left right and center. And it really needed to end. All this war and damage had to end. Swallowing hard, Lydia gave a glance to Arturia. "I guess I might be seeking the thrones so I don't have to deal with the way I feel now. It'd be too weird for them to see me change suddenly like that. But, if the Throne wants me, it knows where to find me. See ya in Origin Arturia" Lydia said as she took a running start at the portal.

 

-----

 

Lydia's body racked with pain as she entered the White Room. The three doors appeared to her, and, she knew in her heart what she needed to overcome in this death race. Her slender fingers grabbed at the Door of Death and she turned the knob.

 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

|_)Red, the Arisen(_|

 

Red's body felt like it was on fire. His flesh burned like no lava he had ever felt. Surely this was but one of the many tests the Pathway would present to him. But he would not be stopped by such an daunting path. He WILL succeed in his mission, no matter the cost. In bold fury, he grabbed at the door marked with a young dragon and twisted it.

[Reinforce]

Darcy

 

The dark witch was watching and listening carefully as their destination was described, still not sure what to make of their newest leader. Though, it seemed that she didn't have much time to worry about that, as someone else spoke up about the portal first. Though the man in blue was chided by a couple of others, Darcy heard his works, and processed them as she looked at him. Though, both worrying and somewhat relieving was the subtle mental probe that brushed up against her mind, trying to read her thoughts even as it slid off the mental shields she'd set up since the battle with LERNA. As the probe vanished, she decided to move forward, throwing off the concerns about the portal as she approached it. With one last step, she walked in, falling through what the man in blue had called the Blind Eternities before coming to a rest in a white room, exactly as was described. Looking over the symbols for a moment, the witch approached the right door, emblazoned with a skull, as she started her trip through the Pathway to Origin.

 

-----

 

Ayame

 

Their homes were already long since destroyed. It wasn't just Naomi she'd lost anymore, it was everyone she cared about, and everything she'd cared about save the staff she carried with her yet. Though, Naomi would still be gone even if they succeeded. And not just Naomi, Jin had also been involved at the start, and never returned from the pointless jaunt through the Shadow Realm that left her still carrying its taint deep inside. Listening as more was explained to those around, she absently accepted the gauntlet offered, placing it over her left arm as they continued on to the cargo bay. Even as she did, her path was decided as the next bit of infomation was given by Arturia, and the capabilities of the door were revealed along with the Counter Guardian's plans. Walking forward, all hesitation lost, she entered the swirling energy, ignoring the pain that threatened to burn her body as she came to the room described. Without hesitation, she walked straight into the door bearing a small child, opening the door so she could enter the pathway within.

 

-----

 

Chandra

 

The fire mage watched on, bowing her head slightly at the news the entirety of Dominia had been destroyed before taking heart in the knowledge that at least with the doorway her universe could be restored. With the offered gauntlet sitting around her left arm, she stayed back as the first few entered the portal, interested to see what else might be said before she would follow. It paid off too, as a very yellow looking man asked about the artefacts stolen, and soon revealed mentions of a Jace and the plane of Ravnica, a place she'd briefly 'walked through in her attempts to find Zendikar. While wondering if the Jace could be the man she'd met a few times, as the yellow man mentioned his Jace dressed in shades of blue, and would react to Jace Beleren being thought near him. Well, that did confirm that guess, though the man mentioning it left before she could learn more. She was hopeful though, if she was lucky Chandra might get the chance to encounter one of the only other planeswalkers she knew in the paths. A small smile in place, the red mage walked into the Blind Eternities, reaching out to try and re-establish contact with her spark as she did so. Unfortunately for her, that particular power remained cut off, but at least she was familiar enough with the Eternities to track her path through the void, even if she was ages away from anywhere she'd particularly 'walked before. Arriving into a plain, white room, the red planeswalker walked towards the middle door, represented not by a sword, but a flame for her. Stepping through, Chandra made her way into the room, as she stopped to look at the area around her.

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

And with Strange Aeons

 

-=Kazuya Minegishi=-

 

“Damn, I’m definitely late for the mission briefing, huh?”

 

Kazuya hurriedly ran toward the observation bay after he got lost inside the spaceship. Well, to be honest, it was less being lost and more about him being intrigued by the place so he took his time to look around the ship.

 

He arrived at the bay just as Arturia finished her explanation about the entire mission. And it was apparent that whatever was said by her in the briefing had quite shocked many members of the Counter Corps. He’s not quite sure about whether he should ask about what did he miss, but in the end, he decided that feigning ignorance would just be better in this situation. He could get the information later on his own anyway; it wouldn’t be a huge problem.

 

And then, a portal of some sort appeared in the room, shimmering with odd-colored light. Having a feeling that it would be the gateway to the upcoming trial that he would need to face; Kazuya wasted none of his time and immediately ran toward it and jumped inside.

 

As he got transported into a white room though, he could feel that he missed a very important thing when he decided to not get filled in about what Arturia explained.

 

“Wouldn’t be that important, I believe. Mission briefings like this aren’t that vital to the mission most of the time anyway. Definitely wouldn’t hurt me if I skipped it.”

 

After he reassured himself that it was the case this time, he blindly entered one of the doors in front of him, blissfully unaware about what would be waiting for him inside.

 

---

 

-=Tenshi Hinanai=-

 

Peculiarly, Arturia’s grim reminder did not manage to shock Tenco, as she was sure that she was referring to the same thing happened to her world that Yukari said back then when she was trying to convince her to help her seize the key. Everything, every details definitely fit perfectly, and thus, it’d put Arturia on the same boat as Yukari, though unlike with the case of Yukari, Tenco couldn’t sense any ulterior motives coming from the king’s words. Tenco felt quite relieved with that actually, as these words actually renewed her hope that her universe could still be saved, something that she had given up when she failed to retrieve the key for Yukari. Though in hindsight, it was all her fault for not doing too much and seizing the key when the opportunity presented itself.

 

But then, she realized that Tenshi would definitely be on her way to reach the door too, to attain her so-called “paradise” using it.

 

Despite knowing that neither of Arturia nor Tenshi had any malicious intent with their desire, Tenco realized that at the end of the day, there would only be one side left standing after all of this was over. The thought of Arturia or the other members of the Counter Corps killing Tenshi scared her. Or worse, she could see Tenshi killing everyone in her path to make her way towards the Door, both enemies and allies, to the point of losing herself in the process. Remembering how Tenshi killed the blonde-haired woman back in the Rejected World, she could see her, or the one possessing her taking this option to attain their goals.

 

Neither of the two would be a good outcome, yet Tenco couldn’t see any other ending for this, looking at the facts currently at hand.

 

Unless…she could manage to get to Tenshi first and convince her to switch to her side, or just snap her out of her demonic possession, depending on what actually happened with her. That should be the only way to both save her from the others and from herself.

 

With that in her mind, Tenco smiled. The conviction she needed to continue on this pathway to the end, she had found it. She had lost her home, and she lost the only person she dared to trust at this brave new world. But now, she could actually fight for the sake of saving her universe, and she could fight for the sake of the woman, a stranger, yet someone that felt familiarly close to her. She approached Arturia, who was done talking with the nice-looking lady, and bowed to her.

 

“Thank you, milady.”

 

She didn’t tell the great king about the context of her gratitude. Though, she had no reason to. It’d be better to keep the reason to herself.

 

Now, she was fighting under a woman she respected, for the sake of someone close to her, and to save her own universe. She had everything, every reason to not back down and continue fighting until the very end. Her determined steps as she entered the portal were definitely a sign that she had acknowledged that fact. And without hesitation, she entered the pathway of truth. As she had realized the truth about her own heart.

 

“To be together with her;

That is what I wished.”

 

---

 

Reimu was definitely sober enough to keep up on everything Arturia said, though she already knew from Yukari that her world was already gone, so she had no reason to react like some of the Counter Corps member.

 

But in the end, she was still not a member of the Counter Corps. She fought for Yukari’s sake in this conflict. Though, seeing how helping either side could end with her world getting restored, Reimu didn’t pay it much mind about which alignment she was in.

 

The only thing mattered for her to do now was to fight, fight, and fight, fight until the last drop of her blood dried out, fight until everything was over.

 

Three choices were presented before her eyes. It didn’t matter much about the order of her choice, but she probably needed to make these choice as meaningful and symbolic as possible to appease whatever force were behind the entire thing.

 

And what’s more symbolic from all of the three than Death?

 

---

 

The Hollow Asteroid

 

-=Hinanai Tenshi=-

 

Tenshi felt completely positive that she could definitely handle whatever these paths held for her. Self-finding was not exactly an alien concept for her, and she was sure that she had known everything about her own self.

 

But really, how Protheus acted started to annoy her. When that dragon started to dive in at him, Tenshi was half-tempted to start attacking him too, but her common sense stopped her from doing that.

 

“Now would probably not the best time to do that, me.

Don’t want to kill myself for this entirely silly reason.”

 

She knew that Protheus replaced Isamy for a reason. He should be really powerful, and even though she hated this fact, she couldn’t help but admit that he was far more powerful than her at this point.

 

She probably could start making things more even between both of them if she could gather enough spirit from somewhere, but with the lack of people in this place, Tenshi knew that her only choice to do that at that time was to take a noticeable chunk of spirit from everyone, and that’d make some unnecessary enemies.

But really, killing Protheus was not her prime goal anyway. She could just ignore him and move forward towards her proper goal, which was getting to the Door of Origin.

 

Though, a problem lies before her and the goal. Mainly about how the goddamn key was held by Protheus right now.

 

“….Damn it.”

 

To avoid herself to be seen as scheming something by Protheus, Tenshi immediately entered the portal with haste, into the door of Truth.

 

As she entered the first Path out of three, she realized that she could  just wait for someone else to kill Protheus or weaken him enough for her to seize the key for herself.

That’d be better compared to exposing herself to Protheus’s unknown power. That one could end up really ugly for her.

 

---

 

­­­

-=Koishi Komeiji=-

 

Finally having her actual time in the limelight after most of her supposed time was hogged by a certain hag, Koishi looked like as if she was happy.

She probably listened as that spiky-haired guy-thing talked about the nature of the path-something, but it could also be said otherwise, especially with how hard was it to read her. She probably felt that the hag inside of her head tried to do something funny, but she probably ignored it.

 

She walked and walked towards the spiky hair guy-thing, made the stupidest grin she could probably made on her barely attached head, and tried to enter the portal.

 

Tried, as in, immediately thrown out as soon as she entered it.

 

She tried once again, and got thrown out again.

 

“Mister portal, stop being so annoying, will you~?”

 

She brandished her claws, and started slashing wildly at the portal. At first, it could be seen as an act of utter madness and desperation or frustration. And while it probably was, but soon afterwards it was somewhat clear about what did this peculiar young woman tried to achieve.

 

As she slashed, a gap in space time appeared following her slashing path in thin air, but it immediately disappeared, much to Koishi’s annoyance.

And yes, it was completely clear right now that Koishi was completely, utterly annoyed.

 

She started to launch several tentacle-like construct from her heart straight into the inside of the portal. Unlike last time, she was not immediately rejected by it.

Thankfully, that fact alone managed to calm her enough to walk through the portal without creating more mess.

 

Once inside, she chose the pathway that looked similar to a skull, due to a reason or something. Probably because she thought it looked funny? But really, it was really hard to know about why she picked that path over the other ones.

 

---

 

The Closed Heart

 

-=Yukari Yakumo=-

 

“Why won’t you budge?”

 

Yukari tried blasting the wall in front of her with all of her might, hoping that she could recreate the small crack she saw earlier, yet, as of now, she had not been successful. She tried and tried, yet the wall refused to break down for her. The small, faint hope that she had gotten earlier had all but disappeared, and she started to suspect that the thing she saw earlier was merely an illusion made by her own hopelessness.

 

But then, a miracle happened. Cracks started to appear throughout the great wall, and while at first they were small, it slowly became bigger and bigger. Yukari was not sure about how this happened, but the fact that it actually happened was enough to satisfy her.

 

The wall started to crumble, little by little, and Yukari realized that an indent on the wall had appeared, allowing her to see what lay behind it. With that knowledge, Yukari created a gap just in front of the wall, and immediately entered it, just as the wall slowly fixed itself.

 

Yukari managed to emerge on the other side of the wall just as the wall had completely restored to its former impenetrable state. But, as always, no walls could ever hold her back.

 

As soon as she was completely sure that she had indeed entered the mindscape of KoishiKomeiji, Yukari decided to look around the place, and much to her chagrin, the place was actually a completely, utterly intricate labyrinth.

 

She tried to use her gap to reach the other side of the labyrinth, but when she emerged from it, she found herself at the same exact location as before. Even when she tried to move several steps forward using her gap, she failed to more even an inch. It was as if the labyrinth had taken measures to stop this kind of cheating from happening, somehow.

 

While she was standing there, annoyed that she had to manually finish the maze, a grey-ish stray cat approached her from inside the maze. The cat looked straight to her eyes, and Yukari somehow felt an impulse to follow the cat as it then entered the maze again.

 

Seeing this as the only reasonable thing to do for her now, Yukari decided to follow the cat, deep into the labyrinth of roses.

 

---

 

????

-=?????? ??????=-

 

“I see. So apparently I do need to go there on my own to have any shot of reaching the Door.

No amount of cheating seems to be possible to bypass that.

 

Alright then.

As soon as my business here was done, I shall make my move towards the place.”

 

---

[Love of Ghibli]

Gyouken Ren:

And here she is standing all alone in the room of clear blank whiteness. It was so empty it was almost scary, but their they were. She recalled that the sword represented "Truth" a rather stupid concept to be honest. Everyone has their own individual truth, but it seemed like this path was supposed to make her realize something about herself. She shrugged. What more could does she need to know. In fact she's lived long enough to realize her one goal in life. To see her daddy again. Luckily she's already put a plan into motion that will allow her actually achieve her life long goal. As she put her hand on the door she looked side to side and she actually realized...there were no Rukh here. Granted Rukh don't always show up in places where there is nothing but inanimate objects, but that should only mean there should be a very small amount of white Rukh around. It should be impossible for there to actually be 0 Rukh in a space. She rolled her eyes as this universe is such a strange place. 
 

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

 

Bennu Dorian

Here it was. The Door holding his former self. His true self. Well...in theory anyway. Who knows how amnesia works with this whole Pathway business. It wasn't like Protheus gave out a map of the place. Though to be honest, not many of the Divine gave him a chance too. Though one of the burning questions inside Dorian's mind at this time would. "Why did I even sign-up for this?" Was he really an ego maniac who thought that he had the right to re-write the universe with the power of a door? If that was the case, would he want to even return to being that person? Butler has been pretty preoccupied with the litany of powerful souls that now occupies his body. In fact, Dorian realized that he and Butler have probably undergone two of the biggest transformations since this whole thing started. Neither of them were even human anymore. Then the gravity of everything that he's been going through began to hit him. With his hand on the door he fell to his knees and he started to breath very heavily. Almost as some form of panic attack. Dorian may not have known what he used to do for a living, but he sure did know that it was nothing like this. What's worse is that the sole reason he was alive was because of other people. Whether they were the Counter Corp killing bosses or the Divine that just acted like his bodyguards he was pretty weak. 

Tears began to swell in his eyes as he was almost having second thoughts on even completing this task. He palmed his face and wipe the tears from his eyes.  Out of nowhere a small white butterfly flew across his face and he just heard a lone voice in the back of his mind like an echo going "Pathetic."
 

[Maeriberii Haan]

---

 

One Day Before, Gensokyo

-=Komeiji Koishi=-

 

All of Yukari’s attempt to convince Koishi to return to the Scarlet Devil Mansion to investigate the incident further was ignored, and Koishi just walk around aimlessly around Gensokyo as the world slowly degenerated into madness. Persuasion, threats, arguments, even some attempt to wrestle control of the body had been tried by Yukari, but Koishi kept on ignoring her.

 

Yukari then could only watch helplessly from Koishi’s eyes as the Lunarian arrived with their ships, and took over Gensokyo after removing the last traces of resistance, including the Dragon God. It alone could push Yukari to the edge, but the worst had not even started yet. As the day turned into night, the full moon was in full display above Gensokyo, but oddly, a gigantic eye similar in nature to a satori’s eye was there. The mere presence of it completely distorted the remaining youkai in Gensokyo, turning them physically into monstrous mockeries of their former self, with only murder as their train of thought. Yukari then looked in horror as the little vampire girl that had the power to destroy everything and anything, Flandre Scarlet, flew right past her; her appearance was already distorted too. She flew high into the sky, closing in on the border. 

 

Yukari knew what she was going to do, and she could not stop it.

 

Two maelstrom of unexplainable nature appeared on Flandre’s palms, as she faced the border with a psychotic smile. Within the next second, she crushed the maelstrom with her palms, and with it, the entirety of the barrier collapsed. Cracks started appearing on the air, as if Gensokyo was just covered by a glass dome all along. The cracks spread, growing bigger and bigger, swallowing the entirety of the sky. And then, it shattered. The cracks shattered the dome covering Gensokyo, the boundary between it and the Outside World was destroyed.

 

And on that day, the dream once known as Gensokyo was no more.

 

---

 

Yukari wanted to cry, but she couldn’t.

Yukari wanted to be angry, but she couldn’t direct it to anyone.

Yukari wanted to scream, but no one, not even Koishi would hear her.

Yukari wanted to forget everything, ignoring the reality, but the entire thing would only haunt her as a dream.

She could not delude herself; she could not avenge her world, nothing.

Yukari could do nothing.

 

Yukari wished that she could cease existing at that point.

 

---

 

Several Hours Ago

-=Yukari Yakumo=-

 

Whatever the Lunarians had planned, Yukari could not do anything. But at this point, she did not care. The world had been consumed by madness, a global scale catastrophe, it mattered not for her.

 

It was not her business that a city was completely overwhelmed by trees that could grew on anything, it was not her business when nations were wiped off the map by nuclear weaponry of unearthly origin, it was not her business that a swarm of man eating locusts wiped villages off one by one, it was never her business when random humans started dying due to an unknown reason, not her business when flying saucers started kidnapping and mutilating humans, not her business when a soul eating monster dances around, killing everything in its path, not her business, not her business, nothing, no, no, no.

 

None of that was her business, none of that should concern her. None of that mattered to her. The Earth could go explode or something, she would not care. Without anything left for her, with everything she held dear had been taken away mercilessly, why should she care about anything else?

 

Her loving servants that felt closer as a family to her.

Her best friend from millennia ago.

The only human that she would ever trust.

Her pride, her powers, her own body.

And the most painful for her, the world that was built with her own tears, sweat, and blood. Her paradise, a place that for its sake, she left the entirety of her old self behind. All the sacrifices and dreams put into it, all disappeared in just one day.

A name and a memory, that’s all that she had now.

 

In a state of complete despair, Yukari wished that she could somehow die now, as for her, everything had ended, but she then realized that she could not kill herself. Without any other options, Yukari thought that maybe, if she stop herself from thinking completely, sealing off her mind, it could also end this pain for her.

 

“That, would not do anything in the end, Miss Yukari. 

I’m afraid that I cannot let you do that.

For your own sake.”

 

Yukari could hear a voice from the void around her. The voice spoke to her as if it had known her for a long time, but Yukari couldn’t recognize it.

 

“Who are you?” Yukari shouted into the darkness.

 

“…

 

I’m sorry.

I’m sorry for everything.”

 

That was the only reply she heard. But then, as soon as it finished the sentence, Yukari was hit by a sudden surge of positive emotions. Her weariness, her despair, slowly they were drowned by the surging hopeful feeling that appeared from nowhere.

 

The burst did not last long, but it was enough to clear the clouds inside Yukari’s mind somewhat, enough for her to start thinking straight. Yukari was still confused about what had happened just before, but she silently felt grateful to the voice. It was right, it’d be better for her to just continue on forward, doing the best that she could to start a new life.

 

Just as she made her resolve, she and Koishi was teleported into an unknown place by a certain spiky-haired man.

 

---

 

-=Koishi Komeiji=-

 

The catastrophe that befell Earth was something that Koishi was apparently quite intrigued to look into, and thus, she used her newfound ability to utilize Yukari’s gaps to move around in the world of ruins, to see the massacre as close as possible in a bile fascination. The fight between the human and youkai left a lot of casualties, but in the end, it was clear that the youkai was still far too powerful for the humans to handle; despite the human’s superiority in sheer number and the technology that humanity had developed during the time when youkai was not around. As those books she once skimmed said, quality was far superior to quantity.

 

Koishi was now in Tokyo, Japan, or at least, what’s left from it after the phoenix-like youkai torched everything there completely. She did not even know about the reason she was there, but there was this tingling sense of nostalgia as she walked around the streets of the dying metropolis. Burned corpses could be seen here and there, the tall buildings and the skyscrapers that the city probably used to be proud of was now in ruins. Amidst the chaos and the dead bodies, Koishi noticed two girls were running away from a burning building, towards her direction. They were probably the first living humans that she noticed on the city. Before she could react or something to them coming at her, parts of the building that they were leaving from collapsed on top of them, crushing one of the girls completely, while trapping half of the other girl’s body under it. Koishi decided to go closer to see the condition of the girl with no intents aside from satisfying her curiosity.

 

She was completely surprised to see that the girl in front of her looked almost perfectly similar to her-no, to Yukari. The girl smiled weakly, but her gaze was empty, even though she stared at Koishi’s direction. It was as if she was staring at something really distant. The girl was definitely could not notice Koishi’s presence. She couldn’t hear anything as she seemed to say something, nor she could feel anything as the girl in front of her was slowly dying. Or so she thought at first.

 

“In the end, I am all alone, huh?”

The girl’s voice was now could clearly be heard by Koishi, as the girl’s expression changed into that of sadness. Koishi knew she realized that she had lost her friend, though, she still did not understand why the girl said that she was alone when Koishi was on her side.

 

“My hopes, my dreams.

One night was all it takes to end everything.

 

Ah, so this is what they meant.

The fleeting illusion we called ‘life’.”

 

Koishi started to hold the girl’s hand tightly, trying to make sure that the girl knew that Koishi was there, but for the girl, she was still completely non-existent, imaginary.

 

Both Koishi and the girl soon realized that the fire had slowly consumed the girl's body, and the girl suddenly became hysterical due to the pain she felt. Koishi tried to calm her down, but failed.

 

“I don’t want to be alone, I don’t want to die alone.

 

Someone!"

 

Koishi tried to answer, but she couldn't say anything.

 

"Anyone!"

 

Koishi screamed, but the girl still did not notice her, her voice was swallowed by the darkness of the night.

 

"Can anyone hear me?"

 

An imaginary friend. Koishi realized what that meant now, as she tried her best to make the girl notice her presence.

 

"…please,

someone.

 

Be here with me.”

 

It was the last words that the girl uttered before her life finally gave away.

 

In the end, both of them were all alone, separated by a boundary that cannot be trespassed. A void. And that was the moment when Koishi realized that she was completely alone.

 

And it was when, the heartless girl named Koishi started to cry. She cried and cried, her once sealed emotions burst like a torrent of water from a broken dam. As the girl’s body slowly turning into ash in the inferno in front of her, Koishi cried. 

 

She wished to be there for everyone. 

She wished to be able to feel again.

She wished to not be alone, isolated in her own prison anymore.

 

It was then that Protheus appeared behind her. Realizing his presence, Koishi turned around to face him, wiping the tears from her eyes. Before he could say anything, Koishi cut him up and started speaking in his stead.

 

“Protheus Maximus.

 

So you said that you’re offering a second chance for me if I followed you?

I guess I have no choice but to accept it.”

 

What happened next was not clear, but Koishi could feel that she was becoming lighter and lighter before she was getting teleported away from the remnants of the world. The pain in her heart had not dissipated though, the hole left inside was still hurting her.

 

She felt that once again, she would need to run away from this pain.

 

“Yukari…can you hear me?

 

I..I think…

 

I have found your heart."

 

And like how a candle's light was extinguished, the short moment of consciousness faded abruptly, and the slightly opened third eye was sealed shut once more.

 

"…I’m sorry.”

 

---

 

Present, The Maze of Rose

-=Yukari Yakumo=-

 

The grey cat led Yukari into an open area in the maze, and there, a woman with her baby greeted her. At first glance, nothing was wrong about the two, but a closer look reveals several stab holes on their body, mainly near the heart and the back. Yukari then realized the same thing about the grey cat, and it somewhat unnerved her for a while, but she managed to regain her composure.

 

“Welcome to the maze of rose, Yukari.

This is the realm where one could meet with their true self. Where one will face their past, and let go of it to welcome the future.” The woman in red said.

 

Yukari was tempted to ask several questions to the woman, but decided not to. She was still not sure whether anything in this maze was trustworthy or not.

 

“In regards to that thought of yours, I believe that it is up to you whether to trust us or not. We were just merely constructs formed from Koishi’s memories after all.

And also, since you’re wondering about it, there is one reason why you could not simply use your power to reach the goal, and you can’t even fly, as the maze will just grow higher if you do.

 

And if you have a question, just say so. Despite us being able to read your mind, doing so is kind of rude, isn’t it?”

 

Yukari was surprised. The woman in red had actually read her mind. She started to wonder whether there’s any way to bypass this kind of power, but so far, she had nothing.

 

“What am I supposed to do here, anyway?” Yukari decided to ask. While she had a rough guess about what’ll lie ahead when she finished the maze, she asked the question just to be sure.

 

“You are correct. Because this maze is the bounded field that Koishi had chosen to seal her ‘self’ into, you shall meet her at the center of this place.

 

But note, as this place is not supposed to be breached by anyone, she has prepared many ways to impede your progress.

 

Why am I telling you this, you asked? Probably because it would be sad if someone died here.

But anyway, I wish you good luck.”

 

The woman in red and her baby disappeared, leaving Yukari and the cat to be the only living thing remaining on the open space. Without wasting any time, the cat started moving again, and Yukari decided to immediately follow it as closely as possible.

 

Her first key towards salvation.

Her hope of regaining her body.

It waited for her in the center of the labyrinth.

 

----

[Phantom Roxas]

The Rejected World - Arthur, MirageGaogamon, Eria, & Gagagigo

 

The Madara clung to his final moments of existence, not cursing Arthur, but congratulating him. The name Senju Hashirama stood out to Arthur. It was the same name the Madara had uttered when he spoke of the man who believed in ideals that opposed his own. Then, the Madara laughed. The Madara laughed as though he was happy to have lost, as though someone had told some kind of hilarious joke. The joke that the Madara would ever be right. Arthur couldn't even smile, simply staring at the Madara, waiting for him to finally fade, but the Madara could only continue to speak, warning Arthur of the dangerous path ahead of him. He tried to approach Arthur, but Arthur simply swung at the Madara with his Keyblade. The Madara paid the attack no mind, instead resting a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

 

"You're welcome in Konoha anytime."

 

His final words spoken, the Madara - or rather, Madara Uchiha - finally vanished. He was finally gone, and there was nothing left of the being that had shown the Counter Corps and the Divine their perfect world. In his place was the prize that had brought everyone to the Sphere Forest of the Periphery: The Key of Origin. Arthur felt a burning in his heart, and without a second of hesitation, he began to reach for the box that contained the Key. His fingers just began to close around it, prepared to complete the Counter Corps' mission.

 

And the box literally slipped through his fingers.

 

He had barely a second to wonder why his hand passed through the container as though it wasn't there. He couldn't even feel the box. To him, his one attempt to grab the Key was like reaching out for air. Before he could make a second attempt, someone else had stepped up to claim the prize. Arthur was kicked aside and sent flying. Arthur was forced out of his Drive, and he would have fallen into the void below if not for MirageGaogamon, who had appeared next to him catching him, while the body of Slifer coiled around both of them.

 

"Arthur!" Eria called out from atop Slifer. "Are you okay?"

 

"Yeah," Arthur nodded. "But he has the Key."

 

MirageGaogamon hovered to a nearby floating platform, setting Arthur down on it before turning to the man before them. "Then let's take care of him before he can run away with it."

 

Slifer and MirageGaogamon each prepared to launch attacks towards the man with the Key, with Arthur looking around as everyone in the Rejected World slowly broke free of Infinite Tsukuyomi. He looked back as two blasts of energy where fired, but they were both stopped in their tracks by barriers surrounding the man, who introduced himself as Protheus Maximus. MirageGaogamon and Eria exchanged a look, and began to prepare more attacks, but Protheus paid them no mind as he spoke to the Divine. At the mention of Viligance, Arthur was about to just jump at Protheus, but all he could do was nearly stumble and cough up blood. He wiped the blood from his mouth, his breath heavy as he tried to speak to Protheus. "So you're Protheus. I should have killed you when you were Viligance."

 

One by one, the people who chose to stay loyal to the Divine broke free from Infinite Tsukuyomi and followed after Protheus. A few stayed behind, but most of them, including Dorian and Butlerok, followed after him. Eria and MirageGaogamon were about to pursue the Divine, but the portal closed right in front of them. Disappointed and furious, Eria and MirageGaogamon went back to Arthur. MirageGaogamon deactived his Burst Mode, while his form became that of MachGaogamon's once again. For Eria, the body of Slifer began to turn transparent until it had faded away completely. Eria touched against the ground with her feet, and she, MachGaogamon, and Gagagigo all gathered around Arthur. The shadow of Obelisk soon loomed over them, the god growling.

 

"Curse that Protheus," he muttered. "In any case, you did well… Arthur. Even the spell that the beast had casted affected Me."

 

"Pardon me," Eria said. "What did he show You?"

 

"Nothing you need concern yourself with," Obelisk snapped. "What's important now is that we find a way out of this wretched place."

 

Gagagigo pointed behind Obelisk. "I don't supposed that that would suffice?"

 

Behind Obelisk, a magnificent ship had arrived in the Rejected World, the sheer magnitude of its craft dwarfing even the Inch of Will's. Obelisk's eyes narrowed on Gagagigo. "Well then… yes, I am glad that I'm not the only one who noticed it."

 

"You didn't notice it until I pointed it out, did You?" Gagagigo teased.

 

"Don't make Me smite you."

 

It didn't take long for the people on the spaceship to make it clear that they had arrived to help the Counter Corps. With a wave of her hand, Eria unsummoned Obelisk, and pocketed the card. She took the Millennium Staff in one hand, and Arthur's hand in the other. MachGaogamon and Gagagigo looked at them from a distance, smiling, and subtly tapped each other's fist. The four of them followed the Counter Corps onto And With Strange Aeons, ready to follow Protheus and the Divine.

 

Sora, Kairi, Xion, Roxas, Zilyana, & Kree'arra

 

For a moment, Sora was back where he wanted to be. He and Kairi were finally married, and now they could finally begin their new life together. Roxas and Naminé were probably off on a date of their own, Kairi joking that she may or may not have agreed to let Naminé be the one to catch the bouquet. They held each other close, ready to kiss.

 

And then the world literally ended.

 

Sora found himself held against the ground by Ivero's summoned Keyblades. The Familiar boasted about how victory was nearly within his grasp, but for a brief moment, Sora could hear Nero's voice. The power of Ra within Sora began to burn away at the Keyblades. Kairi, Roxas, Xion, Zilyana, and Kree'arra all ran up to Sora, the bodies of the Dark Suits having evaporated into pure darkness. Sora held out both of his hands. "Hold on," he said. He watched as Nero broke himself free of Ivero, the Familiar trying to fight back against Nero. "Nero, you can do this." And indeed, he did. In what felt like mere seconds, Nero had not only summoned a new Keyblade - which, if Sora remembered what he had learned from Mickey correctly, was the legendary χ-blade - but with the help of Matthew, Nero destroyed Ivero once for and all. Sora sighed in relief, relishing in the fact that not only Ivero, but the Madara, were gone once and for all. Finally, the legacies of LERNA and Xansvita had finally been brought to an end.

 

Unfortunately, there was hardly any time to celebrate, as someone else had decided to arrive on the scene: Protheus Maximus. One by one, the Divine began to follow after him. Sora tried to lead everyone in his group after them, but it was too late. If anyone was going to follow after Protheus, they were already beyond the portal that Protheus had created. Sora cursed under his breath, looking at the Counter Corps stranded in the Rejected World. He looked down towards Arthur, impressed that he had managed to be the one to destroy the Madara. Then, help had arrived in the form of And With Strange Aeons. One by one, the Counter Corps was beamed onto the ship, following after Arturia.

 

 

 

ARC IV

 

 

And With Strange Aeons - Arthur, MachGaogamon, Eria, Gagagigo, Sora, Kairi, Xion, Roxas, Zilyana, & Kree'arra

 

They were safe. Onboard And With Strange Aeons, the Counter Corps was safe. No one from the Divine to attack them. No monsters from an unknown world to appear before them. While none of them could really say they knew the ship, they knew that it was at least a place where they could just relax. Not for long, though. For the luxury they had, everyone knew it would not be long before they would have to go back to fighting.

 

Sora was the first to high-five Arthur, through Kratos gave a quick pat on Arthur’s shoulder. ”I don’t know if I should thank you or congratulate you,” Sora said. ”You saved all of us.”

 

”Give yourself some credit, Sora,” Arthur smiled. ”I don’t think I would have won if you didn’t trust me with the Keyblade back then against LERNA. You trusted me, just like MachGaogamon and Eria. I owe a lot to you. I’m just glad you’re free from Xansvita.”

 

Sora’s smile began to lower for a second, but Sora made a small laugh. ”Not just me, or Roxas or Xion. Nero’s back, too.”

 

Arthur nearly jumped where he stood. ”He is?! Thank goodness. I got to see him!”

 

”I think we should give him some rest,” Sora said.

 

"Well that's it then, it's finished."

 

Arthur and Sora turned to see Matthew. Here he was, hoping for forgiveness, and all Arthur could care about was how Eria would take it. Arthur tapped Sora on the shoulder, making a gesture to suggest that he’d talk with him later.

 

”Matthew,” Eria said once Matthew tossed his hat at the ground before vanishing. ”Thank you, for helping us. I’m glad you were on our side.” Eria hoped that Matthew was in a better place, though the smile she made wasn’t convincing to Arthur.

 

”I should be the one asking for forgiveness,” Tsunugai said. I never want to be that way again. I've done more damage than you think. Matthew, I'm sorry. Please, wherever you are, I hope you can forgive me for the things I have done to you.”

 

”If you’re talking about what happened at the Desert Seth, don’t bother.” Arthur stared at Tsunugai for a moment, hopefully assuring him that Arthur would say what he needed to hear. ”I was with the Divine, too. If Eria could accept Matthew working with us, I don’t see a reason why I can’t do the same for you. So, thanks for sticking with us.”

 

”We should get some rest,” Kairi chimed in. ”We all need to be at our best when we face with the Divine again.”

 

No one disagreed, and most of them headed off to find some place on the ship to stay.

 

MachGaogamon, Gagagigo, Zilyana, & Kree'arra

 

MachGaogamon and Gagagigo chose to stand by Zilyana and Kree’arra, the two commanders waiting until everyone else left before the two began to take their own separate ways.

 

”Hold on a minute,” MachGaogamon said. ”I want to know, why did you two come onboard?”

 

”We have a mission,” Kree’arra answered. ”Someone in your Counter Corps has a staff. It belongs on our world.”

 

”And we will take it back at any cost!”

 

”Zilyana!” Kree’arra held the other general back, but Zilyana simply sighed. ”Precisely. I wish all of you success in your mission, but we have no business here. We came here to find Sliske, and reclaim my lord’s staff from him. He started… a game, as he would put it. A battle royale, where the gods of our world must battle each other to death. All for the sake of a Stone.”

 

”Kree’arra here believes that he must follow his master’s example and maintain the peace. Though I would not be opposed to my own lord being victorious in the game, I need no such proof of his power. If we tell him that Sliske is dead, then there will be no need to play his little game.”

 

Gagagigo exchanged a look with MachGaogamon. ”So you just need this staff, and you’ll be on your way? Are you sure you cannot help us?”

 

Zilyana laughed a little. ”Well, your goal does sound very noble. Perhaps we might be able to lend some assista-”

 

”We mustn’t stay," Kree'arra interrupted. I am sorry, truly.”

 

This time, it was MachGaogamon who looked to Gagagigo. With a shrug, MachGaogamon began to lead Gagagigo, Zilyana, and Kree’arra around And With Strange Aeons. ”Very well, let’s look for this staff of yours.”

 

Xion

 

Xion sat up on a bed, stretching out her hands as she sat her head on the pillow. It was nice to have her own body again, but at the same time, the struggle that Sora was fighting for, the conflict that had brought together people from so many universes she hadn’t even begun to learn about, everything was coming to an end. ”I wish you could be here, Ven,” she sighed. ”You can still hear me… right?” She brought her hands down over her face. ”Why did the last time I could see you have to be because of that monster?”

 

Roxas

 

Roxas swiped at the air with his Keyblade, taking deep breaths in between each strike. Sparks of flame danced along the back of his hands. He thought back to Ra, how he told him not to give up. But in the Madara’s “perfect world”, he had seen Naminé. The Madara had shown him exactly what he wanted, and now the Counter Corps was racing against Protheus, all for the Door of Origin. The Door had the power to give everyone what the Madara had offered a mere taste of. He wanted Naminé back, but it wasn’t his place to decide to use the Door for that. Dismissing his Keyblade, Roxas fell down onto the bed. His hands dug into the sheets. ”I have to fight,” he said. ”Even if I can’t use the Door, I’ll fight for you, Naminé. I’ll give Sora all the help he needs to win this.”

 

Sora & Kairi

 

Sora and Kairi decided to take a room together, the two of them laying across the sides of the bed.

 

”Just think,” Sora said. ”After this, we can go home. Pick up where we left off before… all this happened.”

 

”Don’t get too far ahead of yourself.” Kairi sat up, smiling, but she spoke with a voice that carried a weight to it, showing that she was not thinking about their happily ever after. ”Like you said, we’ll have that after this. But right now, Sora, we need to think about this. The people we have to fight. Once that’s done, we can go home. After you left, after we thought you… after we thought the worst happened, it wasn’t long before the monsters just… disappeared. They’re gone. The Horned King is dead. Hercules said that Hades was going to be like the ‘janitor of the dead’ for the next couple of centuries.”

 

”So, just like that?” Sora asked. ”I should have held on a bit longer.” Sora put a hand on Kairi’s arm. ”Doesn’t matter right now, I guess. Besides, even if it wasn’t like that, I don’t think they’d even begin to compare to what I’m scared of. There’s someone in the Divine I was hoping we wouldn’t have to see again.”

 

”Sephiroth.” Kairi didn’t even need to say it, but she knew.

 

”Not the Sephiroth we know,” Sora added, ”But still Sephiroth. I think there might be some people in the Divine we don’t need to fight. Maybe Protheus picked up some more people. Feels like we’re always getting new people into the Counter Corps, but so do the Divine.”

 

”Maybe Arturia is getting more people now, too.”

 

”Maybe. All I know is, we got to stay on the lookout for Sephiroth. You, me, and Roxas and Xion.”

 

”Don’t forget some of the friends you made here. There’s Arthur and Nero. And Arthur has his own group of friends.”

 

”Right. We’ve all made it this far. Kenpachi and Yachiru, you remember them, right? I thought they died sometime in the middle of all of this. But they’re back. I was afraid that some us, maybe even all of us, wouldn’t make it. But Nero, Kenpachi, Yachiru… they’re back. I’m back. I’m back, and I’m not going to leave you again.”

 

”Sora, if Ophelia did anything right, it’s letting me find you. As long as I’m around, I’m going to make sure nothing happens to you.”

 

Sora’s hand slid down to Kairi’s. He looked at her, asking, ”Promise?”

 

Kairi moved a finger down and across her chest. ”Cross my heart.”

 

”Thanks,” Sora laughed. ”I’ll ask Arthur and Nero if they want to stick with us when we get to where we’re going.”

 

”Good. There’s enough people here, so we can divide into teams, right?”

 

”Yeah. We did that before, so we can do it again.”

 

Kairi set her head against one of the pillows. ”We’ll win no matter what.”

 

Sora laid down on the bed, looking at Kairi, and wrapping his arm behind her. ”And we’ll stick with each other to the end.”

 

The two of them couldn’t help but smile at one another, their eyes closing as sleep fell upon the two of them, both of them knowing that when they woke, they would be heading towards the end.

 

Arthur & Eria

 

Arthur was heading towards a room, his pace slowing down as he reached the door. His breath was slow, but his heart was racing, and he was happy. And yet, something told him he shouldn’t be. He glanced over his shoulder, and turned around, only then seeing that Eria had followed him.

 

”Are you sure you want to be alone?” she asked. Looking at her smile, Arthur’s heart felt like it missed a beat. ”You should celebrate. After finishing off Madara like that, you deserve something.”

 

”I think that’d be great,” Arthur agreed. ”But I still messed up. Protheus has the Key.”

 

”You couldn’t have known he’d take it. Besides, you… we barely defeated Madara.”

 

”’Barely?’” Arthur laughed. ”You and MirageGaogamon gave me so much power. That was probably the strongest I’ve ever felt since…” His voice trailed off. He pressed his hands against his chest, his fingers digging into it like claws. He sighed, and spoke again. ”Nevermind. I should rest. You should get some rest, too.” He opened the door, but just as he stepped inside, he felt himself being pulled back. He didn’t turn back again. He wouldn’t look at her. He couldn’t. He could only keep holding her hand, his lips pursing before he said the only thing he could think of. ”I’m scared, too.” His hand began to burn, and he pulled it away. He slid away from Eria, his instincts making him clutch his hand. However, when he looked at it, it was fine. Nothing was wrong with it. He couldn’t even feel it burning.

 

”Oh Gods,” Eria whimpered. Arthur raised Eria’s hand, looking at the back of it. Looking at the one reminder she didn’t need need right now: Megiddo’s brand. It had changed once again. The points had connected together, forming a tail to the brand.

 

 

 

 

The Little Mermaid - Part of Your World (Piano Version)

”It’s okay, Eria,” Arthur told her. ”Once we take care of Protheus, we’ll take care of Megiddo. Whatever he wants from you, he won’t get it. We’ll stop him, you and me-”

 

”Don’t.” Eria hid her face, unable to look at Arthur. ”Please don’t make a promise like that.” She pulled her hand back from Arthur and turned her back to him. ”Say we beat Protheus. Say we stop the Divine. Dorian, Butler, all the others, what then? Why can’t it all be over then? Even if we win, there’s still Megiddo.”

 

”Don’t say ‘if’.” Arthur wanted to reach out for her, but with each step he took, she moved further away. ”Eria. I get it. We’ve lost people to get this far. I want them back, too. Helping you fight Megiddo… that’s just asking to go through this all over again.”

 

”Just go back home.” Eria wiped some tears from her face and tried to put on her best smile, but only spared to move her head a little bit towards Arthur. ”This stupid war involves all of us. Megiddo only needs me. You’re better off staying away from me.”

 

”You think I care that I should stay away?” Arthur demanded. ”I don’t. I’m not going to go back home, telling everyone about you, and pretending everything’s fine while you’re off chasing some jabroni who decided you have to fuse with your ‘other self’ for his so-called ‘perfect world’. If I left you to handle him all on your own, I wouldn’t have learned a damn thing throughout all of this. You know I’m sticking through this with you, right?”

 

”Why do you care so much about me?!” Eria screamed. She waited for him to answer. She held her chest, shaking her head. ”Arthur, please. I know you love me, and throughout all of this, I know I love you, too. But what Madara showed me… he showed me that you and I… we could be happy. But we both know that’s not true. Either we win this while our universes have to stay separate, or we get to be together while Megiddo does whatever he wants with our universes merged. We either win and never see each other again, or we become the most selfish people in both our universes.”

 

”Is that why you asked if I want to be alone?” Eria didn’t answer, instead letting her head continue to hang down. ”If it is… thank you. As much as I don’t want to think about it, I know that it’s one way or the other.” He put his hands on her shoulders. ”Look at me.” She raised her head. ”I don’t care how much time we have left. I just know that I want to spend as much of it as I can with you.”

 

Eria reached her arms around Arthur, bring him close to her. ”I have to use the Door. I’m going to use it to stop Megiddo. Free myself from his curse, and protect my universe, protect every universe from people like him. That’s what the Counter Corps is for, isn’t it?”

 

Arthur smiled and returned Eria’s gesture, wrapping his arms around her. ”It is. I couldn’t think of anything more selfless than that.” He grabbed at his own hands, holding onto her, but also reaching for more. ”Better than anything I’d ever do. I just want…”

 

He choked. He didn’t want to say anything more. But Eria did. ”I want to stay like this, too.”

 

Neither of them wanted to move. They would hold each other less and less tightly, but never really break apart. They didn’t want to stop holding onto each other. It was only a hesitant Arthur that took the first step back, his fingers drifting along Eria’s for a brief moments before he sat down completely at the foot of the bed. He took a shoe off, and by the time he took off the other, Eria was sitting next to him on the bed. They were both silent. Arthur watched Eria, but Eria was more concerned with wiping away more tears from her eyes. ”Not everything that Madara showed has to be a dream.” He was so busy looking into her eyes that he hadn’t noticed that she was taking off her slippers.

 

”I should apologize,” Eria confessed. ”After LERNA, I should have stayed with you. In Camelot, that is.”

 

”Forget about it,” Arthur told her. ”We’re both here now. Together. That’s all that matters.”

 

A thump shook throughout the bed as Eria threw herself against it. ”You really think we’ll get the Key and open the Door?”

 

Arthur slid along the bed until his face was inches from Eria. He ran a hand through her hair. With all the confidence he could muster, he told her, ”I know we will. And that’s a promise I know we’ll both keep.”

 

As seconds became minutes, they both came to accept that it wasn’t a lie or a boast. They both trusted each other, and they both knew that. They were going to get through this, no matter what. Nothing was going to get in their way, and it only took three words to remind them why. Three words, a kiss, and a sleep more comforting than either could remember. “I love you.”

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

And With Strange Aeons:

 

"Now, don't tell me you were gonna start this party without me?"

Strolling out of the service elevator onto the deck was a tan and gunmetal suit of armor with a polarized bubble-like visor where the head should be, only the armor was easily 8 feet tall and built like a tank. The large hand of the suit gently pulls back the visor to reveal Foster beneath it. "Since we can't take the Inch of Will in there, I figured the next best thing would be to create this powered armor with the resources on this ship and use that instead. After all, this might be our last rodeo, and-" His attention turns to the red-haired woman clad in the same military BUD that Foster used in the Wars of Iraq and Iran, goggles on her helmet with the only non-military part of her uniform being the choker around her neck. "Dayumn, Itsu, you really got ready for this, didn't you?'

 

The ghost of the dead goddess, on the other hand, was more preoccupied with other matters. She had just discovered that Protheus was behind all of this, and was seeking to unlock the Door of Origin. The prophecy spoken so long ago echoed in her mind, as she realized what he was trying to accomplish. "Son of a b***h..." She muttered under her breath, still in shock, before she took the step forward into the portal, without a moment's hesitation, as soon as Arthuria finished her speech. The White Room invited her in, and she waited calmly, sitting down to ponder a strategy before she was forced to face her former lover.

 

"Mom!" Atsuko cried out as her mother, sundress and all, vanished, and tried to wheel forward, but she saw someone else out of the corner of her eye, and went to them. "Russell..." She asked as she wheeled up to her friend from Detroit. "...I can sense her. Carla. One of the Three Swordsmen that served Archetype. She is with you, and I know this is going to be tough, but I need her. Especially if I am going to find Mom and help her out." As if on cue, her eyes glowed green, and a pair of knights materialized behind her, one female, the other male, both wearing highly reflective armor. "These are the souls of Syria and Lucas, bound to me to serve out their penance. Carla would have a similar form, only she wouldn't just be a spirit. She would have a physical body as one of my summons, and I will make sure she is taken care of. If not, I understand, but I can give you two something you truly wish, if you allow me to take her from you for just a short while."

 

The Hollow Asteroid:

 

As Protheus touched down on the ground, two things happened simultaneously.

First, his shadow started to extend outwards from him, of to the side, before building up and becoming three-dimensional. This living shadow rose up, taking on a humanoid form that gained female characteristics, including long hair tied into a braid from behind, an elaborate coat and outfit, and partial armoring beneath her clothes. The shadows receded to allow the figure to gain color and more definition, showing off a blue, red, and silver outfit, and she opened her eyes to reveal heterochromia, but, while pale, she was clearly one of the Divine's foes, or at least had her face.

Second, space seemed to distort on his other side, folding into itself into an aperture that allowed another female figure to drop out. This one also has Protheus' silver hair, but she had added red to the ensemble, while wearing a white and black suit with black designs on the white sections and white designs on the black sections. Her purple eyes stared out at the crowd around the person she was with, and those who locked eyes with her could FEEL her madness brush against them, letting them know that she was dangerous.

Both women looked out to the Divine, the one on the right, the younger one, stating cheerfully. "I am Pandora Maximus, daughter of your new leader! I hope we can work together to ensure that all of our dreams come true, and that Papa can change all of our stories so we get happy endings!"

The other growled out. "Who I am is irrelevant, but I will make it known that I am on a mission. And until I watch the lights die from the eyes of the one known as Itsu Fudo, I will not stop, and I WILL destroy ANYTHING or ANYONE who gets in my way. She is MY target, and I will make you SUFFER if you end her before I can have my retribution."

[Merci]

Arturia Pendragon, Aeon Spaceship

 

The former king expressed clear surprise at the magical girl’s sole wish, but as she went into detail and explained, it made plenty of sense. From the memories Arturia had inherited from Emiya upon his defeat, Lydia proved to be a very different individual from her current self. The girl, despite starting out as a sidekick, had grown to end up overpowering and destroying LERNA when the Witch of Infinite Possibilities was at her strongest. This transformation was something that could not possibly be undone - or rather, it could, but to undo it would be to undermine and ignore all the efforts already accomplished. Therefore, this was the only real solution. Nodding calmly, without saying a single word, she let Lydia take her leave. Once the last few members had left as well, this left Arturia as the last remaining member of the Counter Corps in the Aeon.

 

As if on a whim, she glanced over her shoulder to look at the camera monitoring them, since there was no way the spaceship would ever let a group of strangers wander around unguarded, before wordlessly jumping into the colorful portal at the end of the cargo bay.

 

...

 

Once Arturia reappeared inside a white room, she glanced at the three doors, analyzing each of them separately and weighing each of their ups and downs. Her gaze lingered on Remembrance for a while, but ultimately, she selected the one that she would be most familiar with, and thus should pose the least trouble to her - Death.

 

 

 

 

~ ~ ~

 

 

Protheus Maximus, Hollow Asteroid

 

Ignoring the comment the Planeswalker made since he must’ve understood that it wasn’t his place to speak up, Protheus turned to the swirl of energy and was about to step in——

 

“Hm?”

 

A sound by his side caught his attention, kind of like a yell. Did some kind of inferior insect just try to attack him? An intruder? That didn’t appear to be the case, since as he glanced casually to the side, he saw that it was a member of the Divine, one who’d tried to rush straight for the Key of Origin under his arm. As he recalled, her name was something along the lines of Tesability, and as he chose to ignore the creature as she slowly approached, one of the other members stepped in create a defense before she could even come close and she slammed headfirst into it in a rather humiliating display before falling back down to the ground.

 

The dark sorcerer frowned, looking downwards while the Divine took their leave one by one. He wondered what level of ignorance, idiocy, and underestimation was required for such an insignificant insect. It was only natural for some of them to have revolted sooner or later, but he certainly never expected that any of them would try it in the midst of everyone else, while he was still at full power. And before they’d even left, at that. He wasn’t even sure what to think of something so utterly stupid. Should he just ignore her?

 

…Ignore her? Actually, now that he thought about it, this wasn’t quite the first time this had happened amongst the Divine. Not too long ago, another member called the Renegade Joker attempted to assault the previous leader, Isamy Maximus, but he was intercepted by Sephiroth and let off the hook by her. Needless to say, he would soon go on to become extremely troublesome throughout the events of the Desert Seth. It was only to be expected, as no matter how evil she acted or how many universes she destroyed, she was still nothing more than an innocent girl with a simple dream at heart.

 

However, that was not Protheus Maximus.

 

Once everyone else was gone, having already headed off towards the Pathway, he started to float back down to the ground until he was at level with the still-slightly-disorientated Tesability, regarding her with a cold look.

 

“I’ll be frank. I don’t know whether to congratulate you for your bravery or to be disgusted with you for your foolishness. I retrieved you from the Vault, choosing you over that troublesome virus. However, if this was going to be the result, then it seems I made a mistake. I mean… How can anyone possibly be this stupid?”

 

To emphasize his point, just as she was about to get up, Protheus moved his foot and abruptly slammed it into her right hip with unexpectedly tremendous strength that did not match his figure at all.

 

The NetMonster was immediately sent flying towards the edge of the Hollow Asteroid, crashing into a wall with such force that it surely broke nearly all the bones in her dragonic-structured body. Not only that, but it also blew away and scattered a huge chunk of the right side of her body, leaving a massive wound… Well, could it even be called a wound? A wound would be something someone would obtain if they happen to get shot by a bullet or stabbed by a sword. However, if they were to get hit by a freighter train head-on and having every part of their body smashed to pieces before they even know it, that couldn’t possibly be called a wound. No, that could only be called instant death.

 

But even though she was lying in a pool of her own blood - if it could even be called blood from its strange properties - like a glass of water shattered on a whim, with even her stomach and intestines thrown not too far from her, the dragon was still alive.

 

Of course, the chunk that was blown away was her lower half, and her two wings remained connected to her body by thin, fleshy threads, so her heart and brain still had somewhat room to function, even with the amount of damage inflicted and the unimaginable intensity of the pain that must be emanating through her head at this very moment. Her senses must be screaming.  Screaming about the increasing loss of blood, screaming about the loss of body parts, screaming about the damage done to the body parts that were still functional and vital to her survival - even with a body unlike that of humans and even though she was composed of data, she had a heart like any other living creature. And it was failing. She’d survived the blow on some incredible miracle, but she would die in the next few seconds.

 

After a bit of thought, perhaps she wasn’t feeling any of the pain, since the brain may have recognized that it couldn’t possibly simulate this much damage and simply chose to numb it all. If that were the case, then she may not be aware of what was happening. She may be in a trace, confused as to why she couldn’t move, why she couldn’t breathe, why she couldn’t scream. But that wouldn’t be acceptable, now would it?

 

“If you think you’re going to die peacefully, then you’re mistaken. You won’t die. I won’t allow you to die... At least, not until you understand the meaning of death. I’m welcome to educate you on the matter.”

 

[spoiler=Torturous Rhapsody]

Appearing near her in an instant, Protheus crouched and uttered a word. An Egyptian word that represented the prosperity of life under the sun, which priests used for blessing and magicians used for healing. Though the damage would normally take months to recover from, energy flowed into the dragon’s body, giving it the strength to temporarily regenerate itself of all the damage and regain its lost digestive system. First and foremost, magicians back during the age of Ancient Egypt functioned as healers, to cure the sick and prolong the lives of the dying.

 

Even now when he had become primarily a force of destruction, this was a fact that did not change. Healing a dragon was harder than healing a human, obviously, especially when it was a dragon composed of data, but he was still capable of healing one if he made enough of an effort. Since he was doing this, it must’ve meant that he was satisfied with what he’d already done. Thus, there was hope for her survival.

 

Until he stomped on her tail, grinding it to the ground with bone and flesh indistinguishable from the other. Once he was done, the resulting sight was not unlike that of a car that had sped over a small animal and flattened it mercilessly.

 

He was not done. Assuming that the shock from the pain would disable her from moving any further, he grabbed the left horn on her head without pause and proceeded to tear it off. Then he stabbed the horn into her left wing, pinning her to the ground. Then he did the same with her right horn and her right wing. It wasn’t a steady, delicate torture, but a ruthless torture that spared no thought for her survival. It wasn’t important. If she was about to die, then he could heal her back from the brink of death and proceed.

 

The blunt force of the kick at the start and what he’d done after were nothing but a method done simply to prepare her mind of what was to come - that way, Tesability wouldn’t die of the sheer shock. Not straightaway, anyway. Now that he had finished with the preparation, he could do the rest. Protheus decided to spare himself some time before heading for the Pathway to Origin. Stopping for a bit, he spoke out a few words and concentrated on the asteroid so that he could generate a field, one that would slow down time on the inside - on the outside, what was about to occur would only take five minutes.

 

Thus, five minutes should be enough for him to spare without wasting any time.

 

Anyone who dared to oppose him must be eliminated, and even though he was keeping her alive and intended to continue keeping her alive, that will of hers would no longer exist by the end of it. He did not care what she would become at the end. A disfigured, empty creature incapable of passing through even a single Pathway. A bitter entity, stained with hatred. A puppet who did not even consider resistance. It was irrelevant. What mattered was that an incident like this would not occur again, since it would disrupt his focus if it were to happen on the battlefield.

 

“Now then, let us begin.”

 

Therefore, he must inflict all the pains of life onto her within the span of two minutes. Blunt pain and sharp pain, gradual pain and sudden pain through both physical and mystical means, then heal, heal, heal, and heal again after each inflicted action nearly ends the life of the subject in question, preventing the brain from numbing anything so that everything can be experienced in full, thus proceeding onwards to inflict more of the pains of life, until none are left. He did so without mercy, without consideration, but there was an unusual level of complexity to the depths he sunk as he executed the torture, and delivered the pain. The pain of disfigurement. The pain of mutilation. The pain of sustained impalement. The pain of poisoning. The pain of dismemberment. The pain of lynching. The pain of decapitation. The pain of combustion. The pain of strangulation. The pain of cursing. The pain of drowning. The pain of splinching. The pain of intense noise. The pain of hypothermia. The pain of vocal straining. The pain of blood loss. The pain of disease. The pain of gouging. The pain of butchery. The pain of sublimation. The pain of sheer pressure. The pain of garroting. The pain of blood effusion. The pain of asphyxiation. The pain of condensation. The pain of blinding light. The pain of radiation. The pain of internal evaporation. The pain of violation. The pain of melting. The pain of continuous impalement. The pain of oxidation. The pain of dissolution. The pain of expansion. The pain of implantation. The pain of lapidation. The pain of self-cannibalization. The pain of damnation. The pain of exorcism. The pain of explosive decompression. The pain of assimilation by foreign object. The pain of separation from said object. The pain of nuclear fission. The pain of entropic breakdown. The pain of higher-dimensional comprehension. The pain of spiritual self-cannibalization. The pain of dysphoria. The pain of pure, maximized nerve stimulation. And most of all, the pain of restoration from every fatal, torturous phenomenon. Of not dying. At the culmination of the operation, this last one must have been deeply ingrained  into the mind of the former innocent dragon.

 

Before he’d realized it, Protheus’s torture had turned into a form of revenge against every living thing that existed differently from him, conveniently dying whenever they felt like it. So by the time he had finished, it occurred to him that everything he’d done may not have a purpose since it would have without a doubt been too much for Tesability’s mind and break it early on, even he’d somehow succeeded in restoring her physical form without any anomalies despite all the inflicted damage.

 

What was the point in torturing the body continually if the mind broke, after all? He’d forgotten the most important aspect of torture, ‘hope’, and so understood that he’d wasted most of his time for nothing.

 

“What a missed opportunity. Perhaps I’ve gotten a little rusty at this.”

 

With a sigh, the last thing he did to her was cast a rather light spell that suppressed most of the memories - but at the same time, kept enough so that the point was maintained. That this was what it meant to oppose him. Once he’d done so, he tossed her into the swirl so that she would find herself in the white room before she regained her consciousness.

 

 

 

 

Now the sole resident of the Hollow Asteroid, Protheus picked up the spatial box called the Key of Origin from the floor, then approached the colorful swirl himself. The Key was resonating with the energy, as if they were similar, connected. More than anything else, this served as the proof that this was indeed the item that would ultimately connect to the Door of Origin.

 

Once a being chose to take up the quest of pursuing the Origin, they would never return. This was a fixed law. Even for him, an Omni who existed separately from normal entities, this was a fact that did not change. They sacrificed everything that made up their existence for the sole right of reaching the end. A feat which wasn’t to be taken lately.

 

The sacrifice of a very existence wasn’t meant to be taken lightly. It was different from simply annihilating an individual. What does it matter to end the life that individual when they can be revived by any sufficiently-competent MacGuffin at any time?

 

As long as the soul exists, revival is possible——no, even if it is destroyed and the individual ‘ceases to exist’, if someone were to hypothetically go into the past and retrieve it, then that would still be a form of revival. In some form, no matter what it is, so long as the individual exists somewhere in time or space, there was always the possibility for that individual to be saved. That was the logic that defined the multiverse. However, there would be no salvation for a being who were to foolishly enter the Pathway, especially if they lack the tool to advance.

 

The others didn’t know anything of this, nor did he see any point in telling them. The only way to return was to open the Door of Origin and rewrite reality in such a way that the existences of everyone else would be restored. Though as he knew it himself, it was only natural that he, standing at the edge of the swirling energy, was frightened of stepping into it.

 

He did not know what threats the Pathways contained, nor whether he would be capable of conquering them, nor whether the Key would truly function if he were to reach the end.

 

Normally, he would never rush into a situation with so much uncertainty around it, but the fate that awaited the being called ‘Protheus Maximus’ was even more terrifying. He would gladly risk his own existence if it meant destroying the prophecy that forever surrounded his life.

 

And so, with determination but without dignity, the immortal sorcerer stepped forth and let himself along with the artifact he held be consumed by the swirl of energy. Since he was a few minutes late, he would be appearing slightly later than the other Divine members, but this was of no consequence.

 

...

 

Upon finding himself within a white room, faced with three different doors, he didn’t waste a moment before selecting the one in the middle. Although the very idea of each of these three pathways disgusted him, he would have to go through them each if he hoped to get to the Door of Origin. Thus, for him, the first step would be Truth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~ Aeon ~

 

 

Tick.

 

Tock.

 

Tick.

 

Tock.

 

Tick.

 

Tock.

 

The clock is broken, but its sound still plays in her mind, as if to conform to her that it has not given up on waiting, not even now. Perhaps at this point, it has replaced the beating of her own fake heart.

 

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

 

As the thought occurs to her, it beats faster as if to prove that fact.

 

So that’s what she has become. Now, instead of a heart, she has a clock within her chest, counting down eternally. This is her punishment for trying to find salvation when the illusion does not exist anywhere.

 

This is the end of the path, from which there is no escape. However, nor is there advancement.

 

If there was a chance at anything vaguely resembling the concept called ‘victory’, she has long since missed it.

 

She walks into a room separated from both sides of reality with silence, her head hung downwards, as if everything has suddenly become irrelevant. Through her own power she had come this far, she had affirmed her own beliefs, but now there is nothing left for her in this empty, nonexistent realm.

 

The only thing that matters is the man sitting before her. There is a ‘table’ between them, and she proceeds to take a seat before looking at him. He has no discernible features or such - by nature, she is incapable of comprehending such a being. However, he does give off the impression that he’s different somehow from the others. Broken. The girl immediately understands that he does not truly exist, at least not in this reality, and the crude shadow-like figure before her eyes is nothing but her own interpretation of him. For such beings, the important thing is never the appearance, but the name that describes them and the words they say that define them. Even for her, who has only barely begun to accept the fact that there are such law-defying entities in existence, she understands this much.

 

The ‘fourth wall’. The boundary between reality and their world, and though it is taken lightly, its might is so grand that it prevails even in a realm that exists beyond other realms. To him, she must be the fiction, and thus the very idea that he is bothering to speak with her is itself a miracle.

 

Or perhaps, he thinks it is nothing but an amusement, and is talking to her to entertain himself. She clenches her fists at the thought, hating the very fact that she is considered as anything other than ‘alive’, but maintains her sense of self and focuses on the matter at hand. Snapping here would do no good, and besides, she cannot resist him. She knows that. These are entities that people as insignificant as her cannot hope to touch, no matter what they do. Their power at warping reality is beyond that of even the strongest god.

 

Why? Why do such beings have to exist? Why do they have the power to decide the tragedies, the destruction, and everything else that happens in the multiverse on a whim?! It’s not necessary, is it? Life can exist without them——no, rather, they will prevail in their absence! It does not make sense. It does not make ANY sense, but to raise her voice now and challenge him would do her no good.

 

Only a moment afterwards did she realize that she was feeling anger. That’s good. This means that she hasn’t lost all of her emotions.

 

Near the entity are a deck of cards. Tarot cards at that, a suit of twenty-two cards that composed the Major Arcana which are primarily used for predicting the lives of individuals. It is typically played in such a manner that  three cards are drawn, either upright or reversed, so as to represent the past, the present, and the future. In a way, it is not so different from the Pathways to Remembrance, Truth, and Death in that it provides an introspective view of a particular individual. However, needless to say, it is nothing but a fraud. Even in this room which does not fit in anywhere within the multiverse, that fact does not change, because never can a simple deck of cards ever triumph over a passageway designed to analyze individuals. It is simply illogical.

 

Truly, she shouldn’t even be capable of remembering the occurrence of this event, and it is solely her nature as an ‘Omni’ that allows her to retain her individuality and her memories. This is the sole event in which Isamy Maximus may exist in a place other than her current location, and it will not serve her any true meaning. It will not provide her with the Key of Origin that she lacks. And it will not, under any circumstances, give her the salvation she needs.

 

But even then, it has its merits. The art of reading the Tarot does not depend only on drawing random cards and assigning meanings to them - it is much, much deeper than that.

 

Thus, there is only one thing that she requires from him.

 

“I… need advice.”

 

Without a trace of hesitance, the girl voices out her desire.

 

 

 

~ ~ ~

 

 

~ Ragnarok II Intro Theme ~

 

 

 

On the left, anxiety. In the middle, doubt. And on the right, regret.

 

Those were the kind of feelings that the three doors emanated. Upon having entered through the swirl of rainbow energy, each person would find themselves in an empty white room, with three different doors standing in front of them. Well, it wasn’t exactly a white room, but this was the best way to describe it, for without shadows, any way to distinguish the horizon, and any sign or indication to judge its actual size, there was no telling what this place truly was, though the chances were that even something as ridiculous as a massive mecha could fit in. They would be alone, as this was a room reserved for each one of them specifically. Also, though they may or may not have been aware of it, time here was frozen. They could spend thousands of years inside this room, and yet when they exited, they would still be on the same timestream as everyone else.

 

Nevertheless, it wasn’t that important. They might not even notice. What was truly important were the three doors before them, each of which were very different from the other. The only similarity they had were the symbols on them, as well as a few lines of writing beneath each.

                                                                                                                                                                

The door on the left was a pitch-black, like an absolute darkness that was stubbornly opposing the light that was trying its best to reflect off of it, with lines connecting together to form a skull on it. It was apparent that this led to the Pathway to Death.

 

The door in the middle was a faded stone-grey, appearing barren and even somewhat unsightly compared to the other two, with the image of a sword carved into it. Only something like this could represent the Pathway to Truth.

 

As for the door on the right, it was a bright snow-white, looking pure like the innocence of childhood despite its many flaws and engraved with the outline of a young child. It didn’t even need to be said that the Pathway to Remembrance lay beyond here.

 

All three Pathways were seven kilometers in terms of distance towards the end, and one kilometer from left to right. There were three entrances, the one on the left for the Counter Corps, the one on the right for the Divine, and the one in the middle for those who aligned themselves with neither.

 

Approximately five hundred meters in, no one would be able to touch or hurt anyone else due to the possibility of an enemy going back to wait at another faction’s entranceway, but once that checkpoint was passed,  this protection would cease to be. Afterwards, killing one other would be perfectly acceptable and perhaps even recommended to an extent. Only the strongest were worthy of reaching the end, so if they allowed themselves to be defeated halfway through, well, that was their own problem.

 

‘Remembrance’. ‘Truth’. ‘Death’.

 

These were the three common denominators by which they would be judged and shaped to their full potential. Each of the Pathways that lie beyond would be analyzing them in a different way. One Pathway may be easy for a certain individual, but another one may turn out to be spectacularly difficult. Although there were definitely going to be enemies beyond each of those doors, the greatest enemy that they would have to face was without a doubt going to parts of their life. In order to advance, they would have to acknowledge the things that they up until that moment had pretended weren’t there - this was the main purpose of this system being devised.

 

Everyone whom dared to challenge the realm had the right to decide their own order of choice. Which doors they wanted to challenge first, second, and third. Whether it was Death first, then Truth, then Remembrance, or Remembrance first, then Death, then Truth, who was to complain? With each Pathway completed, the next one would gain extra meaning and weight to the changed individual. It should be obvious, but once a Pathway was chosen, it was impossible to go back and select another one until it was completed.  Although, no matter which one they selected first, they would all lead to the same destination.

 

The Origin.

 

‘Origin’, meaning the singular point, the cradle of genesis through which everything else in reality derived from. To touch it meant to touch the existence of everything, no matter what it was or how it was defined. To insert even a single line into it would, at the very least, alter the very course of the multiverse. The Pathway to Origin was what everyone was fighting over, and to access the Door of Origin was their goal.

 

Though, there was another, far more accurate name for it that was yet to be discovered.

 

 

~ ~ ~

 

 

The Pathway to Remembrance

 

Here lie that which you have lost in vain.

Left with regret,

they wake only to be regained.

 

A feeling of nostalgia.

 

The ones who had chosen this Pathway would have a feeling of nostalgia as they emerged into an otherwise-unfamiliar field of very deep snow, with members of their faction scattered about the starting line. Snow fell and floated down in large numbers, to the point that visibility was rendered difficult. It was freezing cold with the heavy wind not helping at all, and towering stone walls stood by their sides, leading onwards, and there was no way to tell what lay ahead except by going there for themselves. Thus far, the land appeared to be empty. Flying overhead would only make the journey even harder, as the stone walls were apparently a protection against what appeared to be an insurmountably massive snowstorm obscuring the very sky, and the closer they got to it, the stronger the winds hit against them.

 

Although it seemed at first as though there was nothing much around them, there was a chance that they might find or stumble upon small objects buried within the snow - objects that were insignificant and had no use or value, yet would be something they’d recognize as an important thing from their past.

 

After around five hundred meters, the Counter Corps and the Divine would pass by stone pillars and walk into more open space, at which point they would feel a sort of aura dispersing away from them. This would mean that they had passed the checkpoint and were now vulnerable to being engaged in combat, as well as being killed by any enemies they may encounter.

 

Not too far away from there would be a thick forest filled with large, ancient pine trees that must’ve had a length of about three kilometers. Not only that, but even if they were capable of flight, there was a mysterious force surrounding it that pulled at everyone’s minds. ‘Those you hold dear to your heart are here’. That was what it was telling them, its reason for why they had to proceed through it no matter what. And indeed, this would turn out not an empty promise.

 

The forest itself was dark, with grey light barely penetrating through the snow-covered leaves high above, and the trees were structured in such a way that it was somehow really easy to get lose your sense of direction, get lost, and be separated from others… Of course, it was only under these unfavorable, yet intended conditions that they would appear.

 

In a sense, these were like golems constructed from the memories of the subject in question, taking the form of people very important to them, though they were so close to the real thing in appearance, personality, and even powers that they might as well be the real thing itself. The memories of them may be dormant or very clear, and in fact, it was probable that they may have even been forgotten to an extent. After all, all memories fade with time. For each warrior of the Divine, Counter Corps, and those sided with neither, their encounter was different. They might end up only talking before parting ways, they might end up allying for some time, they might end up in combat against each other, or they might even be interrupted by an enemy from the other side - frankly, who knows?

 

All that was certain was that these entities could only exist within the forest, and that their main purpose was to provide insight into the warrior’s own memories and remind them of the things that were truly important to their selves.

 

In the midst of the trees, hidden amongst them was also an old, run-down two-storey tower, which wasn’t entirely necessary for people to find. It served multiple functions; a location to recuperate or talk, a vantage point to observe the forest from above and know which way to go… And, on the second floor was a place that remodeled itself to look exactly like an important, familiar room that the person who was currently in it would recognize. It might take the form of a bedroom, a laboratory, or anything else equally meaningful, and would stay that way until the person in question left.

 

Once the forest of remembrance had been conquered, they would exit from the trees into a heavy snowstorm that went on for a whole kilometer, its winds strong enough to blow people off their feet if they weren’t careful. Hidden amongst this storm were various more insignificant things that were familiar nonetheless, like the gravestones of people they used to know, the ruins of buildings they used to be in, and in extreme circumstances, perhaps even corpses. However, these were all things that would disappear after some time, and they were mostly there to reinforce the important aspects of each individual’s memory. It was what was after this that truly mattered.

 

Emerging from the snowstorm, they would find themselves in front of a wide, icy lake. Here, the sky was no longer obscured - in its place was a brilliant night sky with many stars and a full moon to shine down upon them. As a consequence of this, everyone would be in full view of each other, friend and foe alike. In full sight of each other, the Divine and the Counter Corps were bound to engage each other in combat.

 

The lake itself was unimaginably cold to the point that it could only be an anomaly that it hadn’t froze yet, though luckily, there were wooden boats with paddles conveniently scattered about, to be used by the people who didn’t have any other way to cross it.

 

Though, the water itself was unique. Just by being near it stimulated an intense feeling of nostalgia, and coming into contact with the substance would cause memories to rise up to the surface. Its effects were so powerful that even though it was unnaturally cold, it could heal amnesia and unlocked sealed memories. In some cases, this may be a good thing, but it also had the potential to be extremely horrible and dangerous, as it made people remember horrible events that they shouldn’t, and perhaps even relive them given enough intensity. To fall and be submerged within it would be an easy way to damage one’s own mind, and since they were so close to the end of this pathway, this would not be a good thing.

 

The Pathway to Remembrance was the path that symbolized the embracing of the past, no matter how cruel it may be. The past, for each and every individual, was a concept that defined their very selves with each passing moment, and to deny it was to deny oneself. Although, it was twisted in that it could only make people remember, and not forget. Regrets and terrible experiences were not suppressed, but rather, dragged up to the surface, as if forcing people to acknowledge everything they’d done and accomplished up to this point, even if the pain involved would be unbearable. But then again, even if certain individuals were affected much harsher than others and thus at a disadvantage, the Pathway wasn’t about to make itself any easier for them.

 

Upon successfully crossing the lake, one way or another, they would come across a small, harmless snowfield that led towards a really long staircase. Then, at the very end, there would be nothing but a dark pond lying in wait for them.

 

‘Are you satisfied with your past’?

 

That was a question that would present itself directly into their minds, and it was something they had to think about and then answer honestly, out loud. While it was a simple ‘yes or no’ question, it was impossible to lie either to oneself or to the realm. Just answering wouldn’t do anything. Until they came up with an appropriate answer… No. Until they truly believed in that answer from the bottom of their heart, they would be rendered utterly incapable of advancing. An impenetrable barrier would bar them from doing so.

 

Only once they had provided an answer, would they be able to walk through the barrier and subsequently submerge themselves into the pond - it would suck them into a mass of swirling teal energy, seemingly with infinite depth…

 

…and then they would find themselves right back at the white room they were originally in, with one less door.

 

 

~ ~ ~

 

 

 

The Pathway to Truth

 

Here arise that which you have deeply hidden.

Rife with doubt,

to discover them is to forever keep them.

 

A feeling of discomfort.

 

In the hearts of those whom had entered this Pathway, they would feel something like discomfort as they appeared inside a large wooden corridor, leading onwards. It was extremely dark, so it was impossible to see who else was here, but there was a light at the end, five hundred meters away. Upon following it and emerging outwards, they would be hit with abrupt bright sunlight and strong winds. It seemed that they were in the midst of a peaceful, sunny sky, with the sun itself shining down on them, which was quite a ridiculous change from the environments in the other two Pathways.

 

This was only furthered by the apparent fact that, beyond the short glass bridge, there was a field floating in the sky, filled with cherry blossom trees whose petals filled the air with a certain beauty - but at the same time, it seemed impossible that there wasn’t going to be some sort of twist to it. There had to be some sort of trait, something inherently wrong with it.

 

Then, either immediately or after a short while, they might begin to realize that whenever they opened their mouth, they were utterly incapable of telling lies. Only the truth as they believed it, which made it risky to open their mouths and talk to others. Problem was, there were those who insisted on doing just that.

 

As the three factions walked through the otherwise-cheerful path under the sky, with clouds casually drifting not too high up, little winged fairies descended down from the trees to ruin the mood and ask questions, some of which were subtle and others insensitive. About what they were doing here, about why they were fighting, about what they hoped to achieve, about whether they had a crush on X, and due to the inability to lie on this path, any answer was guaranteed to be the absolute truth. Some had names, some didn’t. Each of them had different personalities and appearances, different reactions to the answers that they were given, different opinions and thinking which were apparently orientated towards the individual in question, and while it was possible to ignore them and just not say anything, they tended to get more and more annoying after about two kilometers of having to deal with them.

 

If prompted, they possessed small powers and tactics which were like inferior copies of the individual’s own so they were capable of putting up some kind of combat, but were frail enough that they could be immobilized or slain without too much effort, if need be.

 

At the end of the cherry blossoms were what seemed to be a massive mirror. However, strangely enough, what they reflected wasn’t the surrounding cherry blossoms, but a grim, desolate wasteland, ruined for whatever reason, surrounded by a storm. Touching the mirror would reveal that it was actually a portal, and hence, entering it would take them directly into that reflected world. At which point they would be able to fully witness the sheer contrast between these two realms.

 

Inside this mirror realm, everything had been twisted. The sky had turned an ominous grey, the atmosphere having become much thicker, and everything around them corresponded with what they’d seen in the mirror without flaw, as if a fog of despair had passed by and defiled the very nature of the area they were just in moments ago. The ground had become dry, desolate, and even somewhat unstable, the damage done to it catastrophic beyond repair. The winds had gotten extremely powerful, rushing in unpredictable directions, making it dangerous to fly, and making the possibility of falling off very real. The air was polluted enough with carbon dioxide that it could induce coughing, or perhaps even headaches and temporary unconsciousness with enough exposure.

 

And, what remnants there were of the previous world were in the form of few persistent trees, barren but standing…as well as the rotting corpses of all the former fairies that were left behind. The full extent of the disarray done to the once-radiant land of cherry blossoms couldn’t quite be witnessed though, as with the winds came large, grey clouds that drifted here and there and made visibility difficult.

 

Only one thing was for sure - any sense of innocence, of peace had been crushed. And, disturbingly enough, they still weren’t capable of telling lies here, as if this place was trying to tell them ‘this is your fault’.

 

Making their way back towards what was originally the entrance of the pathway, the air only got harder and harder to breathe in, and the ground became more and more covered with cracks and craters, seeming like the further they went, the more likely it was for the floor to crumble beneath their feet. Occasionally, a cloud would be blown their way and obscure everything in sight, making it possible to get separated from others. But despite these conditions, they would have to walk for practically two kilometers until they got to the end.

 

At some point in their journey through this realm, they would be abruptly confronted by a strange figure each, though it was impossible to tell what they looked like due to the fact that they were being disguised by something, be it a cloak, a suit of armour, or something else, though their very presence emitted a sense of discomfort, a sense of wrongness, and they emitted a kind power that was equal to their own, if not even greater.

 

Perhaps they would fight for a bit, perhaps they would summon minions of some kind to fight for them, or perhaps they would only stand quietly, but their main purpose was to demand the answer from the individual to some very essential, personal questions - questions that, up until that point, they had been trying to avoid, ignore, or outright deny. Only once had they answered, or once they had driven off the mysterious figure, would they be able to proceed further onwards.

 

Past the glass bridges were now crystalline corridors to replace the wooden ones they’d originally started off in, glowing with an ominous sapphire hue which served as the only source of light. And, at the very end was a pitch-black mirror that reflected nothing but the very person who was looking into it – or rather, even the person looked different inside the mirror.

 

While the reflection copied everything the original did, the expression on their face was different – was it hatred? Sadness? Glee? No matter what it was, its meaning was overly apparent.

 

They would have to enter the mirror, and confront themselves directly. Without anything or anyone to hinder them, they will have to fight on their own for this. This was the only way for them to advance, and there was no other option. Everything they’d denied and avoided, everything they’d suppressed, they would have to face. Upon entering the mirror, they would be transported to yet another world.

 

That is, their own inner world that lay within their hearts, and in the midst of this world was where their ‘true, unsuppressed self’ would rise up to engage them, with an appearance that was either totally identical or with noticeable differences, such as in fashion, hairstyle, and perhaps even a different combat style. In here, they were capable of telling lies again, but did it truly matter against a being who knew everything about them? Their goal might be to get the person to admit the truth, it might be to take over the body, or it might simply be out of a necessity to prove that they were superior.

 

To clarify, this was not necessarily a fight, for a fight implied that the enemy was something that one could defeat with their own power. However, this particular enemy was one that knew everything about them inside and out, and without any restraints to hold them back, it would be extraordinary difficult to overpower them in sheer combat. This challenge was not one that could be easily overcome, and the only true ways to achieve victory were either to accept oneself or to change their own way of thinking.

 

It didn’t have to be a fight in the purest sense of the word either, as a competition between wits, a debate, a game, or other such things were just as possible. Since this was about the inner mind of an individual, truly, it depended on them and them alone, did it not?

 

Regardless of the result, once it was over, they would soon find themselves, along with other members of their faction who had conquered the same thing, standing on a large wooden platform which was suspended in the midst of a now-orange sky, though whether it meant a rising or a setting sun was unknown.

 

It was clear, neither too bright nor too dark, and though there were a ton of clouds in the sky, there was nothing that hid two other wooden platforms not too far away. Thus, as a consequence of this, everyone would be in full view of each other, friend and foe alike. In full sight of each other, the Divine and the Counter Corps were bound to engage each other in combat.

 

The platform itself was surrounded by various smaller platforms in the form of boards made of a mirror-like material, and as there were no other obvious ways to advance onwards, it seemed pretty clear of what they had to do now. They were nearing the last stage of this pathway, and now they would have to fly. The boards had been prepared for all of those who didn’t naturally possess the capacity, and their feet appeared to stick to the boards, which they were able to control with their thoughts, supporting this notion. The winds were still heavy, but not quite as heavy as before, making it somewhat more feasible to fly and reach the end a few kilometers away. But naturally, this was only in theory.

 

As soon as they took to the skies and breathed in, it might’ve occurred to them that there was something wrong with this air. It was breathable, yes, but it gave off an overly uncomfortable vibe that, even after having dealt with their inner self, bothered them. Whenever they passed by a cloud, it would take on their appearance and lash out at them, depending on just how much they’d changed from before the Origin War, as if imitating their original self before all the shenanigans with the Origin War.

 

But most importantly, if they looked down, then they might see a familiar scene on the ground – their own world, collapsing. It was only natural that it would be collapsing – in order for them to have been brought here, this was the consequence that Arturia and Protheus had taken, not that the Divine would be aware of this. It was such a horrible scene that for many of them, it must’ve been tempting to just swoop down and attempt to save them all. However, to do so when they were so close to the end of the pathway would be to let themselves perish in it as well. It was already longgone, and there would be no way to save it except with the Door of Origin, which was a fact that had to be accepted.

 

The Pathway to Truth was the path that symbolized the acknowledgment of one’s own present self, no matter how disgusting it happened to be. The present was a concept that always was for each and every individual, and as much as they would like to blame everything on outside circumstances, it was their own present self that truly defined what living their life, what being in the present itself meant.

 

Although, it was twisted in that while it got rid of ignorance, it did not truly pay attention to how horrible the truth was. Ignorance was hardly a bad thing, and many cases, it was necessary. Necessary to disguise the reality. Necessary to prevent them from breaking. Necessary to keep them moving on despite everything pressing against them. In this manner, the realm was far too sadistic for getting rid of such barriers. If not even a single person could reach it to the end of the truth, then who could blame them?

 

Upon ultimately crossing the sky, they would come across a really long staircase floating in the midst of the sky. Then, at the very end, there would be nothing but a tall crystal lying in wait for them.

 

‘Are you content with your present self’?

 

That was a question that would present itself directly into their minds, and it was something they had to think about and then answer honestly, out loud. While it was a simple ‘yes or no’ question, it was impossible to lie either to oneself or to the realm. Just answering wouldn’t do anything. Until they came up with an appropriate answer… No. Until they truly believed in that answer from the bottom of their heart, they would be rendered utterly incapable of advancing. An impenetrable barrier would bar them from doing so.

 

Only once they had provided an answer, would they be able to walk through the barrier and subsequently activate the crystal—it would forcefully absorb them before pushing them through a tunnel of continuous, swirling golden energy, which appeared to go on for ever and ever…

 

…and then they would find themselves right back at the white room they were originally in, with one less door.

 

 

~ ~ ~

 

 

The Pathway to Death

 

Here await that which you have seen and yet to see.

Though firm with fear,

can you decide what your fate will be?

 

A feeling of dread.

 

Upon materializing within the Pathway to Death, they would find themselves feeling high dread as they stood on a stone platform, separated away from the other members of their faction by a fair distance. The platform appeared to be fairly stable, leading onwards, but the unsettling part was that they were all surrounded by a thick darkness that didn’t relent no matter how hard they looked at it.The only sources of light in this realm were orbs of white energy floating overhead that lit the path, but they only barely resisted the pitch-black atmosphere and could only make visible a hundred or so meters in front of them.

 

Under this darkness would come occasional, yet undecipherable echoes of voices, and it was as though any kind of creature would emerge from it at any moment to assault them, which, considering that this was apparently a path of Death, wouldn’t be very surprising. Of course, since they would be fully invulnerable to damage up until they passed the checkpoint, they were safe for now.

 

Proceeding onwards, they would soon pass by large stone statues of cloaked figures, with the ground changing from stone to rough ground, at which point they would feel a sort of aura dispersing away from them. This would mean that they had passed the checkpoint and were now vulnerable to being engaged in combat, as well as being killed by any enemies they may encounter, but more worrisome was the fact that the path ahead was much dimmer, the orbs of light dimming with every step they took until it was practically impossible to see, their surroundings having become engulfed in a fog of darkness. Even the best torch they had or the strongest light spell they could cast, if they had such things, would only be enough to light up things within a fifteen-meter radius.

 

It wouldn’t change the fact that they would have no idea of where they were going, and who could blame them if they got separated from others or lost their sense of direction and began accidentally walking elsewhere? For those who considered flying, without the sensation of the ground to reassure them that they were still on the Pathway, they were practically guaranteed to lose themselves.

 

Though perhaps stumbling around in absolute darkness would be better than to see the things that lied within. Spread throughout it were things that shouldn’t be there, things whose very presence was foreboding and disturbing. Things that had been taken out from what they want for the future, and subsequently twisted. Broken. The ruins of buildings they dreamed to live in, the shattered remains of objects they wished to obtain, trashed inventions, abandoned wedding rings, bottles of alcohol, and even the bloodied corpses of people they hoped to protect forever - as if to tell them ‘you will fail in your future’.

 

This was something that continued on for a whole kilometer, and to go through it alone would be nothing but maddening for those who didn’t have a sufficiently strong will. The worst part was that they weren’t just illusions, as to touch them would only make them more real. These were things that were best left alone.

 

Reaching the edge of the ground, they should find bridges made of sturdy wood that led further on, stretching on for a mile, but with turnings here and there along with a lack of railings and inability to see very much, the threat of falling or walking off was constantly there. Within the perpetual blackness, the tone of the voices would also be rising.

 

While still impossible to understand, they gave the air an ominous pressure, and some sharp individuals might be beginning to realize that there might be a greater meaning to the voices. The feeling of uncertainty would only grow and grow more over time, to the point that it should become clear that these were screams, cries, and taunts aimed at the person in question, while everyone else heard different things pertaining to themselves instead.

 

Halfway through the bridges would be where the source of the voices would finally reveal themselves from the dark…and attack. These entities would lash out without mercy, and they were like spirits in a way, taking on the form of the corrupted fears of the individual, their strength equivalent to the strength of the fear. On their own, they weren’t very strong, but due to being aided by the darkness, as well as being able to exploit the very fear that they were composed of, they were formidable and deadly threats that couldn’t simply be ignored.

 

At the end stood a tremendously giant building composed of heavy stone, its true size hidden by the darkness, but the true threat lay within the five different entryways, all of which were massive. It was utterly impossible to see what laid beyond the entryways due to the fact that they were all so utterly, incomprehensibly black within to the extent that they made the darkness surrounding them look bright.

 

If anyone were to enter such a thing, it seemed like it would be certain death for them, no matter who or what they were. If the darkness was caused by an absence of light, then this was caused by a power actively rejecting light. For it was a cloaking barrier made to hide the contents of the building. It would be sheer insanity to enter through it, but at the same time, they were incapable of not going through it, as even if they thought to try flying over the building, there would be a mysterious force keeping them to the ground, telling them that this was something that they had to confront and not run away from, no matter what.

 

In truth, each of these five entrances led to a vast, high corridor five hundred meters long, lit with many blue candles, giving the air a very ominous tone. And what awaited them in that corridor…was the ‘ultimate enemy’ of their life. The greatest fear they had, and the greatest obstacle that they were bound to have to oppose sooner or later. The power of this entity may be exaggerated or downsized depending on how powerful they actually were, but truly, they were a tremendous threat. One corridor was not exclusive to one person, as if multiple people were to enter the same corridor, then multiple entities would very well materialize to oppose them, without getting in each others’ way.

 

Once they appeared, there were two options that the individual could take - either they could madly dash for the exit and hope to reach the end without getting killed, at which the enemy would disappear. But if that was impossible or if they felt it necessary to confront the enemy directly, then it should be obvious what had be done. They had to be defeated, one way or another. Or temporarily paralyzed to make it much easier to walk towards the end without interruption, though to be serious, that would just be lame and severely lower the characterization of anyone who would dare do such an anticlimactic thing.

 

Once the corridor of death had been conquered, they would emerge into a wide-open area, one which was lit by tons of lampposts randomly scattered about everywhere to stave off the darkness. It was bright enough that, as a consequence of this, everyone would be in full view of each other, friend and foe alike. Without anything to hinder them, the Divine and the Counter Corps were bound to engage each other in combat.

 

Although...there was something different with this darkness. The one before was only a cloak to hide what was within, but this one felt like an entity in its own right. A huge, black mass of uncertainty, and looking at it felt inherently wrong. Then, the nearest lampposts would flicker, the darkness would swoop down like an unstoppable eldritch abomination, and an immense pressure would suddenly slam into them, flashes of strange events suddenly assailing their mind with it.

 

They were vague glimpses into events of a possible alternate future, the concept of the ‘future’ which would be too dangerous to know about. It was only for an instant before the lampposts turned back on, but the point was clear. Exposure to the darkness here would show the one thing they must never, ever know about. Their fate. While quick glimpses here and there were safe enough, there was no telling what they might see. How far or how recent it would be, whether it would be something good or bad, and while there was no guarantee that it would come true, there was also no guarantee that it was fake either. There was also no telling whether they themselves were alive or dead in those glimpses.

 

The lampposts weren’t just there to make things visible, they were there to provide enough light to protect their sanity from the darkness. Without the light, there was a high chance that their minds would be severely damaged by the overload in the possibilities of the future.

 

The Pathway to Death was the path that symbolized accepting the challenges that the future may hold, no matter how scary it was. The future was a concept that awaited each and every individual, no matter how much longer it would last. Everyone and everything died someday, after all. With death came fear, which was also a natural part of life, a chain that held people back from reaching their full potential.

 

Although, this didn’t necessarily mean that one had to conquer their fears, their uncertainty, as there was a very important difference between acceptance and conquest, and sometimes, fear was necessary to prevent someone from doing something overly stupid. Since this was the case, it was nothing short of brutal to have them face such things head-on. Unless they believed in themselves and their strength strong enough, seeing their failures and fears realized would crush them. However, if they couldn’t even stand up just because of something like that, then it was their own fault for daring to challenge this Pathway.

 

Upon successfully reaching the end of the area, they would come across a high, yet damaged staircase with intense orbs of light lining the way. Then, at the very end, there would be a dark stone tablet standing before them.

 

‘Are you willing to embrace your fate’?

 

That was a question that would present itself directly into their minds, and it was something they had to think about and then answer honestly, out loud. While it was a simple ‘yes or no’ question, it was impossible to lie either to oneself or to the realm. Just answering wouldn’t do anything. Until they came up with an appropriate answer… No. Until they truly believed in that answer from the bottom of their heart, they would be rendered utterly incapable of advancing. An impenetrable barrier would bar them from doing so.

 

Only once they had provided an answer, would they be able to walk through the barrier and subsequently touch the monument - then it would suddenly envelop them in swirling crimson energies, almost as if it intended to consume them for the rest of eternity…

 

…and then they would find themselves right back at the white room they were originally in, now with one less door.

 

 

~ ~ ~

 

Tick.

 

Tock.

 

Tick.

 

Tock.

 

The ending that everyone longs for.

 

The wait of infinity is now finally approaching zero.

[Dwarven King]

Path of Remembrance - Cally

 

Cally stopped as she stepped through the door and looked around, her hand shielding her eyes from the snow as she tried to see as much as she could. Unfortunately, the snowstorm was to strong. Not a thing could be seen. She held her hand out in front of her and sighed when she could barely see it. "Great. Walking through the snow with low visibility." Tightening her fists, she marched forward. "Brian would have no trouble getting through this, so I won't either!"

 

The Vampire kept walking for sometime. The wind blowing her air behind her and the cold biting at her exposed skin. Though she was a Vampire, the skin still had some effect on her, causing her to shiver. "Damn this cold. Why does this path have to-" She stopped as her foot hit something in the snow. Curious, she bent down and picked it up, dusting off the snow to better see what it was.

 

"What the..."

 

In her hand was a doll, just like the one her mother had made for her when she was a child. Shaking her head, she tossed it aside and kept moving. She only made it a little further before coming across another object. This time, it was a butcher knife with a unique design in the handle, just like the one that belonged to the butcher that chased her from her hometown after she turned. Her hand shaking, she tossed it aside as well and increased her speed to a job.

 

She continued along at a job for sometime before tripping over a third object. Hesitant, she turned back and retrieved the object. Memories flooded back to her, her eyes on the brink of crying as she held a gold amulet in her hand, two snakes eating each other's tails while weaving through a skull emblazoned on it. Her surroundings vanished from around her as she delved into the memories.

 

MEMORY

 

Cally was tied down to a chair in her own home. A tall, clean shaven man stood before her. His golden amulet reflecting the light in the room as he stepped towards her. His clothes were fancy and clean, signs that he had power and wealth. The knelt down before her and ran a hand along her face. "You really are pretty girl, aren't you?" She pulled away from his touch as best as she could, but the restraints didn't leave her much room to work with. "Now, don't be like that girl." He chuckled as he forced her to look at him, a smile on his face. "Soon, I will rule over this part of the land. And I have chosen you to be my queen. You should feel honored! Though, we must do it here. You'll be quite hungry at first, and we need to cut off all ties you may have. Good thing your mother will be home soon." His mouth opened revealing Vampire fangs as he forced her head to the side and bit down on her neck. Cally screamed through the gag as tears flowed down her face.

 

PRESENT

 

Cally shook her head as she pulled herself from her memories, tears covering her face as she knelt in the snow. A growl of defiance escaped her lips as she threw the amulet as far as she could. Wiping the tears from her face, she stood up and took off in a run. She was done with this place. Done with her past. Soon, she passed by pillars, but was to focused on her anger to notice any difference as she found herself heading towards the forest now before her, and soon entered it.

 

Once in the forest, her pace slowed to a job, but the anger was still on her face. She decided to she would stop for nothing. It was time for her to leave.

 

"Cally..."

 

The Vampire stopped as soon as she heard the voice. She told herself she would not stop, but that voice... "Who's there?!"

 

"Cally...it's me..."

 

Cally stood frozen in fear. "M...mother?"

 

As if on cue, her mother appeared from around a tree and stood before her. "Oh my beautiful daughter. It has been so long!"

 

"Is...is that really you?"

 

"Well of course it's me sweety!" The woman held her arms wide and stepped forward.

 

"But...but you're suppose to be dead?"

 

The woman stopped as her expression changed, one hand reaching behind her. "You're right. I am dead." Her arm reappeared, a knife in her hand. "I'm dead because you're an ungrateful little jabroni who sucked all my blood out until I died!"

 

The woman launched forward, slashing at Cally. The Vampire easily dodged, but stared in horror as her "mother" attacked her. "Mother! It was not my fault! That bastard Sebastian changed me! He left me there to kill you knowing the hunger would be to much for me the first time!"

 

"To much? It was to much because you did not love me!" She slashed again, getting more wild with her attacks.

 

Cally became frantic as she dodged the attacks. She pleaded with her to stop, trying to convince her that it wasn't her fault. But the realization slowly kicked in. This wasn't her mother. Her mother was dead. Dead by her own hands. Anger flooded forth once more as she screamed out in defiance. Pulling forth her sword, she dodged another attack and buried it hilt deep into the creature before her. It looked up at her, a grin on it's face. "She? This time there was no hunger, and yet you still kill me." The golem collapsed to the ground as Cally dropped to her knees, once more delving into her memories.

 

MEMORY

 

Cally slowly woke up and found herself laying on the ground, untied and next to the chair. The side of her neck was burning and there was no sign of the man. "Wh...where did he go?" She sat up and soon realized she was...hungry. But not for meat or fruit. No, it was...different. It was more urgent. The back of her throat burned the more she though about it.

 

"Cally! Are you home dear? I'm back from the market." Her mother called out as she entered the house.

 

Her ears perked up as she listened, her instincts taking over as the hunger grew and she snuck from the room she was in to where her mother was.

 

"That boy at the market asked for you again. You know, the farmer's son. The big one. You should come with me next time and talk to him. Maybe invite him over for dinner. He seems like a really nice fellow. You might like him." The woman turned around to see her daughter standing before her. Two thin lines of blood stained the side of her next from two puncture marks in the side of her neck. Her hair was a mess, and her clothes ripped. "Cally! What happened to you?! Did something a-" She stopped as the newly born Vampire pounced on her, pinning her to the wall. The house was soon filled with scream as Cally bit down on her mother's neck and killed her.

 

PRESENT

 

Cally layed in the snow, curled up in a ball, bawling her eyes out as she relieved the first moments of her Vampire life...and the final moments of her mother's life.

 

Path of Truth - Doraga

 

The Arrancar casually walked down the wooden path, constantly looking from side to side. He didn't like the fact that the only thing he could really see was the light at the end. But it was nothing he could change, so he just focused more on his other senses as his thoughts bounced in his head. "Path of Truth, huh? Guess I'll be confronting some truth of mine." He focused his mind and thought about that statement for a bit. "Hmm...I'm not sure there is a truth I need to confront. But no doubt if there is one, this path will force it out." He shrugged as he continued his way towards the light.

 

Path of Death - Theovak

 

The Dwarf landed face first onto the ground as the door...or what was left of the door...vanished behind him. Getting up and dusting himself off, he observed his surroundings, only then hearing the voices and sounds in the distant darkness. Shivers ran down his spine as he gripped his warhammer and took off down the path, not bothering to slow down until it got darker. Eventually, the Dwarf stood still as he could no longer see a thing. "By the Gods, I can't see a damned thing!" Grunting, the Dwarf stubbornly slid his foot across the ground, checking for an edge. Satisfied, he slid his next foot and proceeded in such a fashion as he listened to his surroundings. "Moradin, if ye let me die here, we're having a talk when I get to me spot in your halls!"

 

Path of Death - Brian

 

Brian took off down the path at a job, not bothering to wait around. He didn't trust that Prometheus guy, and so it was best that he made it to the end before him. He needed ample time to plan. Arriving there after him will pose a problem. The last thing he wanted to do was make split second plans against such a foe.

 

"Help me!"

 

"It hurts! Make it stop!"

 

"Why didn't anyone save me!"

 

The voices in the darkness made it his ears, but he easily ignored them. To him, there were nothing more than a distraction, obviously being used by the path itself. If anyone was out there, chances are, they've been dead for sometime.

 

"I'm dying!"

 

"You're already dead." He mumbled to himself as the path quickly got darker, eventually to the point where nothing could be seen. Except for Brian. Smirking, he continued on down the path at a job, the darkness doing nothing more than decreasing the distance at which he could see, but not enough to hinder his movements.

[Love of Ghibli]

Dorian: Path of Remembrance

 

It was time to buck up and see who he really was. He pushed the door open and wandered into the lovely winter wonderland. His first thoughts were...well blank. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to expect but he surely didn't expect this. He walked through the snow slowly at first, trying to figure out what was special about this path. In truth, Dorian was somewhat lost in subtle beauty of this land. The peaceful snow flurries, the light butterflies and the giant rocks that added to the landscape. Granted the freezing winds didn't really bother him at all seeing as his newest abilities provide more than enough heat to counter such terrain. As he continued to walk down he noticed that the giant rocks started to take various shapes. Though they were somewhat crude he could somewhat recognize some shapes.

After a couple of seconds he came to an impasse where he was surrounded by five statues. He then immediately cupped his mouth as tears began to uncontrollably fall down his eyes. He was remembering. A fairy, a snake, a leopard, a swarm of hornets and a spider. These were the spirits that he had bonded with back in his own universe. Actually, he never truly forgot them, but with everything going on he no longer felt off balance without them. Which is its own form of forgetting. He was actually happy though. The path was working. He was starting to remember things. He had to go down further. He had to experience more, remember more and eventually come to confront his true self. Of course he didn't know how painful this journey of self reflection was going to get. 

More statues of more people he started to remember were popping up. His family from his native homeland and more duel monsters he used to use. Truly pleasant times. As he progressed he could barely make out a forest in the distance. In addition the statues started becoming less and less familiar. Not like they weren't clear more like they were people he didn't really care about, yet somehow important to him. These were statues of a bunch of teenagers too. One statue was shorter and it depicted a boy with some kind of Iron Maiden mask on him. Dorian stepped back for a second as this was getting a little uncomfortable. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt on edge. He didn't even notice that the light butterflies that were following him were actually coming from him. Nevertheless he continued onward to this forest of mystery. Directly in front of the forest was a massive stone statue. Dorian only tilted his head as he looked at it. It wasn't just one person it was actually two. Dorian started to stroke his chin as he, for the life of him, couldn't figure out who these two were.

It was obviously a couple. A boy and a girl, the girl was being embraced by the boy. The girl looked a lot more tomboyish than a proper lady. The boy was clearly young yet he appeared a little ragged, like someone who fell on hard times or out of a recent struggle. Dorian was almost getting frustrated as this statue was clearly generating emotion out of him but he couldn't place his hand on why. Though as a mental side note the boy in this statue reminded him a lot of that Counter Corp member Arthur...As he thought of Arthur's face another statue just popped out of the ground behind him. It was Arthur and Eria in the same position as this first statue. And after a couple seconds of looking back and forth between to the two he had that sudden realization. Ko...ha..ku! With that one word his head almost split in pain as he was brought to his knees. The shadow of the forest extended out to him and Dorian was soon to be engulfed in darkness. 

Once Dorian opened his eyes he would notice that both of those statues came to life. He was confronted with two couples. Though he didn't truly understand why, Dorian instinctively ran towards the four with the sole intent to kill!

Gyouken Ren: Path of Truth

Gyouken opened her door and saw what was...an aesthetically pleasing scene. Of course this was after she enjoyed her nice little walk down the wooden corridor of darkness. The only thing she could do was shrug. No one ever said the Pathways were going to be the epitome of darkness and despair. Though that was what she was hoping for. Well this could be entertaining...maybe. She took a step out and proceed to walk forward. She took a second to actually bask in the sunshine. Such bright light that would need to be snuffed out at some point. It was then that Gyouken noticed that she was approached by little sprite kins. Winged Fairies coming down from trees to converse with her. Gyouken snickered as she laid back on her on lawn chair made of Rukh. It seemed as if entertainment found its way to her. 

 

After a couple seconds of circling around her one of the winged ones was bold enough to approach her and asked a question. 
 

Hello, do you regret killing your son? Gyouken immediately shot a glare at this fairy which was quickly followed up with a small. This must have been the gimmick of the Pathway. Coming to terms with oneself. With that in mind she simply smiled. Nope, not at all.

Another fairy spoke up. Are you at all ashamed of the fact that you have basically prostituted yourself to foreign noble in order to gain political power for your "cult?" Nope, not at all. Gyouken replied with laughter. These were pretty detailed and invasive. Surely someone somewhere was doing their homework. Nevertheless the questions kept coming in.

Do you hate your youngest son? Nope, not at all. Even though he hates you? Makes me love him even more.

Are you made that the first time you succeed in calling a medium for father it took 72 djinn equips to kill it...now it only took 17. For a second Gyouken actually paused as she immediately wanted to lie and repeat her standard "Nope, not at all" but this time she realized that she couldn't actually utter those words. So she told the truth. Yes... Her eyes were bobbing left and right as she was compelled to tell the truth. But the questions didn't stop.
 

Does this mean you are no longer qualified to bring back father?
Is your faith in Father waining?
Is the path that Solomon shows us, the right path?
Have you succumb to fate?

 

In a flurry of darkness the Rukh turned into a tornado and engulfed the sprite kins and suffocated them. Gyouken stood up breathing a tad hard as these fairies genuinely fustrated her. There is no one who will bring back Father to this world other than me. I will bring this world to the eternal blight and show that fate has no hold over us. I will sever destiny, I will sever Solomon's hold over existence and no one will stop me from doing so. As the forest was soon filled with the black Rukh and billowing Cherry blossoms. At the end she actually happened to stumble upon some kind of mirror that looked like it would lead to a much better place.

Butlerok: Path of Death

Butler opened the door and...it was black. Well this was just a let down. Granted Butlerok just stuck a finger up and made a torch size fire. It did enough to illuminate the path in front of him. For some weird reason he glared to his right and though he could see nothing in the darkness he knew that Radamanthys had somehow just walked through his door. The echoing voices were more of a distraction than something that caused discomfort. Ragnarok was in his chibi form trying to see how far he could extend outward into the darkness. It was a fun way to past the time somewhat. 

Sooo the future is black...That's a let down. Ragnarok said trying to stir up some conversation. 

Well if I had to guess the voices are here to cause some moment of self reflection. 
Cool let's reflect! Why do you keep the old bald one around? I mean I get the bearded God of the Dead, but this old guy annoys me. 
I can hear you parasite! Genryuusai screamed inside the Kishin entity. 
Honestly, he reminds me of my instructor from the academy. The duality of a cold demeanor and fiery passion, detached yet loving, oppressive power and fastidious restraint. The perfect mentor.
Genryuusai nodded in approval though he really didn't take to flattery.
Though I will say if that is the case then Mr. Yamamoto classifies as an entity in my bodied. Meaning I cannot move forward unless his issues are resolved in addition to mine. 

At this moment Butlerok had made it out of the comfort zone and saw the flickering orbs that illuminated the cloaked figures. He noticed the shifting textures in the ground and with that Genryuusai said in an almost condescending manner: I don't have any issues that would require being resolved. As he said that Butlerok heard foots steps come from behind a statues. He looked upon this new figure walking slowly towards him and he took a sniff. Really? I am pretty sure this is one of your issues. 

Radamanthys: Path of Death

As he walked through the doors he basically used Cosmos to find his way. It was a tad obvious that flying was probably not the best method to gain some distance, but it wasn't like anyone was going to actually attack him. He couldn't sense anyone for...well ever. Though after he thought that his head straightened immediately and he glared to his left. In second he chuckled. He knew that somehow Butlerok was the one who sent that look. This meant that he had to carry his weight and make it through this annoying obstacle. As he proceeded down the path he noticed that these voices trying to deter his will were getting lighter. At this point he made his way to the area with cloaked figures. He would look down to see the distorted future that was reflected in the Earth. He shrugged as it was far more tame than the world he came from.

[Tesability Black]

Due to Tesability's speech impairment, which could be credited to corroded language data, I have what she says translated under each of her sections in italics for everyone's understanding.

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

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

Everything hurt. Her wings, her legs, her neck, her head, her ear-leaves, her back...

...everything hurt...

While she didn't remember the whole thrashing she received for that sudden pounce, though her solidified body of data sure did, one thing was for sure.

Despite that floaty trick he pulled, that man was not a mage...they can't give an ass-kicking like that...

The one question running through her head was this though: Why didn't she revert back to being a Champion Crystal? She took way more than enough damage for it.

"Ooww..." she managed to finally groan as she opened her black eyes, looking up toward a ceiling of pure white. She apparently landed on her back, which prompted her to check her wings by stretching them out and pulling them close to her. They were sore as hell after that landing, but they didn't feel corrupted, thankfully. Very carefully did she get up onto her four paws and gave herself a shake, much like a dog would to shake water off, to make sure everything was working.

Thankfully, nothing was corrupted, but everything still hurt...

"Owie...haven't been beet wike dat shince faite wiff Earff Human Bossh,"¹ she mumbled to herself as she gingerly walked around on her paws, trying to stretch the hurt out of her sore form, not quite paying attention to the room of white she was in at the second. "Canna wemembew name, dewgh..."²

With this did she folds her wings in, hiding from view the gold-colored underwings, at this thought. Had her world been gone for so long, she couldn't remember parts of it anymore? Did her memory become corroded? It was possible, she hadn't been through any form of maintenance in over a decade, after all.

Lifting her head, she finally took notice of where she was, sitting on her hindquarters while wrapping her tail around her paws. "Wewe ish I?"³

Unlike with the Asteroid, this room was white with no further decoration outside of three doors, a strange sight to see. Approaching any of them creates a symbol over the door when she gingerly flies up to them.

A crystal, a lightning bolt, a shattered gem

Remembrance, Truth, Death

Flapping her wings to lower herself in front of the door with the unbroken crystal, she looked up toward the image once more. "Dat wooks wike...a Champion Cwystal."⁴ Curiosity getting the better of her, she went through the open door nose-first...

...only for the door to disappear behind her...

 

¹ "Owie...haven't been beat like that since fight with Earth Human Boss,"

² "Cannot remember name, though..."

³  "Where am I?"

 

⁴ "That looks like...a Champion Crystal."

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

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

And the black and gold dragon landed in a huge pile of white and cold fluff that tried to melt underneath her from the sky above. Surprised by the sudden fall and her momentary inability to fly, she pulled herself out of the pile, starting with her head.

"Wa' ish dish,"¹ she asked after seeing all the falling white, confused by what she saw all around her.

White dots fell from the sky that seemed to melt against her scales, the feeling of prickling and numbing against them, the side of uneven grey walls to either side of her from a distance, the swirling strings of broken white moving around very-high above against the dark-colored ceiling.

With great difficulty did she manage to pull herself out of the strange pile of white, shaking herself like a dog once more, before jumping a few inches into the air and hovering for a second. She didn't know anything that was here, nothing seemed familiar to her. It was all strange. She thought she took the path that was supposed to remind her of home, why isn't it?

She had expected to land in a double of her home, a world comprised of many shades of green, with lines of lighter shades criss-crossing over the surfaces both above her head and below her feet. She had expected to see some of the old buildings as they used to be, such as the small Coolroms place or the 500-floor tower that was Google.

After a few feet of low-to-the-ground flight, the archaic program landed upon what felt like the corner of a floppy disk into one of her paws. Lifting the poked paw for a second, she carefully pulled out what actually turned out to be a small part of a cannon designed to replace a hand on a humanoid machine, frowning for a second at the being it reminded her of as she lowered her leaf-shaped ears.

"...Kawuros..."

 

¹ "What is this,"

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

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

"Why do I feel like I'm back in the Implicit Maze," the blue mage asked of himself as he began walking through the wooden corridor, trying to keep his awareness open in case of anything that may try to surprise him. It seemed fortunate that nothing appeared in his range of sensing, which allowed him a chance to breath a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn't heading toward anything possibly dangerous, such as toward Duskmantle, he was fine. He should be fine.

The level of darkness he was surrounded in made it hard to see around himself, though.

Normally, he'd be able to just snap his fingers and summon an orb of blue mana to create a light around himself, but as he snapped his fingers once, then twice, then many times more, a horrible thought started to cross his mind, causing the feeling of dread to try to break through the back of his mind.

He's been disconnected from most of his magic. The question is why?

Placing a hand on one of the walls to stabilize, the mindmage closed his eyes and uttered a spell under his breath that he was all too familiar with, hoping in his head that it would still work. Mid-way in did he open his now-glowing eyes toward a point in the wall where he had expected to see a swirl of dark-blue energy laid upon it and for a familiar ally of his to emerge.

But...he didn't even see the portal he tried to summon to begin with. Curling his fingers against the wall as the light in his eyes subsided, a thought he really didn't wish to entertain finally sprung itself forward.

"What's wrong with me? Why can't I summon my drake?" He dared to look upon the gloved hand upon the wall with a look of fear. "Why can't I reach my magic?"

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

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

The man in bright attire knelt down onto one knee upon the stone platform, keeping the hand of the arm resting on his knee also over his heart as well while keeping the other hand flat against the stone. Despite it appearing to be floating, it stayed stable in its flight, though it didn't allow him the chance to breath easy.

Trying to see the energy of this path was a mistake. Whenever he did, he'd find that the suppressive darkness of the place blocked out even his own bright Aura from his view, which forced him to rely on his normal vision to complete this trial.

"I hoped you'd be gone by now."

He jumped up from his sitting position into a standing one on the platform, looking around in all directions for the source of the voice.

"Arceus...?" It was impossible, he shouldn't be hearing the God of Creation here. The old goat was blinked out of existence with the rest of the Pokemon reality...wasn't he?

"You must think me weak to believe I can't keep my creations from being forced out of existence by outside forces," the voice stated before the stone platform began to expand, growing until it was wide enough to accommodate both the blue-haired human and a large creature in front of him.

A bright light emerged upon the stone platform before beginning to take the shape of a large quadruped. Around what would be the waist formed a stiff net of gold to either side as the creature took more detailed shape as a being of grey and white, looking down upon the false human with narrowed red eyes.

"Very weak, indeed, Ditto."

And he gulped as he found himself standing in front of the God of Creation, in front of Arceus...

[Dad]

Kenpachi and Yachiru, Pathway of Death

 

Their hearts felt heavy.  It was like being under the pressure of a heavy reiatsu.  One that targeted your heart.  Their surroundings were covered in darkness.  They couldn't see much beyond the strange white orbs that floated above their heads.  They stood on a stone platform, which felt rickety and loose.  "Careful Kenny," she whispered, unsure of what was surrounding them in the shadows.  That was when they heard them.  The voices.  Kenpachi only nodded, trying to ignore the pestering sounds.  Treading lightly, preparing himself for retaliation, Kenpachi took the pathway slowly.  It would be roughly two days before he reached the hooded figures that marked the checkpoint of safety.  During this travel however, the duo grew more and more uneasy.  Occasionally, Yachiru would move her arms from Kenpachi's shoulders, to around his neck.  This comforted the both of them, knowing they were not alone.  They pressed on, into the world of shadow and uncertainty.  It had been four days, with still nothing but stone and floating lights in sight.  "Kenny.  I had a revelation not too long ago," Yachiru said suddenly, as they trekked on.  Kenpachi didn't look back, keeping his eye on the path lit before them.

 

"Yeah?  What of?"  Yachiru could feel the concern in his voice.  "It wasn't bad Kenny," she said forcing herself to smile among all of the trouble in the air.  "I just think. . ." she paused, reassuring herself.  "I think you and I met for a reason."

 

They were approaching the cloaked statues, when Kenpachi stopped, finally looking over his shoulder at Yachiru.  "What makes you say that?"

 

"A lot Kenny.  I know you pride yourself on being crazy, whether figuratively, literally, or just plain old strong.  But I feel like I'm the one thing that keeps you balanced."

 

Kenpachi made a face.  "Balanced?"

 

"I make you, you, Kenny."  She said smiling.  Kenpachi smiled back, not sure where her care was coming from.  This girl.  She was not frightened by him.  She cared about him.  She was the only real person he could say he loved.  Not that he was in love with her.  But Yachiru was someone Kenpachi would give his life for.  And she knew that he knew it.  She kissed his forehead, and Kenpachi turned around.  "Ready for this?" he asked.  She nodded, as they stepped past the safety barrier.

 

Kratos, Pathway of Truth

 

The uneasiness hit him immediately.  It was like a bad stomachache.  Kratos  spat at the ground as he entered the wooden corridor.  It was nearly blanketed in blackness, nothing to see but the light at the end of the tunnel.  He started forward.  At first, he walked, but something in him urged him to reach the end of the corridor sooner.  He began to jog, pacing himself at first.  Soon, he broke out into a full sprint, testing the limits of his endurance.  Kratos was not young anymore, so he had to keep his health up.  That's what she would have told him.  She would have said something like, "Kratos, you're not twenty years of age.  Your bones are not of steel.  Eat.  Exercise.  Keep your strength at it's best," as she hugged him from behind.  Then, Caliope would mimic her.  Would.  Used to.  Had.  No time for that now.  He pushed himself, sprinting often in long stretches.  It was two days later, and Kratos had not yet begun to sweat.  He felt good, even with the feeling of the Pathway bearing down on him.  Without realizing it, Kratos had reached the end of the wooden corridor, not breaking a sweat.

 

He was greeted by an eerie peace.  There was a glass bridge, and just beyond it, a floating meadow that seemed to stretch vastly for miles.  It was covered with cherry blossom trees and pedals, which swooned through air like swans.  Crossing the glass bridge, he eased onto the meadow, treading lightly.  But his first footsteps seemed to trigger local wildlife, as three, what appeared to be, nymphs, appeared before him, buzzing about and circling him, asking various, annoying questions.  They pestered him, but this was not something Kratos was unused to.  "Why are you here?"  "What are you looking for?"  "What's bothering you?"  "What is your biggest worry?"  "Who are you interested in?"  "Do you have any regrets?"  So.  Many.  Questions.  So.  Many.  Annoying.  Questions.

 

"ENOUGH!  YOU ARE AS IRRITABLE AS THE BRAT PANDORA!" He roared.  But. . .this. . .wasn't what he wanted to say.  Kratos cupped his mouth, catching himself.  Did someone else speak for him?  He tried again.  "I LOVED HER LIKE A DAUGHTER, BUT I WOULD NEVER WISH TO JOURNEY FAR WITH HER AGAIN!"  There it was again.  The truth.  It's not what he was expecting, this path of truth.  He was expecting more self conflict, but this would suffice.  Instead of getting angrier, Kratos wondered what the answers to these questions would be.  Walking along now, the fairies staring and still pestering him, Kratos continued down the pathway of Truth.

 

Revy, the Pathway of Remembrance

 

 Snow?  She never liked the cold.  Or the rain.  Or most weather for that matter.  It was freezing, and Revy was starting to wish she had brought a parka.  Though, this weather did nothing more than match her heart.  Or did it?  Irritated by the winds, Revy began to tread forward, one sloppy footstep at a time.  There were tall walls on either side of her, and she felt somewhat forced into a tunnel.  Not that she expected anything less, but it was very apparent.  The snow was heavy, like picking yourself up out of a swimming pool.  On top of that fact that she was wearing low cut shorts and a tank top, this situation wasn't exactly ideal.  Sure she'd been through worse, but this was just, "really God damn annoying."  It was a good thing she was wearing combat boots.  She had the feeling she was stepping on something that could have injured her.  Bones?  Spikes?  Glass?  The crunch was familiar.  A little too familiar.  It was glass.  But why the hell was there glass in the snow?  She lifted her boot to get a closer look.  The moment she saw the glass, Revy instantly wished she had not taken that glance.  It was a tinted, brown glass, and it was covered in a sticky liquid.  Alcohol.

 

She shook her head, trying not to focus too much on it.  She had seen enough beer bottles and cans in her lifetime for this one to not be significant.  At least, that was what she thought until she saw the rest of the bottle.  It's green and white label flicked past her head, blown into the snowstorm.  It was her father's brand.  And this bottle.  This was the one he had hit her over the head with.  The sticky liquid wasn't alcohol.  Alcohol isn't red.  It was her blood.  From so many years ago.  But instead of being horrified of this, it ticked her off.  Revy stomped hard into the snow, smashing the bottle completely now.  "Piece of shit."  She pushed forward, still trekking through the snow.

 

Still stepping over more garbage over what felt like a few day's time, Revy spotted a sudden change in landscape.  At first, a thick row of trees.  But moments later, she could see an immense forest on the horizon.  Hoping the trees would get her out of the snow for a while, she began to push towards it.  Of course, this would not be easy either, as she finally stumbled over something soft.  "God DAMN it!  What is this!?  A fucking dump, covered in white bullshit!?"  She kicked at the area where she stumbled, revealing a ragged purple pillow.  It was smoldering, as if it were recently on fire.  She recognized the pillow immediately.  Crawling over, she flipped the pillow over.  On the opposite side, there was a gaping hole that pierced completely through the pillow.  This was the pillow. . . .

 

some years ago. . .Chinatown, Manhattan

 

She had just been driven from her home.  The violence had escalated out of control, and she was tired--sick and tired--of being beaten.  Revy finally stormed back into her father's home, a disgusted look on her face.  The smell of bourbon and cigarettes filled the air.  The old tele flickered in and out of an unstable news station.  The lights were out except for a busted one, hanging from the kitchen ceiling.  It was damp, and the occasional rat didn't surprise her.  Dirty dishes added to the funk, as well as reminding the young Revy she hadn't eaten in nearly two days.  She said nothing as she entered, clearing the old magazines and newspapers from the ragged sofa so that she had a place to sleep.  It had been a long fucking day, and she wasn't in the mood to be hit again.  It wasn't that long ago he had bashed her over the head with a bottle of Heineken.  Revy was getting tired of the shit, but she had to deal with it if she wanted to have a place to sleep.  She worked hard, bringing home what little she could, while all he did was drink it away.  She was too tired to shower, and too bothered to scavenge through the fridge.  She collapsed onto the sofa, laying her head on the good side of the old sofa pillows.  It was purple, and matched her hair.

 

"Revy," he called, slurring.  He was drunk again.

 

She didn't reply.

 

"Revy!  God damn it I'm talkin' to you, ya little bitch."

 

"Ugh," she groaned.  "What is it?"

 

"Get me a drink."

 

"What?" her tone lowered.  She had just been through hell at work, and she had to come home to this?

 

"Get me a drink ya deaf fuck.  I'm thirsty," he ordered.

 

She stomped into the kitchen.  On one of the counter tops, hidden behind the toaster, in the bread box.  She always knew where it was.  She went to the fridge.  She stopped at the doorway between the kitchen and the bedroom.  Behind the toaster, in the bread box.   She didn't hesitate.  Returning with the .40 and the Heineken in her hand, she went to the sofa and pried it open.  Her old man recognized the sound of the cap on the bottle flying off.  "Hmm?" He finally turned over in his bed.  "Hurry up!"  She grabbed the pillow, tucked it under her arm, and went to his bed.  Then, without hesitation, something in Revy broke.  She poured the cold Heineken over his head, causing him to turn over.  "You little bitch!  What the fu--!  Mmph!"  She stuffed the pillow in his face and put the .40 glock to the back of it, and pulled the trigger.  His brains splattered on the wall behind him, covering the window in blood.  She snatched his wallet, took what she wanted, and left, gun still in her hand.

 

Revy, Pathway of Remembrance

 

"Why the hell is this here?" she said angrily to herself.  She punched into the pillow, and ripped it in half.  "Somebody's playin' with my emotions.  motherfuckers."  She stomped forward, approaching the forest.  The ground was more clear now, no longer covered in white bullshit.  Inside, a grey light gave the place an ominous feel, and Revy didn't really care for ominous.  She drew a pistol in her right hand, and carefully pressed on.  It wasn't long before more games ensued.  She found herself surrounded by laughter.  The laughter of men.  "The hell?  Who's gigglin'!?" she called.  Three men stumbled from behind a large tree, dressed in uniform.  The pigs.  She remembered them.  These were the pigs who arrested her for no reason.  And the one in the middle. . . yeah.  She recognized his distorted face.

 

some time ago. . . Chinatown, Manhattan

 

Revy had been on the curb, crying after her old man bashed over the face with a bottle of Heineken.  Three officers pulled up to her and arrested her on the spot, not giving any reason or warrant.  "Come on little lady.  You're comin' downtown," they taunted.  "Hey!  What--let me go!" she cried out, to no one who would help.  It wasn't long before she was at the precinct, at 11 at night, by herself.  She was left there with just the one officer out of the three, as the other two stepped out for coffee.  They winked at the other officer who stayed behind, leaving him to his vices.  He locked the door behind them, and opened Revy's cell.  She backed herself against a wall, grabbing at the window behind her.  "Nowhere to run, little mama."  He cocked back a fist, and hit her hard enough to send her crashing to the concrete floor, blacking her eye.  He kicked at her ribs until they cracked and she stopped moving, before pulling down her pants.  All she could do was watch.  He flipped her over, removing her underwear, shirt, and bra.  She couldn't move, or think, or speak.  All she could do was tolerate.  Wincing until it was all over.

 

Revy, Pathway of Remembrance

 

That was the one who raped her.  She drew her second pistol, as the pigs continued to taunt her.  "You gonna shoot a cop?"  "Not in this neighborhood!"  They burst into an uproar of laughter.  Revy spat at the ground, filled with a hatred that warmed her, preparing her to fight.  "I had somebody ask me once, why I do what I do.  How I could just. . . kill a man.  But you're not a man.  You're not cops.  You're pigs!  PIGS!!"  She lunged, both guns in hand, and began firing.  She dropped two shots into the rapist's chest, and kicked him to the ground.  The other two circled her, attempting to grab her and pin her down.  She ducked, and they butted heads.  She let off two more rounds in the right most attacker's stomach, and one under the neck of the other's face.  On the left, he went flipping backwards, into the ground.  The remaining goon stumbled, but, drew out his baton and began to swing.  She back stepped his first three strikes, and caught the forth.  She kneed the bastard in his testicles, and as he fell to the ground, shot him twice in the face.

 

"Fuck heads."  She pressed on, dropping the empty shells behind her, until she heard another voice.  This was not a male's voice.  Rather, someone was. . .crying? She followed the sound of tears until she saw a girl curled in a ball on the ground.  She didn't recognize this one.  Did she jump in behind Revy?  Or was she from the opposing faction?  Revy took caution in her approach, loading a round into the chamber of her pistol.  "Oi," she called, waiting for the girl to turn around.  Revy buried her hostility.  She was cruel, but she wasn't heartless unless she needed to be.  Pistol at the ready, she kept it aimed in the air, as to not start off poorly with.. .whoever this was.

 

(Final location, Pathway of Remembrance, A2)

 

Killua, Pathway of Death

 

He didn't stay to confirm whether Gon followed him or not.  He knew Gon was strong.  Worrying was. . .silly.  It was dark.  Disturbingly so.  The darkness gave off an intense evil aura, that reminded him much of Illumi or Hisoka.  He was used to this--this presence.  He could feel the dead eyeing him from the blackness that he was surrounded by.  Tiny rounded lights floated above his head, leading down a stone path.  He wasn't sure where to step, so Killua eased into his first hundred steps.  After determining the stability of the path, Killua could confirm two things:  this was a very long pathway, but would not require near the amount of endurance of the Hunter's Exam; it was possible this was the first of many paths inside of the Pathway of Death.  His hair turned up, sharp and spiky.  Jagged lines appeared beside his eyes, and Killua was surrounded by static.  Without uttering a word, he vanished down the path.  It was to his great advantage that he had God Speed.  This would have taken him days if it had not been so.  Moments later, Killua stood just feet away from cloaked figures whom also gave off an eerie aura.  He stepped past them silently, wanting to preserve the rest of his energy.  In strange environments, it was best to approach tactfully, and he knew this.

 

As he moved past them, Killua suddenly felt drained.  He had made his first big mistake.  It seemed the area suddenly changed beyond the cloaked figures, and he could not go back.  "Tch," he scoffed to himself.  It was, somehow, darker now, and it seemed to only grow darker as Killua pressed forward.  This was sure to be one of the hardest things Killua had done in some time.  The worst part in this entire scenario, was that he was alone.  The ground was more solid now, but could not be seen.  It was incredibly disorienting.  This however, would not phase Killua much.  He was able to maintain composure and watch his own footsteps without lowering his head or stopping.  Killua decided at the last moment that it was best if he didn't see the ground, wary that somethings may or may not shock him.  He began a moderate pace forward, looking for his next objective.

 

Albert Wesker, Pathway of Truth

 

How droll.  A wooden path, and a light at the end of the tunnel.  Something he half expected a drunken architect who'd just lost his wife to a tragic car accident to write up.  It was too dark, even for his eyes, to sense whoever else was nearby.  Annoyed, he began a very calm, collected, slow walk to the light.  He had no reason to engage with inferior life forms.  If he was attacked, he would simply eradicate the foolish, and continue his stroll.  In all honesty, Albert was quietly wishing for a cup of tea.  His mind began to wander, as he grew curious as to the types of samples he would be able to collect on this journey.  If he were to find some kind of corpse to experiment with. . . . only time would tell.  It would take approximately one week for Wesker to walk to the end of the Wooden Corridor.

 

Meanwhile. . . . 

 

"Tree for de young lady.  De first to score a kill," he said mocking Revy and the others.  "I wonder. . .what can I get outta dis?  Me tinks, a whole hell of a lot."  Papa Legba grinned into the darkness, watching Revy, Kratos, Kenpachi, and Yachiru enter their paths.