Well, this is a mess. I watched the whole thing unfold from a safe distance, I didn’t think it was a good time to interfere but now…. everyone is underground.845Please respect copyright.PENANAZgS8b6hCDB
This has gotten out of hand, I think it’s more important to get my powers back instead of gaining trust from either side.845Please respect copyright.PENANA0Eplmy3wuc
I look towards the many pillars in the distance and wonder which one could be hiding the Essence of Zeus. Just to be safe, maybe I should go to the one Caecius is heading. Don’t want him to get his hands on such power.845Please respect copyright.PENANAVuHxIgICwi
???: “Watch out!”845Please respect copyright.PENANAJHoHRKuV06
Moryuu: “What the-”845Please respect copyright.PENANAb285pMDg05
I instinctively moved out of the way of the falling object which seems to be who I’ve been waiting for.845Please respect copyright.PENANA51qrOivuGe
Moryuu: “About time you showed up.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAGGmos82YwV
The seemingly young boy dusted himself off and rose to meet me face to face. Considering our situation, I’m still surprised he would wear a normal yellow t-shirt and blue jeans like we’re on some vacation. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAdgTUULPLDm
???: “Sorry, it was hard forcing my way in here but the portal that girl’s bird made helped a lot. Sad what happened to her.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAnKU540OrQu
Moryuu: “….Yeah.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAuqsKMx8P7m
???: “Well, don’t worry I’m sure her next self will be just as interesting.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAZMtQIcLbZT
Moryuu: “Maybe, anyway now that you’re here Talon, what’s the plan?”845Please respect copyright.PENANAInNFtrDApU
Talon: “Well, it seems that those guys forgot about the dolls I gave them, oh, here’s a refill on those poison vials.”845Please respect copyright.PENANA4ueLo8NuQz
Moryuu: “Thanks.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAe4b52D6q77
Talon: “Anyway, I think you had the right idea regarding your powers. Things are getting dicey, try not to kill any more people.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAqAkFmYaa0F
Moryuu: “Alright, I’ll try. What about you?”845Please respect copyright.PENANAdPmb1iJoPf
Talon: “I’ll try to find the sleeping bodies of the fallen by teleportation. Their souls should still be in there ready for the next round.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAyMUKaY0H3Q
Moryuu: “Right, after that maybe you can help the rest of those alive.”845Please respect copyright.PENANANlRBRfTOkA
Talon: “Of course, I can’t wait to actually meet normal people. Well, except maybe Jayden since his organization is similar to mine and I don’t want to be dragged back into that environment.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAfZy8Lj79ak
Moryuu: “Let’s hurry, we don’t have much time.”845Please respect copyright.PENANARVZjSwDNay
Talon: “Never time for a joke to lighten the mood I guess.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAql2yOZIvO7
Talon raises his hands and a yellow portal appears beside me.845Please respect copyright.PENANAunwW1yGyun
Talon: “It’s way easier to open portals inside this place than outside. This should take you to where Caecius is, be careful. Get your powers and leave, I can’t have either of you dying.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAuB5xw1EiSy
I guess my powers are in the pillar Caecius was heading towards... terrific. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAMgF03kHpp9
Moryuu: “You too, don’t mess with the Umbra Lord Gideon.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAlqINFiJjSg
Talon: “You find him interesting?”845Please respect copyright.PENANA6NvtlxZSQI
Moryuu: “I want a rematch with him after I get my powers back….and you’re no match for him. He’d rip you apart.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAIfqbrPx3Kg
Talon grabs his chest in a dramatic manner resembling the melodrama I attempted in my alter ego. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAgsNqyKnnNm
Talon: “You wound me good man, don’t worry If it’s one thing I’m good at it’s teleporting away.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAXnzURknsfe
I nod and enter the portal to find myself in a near pitch-black structure. There are glimmers of blue light to the right and left of me. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAECMH0vOuCI
I steel myself for the journey and take the right path, listening closely to see if Caecius is near.845Please respect copyright.PENANA14c8OPvUyi
A wind mage is too much trouble for me now, especially since he can suffocate me which is pretty high level. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAVwsyLhaecH
I creep through the dark corridor to come across the blue light from earlier that’s coming from a weirdly floating lantern. Suddenly the Flame begins to dance around and playfully flies deeper into the structure. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAywmmLTSccv
Moryuu: “I guess you want me to follow you.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAKaCxQLQA9P
I follow close behind the strange lantern until we find ourselves to what I imagine is the center of the pillar. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAKJ3708YoOv
Blue light shines from the top that reveals another sharper pillar in the center of the room with 2 lanterns adorned on 2 of the corners. I guess this little guy is one of them but where’s the last one. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAvoSaBQuF1c
*Footsteps*845Please respect copyright.PENANAVBQeyOWYL5
I dash to the nearest hiding place within the cracks of the jagged walls. As expected, Caecius comes walking in with the last lantern. I guess they don’t care who comes in.845Please respect copyright.PENANAmQlhFALg9c
Caecius: “I feel powerful energy here, perhaps it’s really here. Surely it must be fate if I’ve found it so quick.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAwWI2mJsWwg
He inspects the sharp pillar in the center, searching for a way to unlock the contents of it I gather. I can’t let him get Zeus’s Essence.845Please respect copyright.PENANATF1hyRiDWz
I’ll find a way to get the jump on him, maybe there’s a way to scale the walls. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAAeRyIdwWyU
Caecius: “Mmmm?”845Please respect copyright.PENANApAHvFycj8t
I guess that makes too much noise, now what?845Please respect copyright.PENANAmeqNt9D7Uh
Caecius: “I know someone is there, come out or I’m coming to you.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAFSrcSQFKG1
Unless I have Zeus’s Essence it will be too risky to fight him. I come out of my hiding spot with my hands up.845Please respect copyright.PENANAKZbP9vc3I5
Caecius: “So it’s you, the mysterious man. What do you want, come to fight?”845Please respect copyright.PENANAkLFiz5I8BZ
Moryuu: “Not really, I’ve come looking for something.”845Please respect copyright.PENANABE5VB4J41M
Caecius: “Oh, and what would that be.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAF6cBsBONLL
Moryuu: “Something that belongs to me.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAMvxoiREY5B
Caecius: “Depending on what that thing is, I might have to kill you.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAnibjgZaj3Y
Moryuu: “I expected as much.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAqy8wZlx6oe
This is going smoother than I thought. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAza8EVXLPUa
Moryuu: “!!”845Please respect copyright.PENANA9Toao0p5Un
Is what I thought until he shot a blade of air near my face, leaving a cut. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAcZAht4xTQv
Caecius: “There’s something else I need to know from you, who are you, and what’s your purpose?”845Please respect copyright.PENANAQpuS6yrtKl
Moryuu: “Is that all, do you want fries with that?”845Please respect copyright.PENANAG3yKBnM2G5
Caecius: “*Glare*”845Please respect copyright.PENANA2PaZ0wlaM1
Moryuu: “I have no problem telling you the truth about this place, I wonder though if you’ll believe me.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAOWKQpZta8r
Caecius: “No harm in trying.”845Please respect copyright.PENANARAmQ76uJsv
Moryuu: “Fine, the first part of the info dump is the fact that this is not the afterlife.”845Please respect copyright.PENANA2mN4G3MBbN
Caecius: “!!”845Please respect copyright.PENANAW5I4E6FPQq
Caecius: “Explain.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAPJViRpPmDo
Moryuu: “I don’t know if your world has something similar but what we’re standing on is actually a dead eldritch god.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAk7DowbhFub
Caecius: “But….why and how are there dead people here?”845Please respect copyright.PENANARcR4Wcud8C
Moryuu: “Well, an acquaintance says that the nature of this god is to drag souls from other afterlives into this realm that seems like one but with an added twist. Time loops, every time someone dies and comes back, a part of their soul feeds the god and with enough energy, it will revive and cause massive damage to our universes and much more.”845Please respect copyright.PENANARIqPBmW2eR
Caecius: “….”845Please respect copyright.PENANANGMUDYAW4N
Moryuu: “Don’t believe me huh?”845Please respect copyright.PENANAhCMGSb5z8b
Caecius: “So you’re saying we’ve all died multiple times, came back in the warehouse without much power, and then did the whole thing again but slightly different.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAEFYlwnPaLG
Moryuu: “Yep, well, everyone except the Umbras for some reason.”845Please respect copyright.PENANA7WhJMhgSwc
Caecius: “Impossible, this is too outrageous to believe!”845Please respect copyright.PENANAqKWQ6Cmi3n
Moryuu: “Have you ever wondered why shifts happen?”845Please respect copyright.PENANAsZ3OSlk9v8
Caecius: “….”845Please respect copyright.PENANA50ofzYUxUI
Moryuu: “That’s the beast stirring, my job is to keep everyone from dying and maybe work together to do enough damage to it so it loses all the energy it’s been building up. After that, everyone can go back to where they belong.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAb3dJDuhZTh
Caecius: “Let’s say I believe you, why are you here instead of babysitting everyone else?”845Please respect copyright.PENANAaNQAMwmRdd
Moryuu: “Because there’s an item of great power that can help me do my job.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAzs8MugIudR
Caecius: “….”845Please respect copyright.PENANAXJaeFCy8Bl
Caecius: “Sorry, I can’t risk believing you.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAGv1xhH8NQn
He swipes his hands and shots a wide blade of air towards me and I narrowly dodge out of the way.845Please respect copyright.PENANAeejpqrTn5s
Moryuu: “I knew it, never trust a mage, especially one hellbent on bringing back the dead.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAJbE5eOVjsq
Caecius: “It can be done!”845Please respect copyright.PENANAybRBlMoaPk
Moryuu: “Maybe, but the dead should rest.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAwwuxhe3lmg
Caecius: “Silence!”845Please respect copyright.PENANA87UeqK4FNT
Caecius continually blasts out wave after wave of air blades but I dodge them all. Still, it’s hard to maneuver in this-845Please respect copyright.PENANAVuZjWcNrpl
Moryuu: “!!!!”845Please respect copyright.PENANA0xB0vaspzs
I'm….suffocating!845Please respect copyright.PENANAYAHQ1RxI8C
Caecius: “Enough of this game, I’ll kill you and get what I've come for.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAlhHaWfnUEW
I throw 3 daggers at him and he blocks it with air but it did break his spell. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAurV3jOWAXO
Moryuu: “*Cough* *Cough*”845Please respect copyright.PENANAmmpUwv6tGz
Moryuu: “I guess you need concentration for that huh?”845Please respect copyright.PENANAawYop4PMzN
Caecius: “I don’t need it to kill you.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAY3DWRzozCA
He shoots more air blades but I jump high up onto the few bars that line the ceiling corners. I let loose more daggers at him from above but he blocks them again.845Please respect copyright.PENANAmsrqf2BwRx
Caecius: “It’s useless!”845Please respect copyright.PENANA8V7FRUrC0J
Moryuu: “Is it?”845Please respect copyright.PENANAkdwMfURlSA
I close my eyes, breathe, and take out my tonfas. I jump down and slam into the ground causing a small crater. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAbuaEjyubx2
Caecius: “You’re going to fight me with melee weapons, fool.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAKv8CyynPfc
Caecius shots a dozen or so air blades at me but I stay still….and listen.845Please respect copyright.PENANA3aBqvK5t5Y
The slight movements in the air, the whirling sound of blades, and the split second before impact.845Please respect copyright.PENANAaf5Hyw4PN9
My instincts flair up to prepare for the assault.845Please respect copyright.PENANAnhdJCwvb0g
…845Please respect copyright.PENANA5kCTpwdkRM
..845Please respect copyright.PENANAGbvVpwitgZ
.845Please respect copyright.PENANADCIlHNPvMU
NOW!845Please respect copyright.PENANABYiGdtxtzP
*Slash*845Please respect copyright.PENANA42HAMF5Z5g
*Slash*845Please respect copyright.PENANAY9HdqzYHyS
*Slash*845Please respect copyright.PENANAgxrL7WD5oW
Caecius: “Wha, how!”845Please respect copyright.PENANAqsdi4tYHIQ
I knocked away all the blades of air, probably causing large gashes in the wall behind me. I was still cut all over but nothing vital has been damaged. 845Please respect copyright.PENANA5CPmZrTfVc
Moryuu: “What’s wrong, I guess you’re not the best wind user out there.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAXs1LO6iAol
Caecius: “You!”845Please respect copyright.PENANAtyaGHm0rmB
I keep my eyes closed and anticipated the assault of air blades.845Please respect copyright.PENANAWsuipA9RJI
I dash forward and reflect the dangerous ones away right before they touch my body while letting others past my defenses so I can keep going.845Please respect copyright.PENANAObBITHuUmn
Despite the many injuries, I make it right in front of Caecius and hit him in the gut with my Tonfa bypassing his wind barrier. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAPwQTIHb7zI
Caecius: “GAH!”845Please respect copyright.PENANAjLlWvyWNE9
He’s sent flying into the wall, still-845Please respect copyright.PENANAysMDN8jPIi
Moryuu: “Tch.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAv7s6o7AurF
I’m not that well off either, I’m breathing heavily and I don’t think that finished the job. Damn, I should have attached an Anti-Magic Dagger to my Tonfa. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAskNGBmTES1
Caecius: “*Cough* *Cough*”845Please respect copyright.PENANArrvQTJJmau
Caecius: “No more playing around, I’m going to…oh my god.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAh357y6x8Ud
Moryuu: “What?”845Please respect copyright.PENANA7sEnmaO6Ea
I look towards what he’s staring at and behold, there’s the flask of Zeus’s Essence and….something else floating in the air. All where the pillar once stood, I guess it was sliced to bits during the fight.845Please respect copyright.PENANAC3T0zpBA6s
Caecius: “The Eye….”845Please respect copyright.PENANAB3CRnqqQBy
He dashes to the object and I jump too, he can’t have either of them. Whatever the eye is it can’t be good if he has it. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAwYfcr1riuz
He shoots a powerful blunt blast of air towards me which pushes me away but I throw 2 daggers at him and 1 from the blunt side at the flask as I fall. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAtWzedzbBjx
The flask falls to the ground safely but Caecius grabs the eye. I shake off the pain of the fall and push towards the flash while he’s distracted. 845Please respect copyright.PENANArb66ykYNwx
Caecius: “At last, I’m closer to my goal. Wait for me….Nieth.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAA8aAMsWC3U
Caecius: “It’s over Moryuu, now that I’m this close to my goal there’s no way I’m losing to you.”845Please respect copyright.PENANA5zBxHYcTgU
Moryuu: “Maybe before, but not now.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAnsvGSfWv7T
Caecius: “What’s that, a potion of some sort? That’s not going to help you here.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAvRcxo5Ichz
Moryuu: “Well, allow me to surprise you.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAz0uDqrGXjz
[ Music Plays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojL5Y5HvOlE ]845Please respect copyright.PENANADM4vTIrXtH
I down the entire flask and instantly, I can feel the power of lightning coursing through me again.845Please respect copyright.PENANAPKb7Hy17op
I’m lifted into the air, my body is electrocuted from within and I begin to feel the almost unbearable pain battering my bleeding body.845Please respect copyright.PENANAujV5zzw0u5
I’ve survived this before, I-I’ll....survive ...again!845Please respect copyright.PENANA6CS8pnCchN
Soon enough, the pain subsides and the real power begins to form within. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAg5HqUVmi5G
My wounds heal and azure lightning strikes all around scorching the area around me.845Please respect copyright.PENANALm77drc3ha
I float back down, my eyes shoot open to reveal a deep light blue color change and I push back my hair. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAVguwVEqoIv
Moryuu: “Bow, you’re in the presence of a God.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAnqEJL13RG4
Caecius: “Wha-What are you!?”845Please respect copyright.PENANABUG1WUMxqK
I blitzed past him in the form of lightning and grab the eye before he could register what happened.845Please respect copyright.PENANAo2TkFGJU9T
Moryuu: “The winner of this battle.”845Please respect copyright.PENANA35DFAHO3eB
He hurried to fling more air blades towards me but I block them all with a lightning shield. 845Please respect copyright.PENANABq3EOq2Pdx
Moryuu: “Normally I’d kill a mage like you but I have a mission to complete, give up.” 845Please respect copyright.PENANABI88UZJ01n
Caecius: “I can’t….I need that eye….”845Please respect copyright.PENANAJbIlwilBhB
Moryuu: “She’s dead, let her rest.”845Please respect copyright.PENANA4Rhq5LLTGD
Caecius: “Rest? How can she rest?! She was killed before my eyes by the scum of the earth! Even if I have to move heaven and earth, I will give her the life she deserved.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAbRiIL77P0n
Moryuu: “I’ve lost loved ones too, but I would not disgrace their memory and name by dragging them back from the dead.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAhEkqiZsla3
Caecius: “Tch….”845Please respect copyright.PENANAE5QkU9LXdc
Moryuu: “There are few things I hate more than Necromancy. That’s why I’m going to kill Shadow for not only betraying me but because he dabbles in such dark arts.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAcYfRrhprTl
Moryuu: “We’re done here, I don’t want to kill you and you’re no match for me. I’m leaving here with the eye, maybe you should think about what I said.”845Please respect copyright.PENANAKxzR0lQws8
I turn my back on Caecius and head towards the exit of this place. Now that I have my powers back, I can move around the place a lot faster and help everyone stay alive better. Well, everyone except Gideon and Shadow. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAQAgGDZaAG4
Caecius: “No….No….I can’t lose her again!!!”845Please respect copyright.PENANAIuxZxN3l9a
I turn around to see Caecius conjuring up a large mass of magical wind that would do nothing to me but would probably collapse the place. 845Please respect copyright.PENANAGmkf6qzX2b
Caecius: “Die!!”845Please respect copyright.PENANATNFJB2snAp
He throws it at me, I know it won’t hurt me but….my killing instinct involuntary kicked in anyway.845Please respect copyright.PENANAeN5RU0KTuC
Moryuu: “You Fool!”845Please respect copyright.PENANAtlje24uopy
I shoot a powerful blast of lightning that rips through his wind and then through him causing a massive hole in the wall that leads outside and collapses a couple of buildings too.845Please respect copyright.PENANA1WghONYRqA
In the end, Caecius collapses on the ground charred black and….probably dead. 845Please respect copyright.PENANASkWR6cM2GP
Moryuu: “….Damn it, why didn’t you give up….”845Please respect copyright.PENANA52ntdAxylw
1 Day Till Shift845Please respect copyright.PENANANNxCskVQta