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.876Please respect copyright.PENANAUNReJb4vws
This has gotten out of hand, I think it’s more important to get my powers back instead of gaining trust from either side.876Please respect copyright.PENANAM5GIHMzK7a
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.876Please respect copyright.PENANAFIM4q2fCUb
???: “Watch out!”876Please respect copyright.PENANADnqtnNUhrd
Moryuu: “What the-”876Please respect copyright.PENANAnIEwcyaqIj
I instinctively moved out of the way of the falling object which seems to be who I’ve been waiting for.876Please respect copyright.PENANACQHBvjkNTS
Moryuu: “About time you showed up.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAnSdPHyEF8N
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. 876Please respect copyright.PENANA34rCzHDmhC
???: “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.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAR5RtF8F48q
Moryuu: “….Yeah.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAz2qNuaNm6J
???: “Well, don’t worry I’m sure her next self will be just as interesting.”876Please respect copyright.PENANARdsycV77cV
Moryuu: “Maybe, anyway now that you’re here Talon, what’s the plan?”876Please respect copyright.PENANAob9dxlYWwp
Talon: “Well, it seems that those guys forgot about the dolls I gave them, oh, here’s a refill on those poison vials.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAZnhY3PEHj8
Moryuu: “Thanks.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAxGHrsiUpo6
Talon: “Anyway, I think you had the right idea regarding your powers. Things are getting dicey, try not to kill any more people.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAcql0TOqqgz
Moryuu: “Alright, I’ll try. What about you?”876Please respect copyright.PENANAwM9LRZ17eg
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.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAha76vwZVcQ
Moryuu: “Right, after that maybe you can help the rest of those alive.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAb8h3lvCQpS
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.”876Please respect copyright.PENANASkDIqeTlaq
Moryuu: “Let’s hurry, we don’t have much time.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAzBzWmj272M
Talon: “Never time for a joke to lighten the mood I guess.”876Please respect copyright.PENANARadG86v06x
Talon raises his hands and a yellow portal appears beside me.876Please respect copyright.PENANA59mbYNOvwk
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.”876Please respect copyright.PENANASuKkuV6Zgj
I guess my powers are in the pillar Caecius was heading towards... terrific. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAIoYwxMrslM
Moryuu: “You too, don’t mess with the Umbra Lord Gideon.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAJxlAvlJ4RL
Talon: “You find him interesting?”876Please respect copyright.PENANAlBzhi3S1X7
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.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAvJmAEFJx3R
Talon grabs his chest in a dramatic manner resembling the melodrama I attempted in my alter ego. 876Please respect copyright.PENANACXYrNyl5GR
Talon: “You wound me good man, don’t worry If it’s one thing I’m good at it’s teleporting away.”876Please respect copyright.PENANA7v5p0s8nT8
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. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAV8MQRkzrwn
I steel myself for the journey and take the right path, listening closely to see if Caecius is near.876Please respect copyright.PENANAuhHq98ztGA
A wind mage is too much trouble for me now, especially since he can suffocate me which is pretty high level. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAdqR2rkLBy4
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. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAvyYgaZqi8Y
Moryuu: “I guess you want me to follow you.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAJtFSjnHzaK
I follow close behind the strange lantern until we find ourselves to what I imagine is the center of the pillar. 876Please respect copyright.PENANACCNKDeKV5n
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. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAMvQ9B0nXRx
*Footsteps*876Please respect copyright.PENANAStiIsWl6A9
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.876Please respect copyright.PENANAOttQrUcr2s
Caecius: “I feel powerful energy here, perhaps it’s really here. Surely it must be fate if I’ve found it so quick.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAzfrJ3TDHML
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.876Please respect copyright.PENANAqnFtfoTBrF
I’ll find a way to get the jump on him, maybe there’s a way to scale the walls. 876Please respect copyright.PENANANXZdUjmxQP
Caecius: “Mmmm?”876Please respect copyright.PENANAVxbwj6veyg
I guess that makes too much noise, now what?876Please respect copyright.PENANAWfuDUdTWCC
Caecius: “I know someone is there, come out or I’m coming to you.”876Please respect copyright.PENANANIiYANGwDC
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.876Please respect copyright.PENANACEkNDS11FT
Caecius: “So it’s you, the mysterious man. What do you want, come to fight?”876Please respect copyright.PENANADWLQH73GoO
Moryuu: “Not really, I’ve come looking for something.”876Please respect copyright.PENANArBybPbGnvH
Caecius: “Oh, and what would that be.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAduQn9x2jlo
Moryuu: “Something that belongs to me.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAy0Oyxoucon
Caecius: “Depending on what that thing is, I might have to kill you.”876Please respect copyright.PENANApYjRjaZkmx
Moryuu: “I expected as much.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAaIEKA35Tcg
This is going smoother than I thought. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAJfHbtRgBy2
Moryuu: “!!”876Please respect copyright.PENANArRi3xrltsE
Is what I thought until he shot a blade of air near my face, leaving a cut. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAuvby6HSTcp
Caecius: “There’s something else I need to know from you, who are you, and what’s your purpose?”876Please respect copyright.PENANAcIleCp50l6
Moryuu: “Is that all, do you want fries with that?”876Please respect copyright.PENANAcPKQYnEPR9
Caecius: “*Glare*”876Please respect copyright.PENANAwMGAcAJczq
Moryuu: “I have no problem telling you the truth about this place, I wonder though if you’ll believe me.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAAp7TIHJx9h
Caecius: “No harm in trying.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAVDkSkHOmRH
Moryuu: “Fine, the first part of the info dump is the fact that this is not the afterlife.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAKGCbWzveMO
Caecius: “!!”876Please respect copyright.PENANA77wN1NUAiC
Caecius: “Explain.”876Please respect copyright.PENANADg3OB6UV8Q
Moryuu: “I don’t know if your world has something similar but what we’re standing on is actually a dead eldritch god.”876Please respect copyright.PENANA9EE89WsYfi
Caecius: “But….why and how are there dead people here?”876Please respect copyright.PENANAtOIg6vTxAA
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.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAQvWn0ZbBax
Caecius: “….”876Please respect copyright.PENANAEKrwzErNtw
Moryuu: “Don’t believe me huh?”876Please respect copyright.PENANAMh98MyGcba
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.”876Please respect copyright.PENANACCzNxrHVhg
Moryuu: “Yep, well, everyone except the Umbras for some reason.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAx7HARYY9a2
Caecius: “Impossible, this is too outrageous to believe!”876Please respect copyright.PENANAcXq2CWJBuX
Moryuu: “Have you ever wondered why shifts happen?”876Please respect copyright.PENANAQMXL7AlbXx
Caecius: “….”876Please respect copyright.PENANAsFLzIAQN1y
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.”876Please respect copyright.PENANABZyP1jnMk3
Caecius: “Let’s say I believe you, why are you here instead of babysitting everyone else?”876Please respect copyright.PENANAe0cI4EwE9u
Moryuu: “Because there’s an item of great power that can help me do my job.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAtl9zJd9ttq
Caecius: “….”876Please respect copyright.PENANATiW8jbe8ve
Caecius: “Sorry, I can’t risk believing you.”876Please respect copyright.PENANA8zwuVhS5jw
He swipes his hands and shots a wide blade of air towards me and I narrowly dodge out of the way.876Please respect copyright.PENANAIY4oxnuGz7
Moryuu: “I knew it, never trust a mage, especially one hellbent on bringing back the dead.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAHKxchMqsZX
Caecius: “It can be done!”876Please respect copyright.PENANAUEG06wM7m5
Moryuu: “Maybe, but the dead should rest.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAByWZcXoNIv
Caecius: “Silence!”876Please respect copyright.PENANAjgvLplCbV1
Caecius continually blasts out wave after wave of air blades but I dodge them all. Still, it’s hard to maneuver in this-876Please respect copyright.PENANAaMhkistu9e
Moryuu: “!!!!”876Please respect copyright.PENANAVj6pkRhr97
I'm….suffocating!876Please respect copyright.PENANAjSqozjHKw3
Caecius: “Enough of this game, I’ll kill you and get what I've come for.”876Please respect copyright.PENANA78TpLtN1hh
I throw 3 daggers at him and he blocks it with air but it did break his spell. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAFjnJ8zN8El
Moryuu: “*Cough* *Cough*”876Please respect copyright.PENANAFDBVNvCCAY
Moryuu: “I guess you need concentration for that huh?”876Please respect copyright.PENANAEdCSjhCE89
Caecius: “I don’t need it to kill you.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAB13TpiM7Og
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.876Please respect copyright.PENANAk5pJuj8oPl
Caecius: “It’s useless!”876Please respect copyright.PENANAW10X4hr23b
Moryuu: “Is it?”876Please respect copyright.PENANASfI5AgHhGK
I close my eyes, breathe, and take out my tonfas. I jump down and slam into the ground causing a small crater. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAnL6QNXuDCb
Caecius: “You’re going to fight me with melee weapons, fool.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAJ56hh7mg3Z
Caecius shots a dozen or so air blades at me but I stay still….and listen.876Please respect copyright.PENANAdHfspVSySe
The slight movements in the air, the whirling sound of blades, and the split second before impact.876Please respect copyright.PENANA6kNPpEg0S2
My instincts flair up to prepare for the assault.876Please respect copyright.PENANAFZ1YCyLO5r
…876Please respect copyright.PENANAUbiYGezh45
..876Please respect copyright.PENANAPdrqPEUBPw
.876Please respect copyright.PENANAn1ExILMneP
NOW!876Please respect copyright.PENANAXuqoELjvbO
*Slash*876Please respect copyright.PENANA6hbY3rFBLQ
*Slash*876Please respect copyright.PENANA65lS7pAaC7
*Slash*876Please respect copyright.PENANAJjm9moVOR0
Caecius: “Wha, how!”876Please respect copyright.PENANAmmoTwFsgNC
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. 876Please respect copyright.PENANA6f4hc5ldYU
Moryuu: “What’s wrong, I guess you’re not the best wind user out there.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAQELJ8TzH3E
Caecius: “You!”876Please respect copyright.PENANAfLTLYg6l8T
I keep my eyes closed and anticipated the assault of air blades.876Please respect copyright.PENANAXTcVjQAUPY
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.876Please respect copyright.PENANAJAJbigS5nN
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. 876Please respect copyright.PENANA6sxKAdn5wX
Caecius: “GAH!”876Please respect copyright.PENANA8kdJPqz744
He’s sent flying into the wall, still-876Please respect copyright.PENANAy2RS2kuDPc
Moryuu: “Tch.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAVdBLLOPtSa
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. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAldy9Q9zgok
Caecius: “*Cough* *Cough*”876Please respect copyright.PENANAMrUuAcKLIV
Caecius: “No more playing around, I’m going to…oh my god.”876Please respect copyright.PENANArTw4C7E0b8
Moryuu: “What?”876Please respect copyright.PENANAJpVkKcpuGV
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.876Please respect copyright.PENANAGqe0Oxa98O
Caecius: “The Eye….”876Please respect copyright.PENANA9ArEL3avxs
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. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAOEs2IRi2lQ
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. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAwOg6q610eK
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. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAjm5qhEJqO6
Caecius: “At last, I’m closer to my goal. Wait for me….Nieth.”876Please respect copyright.PENANA4evjOIuA8Z
Caecius: “It’s over Moryuu, now that I’m this close to my goal there’s no way I’m losing to you.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAFUqIuSfusc
Moryuu: “Maybe before, but not now.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAUm7Ws0xaaF
Caecius: “What’s that, a potion of some sort? That’s not going to help you here.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAR3LCNiBkIR
Moryuu: “Well, allow me to surprise you.”876Please respect copyright.PENANA40mEe8TOHC
[ Music Plays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojL5Y5HvOlE ]876Please respect copyright.PENANAV98TyCKfXr
I down the entire flask and instantly, I can feel the power of lightning coursing through me again.876Please respect copyright.PENANAq5NoSXZmHt
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.876Please respect copyright.PENANAxLUXXWMDQi
I’ve survived this before, I-I’ll....survive ...again!876Please respect copyright.PENANA6pg36vIEg0
Soon enough, the pain subsides and the real power begins to form within. 876Please respect copyright.PENANANVC3ZkyCJi
My wounds heal and azure lightning strikes all around scorching the area around me.876Please respect copyright.PENANA9lO8oT8LFt
I float back down, my eyes shoot open to reveal a deep light blue color change and I push back my hair. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAUsMVJjpAgc
Moryuu: “Bow, you’re in the presence of a God.”876Please respect copyright.PENANALV75e9nwh1
Caecius: “Wha-What are you!?”876Please respect copyright.PENANA6p9J1JWR05
I blitzed past him in the form of lightning and grab the eye before he could register what happened.876Please respect copyright.PENANAHZU99429mw
Moryuu: “The winner of this battle.”876Please respect copyright.PENANARryQnG5khr
He hurried to fling more air blades towards me but I block them all with a lightning shield. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAYB025AqeUl
Moryuu: “Normally I’d kill a mage like you but I have a mission to complete, give up.” 876Please respect copyright.PENANA4uBy8Qm56t
Caecius: “I can’t….I need that eye….”876Please respect copyright.PENANAGUQPq2FHtS
Moryuu: “She’s dead, let her rest.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAq6Y0alZJkV
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.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAfDbpJM8Qha
Moryuu: “I’ve lost loved ones too, but I would not disgrace their memory and name by dragging them back from the dead.”876Please respect copyright.PENANAp8oTtNRLKD
Caecius: “Tch….”876Please respect copyright.PENANApnsDYEThah
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.”876Please respect copyright.PENANA5maQJNVrEg
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.”876Please respect copyright.PENANA55Y1WAjZBE
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. 876Please respect copyright.PENANABPkUfdxMNF
Caecius: “No….No….I can’t lose her again!!!”876Please respect copyright.PENANAJ0Yzl7uo0x
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. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAFTnql7Qm3m
Caecius: “Die!!”876Please respect copyright.PENANAGXT8A79ibl
He throws it at me, I know it won’t hurt me but….my killing instinct involuntary kicked in anyway.876Please respect copyright.PENANATD11zqRv4T
Moryuu: “You Fool!”876Please respect copyright.PENANACMsDaWCXIm
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.876Please respect copyright.PENANAl7TNVqmuPo
In the end, Caecius collapses on the ground charred black and….probably dead. 876Please respect copyright.PENANAOQ4xzkp9uA
Moryuu: “….Damn it, why didn’t you give up….”876Please respect copyright.PENANA6H64m6TC45
1 Day Till Shift876Please respect copyright.PENANAOovTTfO14c