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.777Please respect copyright.PENANA0alqqrSXHY
This has gotten out of hand, I think it’s more important to get my powers back instead of gaining trust from either side.777Please respect copyright.PENANAJoWRNWJ2ZC
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.777Please respect copyright.PENANAmTw6gbLdsz
???: “Watch out!”777Please respect copyright.PENANAavyH11H6SC
Moryuu: “What the-”777Please respect copyright.PENANANBfgPfhU9X
I instinctively moved out of the way of the falling object which seems to be who I’ve been waiting for.777Please respect copyright.PENANAGD4Up6w2CL
Moryuu: “About time you showed up.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAiEzghgHbRJ
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. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAD052PCKWqx
???: “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.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAWltWSkL26D
Moryuu: “….Yeah.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAE57fpbcfcH
???: “Well, don’t worry I’m sure her next self will be just as interesting.”777Please respect copyright.PENANA5ooMJpp0db
Moryuu: “Maybe, anyway now that you’re here Talon, what’s the plan?”777Please respect copyright.PENANAEpxppkv1yQ
Talon: “Well, it seems that those guys forgot about the dolls I gave them, oh, here’s a refill on those poison vials.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAHD96ts9B0a
Moryuu: “Thanks.”777Please respect copyright.PENANA0KgQv6YjYz
Talon: “Anyway, I think you had the right idea regarding your powers. Things are getting dicey, try not to kill any more people.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAlffUzWYm8D
Moryuu: “Alright, I’ll try. What about you?”777Please respect copyright.PENANA0fhCKIvBM5
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.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAsB0OpLLCYD
Moryuu: “Right, after that maybe you can help the rest of those alive.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAWARyYoxMtk
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.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAbufHy7TOzu
Moryuu: “Let’s hurry, we don’t have much time.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAwwfoVD6Fqj
Talon: “Never time for a joke to lighten the mood I guess.”777Please respect copyright.PENANABkh2doqsQg
Talon raises his hands and a yellow portal appears beside me.777Please respect copyright.PENANAGoEFmKHdqm
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.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAMFvH6mE1Ho
I guess my powers are in the pillar Caecius was heading towards... terrific. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAXQC1Zvm1ZK
Moryuu: “You too, don’t mess with the Umbra Lord Gideon.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAAJDt7vSGNf
Talon: “You find him interesting?”777Please respect copyright.PENANAYLIYZNDnqA
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.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAOjy1HyxDCg
Talon grabs his chest in a dramatic manner resembling the melodrama I attempted in my alter ego. 777Please respect copyright.PENANA3W6UOeIQ4G
Talon: “You wound me good man, don’t worry If it’s one thing I’m good at it’s teleporting away.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAbz2Nmyj74s
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. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAyJGWZF5oMl
I steel myself for the journey and take the right path, listening closely to see if Caecius is near.777Please respect copyright.PENANAxWVgVbIriO
A wind mage is too much trouble for me now, especially since he can suffocate me which is pretty high level. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAXzPOKZbjMC
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. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAbuSSK4XFDx
Moryuu: “I guess you want me to follow you.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAJEBG3DeuET
I follow close behind the strange lantern until we find ourselves to what I imagine is the center of the pillar. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAyX5kKDt3ZZ
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. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAgmCCQOx2hY
*Footsteps*777Please respect copyright.PENANAaqp6B5V32S
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.777Please respect copyright.PENANA7s0b8iVHJW
Caecius: “I feel powerful energy here, perhaps it’s really here. Surely it must be fate if I’ve found it so quick.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAmG1HTPUNfY
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.777Please respect copyright.PENANAmvnMHI8zb4
I’ll find a way to get the jump on him, maybe there’s a way to scale the walls. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAgYTd02oHVK
Caecius: “Mmmm?”777Please respect copyright.PENANABW1ksmgcGL
I guess that makes too much noise, now what?777Please respect copyright.PENANA463tRSv2ow
Caecius: “I know someone is there, come out or I’m coming to you.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAZefb6u4qun
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.777Please respect copyright.PENANAMBEpwmb0XQ
Caecius: “So it’s you, the mysterious man. What do you want, come to fight?”777Please respect copyright.PENANAr2yoZOjKGF
Moryuu: “Not really, I’ve come looking for something.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAXXGxiPLlPp
Caecius: “Oh, and what would that be.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAaor9XzVngl
Moryuu: “Something that belongs to me.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAJBC5X9Fcgp
Caecius: “Depending on what that thing is, I might have to kill you.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAQ7c2oeaQCb
Moryuu: “I expected as much.”777Please respect copyright.PENANARz081VFYcs
This is going smoother than I thought. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAnaUKbbvVeS
Moryuu: “!!”777Please respect copyright.PENANAsqpuWEmVpI
Is what I thought until he shot a blade of air near my face, leaving a cut. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAOOK9Fb6Pec
Caecius: “There’s something else I need to know from you, who are you, and what’s your purpose?”777Please respect copyright.PENANAKPhGC1bmz4
Moryuu: “Is that all, do you want fries with that?”777Please respect copyright.PENANAWPTGwDbkVO
Caecius: “*Glare*”777Please respect copyright.PENANAUmNoKMudGa
Moryuu: “I have no problem telling you the truth about this place, I wonder though if you’ll believe me.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAJJ85O8882X
Caecius: “No harm in trying.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAtkC924d07d
Moryuu: “Fine, the first part of the info dump is the fact that this is not the afterlife.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAFFiteYIzCS
Caecius: “!!”777Please respect copyright.PENANAgP0VoQD09v
Caecius: “Explain.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAcaJciNhReY
Moryuu: “I don’t know if your world has something similar but what we’re standing on is actually a dead eldritch god.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAihWd7xpe2s
Caecius: “But….why and how are there dead people here?”777Please respect copyright.PENANAE71BVMUzf4
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.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAasQgRpx2YP
Caecius: “….”777Please respect copyright.PENANA1LAiZppyMe
Moryuu: “Don’t believe me huh?”777Please respect copyright.PENANA5Ttu2bFZVL
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.”777Please respect copyright.PENANABwXcg3T85C
Moryuu: “Yep, well, everyone except the Umbras for some reason.”777Please respect copyright.PENANA5dCeFC7Gs0
Caecius: “Impossible, this is too outrageous to believe!”777Please respect copyright.PENANARoikBjBPcl
Moryuu: “Have you ever wondered why shifts happen?”777Please respect copyright.PENANAHjQH5gJmpF
Caecius: “….”777Please respect copyright.PENANAZ8WVGXq58F
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.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAbpEFPEnjsM
Caecius: “Let’s say I believe you, why are you here instead of babysitting everyone else?”777Please respect copyright.PENANAL8weJFL4kH
Moryuu: “Because there’s an item of great power that can help me do my job.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAaomudVbmaX
Caecius: “….”777Please respect copyright.PENANA6kwUUUeYVM
Caecius: “Sorry, I can’t risk believing you.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAjdgtpkyiN0
He swipes his hands and shots a wide blade of air towards me and I narrowly dodge out of the way.777Please respect copyright.PENANApKQqQa4StC
Moryuu: “I knew it, never trust a mage, especially one hellbent on bringing back the dead.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAEzyPOkzX0N
Caecius: “It can be done!”777Please respect copyright.PENANAs9y51i6vGK
Moryuu: “Maybe, but the dead should rest.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAGXNwYkEGAh
Caecius: “Silence!”777Please respect copyright.PENANAk2Usz8Ntrj
Caecius continually blasts out wave after wave of air blades but I dodge them all. Still, it’s hard to maneuver in this-777Please respect copyright.PENANAJvYzCcJI38
Moryuu: “!!!!”777Please respect copyright.PENANA3vbCFd20oB
I'm….suffocating!777Please respect copyright.PENANAFY6WFTIkNR
Caecius: “Enough of this game, I’ll kill you and get what I've come for.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAqNBgbM9Wcb
I throw 3 daggers at him and he blocks it with air but it did break his spell. 777Please respect copyright.PENANA3WBXRCdlPl
Moryuu: “*Cough* *Cough*”777Please respect copyright.PENANAmEN7SYghbV
Moryuu: “I guess you need concentration for that huh?”777Please respect copyright.PENANAFRPx8gYILl
Caecius: “I don’t need it to kill you.”777Please respect copyright.PENANA0Q73WqsieY
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.777Please respect copyright.PENANANsnS5qHWmE
Caecius: “It’s useless!”777Please respect copyright.PENANAAWAZxRwgPf
Moryuu: “Is it?”777Please respect copyright.PENANAdWbutnyO7U
I close my eyes, breathe, and take out my tonfas. I jump down and slam into the ground causing a small crater. 777Please respect copyright.PENANA9wnRWysE4u
Caecius: “You’re going to fight me with melee weapons, fool.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAHPq5Qv8SPn
Caecius shots a dozen or so air blades at me but I stay still….and listen.777Please respect copyright.PENANA3Tws4NOs85
The slight movements in the air, the whirling sound of blades, and the split second before impact.777Please respect copyright.PENANAfzLL0cgSg7
My instincts flair up to prepare for the assault.777Please respect copyright.PENANATADAM7QAxG
…777Please respect copyright.PENANAB2d5OPn0cb
..777Please respect copyright.PENANAwzIRmLHJ4J
.777Please respect copyright.PENANAt9e5sjzAMt
NOW!777Please respect copyright.PENANAjlOEbiiKU2
*Slash*777Please respect copyright.PENANAyMEXzWMUt4
*Slash*777Please respect copyright.PENANA1yLDukodna
*Slash*777Please respect copyright.PENANA8CSwXgbqN1
Caecius: “Wha, how!”777Please respect copyright.PENANAu0WjTij9DM
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. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAccDYetI2Da
Moryuu: “What’s wrong, I guess you’re not the best wind user out there.”777Please respect copyright.PENANA5LbfDmDXbX
Caecius: “You!”777Please respect copyright.PENANANGHije2bM8
I keep my eyes closed and anticipated the assault of air blades.777Please respect copyright.PENANAc4UJbW5ZEs
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.777Please respect copyright.PENANAaSPzFEBcjA
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. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAXgvSwxqZQu
Caecius: “GAH!”777Please respect copyright.PENANAtrMJrQ0d8l
He’s sent flying into the wall, still-777Please respect copyright.PENANANttqFwslmD
Moryuu: “Tch.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAu6f2kG07EM
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. 777Please respect copyright.PENANA6DbuPjRIFE
Caecius: “*Cough* *Cough*”777Please respect copyright.PENANAKzwXIMjcOa
Caecius: “No more playing around, I’m going to…oh my god.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAG02gl4C5QI
Moryuu: “What?”777Please respect copyright.PENANAWcyFmU8mYd
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.777Please respect copyright.PENANAdBQL7MjxgB
Caecius: “The Eye….”777Please respect copyright.PENANA9oRwTBDAsh
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. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAf8GuIlwjpP
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. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAEnOio0PGuO
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. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAAWWZ1qkprN
Caecius: “At last, I’m closer to my goal. Wait for me….Nieth.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAfG1Vnnv7k4
Caecius: “It’s over Moryuu, now that I’m this close to my goal there’s no way I’m losing to you.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAJoEddTOxYE
Moryuu: “Maybe before, but not now.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAzIK13ByRHz
Caecius: “What’s that, a potion of some sort? That’s not going to help you here.”777Please respect copyright.PENANA46fKDfKKIc
Moryuu: “Well, allow me to surprise you.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAHy1QwgZLfy
[ Music Plays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojL5Y5HvOlE ]777Please respect copyright.PENANAbKx71DTgSA
I down the entire flask and instantly, I can feel the power of lightning coursing through me again.777Please respect copyright.PENANAPU6MXyoXhY
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.777Please respect copyright.PENANADbC3mdfhx2
I’ve survived this before, I-I’ll....survive ...again!777Please respect copyright.PENANAmSkYkIbPQV
Soon enough, the pain subsides and the real power begins to form within. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAU3Ef3TwRZq
My wounds heal and azure lightning strikes all around scorching the area around me.777Please respect copyright.PENANAzTkuOzAsqc
I float back down, my eyes shoot open to reveal a deep light blue color change and I push back my hair. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAUE2jFOCOr6
Moryuu: “Bow, you’re in the presence of a God.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAJIeXshMxAv
Caecius: “Wha-What are you!?”777Please respect copyright.PENANACSSVgAKjPz
I blitzed past him in the form of lightning and grab the eye before he could register what happened.777Please respect copyright.PENANAXb2PUl6Xk1
Moryuu: “The winner of this battle.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAzSnMFAaFZB
He hurried to fling more air blades towards me but I block them all with a lightning shield. 777Please respect copyright.PENANARV9tAcnvAO
Moryuu: “Normally I’d kill a mage like you but I have a mission to complete, give up.” 777Please respect copyright.PENANAmuewPuSevz
Caecius: “I can’t….I need that eye….”777Please respect copyright.PENANAH9YVXneaTZ
Moryuu: “She’s dead, let her rest.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAuFMXKE3Yah
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.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAtyY4jgTqlQ
Moryuu: “I’ve lost loved ones too, but I would not disgrace their memory and name by dragging them back from the dead.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAj4nOGxUd93
Caecius: “Tch….”777Please respect copyright.PENANAE6MRyceKdF
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.”777Please respect copyright.PENANAP1TIJeI8y8
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.”777Please respect copyright.PENANACC74MkVew2
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. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAi3zSh1RlJq
Caecius: “No….No….I can’t lose her again!!!”777Please respect copyright.PENANAJbkwt0ilRI
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. 777Please respect copyright.PENANAvkij7N85N8
Caecius: “Die!!”777Please respect copyright.PENANAzljvGYV9qb
He throws it at me, I know it won’t hurt me but….my killing instinct involuntary kicked in anyway.777Please respect copyright.PENANAgO8GxmD2WA
Moryuu: “You Fool!”777Please respect copyright.PENANAU9fVfTRQXn
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.777Please respect copyright.PENANAlkyCnvg4vJ
In the end, Caecius collapses on the ground charred black and….probably dead. 777Please respect copyright.PENANA5kZvLSgsZQ
Moryuu: “….Damn it, why didn’t you give up….”777Please respect copyright.PENANAitqHBaa9FA
1 Day Till Shift777Please respect copyright.PENANAujwHT6IgzC