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.732Please respect copyright.PENANAjcoNeL4kD7
This has gotten out of hand, I think it’s more important to get my powers back instead of gaining trust from either side.732Please respect copyright.PENANAg1iG8a024j
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.732Please respect copyright.PENANAMsmA98SfN7
???: “Watch out!”732Please respect copyright.PENANA0bAaJ7Vvvg
Moryuu: “What the-”732Please respect copyright.PENANARUJFjsI7bm
I instinctively moved out of the way of the falling object which seems to be who I’ve been waiting for.732Please respect copyright.PENANAlbK85IhjFQ
Moryuu: “About time you showed up.”732Please respect copyright.PENANApiBJxeNj4q
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. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAkZWOd00B17
???: “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.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAiUXeFAVDrP
Moryuu: “….Yeah.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAHz3uMkAlOP
???: “Well, don’t worry I’m sure her next self will be just as interesting.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAQjbiJp9zIw
Moryuu: “Maybe, anyway now that you’re here Talon, what’s the plan?”732Please respect copyright.PENANAc33OAJCHxm
Talon: “Well, it seems that those guys forgot about the dolls I gave them, oh, here’s a refill on those poison vials.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAuWT2d84BH2
Moryuu: “Thanks.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAOjjw7VgiKs
Talon: “Anyway, I think you had the right idea regarding your powers. Things are getting dicey, try not to kill any more people.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAAjns4D7zts
Moryuu: “Alright, I’ll try. What about you?”732Please respect copyright.PENANA4bZk8UoJhy
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.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAyVvsTR6dHm
Moryuu: “Right, after that maybe you can help the rest of those alive.”732Please respect copyright.PENANASKdf5MyuPx
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.”732Please respect copyright.PENANA8Vl0YAibOm
Moryuu: “Let’s hurry, we don’t have much time.”732Please respect copyright.PENANABqutEIOFuS
Talon: “Never time for a joke to lighten the mood I guess.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAjBiP2Oy2sx
Talon raises his hands and a yellow portal appears beside me.732Please respect copyright.PENANArSGHwJHRh1
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.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAfWopYYaVUQ
I guess my powers are in the pillar Caecius was heading towards... terrific. 732Please respect copyright.PENANA2g6JOvsOUo
Moryuu: “You too, don’t mess with the Umbra Lord Gideon.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAjIc2TESj72
Talon: “You find him interesting?”732Please respect copyright.PENANAfL9llfpJ9w
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.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAkBbuw327NP
Talon grabs his chest in a dramatic manner resembling the melodrama I attempted in my alter ego. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAOx28mxBRVJ
Talon: “You wound me good man, don’t worry If it’s one thing I’m good at it’s teleporting away.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAw5TvKSWInF
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. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAAvhSKhSDq8
I steel myself for the journey and take the right path, listening closely to see if Caecius is near.732Please respect copyright.PENANAL4tyhkKk2d
A wind mage is too much trouble for me now, especially since he can suffocate me which is pretty high level. 732Please respect copyright.PENANA7PGYgwfrHt
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. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAJ92Zx7rQJd
Moryuu: “I guess you want me to follow you.”732Please respect copyright.PENANA9Z9bSkxEmt
I follow close behind the strange lantern until we find ourselves to what I imagine is the center of the pillar. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAOZUXFJ3m7C
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. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAldbQJNarET
*Footsteps*732Please respect copyright.PENANAzvKoM3uRR8
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.732Please respect copyright.PENANATXWeO1EMT6
Caecius: “I feel powerful energy here, perhaps it’s really here. Surely it must be fate if I’ve found it so quick.”732Please respect copyright.PENANA3RvlvRrLtu
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.732Please respect copyright.PENANAXHzj1I441y
I’ll find a way to get the jump on him, maybe there’s a way to scale the walls. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAxu6MFqRJj7
Caecius: “Mmmm?”732Please respect copyright.PENANASXX5F8zFin
I guess that makes too much noise, now what?732Please respect copyright.PENANAos8sdevnRE
Caecius: “I know someone is there, come out or I’m coming to you.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAiTupf2Jg2N
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.732Please respect copyright.PENANAfy4Ru2im5e
Caecius: “So it’s you, the mysterious man. What do you want, come to fight?”732Please respect copyright.PENANALiCFUoKD0Y
Moryuu: “Not really, I’ve come looking for something.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAhLNOlDa4hw
Caecius: “Oh, and what would that be.”732Please respect copyright.PENANABVGSzXw7pm
Moryuu: “Something that belongs to me.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAJxSSUZ0Z5h
Caecius: “Depending on what that thing is, I might have to kill you.”732Please respect copyright.PENANA3ZsSi9PanS
Moryuu: “I expected as much.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAuYXJo5JCMn
This is going smoother than I thought. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAH32qbBINfO
Moryuu: “!!”732Please respect copyright.PENANAPmtR2w5mrz
Is what I thought until he shot a blade of air near my face, leaving a cut. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAY41VrUe6NN
Caecius: “There’s something else I need to know from you, who are you, and what’s your purpose?”732Please respect copyright.PENANASzgGCzl9Hv
Moryuu: “Is that all, do you want fries with that?”732Please respect copyright.PENANAjjm8F2sepD
Caecius: “*Glare*”732Please respect copyright.PENANA9z5JX6yfeO
Moryuu: “I have no problem telling you the truth about this place, I wonder though if you’ll believe me.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAW0ew4ln4ST
Caecius: “No harm in trying.”732Please respect copyright.PENANA9jaC4fSeN9
Moryuu: “Fine, the first part of the info dump is the fact that this is not the afterlife.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAQQfBEUKStw
Caecius: “!!”732Please respect copyright.PENANA4HLjnMznYj
Caecius: “Explain.”732Please respect copyright.PENANA5PEvcO9usl
Moryuu: “I don’t know if your world has something similar but what we’re standing on is actually a dead eldritch god.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAUMg9VcFqN3
Caecius: “But….why and how are there dead people here?”732Please respect copyright.PENANAluqiALqU0l
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.”732Please respect copyright.PENANA4MuhY7YeYD
Caecius: “….”732Please respect copyright.PENANApcitPmYt3M
Moryuu: “Don’t believe me huh?”732Please respect copyright.PENANAGfEZ4BWXam
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.”732Please respect copyright.PENANANJqIzhdWCk
Moryuu: “Yep, well, everyone except the Umbras for some reason.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAEyb8qzvk0v
Caecius: “Impossible, this is too outrageous to believe!”732Please respect copyright.PENANA4fXBxumogy
Moryuu: “Have you ever wondered why shifts happen?”732Please respect copyright.PENANAx8KMmR68I0
Caecius: “….”732Please respect copyright.PENANAQvhy8PoGnl
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.”732Please respect copyright.PENANA0mZOZMAcPg
Caecius: “Let’s say I believe you, why are you here instead of babysitting everyone else?”732Please respect copyright.PENANAWcjdD7opmN
Moryuu: “Because there’s an item of great power that can help me do my job.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAD3dCBxCCZh
Caecius: “….”732Please respect copyright.PENANAMcSVI1VKMh
Caecius: “Sorry, I can’t risk believing you.”732Please respect copyright.PENANA66Ty8WrUR9
He swipes his hands and shots a wide blade of air towards me and I narrowly dodge out of the way.732Please respect copyright.PENANAsfS0emo5Kp
Moryuu: “I knew it, never trust a mage, especially one hellbent on bringing back the dead.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAhLKb8pWNKV
Caecius: “It can be done!”732Please respect copyright.PENANAmIyJrtI2uF
Moryuu: “Maybe, but the dead should rest.”732Please respect copyright.PENANASe8qhSVg7s
Caecius: “Silence!”732Please respect copyright.PENANAFxPHUiPJKQ
Caecius continually blasts out wave after wave of air blades but I dodge them all. Still, it’s hard to maneuver in this-732Please respect copyright.PENANAGzYzueQtUC
Moryuu: “!!!!”732Please respect copyright.PENANAjeeObqeSWV
I'm….suffocating!732Please respect copyright.PENANAePEAGR0Hpx
Caecius: “Enough of this game, I’ll kill you and get what I've come for.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAVMInh3U1PU
I throw 3 daggers at him and he blocks it with air but it did break his spell. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAW8Q1xjKkS3
Moryuu: “*Cough* *Cough*”732Please respect copyright.PENANA5PvxNVwiE3
Moryuu: “I guess you need concentration for that huh?”732Please respect copyright.PENANA3Hw9Zl1b7Z
Caecius: “I don’t need it to kill you.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAJNv2kwzT63
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.732Please respect copyright.PENANAx5zQTDctya
Caecius: “It’s useless!”732Please respect copyright.PENANA7X0d1ZJSEc
Moryuu: “Is it?”732Please respect copyright.PENANAbKd2VmyfUc
I close my eyes, breathe, and take out my tonfas. I jump down and slam into the ground causing a small crater. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAzfIJa0EHV1
Caecius: “You’re going to fight me with melee weapons, fool.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAoDGA50VUwL
Caecius shots a dozen or so air blades at me but I stay still….and listen.732Please respect copyright.PENANAdAlbKVovEf
The slight movements in the air, the whirling sound of blades, and the split second before impact.732Please respect copyright.PENANAgk9ZE1tzqt
My instincts flair up to prepare for the assault.732Please respect copyright.PENANAS3AMsXjOhT
…732Please respect copyright.PENANAquR2CPn9M8
..732Please respect copyright.PENANATseeFtgdGC
.732Please respect copyright.PENANA4dB5Ha6t13
NOW!732Please respect copyright.PENANA4WM6pB2b8L
*Slash*732Please respect copyright.PENANAaahow8ZS9e
*Slash*732Please respect copyright.PENANA2zC9oBEfbk
*Slash*732Please respect copyright.PENANA2mUGhqqR4D
Caecius: “Wha, how!”732Please respect copyright.PENANAW4DHPoCJOv
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. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAUxIHYnSRvK
Moryuu: “What’s wrong, I guess you’re not the best wind user out there.”732Please respect copyright.PENANANct3icO9YA
Caecius: “You!”732Please respect copyright.PENANAne3rgdouW6
I keep my eyes closed and anticipated the assault of air blades.732Please respect copyright.PENANAqn2dfWM3Q2
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.732Please respect copyright.PENANA5Ip5ZlFMTO
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. 732Please respect copyright.PENANA5YgT3ftE5r
Caecius: “GAH!”732Please respect copyright.PENANAMtz5TI7d9J
He’s sent flying into the wall, still-732Please respect copyright.PENANAyE6vsl9jvv
Moryuu: “Tch.”732Please respect copyright.PENANApb8ea9Kh1g
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. 732Please respect copyright.PENANA64w2eo0Ljx
Caecius: “*Cough* *Cough*”732Please respect copyright.PENANAWSqbjP2Z5F
Caecius: “No more playing around, I’m going to…oh my god.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAtzOmJf8Wtc
Moryuu: “What?”732Please respect copyright.PENANAUnDdQHy6HO
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.732Please respect copyright.PENANAvUN27KdqWI
Caecius: “The Eye….”732Please respect copyright.PENANAp9z8RvHeHd
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. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAHUQ13Gz0M6
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. 732Please respect copyright.PENANArmcyrAITt6
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. 732Please respect copyright.PENANANEXDzO8U4a
Caecius: “At last, I’m closer to my goal. Wait for me….Nieth.”732Please respect copyright.PENANA0ZJPVgBddC
Caecius: “It’s over Moryuu, now that I’m this close to my goal there’s no way I’m losing to you.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAxZDpMD78xF
Moryuu: “Maybe before, but not now.”732Please respect copyright.PENANA4kjaAgsyLZ
Caecius: “What’s that, a potion of some sort? That’s not going to help you here.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAHZPGfsdRIb
Moryuu: “Well, allow me to surprise you.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAWIntfPMH7h
[ Music Plays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojL5Y5HvOlE ]732Please respect copyright.PENANAqKCVDaZVDk
I down the entire flask and instantly, I can feel the power of lightning coursing through me again.732Please respect copyright.PENANA1KhU1vw1nJ
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.732Please respect copyright.PENANAhCa2Yp9cjN
I’ve survived this before, I-I’ll....survive ...again!732Please respect copyright.PENANAxgLLRuFLOd
Soon enough, the pain subsides and the real power begins to form within. 732Please respect copyright.PENANACCLreLzs1a
My wounds heal and azure lightning strikes all around scorching the area around me.732Please respect copyright.PENANAW4HbliAtBO
I float back down, my eyes shoot open to reveal a deep light blue color change and I push back my hair. 732Please respect copyright.PENANApGvbYC28R2
Moryuu: “Bow, you’re in the presence of a God.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAr9w8ZgBi2s
Caecius: “Wha-What are you!?”732Please respect copyright.PENANAtM5n3JPeow
I blitzed past him in the form of lightning and grab the eye before he could register what happened.732Please respect copyright.PENANALGLkf759Cs
Moryuu: “The winner of this battle.”732Please respect copyright.PENANACY5QcuWoWb
He hurried to fling more air blades towards me but I block them all with a lightning shield. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAgMdThwmhFC
Moryuu: “Normally I’d kill a mage like you but I have a mission to complete, give up.” 732Please respect copyright.PENANAGc9DEL7QIy
Caecius: “I can’t….I need that eye….”732Please respect copyright.PENANA6J3iynZpKS
Moryuu: “She’s dead, let her rest.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAJOkKq4hJJu
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.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAKMlumHiJVl
Moryuu: “I’ve lost loved ones too, but I would not disgrace their memory and name by dragging them back from the dead.”732Please respect copyright.PENANA2xb4am1Jrg
Caecius: “Tch….”732Please respect copyright.PENANAu9oEiabsOZ
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.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAnv5Q9sXQgY
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.”732Please respect copyright.PENANAkpqWLfAL6W
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. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAyjkSrtuJ5i
Caecius: “No….No….I can’t lose her again!!!”732Please respect copyright.PENANAW5yOMOpaOV
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. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAmPaonDjiOQ
Caecius: “Die!!”732Please respect copyright.PENANABbfaNgdaLh
He throws it at me, I know it won’t hurt me but….my killing instinct involuntary kicked in anyway.732Please respect copyright.PENANAM6VtIPtKoa
Moryuu: “You Fool!”732Please respect copyright.PENANAQebrTffE1m
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.732Please respect copyright.PENANAASemibXt8g
In the end, Caecius collapses on the ground charred black and….probably dead. 732Please respect copyright.PENANAyzbTX6WMQ9
Moryuu: “….Damn it, why didn’t you give up….”732Please respect copyright.PENANAQpcdQs8AhE
1 Day Till Shift732Please respect copyright.PENANAmb6EtXEKtx