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.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUNFmlzqyE
This has gotten out of hand, I think it’s more important to get my powers back instead of gaining trust from either side.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIqw3uicBq
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.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIORxF00JtB
???: “Watch out!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡby2U93htYq
Moryuu: “What the-”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuIyPApsS1R
I instinctively moved out of the way of the falling object which seems to be who I’ve been waiting for.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLsPam71Ol
Moryuu: “About time you showed up.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNsVnJkngn
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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7VKn7LC78O
???: “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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkmkGIYOPQ
Moryuu: “….Yeah.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5hA7WlEcS
???: “Well, don’t worry I’m sure her next self will be just as interesting.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9biHV2RhoF
Moryuu: “Maybe, anyway now that you’re here Talon, what’s the plan?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXhvyfGu3t
Talon: “Well, it seems that those guys forgot about the dolls I gave them, oh, here’s a refill on those poison vials.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq49a8w180G
Moryuu: “Thanks.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHaxYy7MXs
Talon: “Anyway, I think you had the right idea regarding your powers. Things are getting dicey, try not to kill any more people.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKV1AW1Xdgo
Moryuu: “Alright, I’ll try. What about you?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6VJxdR5bg5
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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZCtRVtfz7I
Moryuu: “Right, after that maybe you can help the rest of those alive.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfpZcVajG8
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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7S1pFWWMVw
Moryuu: “Let’s hurry, we don’t have much time.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3ChwkGIsr
Talon: “Never time for a joke to lighten the mood I guess.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡetFeQu2H5P
Talon raises his hands and a yellow portal appears beside me.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqGbtAjqf4l
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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eGAPcJfAf
I guess my powers are in the pillar Caecius was heading towards... terrific. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXralZl6Gr
Moryuu: “You too, don’t mess with the Umbra Lord Gideon.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFjyvJo36Uh
Talon: “You find him interesting?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIWQsaqutz
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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7HfQCJg0V
Talon grabs his chest in a dramatic manner resembling the melodrama I attempted in my alter ego. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPG12XCPPhQ
Talon: “You wound me good man, don’t worry If it’s one thing I’m good at it’s teleporting away.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLNkHRi9bC
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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTimn8ooUIX
I steel myself for the journey and take the right path, listening closely to see if Caecius is near.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoy1iZs4NXy
A wind mage is too much trouble for me now, especially since he can suffocate me which is pretty high level. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1VvOstJAPL
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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9tRW2mjWQ
Moryuu: “I guess you want me to follow you.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwhWC75JJ0
I follow close behind the strange lantern until we find ourselves to what I imagine is the center of the pillar. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAy5SAJoz0P
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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcnx1JJPYOR
*Footsteps*890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWw7QOHKSK
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.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YVvtBIzmQ
Caecius: “I feel powerful energy here, perhaps it’s really here. Surely it must be fate if I’ve found it so quick.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkgN9LKcXJ
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.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzkJQ6Ty7l
I’ll find a way to get the jump on him, maybe there’s a way to scale the walls. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12qftH1DbZ
Caecius: “Mmmm?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgtpSRwU0k
I guess that makes too much noise, now what?890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzwvLdj2ht
Caecius: “I know someone is there, come out or I’m coming to you.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKp98r98plJ
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.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2fhh2gkJ4
Caecius: “So it’s you, the mysterious man. What do you want, come to fight?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRciYxPVJd6
Moryuu: “Not really, I’ve come looking for something.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFAZSwDPe4
Caecius: “Oh, and what would that be.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1UH55HHls
Moryuu: “Something that belongs to me.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilJS4Nx0ov
Caecius: “Depending on what that thing is, I might have to kill you.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcaFm4gqezK
Moryuu: “I expected as much.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡflrIJt3xOU
This is going smoother than I thought. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy3Czg2uOuf
Moryuu: “!!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDOzwCcqmY
Is what I thought until he shot a blade of air near my face, leaving a cut. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0XrcPEi5GG
Caecius: “There’s something else I need to know from you, who are you, and what’s your purpose?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9018Eqy5XW
Moryuu: “Is that all, do you want fries with that?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaT7zNuGNVJ
Caecius: “*Glare*”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZlkTwi1yk
Moryuu: “I have no problem telling you the truth about this place, I wonder though if you’ll believe me.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdYFDi4mITg
Caecius: “No harm in trying.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbP2nlik1V
Moryuu: “Fine, the first part of the info dump is the fact that this is not the afterlife.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡep1Fggmq1U
Caecius: “!!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSutG6LsK2e
Caecius: “Explain.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQAHCzb1wN
Moryuu: “I don’t know if your world has something similar but what we’re standing on is actually a dead eldritch god.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJZs3IWgV7
Caecius: “But….why and how are there dead people here?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjkVapAXGu
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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2Iwb31EL8
Caecius: “….”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG47nOhueOR
Moryuu: “Don’t believe me huh?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7UqbFYtch
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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJQXXyPPWy0
Moryuu: “Yep, well, everyone except the Umbras for some reason.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwO9GJdqV8M
Caecius: “Impossible, this is too outrageous to believe!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbNRu3W53v
Moryuu: “Have you ever wondered why shifts happen?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYdnligEBQ
Caecius: “….”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6u9cI6BgvG
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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBKKr9eTnpo
Caecius: “Let’s say I believe you, why are you here instead of babysitting everyone else?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXmvcq8vAt
Moryuu: “Because there’s an item of great power that can help me do my job.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJu7tPxHyI
Caecius: “….”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1zeAdBYX2
Caecius: “Sorry, I can’t risk believing you.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYv7XOMj9S
He swipes his hands and shots a wide blade of air towards me and I narrowly dodge out of the way.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5Z1To1KM3
Moryuu: “I knew it, never trust a mage, especially one hellbent on bringing back the dead.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLvVwvqONXs
Caecius: “It can be done!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YiYHNj7B2
Moryuu: “Maybe, but the dead should rest.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlclilr52qO
Caecius: “Silence!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZMqN0BBMv
Caecius continually blasts out wave after wave of air blades but I dodge them all. Still, it’s hard to maneuver in this-890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVKx9KANyA
Moryuu: “!!!!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4NxfFPTJ7
I'm….suffocating!890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaCr7Iy7UM
Caecius: “Enough of this game, I’ll kill you and get what I've come for.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjj8UAoWGT
I throw 3 daggers at him and he blocks it with air but it did break his spell. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95ojrcVsQl
Moryuu: “*Cough* *Cough*”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6qAQljewC
Moryuu: “I guess you need concentration for that huh?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTs4fcb29Lz
Caecius: “I don’t need it to kill you.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpugHFopcGd
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.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGqzVCCwRs
Caecius: “It’s useless!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFO3atw3RXU
Moryuu: “Is it?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGv5aVdScNk
I close my eyes, breathe, and take out my tonfas. I jump down and slam into the ground causing a small crater. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4mnHQ2Vix
Caecius: “You’re going to fight me with melee weapons, fool.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDSF08m15A
Caecius shots a dozen or so air blades at me but I stay still….and listen.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN11o0OwhrP
The slight movements in the air, the whirling sound of blades, and the split second before impact.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9JKev9i8u
My instincts flair up to prepare for the assault.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdJtPjZi3g
…890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6roh4t3i2
..890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3c4jbFxJme
.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDtslYCcr0
NOW!890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKhgGAeXZT
*Slash*890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qCfcJHpN5
*Slash*890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqbSoc36Xp
*Slash*890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9qTY619RQ
Caecius: “Wha, how!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5K6K5iRcNO
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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKg3mRKEyh9
Moryuu: “What’s wrong, I guess you’re not the best wind user out there.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcj2u0UT2vT
Caecius: “You!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UGl6Q3DmP
I keep my eyes closed and anticipated the assault of air blades.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOeQRJRe8Io
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.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLH2HahM7G
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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8IT183hjs
Caecius: “GAH!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNfrxF6usV
He’s sent flying into the wall, still-890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZBefQFQq8
Moryuu: “Tch.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtSUnPHJeB0
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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXYuvyOu6W
Caecius: “*Cough* *Cough*”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡot2n187bDy
Caecius: “No more playing around, I’m going to…oh my god.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztyHA7gIWM
Moryuu: “What?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMaZkoStBu
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.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bsKbsnHxD
Caecius: “The Eye….”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpo52Vzuhs
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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH25mMAlNyb
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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMeoWxQI0T
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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAcub0Dozv
Caecius: “At last, I’m closer to my goal. Wait for me….Nieth.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaCIB5I9xF
Caecius: “It’s over Moryuu, now that I’m this close to my goal there’s no way I’m losing to you.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDwdlIgndr
Moryuu: “Maybe before, but not now.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzWKzCjDhK
Caecius: “What’s that, a potion of some sort? That’s not going to help you here.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyimTfADIS
Moryuu: “Well, allow me to surprise you.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgmEYLjyrm
[ Music Plays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojL5Y5HvOlE ]890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ADv3OAOQY
I down the entire flask and instantly, I can feel the power of lightning coursing through me again.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDd33gZpade
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.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTJS7yC1hR
I’ve survived this before, I-I’ll....survive ...again!890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRxj0fUu1Q
Soon enough, the pain subsides and the real power begins to form within. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9I06hzXaa4
My wounds heal and azure lightning strikes all around scorching the area around me.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UMmxJ3QM9
I float back down, my eyes shoot open to reveal a deep light blue color change and I push back my hair. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlRDQD8xXL
Moryuu: “Bow, you’re in the presence of a God.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUoyDIdpJxM
Caecius: “Wha-What are you!?”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ceDPSLB4p
I blitzed past him in the form of lightning and grab the eye before he could register what happened.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEevkLwZfUC
Moryuu: “The winner of this battle.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuqLj2mWsW
He hurried to fling more air blades towards me but I block them all with a lightning shield. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrksfgrYLA
Moryuu: “Normally I’d kill a mage like you but I have a mission to complete, give up.” 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQ0JC6jQPS
Caecius: “I can’t….I need that eye….”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfGz1N5AO1
Moryuu: “She’s dead, let her rest.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQunbKlhQU
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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWnt4vtREo
Moryuu: “I’ve lost loved ones too, but I would not disgrace their memory and name by dragging them back from the dead.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpfiOHSZA3
Caecius: “Tch….”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctMDeFq5ij
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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5WuIUAPseq
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.”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtid5qJ4D7r
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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKpqZ1z9b8
Caecius: “No….No….I can’t lose her again!!!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvEQAcXvuT
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. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNcBmAVnhfS
Caecius: “Die!!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkUfylrSXq
He throws it at me, I know it won’t hurt me but….my killing instinct involuntary kicked in anyway.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLwQzrfCqF
Moryuu: “You Fool!”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUlD4FZ5NI
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.890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXCAIEgF8e
In the end, Caecius collapses on the ground charred black and….probably dead. 890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwOpZAXBsy
Moryuu: “….Damn it, why didn’t you give up….”890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsNVltBikl
1 Day Till Shift890Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsIUKPdBbn
