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.782Please respect copyright.PENANAYSvi8ZYtIB
This has gotten out of hand, I think it’s more important to get my powers back instead of gaining trust from either side.782Please respect copyright.PENANARTjgdeWXSb
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.782Please respect copyright.PENANArnnkrgcrup
???: “Watch out!”782Please respect copyright.PENANAM4xOnZrLEc
Moryuu: “What the-”782Please respect copyright.PENANANl2xe4ehhS
I instinctively moved out of the way of the falling object which seems to be who I’ve been waiting for.782Please respect copyright.PENANAzt6coUNSEg
Moryuu: “About time you showed up.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAOjp7Dc32UH
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. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAcpMu8LNj4I
???: “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.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAZv6Byh3mAe
Moryuu: “….Yeah.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAVSdJUU4wY4
???: “Well, don’t worry I’m sure her next self will be just as interesting.”782Please respect copyright.PENANADooYURT696
Moryuu: “Maybe, anyway now that you’re here Talon, what’s the plan?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAT8drC3j6fz
Talon: “Well, it seems that those guys forgot about the dolls I gave them, oh, here’s a refill on those poison vials.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAJABvExrdPS
Moryuu: “Thanks.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAEDde1GOqRI
Talon: “Anyway, I think you had the right idea regarding your powers. Things are getting dicey, try not to kill any more people.”782Please respect copyright.PENANATheB5vzWiM
Moryuu: “Alright, I’ll try. What about you?”782Please respect copyright.PENANA8BxPVRgAhc
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.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAMrtXQzWWVV
Moryuu: “Right, after that maybe you can help the rest of those alive.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAtx4rLxmaZa
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.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAc3Po7jzIfD
Moryuu: “Let’s hurry, we don’t have much time.”782Please respect copyright.PENANA7zl4Y5d83E
Talon: “Never time for a joke to lighten the mood I guess.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAHZ2M8Wz3xU
Talon raises his hands and a yellow portal appears beside me.782Please respect copyright.PENANAH3mdPL2K5z
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.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAdhXnPca6sT
I guess my powers are in the pillar Caecius was heading towards... terrific. 782Please respect copyright.PENANA6jwL4PahJs
Moryuu: “You too, don’t mess with the Umbra Lord Gideon.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAVjA6azEbpd
Talon: “You find him interesting?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAj42mkjU7cQ
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.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAY4nGVOyUSl
Talon grabs his chest in a dramatic manner resembling the melodrama I attempted in my alter ego. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAFKW7GLyXUU
Talon: “You wound me good man, don’t worry If it’s one thing I’m good at it’s teleporting away.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAxmZmBAz2bP
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. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAqU4vUIl9ZF
I steel myself for the journey and take the right path, listening closely to see if Caecius is near.782Please respect copyright.PENANABJ0BCdTB0d
A wind mage is too much trouble for me now, especially since he can suffocate me which is pretty high level. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAH4VYtHI8EN
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. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAYNETdGTkw5
Moryuu: “I guess you want me to follow you.”782Please respect copyright.PENANA2Of0hvbYFq
I follow close behind the strange lantern until we find ourselves to what I imagine is the center of the pillar. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAasUHkdZErE
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. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAQbcFQpubzf
*Footsteps*782Please respect copyright.PENANA7YintmWrgG
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.782Please respect copyright.PENANAltAGyEY7Ms
Caecius: “I feel powerful energy here, perhaps it’s really here. Surely it must be fate if I’ve found it so quick.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAL0wu7iEhgh
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.782Please respect copyright.PENANACeuGA3rYiu
I’ll find a way to get the jump on him, maybe there’s a way to scale the walls. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAAHLhVhu4nT
Caecius: “Mmmm?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAxwOBWGRfUr
I guess that makes too much noise, now what?782Please respect copyright.PENANAl2pYPrWSzJ
Caecius: “I know someone is there, come out or I’m coming to you.”782Please respect copyright.PENANABIt7gfLHst
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.782Please respect copyright.PENANAxEucxFaxhO
Caecius: “So it’s you, the mysterious man. What do you want, come to fight?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAPrXhE5gkF2
Moryuu: “Not really, I’ve come looking for something.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAMGJFulC8Lb
Caecius: “Oh, and what would that be.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAFwyFieCOXD
Moryuu: “Something that belongs to me.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAv2rq3Jg9P4
Caecius: “Depending on what that thing is, I might have to kill you.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAI3v8CDRN9Q
Moryuu: “I expected as much.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAYfsG92IhtZ
This is going smoother than I thought. 782Please respect copyright.PENANA34Uy30sKe5
Moryuu: “!!”782Please respect copyright.PENANANE6jZ3Erup
Is what I thought until he shot a blade of air near my face, leaving a cut. 782Please respect copyright.PENANA6hOZG8i2N1
Caecius: “There’s something else I need to know from you, who are you, and what’s your purpose?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAeaTisPhJdD
Moryuu: “Is that all, do you want fries with that?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAATZVWHYWIV
Caecius: “*Glare*”782Please respect copyright.PENANAw51F6fYDyY
Moryuu: “I have no problem telling you the truth about this place, I wonder though if you’ll believe me.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAnG1SFozbq0
Caecius: “No harm in trying.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAVT7vDdLmaO
Moryuu: “Fine, the first part of the info dump is the fact that this is not the afterlife.”782Please respect copyright.PENANA3MGbckiAv1
Caecius: “!!”782Please respect copyright.PENANAlQPMBDsvwz
Caecius: “Explain.”782Please respect copyright.PENANADS3LWJq6PY
Moryuu: “I don’t know if your world has something similar but what we’re standing on is actually a dead eldritch god.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAJEyWp5kT2W
Caecius: “But….why and how are there dead people here?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAn79W5e9ATS
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.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAemxNUYlTV1
Caecius: “….”782Please respect copyright.PENANAXzNOUBQMVN
Moryuu: “Don’t believe me huh?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAhTQMDm4wZy
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.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAFpdg5H5spu
Moryuu: “Yep, well, everyone except the Umbras for some reason.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAHBZeqWx6gS
Caecius: “Impossible, this is too outrageous to believe!”782Please respect copyright.PENANAlIqp1H15bS
Moryuu: “Have you ever wondered why shifts happen?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAYxpwMjqzkL
Caecius: “….”782Please respect copyright.PENANAX2Hxs7z7QE
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.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAwAgxluJ8Jl
Caecius: “Let’s say I believe you, why are you here instead of babysitting everyone else?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAcNNlL7k7rB
Moryuu: “Because there’s an item of great power that can help me do my job.”782Please respect copyright.PENANA0mG6s8jQL8
Caecius: “….”782Please respect copyright.PENANAE0L6fWqWAq
Caecius: “Sorry, I can’t risk believing you.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAMOJTC6pYuf
He swipes his hands and shots a wide blade of air towards me and I narrowly dodge out of the way.782Please respect copyright.PENANApGzfo9HoQ1
Moryuu: “I knew it, never trust a mage, especially one hellbent on bringing back the dead.”782Please respect copyright.PENANASf7332Nju4
Caecius: “It can be done!”782Please respect copyright.PENANAsjrluoiZHg
Moryuu: “Maybe, but the dead should rest.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAZc29hPYvSi
Caecius: “Silence!”782Please respect copyright.PENANA7bmrYKazSA
Caecius continually blasts out wave after wave of air blades but I dodge them all. Still, it’s hard to maneuver in this-782Please respect copyright.PENANAYKO6jCMAuS
Moryuu: “!!!!”782Please respect copyright.PENANAR1GtJlEHBw
I'm….suffocating!782Please respect copyright.PENANAlD2mHcsG0H
Caecius: “Enough of this game, I’ll kill you and get what I've come for.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAbCU4NItvQL
I throw 3 daggers at him and he blocks it with air but it did break his spell. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAUDMXhYJvqU
Moryuu: “*Cough* *Cough*”782Please respect copyright.PENANAGCowOn767N
Moryuu: “I guess you need concentration for that huh?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAfguUg1KG8G
Caecius: “I don’t need it to kill you.”782Please respect copyright.PENANATtbgsqJ3Jm
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.782Please respect copyright.PENANAQOw9NvWxW5
Caecius: “It’s useless!”782Please respect copyright.PENANAOucF3r9qDz
Moryuu: “Is it?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAztingog7Wr
I close my eyes, breathe, and take out my tonfas. I jump down and slam into the ground causing a small crater. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAVxJPgC2EhH
Caecius: “You’re going to fight me with melee weapons, fool.”782Please respect copyright.PENANACIJ3MNyo0D
Caecius shots a dozen or so air blades at me but I stay still….and listen.782Please respect copyright.PENANApWVoYRrTPA
The slight movements in the air, the whirling sound of blades, and the split second before impact.782Please respect copyright.PENANAYEloqi6YLC
My instincts flair up to prepare for the assault.782Please respect copyright.PENANA1ZXDbOxisg
…782Please respect copyright.PENANA976wmThQ03
..782Please respect copyright.PENANAVyDFOFEnT4
.782Please respect copyright.PENANABsWTuVb9DL
NOW!782Please respect copyright.PENANAbf9kcXqVWw
*Slash*782Please respect copyright.PENANAInV26DklVi
*Slash*782Please respect copyright.PENANAhQ8HEP4gv5
*Slash*782Please respect copyright.PENANA31jBi3r3fL
Caecius: “Wha, how!”782Please respect copyright.PENANABNv8MBZkzH
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. 782Please respect copyright.PENANA0o4V9MFdMo
Moryuu: “What’s wrong, I guess you’re not the best wind user out there.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAF5IH1d4un9
Caecius: “You!”782Please respect copyright.PENANAjET5P9bLTw
I keep my eyes closed and anticipated the assault of air blades.782Please respect copyright.PENANALPh3PI87dA
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.782Please respect copyright.PENANA20GSBcgND7
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. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAiI1TPLulir
Caecius: “GAH!”782Please respect copyright.PENANAz64ndex3R9
He’s sent flying into the wall, still-782Please respect copyright.PENANAO7pCz3ycGM
Moryuu: “Tch.”782Please respect copyright.PENANApmoXPNTS1o
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. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAPeuVLhdhQz
Caecius: “*Cough* *Cough*”782Please respect copyright.PENANAh3HwzcVcD6
Caecius: “No more playing around, I’m going to…oh my god.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAVDl6T2pDPl
Moryuu: “What?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAA0iBLAncNT
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.782Please respect copyright.PENANAZw84Kf1HXj
Caecius: “The Eye….”782Please respect copyright.PENANAnCNf1SauWt
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. 782Please respect copyright.PENANARdIDrn5bgn
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. 782Please respect copyright.PENANA8a3B3YqE2j
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. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAubmxJNsNTN
Caecius: “At last, I’m closer to my goal. Wait for me….Nieth.”782Please respect copyright.PENANARhtBgNRH0w
Caecius: “It’s over Moryuu, now that I’m this close to my goal there’s no way I’m losing to you.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAhrMrm2Kpha
Moryuu: “Maybe before, but not now.”782Please respect copyright.PENANADeYPlFdBgN
Caecius: “What’s that, a potion of some sort? That’s not going to help you here.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAfA7T8IHSCf
Moryuu: “Well, allow me to surprise you.”782Please respect copyright.PENANA9Ria67YVQh
[ Music Plays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojL5Y5HvOlE ]782Please respect copyright.PENANAPup9Ak4HN2
I down the entire flask and instantly, I can feel the power of lightning coursing through me again.782Please respect copyright.PENANAiHxklxTFEy
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.782Please respect copyright.PENANAB1lOhy9Yqq
I’ve survived this before, I-I’ll....survive ...again!782Please respect copyright.PENANABFmhMlGW8e
Soon enough, the pain subsides and the real power begins to form within. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAVKxA1sYULd
My wounds heal and azure lightning strikes all around scorching the area around me.782Please respect copyright.PENANAj2nZPl8bT8
I float back down, my eyes shoot open to reveal a deep light blue color change and I push back my hair. 782Please respect copyright.PENANA1fKfcC6XbI
Moryuu: “Bow, you’re in the presence of a God.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAdLzcg8Oe7Z
Caecius: “Wha-What are you!?”782Please respect copyright.PENANAmRekt5b5PB
I blitzed past him in the form of lightning and grab the eye before he could register what happened.782Please respect copyright.PENANAO4iO3IPxP1
Moryuu: “The winner of this battle.”782Please respect copyright.PENANA8TN0rasU2G
He hurried to fling more air blades towards me but I block them all with a lightning shield. 782Please respect copyright.PENANA1ZvNYmVdo5
Moryuu: “Normally I’d kill a mage like you but I have a mission to complete, give up.” 782Please respect copyright.PENANAs3zMpaGWf1
Caecius: “I can’t….I need that eye….”782Please respect copyright.PENANAOYjjmLQkd0
Moryuu: “She’s dead, let her rest.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAdx85jOmQ70
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.”782Please respect copyright.PENANA93adyuiBLQ
Moryuu: “I’ve lost loved ones too, but I would not disgrace their memory and name by dragging them back from the dead.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAq0cTjrm7MP
Caecius: “Tch….”782Please respect copyright.PENANAThZx7vjcGw
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.”782Please respect copyright.PENANA4n6gxcbdo5
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.”782Please respect copyright.PENANAIisOGuPFJP
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. 782Please respect copyright.PENANA8aX9zjjXYb
Caecius: “No….No….I can’t lose her again!!!”782Please respect copyright.PENANAoUhufcbCTc
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. 782Please respect copyright.PENANAlnjKgE4sM5
Caecius: “Die!!”782Please respect copyright.PENANAUVauXMgjZC
He throws it at me, I know it won’t hurt me but….my killing instinct involuntary kicked in anyway.782Please respect copyright.PENANAB5cExPwS6P
Moryuu: “You Fool!”782Please respect copyright.PENANAPClRkxdX8t
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.782Please respect copyright.PENANAG3OSq4r7xr
In the end, Caecius collapses on the ground charred black and….probably dead. 782Please respect copyright.PENANA1AwQwoEtnn
Moryuu: “….Damn it, why didn’t you give up….”782Please respect copyright.PENANA1824aOh7sL
1 Day Till Shift782Please respect copyright.PENANAtEaSfqmjm5