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.546Please respect copyright.PENANAIENG1iXjjZ
This has gotten out of hand, I think it’s more important to get my powers back instead of gaining trust from either side.546Please respect copyright.PENANAwWj2LaZhzR
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.546Please respect copyright.PENANAjjQlxS1J1w
???: “Watch out!”546Please respect copyright.PENANAcmRZO8mojJ
Moryuu: “What the-”546Please respect copyright.PENANAWpnIT0Whkv
I instinctively moved out of the way of the falling object which seems to be who I’ve been waiting for.546Please respect copyright.PENANAnljAC2aNZ9
Moryuu: “About time you showed up.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAtuvOaqnAnh
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. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAHKTojXCaQJ
???: “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.”546Please respect copyright.PENANA2x620FOWLG
Moryuu: “….Yeah.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAVjEWEm3OPR
???: “Well, don’t worry I’m sure her next self will be just as interesting.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAlLoVGsxckU
Moryuu: “Maybe, anyway now that you’re here Talon, what’s the plan?”546Please respect copyright.PENANA1UBwBfjFwb
Talon: “Well, it seems that those guys forgot about the dolls I gave them, oh, here’s a refill on those poison vials.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAvzQtMQ1sz3
Moryuu: “Thanks.”546Please respect copyright.PENANA93GWFuzjqE
Talon: “Anyway, I think you had the right idea regarding your powers. Things are getting dicey, try not to kill any more people.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAX8vTrtgmKb
Moryuu: “Alright, I’ll try. What about you?”546Please respect copyright.PENANARZjWLrDhTy
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.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAzny9JUsCSa
Moryuu: “Right, after that maybe you can help the rest of those alive.”546Please respect copyright.PENANApeuBWcjfmd
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.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAAUcIaSWdAK
Moryuu: “Let’s hurry, we don’t have much time.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAuC1HX1pUzD
Talon: “Never time for a joke to lighten the mood I guess.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAkYODxwmABs
Talon raises his hands and a yellow portal appears beside me.546Please respect copyright.PENANA8WVBZCilHO
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.”546Please respect copyright.PENANA8v03l2I3Xr
I guess my powers are in the pillar Caecius was heading towards... terrific. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAzkOYsalR2T
Moryuu: “You too, don’t mess with the Umbra Lord Gideon.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAR72wRz1cAl
Talon: “You find him interesting?”546Please respect copyright.PENANA5t892LsZtj
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.”546Please respect copyright.PENANA18kllcduB1
Talon grabs his chest in a dramatic manner resembling the melodrama I attempted in my alter ego. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAHkEwMt3m9o
Talon: “You wound me good man, don’t worry If it’s one thing I’m good at it’s teleporting away.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAbg3A8vfmWm
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. 546Please respect copyright.PENANApdrUSdidnr
I steel myself for the journey and take the right path, listening closely to see if Caecius is near.546Please respect copyright.PENANAhVP3voi8pA
A wind mage is too much trouble for me now, especially since he can suffocate me which is pretty high level. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAcuoa8Kv09v
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. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAYcsCCHJgC8
Moryuu: “I guess you want me to follow you.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAWnRJ73y6sr
I follow close behind the strange lantern until we find ourselves to what I imagine is the center of the pillar. 546Please respect copyright.PENANA3lIKshSMAl
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. 546Please respect copyright.PENANA27X14iSpeh
*Footsteps*546Please respect copyright.PENANA1nYyyviLUC
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.546Please respect copyright.PENANARqPWpI9d7X
Caecius: “I feel powerful energy here, perhaps it’s really here. Surely it must be fate if I’ve found it so quick.”546Please respect copyright.PENANADRCYmuSeHq
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.546Please respect copyright.PENANAfQktK9rkky
I’ll find a way to get the jump on him, maybe there’s a way to scale the walls. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAziNZ2zqp5s
Caecius: “Mmmm?”546Please respect copyright.PENANA6ZHOgr3JCv
I guess that makes too much noise, now what?546Please respect copyright.PENANALOpgrbTwy2
Caecius: “I know someone is there, come out or I’m coming to you.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAWjnHUFr23T
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.546Please respect copyright.PENANALPlkocxbVW
Caecius: “So it’s you, the mysterious man. What do you want, come to fight?”546Please respect copyright.PENANAWoUH8DCC8q
Moryuu: “Not really, I’ve come looking for something.”546Please respect copyright.PENANASAV20AcgCy
Caecius: “Oh, and what would that be.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAe6fK7daM6O
Moryuu: “Something that belongs to me.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAE0iN338Ux4
Caecius: “Depending on what that thing is, I might have to kill you.”546Please respect copyright.PENANA0TAl0x1D1S
Moryuu: “I expected as much.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAE8Efj2Khjb
This is going smoother than I thought. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAlVDQ71RpWY
Moryuu: “!!”546Please respect copyright.PENANAp58QWemH80
Is what I thought until he shot a blade of air near my face, leaving a cut. 546Please respect copyright.PENANA1xX6ZWq85t
Caecius: “There’s something else I need to know from you, who are you, and what’s your purpose?”546Please respect copyright.PENANAoBvr9Qky83
Moryuu: “Is that all, do you want fries with that?”546Please respect copyright.PENANARIWWVvupao
Caecius: “*Glare*”546Please respect copyright.PENANAVTjMB6t0fd
Moryuu: “I have no problem telling you the truth about this place, I wonder though if you’ll believe me.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAFDv7uAjZEh
Caecius: “No harm in trying.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAGGnqUtM23r
Moryuu: “Fine, the first part of the info dump is the fact that this is not the afterlife.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAIjb94uB3fj
Caecius: “!!”546Please respect copyright.PENANAye9gxi0bIv
Caecius: “Explain.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAqv3eVeIUGb
Moryuu: “I don’t know if your world has something similar but what we’re standing on is actually a dead eldritch god.”546Please respect copyright.PENANARi6mr3KNir
Caecius: “But….why and how are there dead people here?”546Please respect copyright.PENANAU5PxUtD4mM
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.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAIDkvzHr6wb
Caecius: “….”546Please respect copyright.PENANAHxHz2c0krh
Moryuu: “Don’t believe me huh?”546Please respect copyright.PENANAOEq1QzJA1N
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.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAhKjnE4s8Ek
Moryuu: “Yep, well, everyone except the Umbras for some reason.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAgxsldo0Mtf
Caecius: “Impossible, this is too outrageous to believe!”546Please respect copyright.PENANA5b640SO1iL
Moryuu: “Have you ever wondered why shifts happen?”546Please respect copyright.PENANAPpQ1aA0smN
Caecius: “….”546Please respect copyright.PENANAn6aLMKi6ZC
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.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAyheJVcXmdP
Caecius: “Let’s say I believe you, why are you here instead of babysitting everyone else?”546Please respect copyright.PENANAnsixrYZUAA
Moryuu: “Because there’s an item of great power that can help me do my job.”546Please respect copyright.PENANA972e9S2GW7
Caecius: “….”546Please respect copyright.PENANAfGUV3gie1x
Caecius: “Sorry, I can’t risk believing you.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAHuYRStgDRA
He swipes his hands and shots a wide blade of air towards me and I narrowly dodge out of the way.546Please respect copyright.PENANASRILxpkePH
Moryuu: “I knew it, never trust a mage, especially one hellbent on bringing back the dead.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAxTtr80FrBG
Caecius: “It can be done!”546Please respect copyright.PENANAMfDI467my8
Moryuu: “Maybe, but the dead should rest.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAX4mPDTjgIF
Caecius: “Silence!”546Please respect copyright.PENANAbhpiWEI6iN
Caecius continually blasts out wave after wave of air blades but I dodge them all. Still, it’s hard to maneuver in this-546Please respect copyright.PENANACw4cMHU6oC
Moryuu: “!!!!”546Please respect copyright.PENANAG7ubPkMcxR
I'm….suffocating!546Please respect copyright.PENANAIiXxuMaW8h
Caecius: “Enough of this game, I’ll kill you and get what I've come for.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAIjoaaho5XP
I throw 3 daggers at him and he blocks it with air but it did break his spell. 546Please respect copyright.PENANARnL2YB8Amc
Moryuu: “*Cough* *Cough*”546Please respect copyright.PENANA6HufFLypfZ
Moryuu: “I guess you need concentration for that huh?”546Please respect copyright.PENANAnKrPzj1W8G
Caecius: “I don’t need it to kill you.”546Please respect copyright.PENANALWXsoggcPb
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.546Please respect copyright.PENANADZ0FiVEEqZ
Caecius: “It’s useless!”546Please respect copyright.PENANAIOmoRDBckW
Moryuu: “Is it?”546Please respect copyright.PENANAhqsviG2PZc
I close my eyes, breathe, and take out my tonfas. I jump down and slam into the ground causing a small crater. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAqbzcAyXWVi
Caecius: “You’re going to fight me with melee weapons, fool.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAOYH1Egnu6i
Caecius shots a dozen or so air blades at me but I stay still….and listen.546Please respect copyright.PENANAfpVeVKTBIG
The slight movements in the air, the whirling sound of blades, and the split second before impact.546Please respect copyright.PENANAXG4rn95JHd
My instincts flair up to prepare for the assault.546Please respect copyright.PENANAx519kmXyII
…546Please respect copyright.PENANAGWlFGr5UaQ
..546Please respect copyright.PENANAbH0Sh7oaod
.546Please respect copyright.PENANAFhcOyZtXgf
NOW!546Please respect copyright.PENANAJVk2dD2oHU
*Slash*546Please respect copyright.PENANAkhcCcJwOeo
*Slash*546Please respect copyright.PENANAzhG6SJ0Eqw
*Slash*546Please respect copyright.PENANAA4p2kHYQH8
Caecius: “Wha, how!”546Please respect copyright.PENANAmxAUDSca2x
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. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAWi7HNsVINe
Moryuu: “What’s wrong, I guess you’re not the best wind user out there.”546Please respect copyright.PENANA1ujZyCimQY
Caecius: “You!”546Please respect copyright.PENANA7gDKrkvcs1
I keep my eyes closed and anticipated the assault of air blades.546Please respect copyright.PENANAH0OiYhDBpD
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.546Please respect copyright.PENANAGUX9x9K4AS
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. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAlTvFLFAeib
Caecius: “GAH!”546Please respect copyright.PENANATFrjydP6uA
He’s sent flying into the wall, still-546Please respect copyright.PENANAeRe5zBmmcb
Moryuu: “Tch.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAcIddaw2gDk
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. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAttnPFKU2RS
Caecius: “*Cough* *Cough*”546Please respect copyright.PENANAnbsrYiiLEX
Caecius: “No more playing around, I’m going to…oh my god.”546Please respect copyright.PENANADcPKO52gjO
Moryuu: “What?”546Please respect copyright.PENANAFiuv2XeSk7
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.546Please respect copyright.PENANAdPqRpwn5Oo
Caecius: “The Eye….”546Please respect copyright.PENANAP0T7OlVslD
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. 546Please respect copyright.PENANA9B6oPJT2SP
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. 546Please respect copyright.PENANACDSY52TKRb
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. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAkh2QqU093H
Caecius: “At last, I’m closer to my goal. Wait for me….Nieth.”546Please respect copyright.PENANA0FRkFeMG8f
Caecius: “It’s over Moryuu, now that I’m this close to my goal there’s no way I’m losing to you.”546Please respect copyright.PENANALNU2g2I3jE
Moryuu: “Maybe before, but not now.”546Please respect copyright.PENANA8dYA1gVodX
Caecius: “What’s that, a potion of some sort? That’s not going to help you here.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAUYwSJf0bPE
Moryuu: “Well, allow me to surprise you.”546Please respect copyright.PENANA8Mfdzqzet7
[ Music Plays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojL5Y5HvOlE ]546Please respect copyright.PENANAST0fVkBmqS
I down the entire flask and instantly, I can feel the power of lightning coursing through me again.546Please respect copyright.PENANAGiZNrTVf0P
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.546Please respect copyright.PENANA9UbHolNFmw
I’ve survived this before, I-I’ll....survive ...again!546Please respect copyright.PENANACzQ5mRNvH4
Soon enough, the pain subsides and the real power begins to form within. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAbiGoN6WpDL
My wounds heal and azure lightning strikes all around scorching the area around me.546Please respect copyright.PENANAxwHhre3aXD
I float back down, my eyes shoot open to reveal a deep light blue color change and I push back my hair. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAcl7wOitxKV
Moryuu: “Bow, you’re in the presence of a God.”546Please respect copyright.PENANABOwoqAk31L
Caecius: “Wha-What are you!?”546Please respect copyright.PENANA4rttJy2c5d
I blitzed past him in the form of lightning and grab the eye before he could register what happened.546Please respect copyright.PENANApznsA3Pw9t
Moryuu: “The winner of this battle.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAa5ZfBw9ki3
He hurried to fling more air blades towards me but I block them all with a lightning shield. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAB8J45gXV5b
Moryuu: “Normally I’d kill a mage like you but I have a mission to complete, give up.” 546Please respect copyright.PENANA5PvfX5rdiI
Caecius: “I can’t….I need that eye….”546Please respect copyright.PENANASWTHRvDyye
Moryuu: “She’s dead, let her rest.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAbccqfYxx2z
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.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAMUTfJcSkwv
Moryuu: “I’ve lost loved ones too, but I would not disgrace their memory and name by dragging them back from the dead.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAZ5t4aFfZAs
Caecius: “Tch….”546Please respect copyright.PENANAgb3LEcNS1P
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.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAl7IyCDz86k
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.”546Please respect copyright.PENANAuksocBYkZd
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. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAxquEpbXjaR
Caecius: “No….No….I can’t lose her again!!!”546Please respect copyright.PENANAyEaLj3vIcq
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. 546Please respect copyright.PENANAUj5JtnbSBe
Caecius: “Die!!”546Please respect copyright.PENANAqTtLI3gyLg
He throws it at me, I know it won’t hurt me but….my killing instinct involuntary kicked in anyway.546Please respect copyright.PENANA6036Uq7uC5
Moryuu: “You Fool!”546Please respect copyright.PENANALJlmmEWLB8
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.546Please respect copyright.PENANA8BZXUdCEwI
In the end, Caecius collapses on the ground charred black and….probably dead. 546Please respect copyright.PENANA62oFkkgA8X
Moryuu: “….Damn it, why didn’t you give up….”546Please respect copyright.PENANAFTiMhVLApZ
1 Day Till Shift546Please respect copyright.PENANAhTqlUOPjKF