Roleplay:Parley

This Roleplay is Closed! Sorry!

Overview
War is now on the horizon. With Celia's recent capture, things are beginning to heat up as the Mythic Knights are pressed for time. Not to mention the new concept that Conquest could be pulling the strings for the war and causing both sides to clash against each other. Regardless, the Mythic Knights need to storm Forte City, head into Fort Drakon, find Fey and Celia, and end this nightmare once in for all.

Meanwhile Saren continues a battle for dominance within the realm of madness, proving to himself and to others of what he is truly capable of, and gaining the power to cut through black blood and restore his life.

Lexi learns of what her true destiny is, and gains knowledge and power far more than anyone had expected, with the help of dragons, an ancient book, and two heroes from eons ago, Lexi will discover the true end of Sir Galahad and finally see Sedna in the afterlife once again.

Participants
NeoExlucky

Zapor888

MaverickHunterWhoopsICouldntFigureOutAWayToHopIn

Characters
Zero Evol (Neo)

Knave Veron (Neo)

Echo Radon (Neo)

Leah Dubio (Neo)

Trinity Moon (Neo)

Delta Radon (Neo)

The Deceiver (Neo)

People of the Rebellion (Neo)

Zapor the Hedgehog (Z888)

Zak the Kirby (Z888)

Lexi the Hedgehog (Z888)

Part 1: Return to Hell
The headquarters of the rebellion never cease to leave a looming impression of failed intimidation. The city around it seems to be in a state of recovery after what happened the last time the knights had a mission here.

Eclipse Manor rested on the outskirts of town, close to the headquarters. Knave was quickly writing out a letter, while the others sat around Neo, who had somewhat recovered from before, and was now listening in on what had happened. "We need to hurry and rescue them, what's taking so long?"

"Mostly Knave." Echo shrugged, having recovered from her broken wrist thanks to her regeneration. "Plus, we have to tell you everything."

"We need to get their help as quick as possible!" Neo started.

"We?" Leah asked. "You're not going anywhere. You're still hurt. You can walk around now, but any physical strain on your body could ruin everything, you're staying here."

"What? We need all hands on deck with Saren's disappearance and Kala's letter..."

"Kala left a letter?" Delta asked.

"Yeah, all it said was...'Don't come find me.' I'm not really sure where she went or why she wrote it...did something happen?" Neo asked.

"Yeah...remember Sedna?" Leah asked. "Well...there's a reason you haven't met her..."

Neo let out a sigh and leaned his head back. "Christ...I can't imagine the hell you all went through..."

"Kala tried to save her, but her magic didn't work..." Delta looked down.

"Yeah. Things really weren't going good at all that day." Zapor added sadly.

"There is something bothering me though." Neo noted. "This country is supposed to be keeping outsiders out, right? Why are there so many of them here though?"

"I suppose Conquest and the Government could have called them here." Knave told him.

"God, I just want this all to be over." Neo sighed. "Station Square feels like it was so long ago."

"It's been, what? Five weeks since Radon was defeated?" Zero asked.

"Yeah, about that." Leah noted.

"What would we do once we get back?" Echo asked.

"I don't know." Neo said. "I guess we gotta find the other Shards of Light. Hart'll be easy, but Treasure and the other three might be a problem."

"In any case," Knave started. "We should head in. I've got to drop the letter off with the dragons, and convince them to aid us, but once that's done, we can head out."

"Alright." Zero said, grabbing his scythe. "Let's head out.

"It may be best for the...newcomers to stay here. Remember, most of you are traitors to the rebellion." Knave suggested.

"They're gonna find out we're all back sooner or later...." Trinity noted, but agreed.

The Legion pressed onwards, entering the base with cheers of congratulations. Not quite understanding what was going on, the group was ushered into the council room, where the four dragons awaited. Someone with really good vision may notice that something was wrong with the dragons.

"Thank you for reporting back, Shadow Legion. Let us start by saying that the work you have done has been amazing. Having Ann Denerim on our side will prove to be most useful." The eldest dragon said.

"Yes, but with Stigmata out there..." Knave started.

"It does not matter, so long as Ann is unaffected, we shall have our pawn all the same." He smirked.

"...Okay?" Lexi said, a bit confused. "But shouldn't we do something about Stigmata?"

"As worrisome as Stigmata is, we'll deal with it another time. With the Council of Dragons aiding us, we can mount a coup de gras against Emperor," Monica urged. "OmegaCorp forces are en route and taking positions in the outskirts. No one is getting in or out of our AO."

"Good, then that means no one can stop me from carving up some Conquest throats," Natalie cheered.

"...Is she always like this?" Anderson asked.

"I expect that we can have OmegaCorp's full cooperation?" The eldest red dragon asked.

Before an answer could come another soldier burst through the doors. "Your majesty." He muttered.

"What is it? Can you not see that we are in the middle of something!?"

"Sir, we just recieved word from the Government! They have just conceded and wish to parlay with us!" The soldier explained.

There was silence for a moment before the dragons spoke again. "So, we have won!" The youngest dragon said. "You can release this news to all!"

"They have specifically asked for the Shadow Legion to partake in the parlay however!" The soldier said.

"Leave us, and spread the news." The eldest dragon said again, prompting the soldier to leave. "Let us talk."

"About what?" Zero asked.

"We have some reports that we'd like to confirm with you. Did you, or did you not work with several mysterious forces in Viola City?"

"Yes, some people had broken off from a cult known as Conquest. We accepted due to our low army size." Knave explained.

"That should have been enough for a proper defeat."

"Yeah on our hands..." Zero muttered.

"Did you work with the infamous dragon incarnate?"

"Yes, Sedna was lost and needed help. We accepted her as one of our own." Knave nodded.

"You mean the girl who threatens everything we stand for? And you've given it a name now?"

Knave clenched his grasp on his sword. "Sedna had a name from the day she was born."

"And she is not here with you now?"

"No, Sedna passed away just recently." Knave noted.

Combust tried to stifle a laugh, but it did not little to hide how he was truly feeling. Knave pulled his sword out in front of him, between him and Combust."Knave, you are out of line."

"I don't care!" Knave shouted. "All my life, you've done nothing but push me around! You think that just because you were born into the royal family, that you're better than everyone else but I can tell you that's not true! Over this last few days, I've learned that status does not matter! Don't you dare disrespect her name like that!"

Combust stood from his chair, drawing a red blade that looked to be made of lava. "You are nothing but a failure. I had hoped you'd understand that situation I have been put in, but now, I realize that everything we have done for you is naught."

"I call for a duel." Knave shouted. "Combust Igneele, I call for a duel between you and me."

"You? A lowly piece of trash like yourself against an omnikinetic dragon like me?" Combust asked. "No wonder your a Knave."

"I mean, there isn't proof that he couldn't beat you." Lexi muttered under her breath.

(Relics)

"You fool." Masako took a step toward Combust. "Sedna sacrificed herself to save one of our own! I won't have you besmirch her name like this! Nor will I allow you to insult the only person who has helped us through this! Where were you when our friends were taken?!"

"Masako, don't!" Ciel warned.

"Now you'd be a different story." Combust noted to Masako. "You'd at least put up a decent challenge but even then you'd still be defeated. I am a demi-god, and you're all just mobians. You're just as useless as that dragon girl, which is why I had her killed in the first place!"

"You're the reason she died?" Delta asked. "How could you have the foresight for that."

Combust gave a smirk. "I told you before. Demi-god. Or perhaps you would rather use the term, meta? Half-Meta to be exact, but that still puts me leagues above the rest of you. Hypnos, the meta of dreams, just so happens to be my father. Of course, the power of dreams is quite a magcial talent to have. For example. if my dream were to kill the dragon incarnate and intercept her soul before reincarnation could happen, well, I have just enough power to realize that dream."

"You took her soul?" Leah asked.

"For her powers, yes. It was not a swift nor painless ritual for her to experience, I assure you. Once she was hit with that hammer, the ritual already took affect. Everything fell right into my plan. Of course it would take a while, so I had to prolong her life. Which meant all the pain she felt just continued to burn for the last few days of her miserable life, but in the end, it didn't matter to me. Of course it wouldn't have been possible without the help of that Meta of Time, even if he didn't realize he was helping me."

"Why would you do this?" Delta asked.

"Haven't you realized? I want my kingdom, and I wanted that girl to die. I didn't care how it would be done, I just didn't expect that the Mythic Knights would be the vessel that would lead her to death." Combust told them.

"So, why would we continue to work for you now? We could just kill you right here." Kanve spat.

Combust drug his blade down Knave's face. "Go ahead and try. Of course, you'll be killing one of your own with me. What, did you think I wouldn't foresee this happening? I'm not stupid. I knew this might happen, so when you were kidnapped. I placed a lifelink on someone. Of course, I needed someone who could rival me in power. Luckily, Fey Wayward's true power just so happened to rival mine. If you kill me, you kill Fey Wayward, and with her dead, who knows what Neo Tranquil might do? He might just fall into such a depressive state, that he'd be willing to do anything to see her again. Maybe even if that resulted in his suicide."

"You can see all of that?" Leah asked.

"I dreamt about it." Combust gave a deadly grin. "So, what's it going to be Shadow Legion?"

"..." Masako draws Susano'o and viciously swipes it down to her side. "The consequences mean naught. I have sworn to destroy anyone who plays with lives the way that you have. In the name of Her divinity, I will strike you down!"

"Everybody, stand down." Zero ordered.

"Oh are you sure? It seems Masako really wants to end it all right here." Combust said, taunting Masako. "Just want to be with the dragon again, huh? How pathetic."

"That sounds like a declaration of war. Are you that eager to die, Combust?" Natalie taunted.

"Masako! Now is not the time for this!" Ciel shouted as she shook her head. "We'll... we'll deal with him later. Right now, we need to get Celia and Fey back."

"No. I plan to finish this right here, right now," Masako growled.

"You said the same thing about Teal..." Ciel muttered.

"Are you so eager to kill another friend of yours?" Combust asked Natalie. "Let's say I do wind up dead, which won't happen by the way, Fey dies the moment I do."

"Masako, Natalie!" Zero said again. "Back off."

"See, there's the real kicker." Combust noted. "I own the Shadow Legion, which means I own all of you. Get out of my sight."

"We wouldn't be able to defeat him anyway..." Delta trailed off.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Leah pleaded to the two.

Masako raised her blade. It glowed sharply, as if some latent power was awoken inside of it. She brought it to her side and cleaved the air, the glow dispersing. It seemed as if nothing happened at first, but Combust would feel a sharp pain underneath his left eye. She'd cut him without her blade having touched his face.

Masako sheathed her blade and turned her back to him. "Let me be clear. You don't own us. You don't own me. I will kill you, and that is a promise that I plan to collect on." She turns her head with a glare. "Let that scar be a reminder of that."

Ciel starts walking. "Look, Masako. I don't like this either, but if what he says is true... we can't do anything without killing Fey."

"There's a way. There's always a way," Masako growled.

After the group had left the room. Zero immeditely asked a question. "So how do we beat him?"

Delta gave a sigh. "Even if he has half the power of a Meta, that's still a lot of power. More than anything we could handle. He's an omnikinetic dragon-meta hybrid with the dragon soul. Most of our team would be destroyed by him. He can trump every version of our kinesis, and most of our weapons are no good since he can control metal and wood alongside that. Magic is too slow and weaker than kinesis in any elemental form. There's chaos energy but that would require the chaos emeralds, and most of our team can't use chaos energy anyway. There is Black Blood."

"I haven't been able to contact Crowley since we got here." Zero shook his head.

"We still have Teal..." Delta suggested.

"Absolutely not." Zero noted. "We can't trust her."

"I thought about a Stand but he is a meta, and since meta are able to damage Stands, those won't work either." Delta noted.

"So your saying he has no weaknesses?" Zero asked.

"He has a weakness, we just can't exploit it." Delta said. "Right from the start he told us his weakness; he linked his life to Fey. If Fey were to die, so to would Combust but that means we would have to....regardless, killing him would kill Fey and we can't let that happen."

"There has to be a way to break that lifelink," Natalie insisted. "A meta's powers aren't perfect, by any means. We find the hole in his failsafe, then tear it wide open."

"But where would we start looking first?" Monica asked.

"We don't. We have other obligations, remember? Emperor is still out there, and he still has our friends," Masako urged. "Answers will come to us eventually."

"How do we know he won't just wuss out and run away with Sedna's soul?" Rose pondered.

"We don't. That's why we must act quickly," Masako said. "Ciel, you haven't used your powers in a while. Something the matter?"

"Umm..." Ciel twiddles her fingers.

"The Lifelink is a form of Necromancy, which is a sub-genre of a sub-genre of dark. not to mention illegal, magic. It doesn't hold any elemental weaknesses, nor does it have any strengths. Since it's purpose is generally enchanting and not projectile or damaging, there hasn't been a lot of research into countering it." Leah noted. "A counter-curse might be possible but we'd need both Fey and Combust present and consenting before the spell would work."

"Ciel?" Delta asked. "What's wrong?"

"I... the last time I tried to make an Observation, my mind just drew a blank. Nothing came up... I think something may have changed in the timeline," Ciel said.

(Oops, I'm actually not sure if Rose is supposed to be in this section yet. -MaverickHunterSigma)

"Is it possible that Destruction is messing with it?" Leah asked. "Or maybe even Conquest?"

"It's either Destruction or... her," Ciel shuddered.

"Her who?" Zapor asked.

"Teal?" Leah asked.

"The Fallen Knight..." Ciel said. "Think about it... she's been popping up around every streesful event in Masako's life since their encounter in the future."

"That certainly is a possibility..." Leah noted. "We don't really know her intent after all..."

"Regardless we have a Parley to attend." Zero said. "We need to be careful to make sure things don't escalate. Once this is over, we start working on trying to save Celia and Fey."

"And if things do escalate?" Knave said. "Masako out right attacked Combust. I don't think we'll be getting any aid from him anytime soon."

"If that even was Combust..." Leah noted. "Something about that whole encounter felt strange."

"If it's a fake, it's a damn good one." Knave said. "He's acted like that for as long as I've been a Runic Knight."

"We'll need something to break the life link." Zero said. "I don't trust Combust, or whoever he might be. Is there anything that could break it?"

"Not without their consent..." Leah noted.

"I have an idea." Delta added. "What about the Chaos Emeralds? Could that break the link?"

"Maybe if we had all of them, but we only have four. Era never did come to get them..." Leah said.

"I may know the location of one..." Knave said.

"So then we'll need the others." Zero said. "Anderson, is there anyone in Omegacorp who could find the others for us?"

"Oi, how would I know? I don't work for them!" Anderson complained. "What about Ciel over there?"

"M-me? I mean, my Chaos abilities might be strong and all, but I don't think I'm attuned to the Emeralds..." Ciel said. "Did you guys want me to give it a shot?"

Zero nodded. "If you could find them while we're at the Parley, that would be best. Echo might be able to help you locate them, and you could use Eclipse Manor's telemancy to get to them as quick as possible."

"Neo might be able to help track them down too. He was a thief before all this." Leah suggested. "As soon as I know the location, I can teleport the house to somewhere close by, and then we can send somebody out to get them."

"Meanwhile, Lexi, Masako, and I can go get the one I know about." Knave said. "There's...a legend there that I think Lexi and Masako should witness."

"Then the rest of us should go to the Parley." Delta noted. "If we can't get the rebellion to help us, we might be able to get the Government to help. We at least need to see if they have any information about Conquest and Fey."

"Okay!" Ciel nodded in agreement.

"Very well. Lexi?" Masako looked at her.

"Right. Let's do it!" Lexi nodded.

Part 2 (A): Puppets
Zero sat in the rebel base waiting to be told when the Parley would happen, alongside the rest of the Mythic Knights not working with Ciel or Knave. There wasn't really much that could be done at this point, aside from waiting.

"So, can we talk for a second?" Delta blurted out to the knights. "Did anyone else think that what Teal said when we captured her was weird?"

"She's a mad woman infected with Black Blood." Zero shrugged.

"Yeah, but a team that gains power whenever we gain power?" Delta said. 'Not to mention that whole thing about Trinity being here for something? She called her Cherry Pie, right? What does that even mean?"

"I don't know if that's really our business." Zero told her. "Trinity's got a history with Neo though. From what I gather, it's complicated. She's a Shard of Light though, and Neo's oldest friend. I'm pretty sure out of everyone, she's the least likely person to betray us."

"Teal said she was a ticking time bomb. Is she implying that Trinity gets angry easily, or something else?" Zapor asked.

"I mean that is true." Delta shrugged.

"We don't know a lot about how Trinity's Phoenix worked. Even Leah said that the Mage's Guild had no information on it or how it existed. I guess it explains how the Mystic Magi got sponsered by them or whatever happened..." Zero muttered. "The closest thing we have to Trinity's Phoenix is Natalie's Orochi, but even they seem different."

"True, Orochi seems to be more of a seperate being from Natalie while Trinity and the Phoenix seem to be the same being." Delta said. "Maybe he meant it litterally. Like, Trinity actually is a bomb. She has to explode in fire to use her Phoenix Up form right?"

"What do you know about that anyway?" Zero asked. "Like, what do you get from your screen when it happens?"

"It's weird." Delta explained. "When Echo and Zapor use Full Potential, they're ratings constantly increase the longer they stay in the form. The screen also treats them like they're the still them. When Trinity uses Phoenix Up, the screen acts like it's a different person, and her ratings constantly go up, but they hit a roof depending on how much pain she is forcing on herself. In short, none of it really makes sense. It kind of lines up with Natalie, since the screen treat Natalie and Orochi like seperate people."

"Weird..." Zero huffed. "I just want some answers to all of this."

"Excuse me," A soldier came in. "You're wanted down in the meeting room."

The legion went down to find two very familier faces. The first was Ann Denerim of Crystal City, who stood at one end of a large wooden table. The other was Eliza Hamilton of Viola City, who stood at the other. The two seemed to be in a bit of a talk with one another.

"I'm glad you're here." Ann nodded.

"As am I." Eliza approached. "I've been caught up to speed by one of your members, an angry fox girl?"

"Speak of the devil..." Zero noted. "Yeah, that's Trinity. So you know about Conquest?"

"I've had a hunch for a while, but yes I know everything know." Eliza noted. "Ann and I have talked, and we both have come to the same conclusion. If Conquest is pulling the strings on this war, from both sides, then they're going to make themselves known to all the soldiers coming tonight. In that time of dissarry, we need someone for them to rally behind. As great of the things that you all have done, I do not believe they will be able to rally behind strangers and people who have harmed their friends."

"But they would rally behind someone of noteriety from Otogi. However neither of us can decide on who that is going to be." Ann said.

"Look, let me explain." Eliza said. "Being the Queen that they know, they see me as someone who is capable of holding power. By putting a powerful queen on the throne, we show that I was just as much a victim of all this as they were. I'm already of royal blood by marrying into the family, and as a result, I hold a claim to the throne. The nobles will accept me easily, and I have experience. I am the best possible candidate to lead the country."

"Except when this whole mess is over." Ann added her input. "Aside from the nobles, who cares about the throne?  The best possible thing to do is get rid of it and start a new government, one where the poeple's voice is heard, where absolute power is not held in the hands of one person, but in the hands of the people, who vote on what they want to happen. The people will rally behind someone who has always stood up for them. I don't know if I'd be the best leader, but if I'm the only one advocating for a new government, then I'll run for it! The people will rally behind me because of their morales!"

"Morales mean nothing if the people are dead." Eliza countered. "People don't like change, and people don't like when the power they have been sitting on for years is trying to be yanked out from under them. Your idea is great on paper, and when looking into the long term of this, but in the short term it's a disaster. The nobles will fight against you, the people may become confused, the armies will follow what the nobles say, which means they won't fight for your cause. Instead of military grade soldiers, your army would consist of random citizens who know nothing about war. We don't need citizens right now, we need soldiers. Not to mention that no one likes change, it scares them, and the idea of just starting up a new government out of nowhere, that would scare them."

"You seem to lack the faith and tact of inspired people." Ann told Eliza. "There might be some nobles against my ideas, but I know some will see what I am fighting for, and they will offer their aid to help their people. They may be scared of change, but as you said, in the long term it will help them! We need to make them see that all of this happened because people started fighting for absolute power over a lizard person who we deemed to be worthy of leading us. Look where it's lead us? We've kidnapped people, kids, to fight in our war, we've locked ourselves away from the rest of the world, we refuse to learn anything outside the country! If asked of me, I will lead the country properly, instead of hiding us away."

"We don't need to lead a country right now, we need to lead a war effort..." Eliza said. "In the end, we need to look like a solid unit to the people. We cannot afford to be splintered in anyway. We will leave this decision to you."

(This is a major Tales Decision. Not only will this affect the story and outcome of this season, it will affect the outcome of the Tales of the Echo series as a whole. Zapor and MHS can vote in character, Saren will vote OOC, with Delta speaking his vote in character. Your options are:

Eliza Hamilton Ann Denerim This is not an easy decision. Every user gets one vote. Take your time, make sure to go back through every roleplay this season, and look at everything. The Mythic Knights share a collective pool of information, so almost everything that happened to one knight, the rest know about. The exception to this is the Paralogue, since Saren isn't back to relay this info. Once again, take your time. -Neo)
 * Wants to recreate a royal family, with one person in absolute power
 * Fought alongside the Mythic Knights in the battle of Viola City, after turning traitor on the government
 * Logical, Analytical
 * Realist
 * The country will return to it's isolated state. No one will ever be able to leave or enter this country again.
 * No one will ever be able to leave this country again. All problems will be self contained
 * Will not become an ally of the Mythic Knights
 * Will not fight against Destruction when the time comes
 * The people's wants will be pushed down by the nobles
 * Wants to start a government of shared power, where the people lead the country, (Kind of a  Democracy/republic)
 * Used her influence and asked for favors so that the Mythic Knights could admit Sedna into the best hospital in town, allowing the Mythic Knights to say their goodbyes to the dragon.
 * Empathetic, Kind
 * Optimist
 * The Country will open up to the rest of the world allowing anyone to come and go, allowing new culture and teachings such as Runes becoming a worldwide power.
 * May cause another rebellion between the nobles and Ann, but you are sure  Ann would win with the people on her side
 * May not have full support at the final battle of Season 2, resulting in a critical injury happening to someone
 * Will become an ally of the Mythic Knights
 * Will fight against Destruction when the time comes
 * The people will be happy

(Saren votes Eliza.)

"Eliza is right." Delta noted. "We need an army now more than ever."

"And let the people suffer under a tyrant's rein again?" Ann asked.

"Ann, calm down." Eliza said.

"What do the rest of you think?" Zero asked. "Delta is right, we need an army, but is that more important than the people's happiness?"

"Ann has the right of things. The people won't rally behind a cause that they believe is not worth fighting for," Monica said. "It is the will of the people to be able to make their own decisions."

"Yeah, but after being held under the heel of the monarchy, what do these people know about politics?" Rose barked.

"Enough to know that they're tired of being oppressed. You saw what it was like, having to take orders from someone like Combust..." Natalie hissed.

"Zapor?" Zero asked. "What do you think? Will you side with Eliza or Ann?"

"Well, I kinda have to agree with Ann. Sure, the people are probably gonna be clueless about what to do with politics, and the army isn't gonna be all that good if I'm comparing it to an army of actual soldiers. But the citizens spent a long time under someone's rule and that wound up getting some to rebel. If we make another one of that government, just with someone in new management, people might rebel. For what reason, I don't know. Probably because they don't want a repeat of what happened with the last royal family. But with the type of thing Ann has, the people might actually be happy. The whole reason people throw rebellions is mostly because they want their voices heard and since it isn't heard, they go violent. Besides, the main thing about Ann's government thing is that it basically has people thinking of stuff, taking the best ideas that come out of it." Zapor answered.

"Then it's settled. Ann will lead the country." Zero noted. "We can't sacrafice the people's wants just for an army."

"I suppose we did swear to Ann that we'd help her anyway..." Delta noted.

"I respect your decision." Eliza noted. "Regardless, we have very little time before the Parley.:"

Eliza was right, not long after that conversation had started, Combust sat in one chair across from one of the Blue dragons. Guards from both sides filled in the room. Something someone with a keen eye would notice, is that Combust did not have any sort of scar on his face like he should have from what Masako did earlier. He was perfectly fine. "So, what's it gonna be?" Combust asked.

"I would like to make a proposal, let's divide the country up in half, you can take one half of it, and we'll take the other." The blue dragon said.

"What? No, we're not dividing the country in half, I want full power of everything, I want to return everything to the way it was before you killed my father, and I want you and your whole family to be executed for it." Combust demanded.

(The Mythic Knights are in the same room this is happening in, right?)

(Yes -Neo)

Zapor then realized that the whole time they were here, no one had mentioned how things were before Combust's father died. "And how were things before your father was killed?"

"Everything was fine until he was killed." Combust spat.

"Your father was a tyrant who abused his power and made a mockery of this kingdom, things didn't get any better until I took over."

"Better? You caused a rebellion where thousands of people died!" Combust said.

"Only because you were the one who started it, throwing a tantrum like a child."

"This is going to get us nowhere..." Zero whispered to the other legion members.

"Let me make you a counter-offer, wyrm. How about you about you get nothing... and I take your eyes," Natalie hissed.

"Natalie, non!" Monica nudges the lynx.

"Well I can only see this ending in violence, so what do you make of that counter-offer?" Anderson said.

Combust gave a sigh, then stood up. "If you are so eager to die, then face me."

The blue dragon disappeared, fading into nothing. "I was hoping your entire group would be here, but you all should suffice." He created his lava sword once more but stood in his same place. "I'm waiting."

"Awaken, Octavus Serpentum: Orochi!" A green ring surrounds Natalie as she spreads her arms out to the sides. Orochi's aether formed itself into a pair of powerful daggers in her hands. "Come on, you shit!"

(A fight you just can't win )

Combust raised his eyebrows and looked rather inquisitive at Natalie. "That's it? It's...rather puny, don't you think? I expected so much better from you, but if that's how you want to fight..."

Combust dropped into the shadows, much like Saren, and appeared right behind Delta, running a hand across the side of her face, and causing the cat's eyes to glaze over. "You don't want to fight me..." He whispered into Delta's ear, though loud enough that everyone could hear. "You want to fight someone who seems so confidant in themselves, something you'll never be, isn't that right, Shard of Despair?"

Delta immedietely drew his blade, it burned to life with an aura of vengence, and she glared at Natalie, her left eye burned with a black fire, similar to that of what Neo and Trinity did sometimes. The cat took her blade and slashed at Orochi.

(A large what? A large pizza? -MHS)

Natalie took one of her blades and clashed it against Delta's, the singing of steel filled the room as she deflected her attack.

"..." Rose stepped back a bit.

(A large number 9, a number 6 with extra dip, a number 7, two number 45s, one with cheese, and a soda, probably -Neo)

Combust fired a large shard of ice at Orochi, followed by a bolt of lightning, and then a blast of fire.

Delta speed increased dramatically as she fought Natalie, now attacking much faster than she ever had before.

(Sounds like something I ordered the other day -Zap)

(Memes. -MHS)

Natalie thrust her knee into Delta's gut, then dashed away from her attacks. She threw up a barrier of chains to block Combust's attack. "Two on one? Is that all you got?!"

"You act like you have something to prove?" Combust noted. "Let me show you how powerful I really am." The dragon gave a hand to Delta, stopping her from fighting and then lifted his arms to the side, allowing himself to take any form of incoming damage possible.

Zero placed a hand on Natalie's shoulder. "Stop." He ordered. "All the damage you do to him, is only going to hurt Fey. We can't win this fight right now."

Combust gave a grin, and wobbled his index finger and middle finger, gaining himself a third ally.

(If I may ask, who is the third ally? -MHS)

"..." Natalie shoved Zero away. "Take the legion out of here! Leave me with Combust!" She looked down. "I'm the only thing standing between him and his escape."

(Maybe Masako will find out...-Neo)

"We're not leaving you here alone." Zero told her. "You heard what Delta said, he'll destroy us. Leaving you here is a death sentence."

"Zero, I appreciate the thought. But you might not have a say in this." Natalie's irises glowed. "I... might not have a say in this."

Zero slightly understood what Natalie meant, though he did not know the full details. "Don't take any risks. Come back to us as soon as possible." He told her. Grabbing an unconscious Delta, Zero led the rest of the Legion out of the building. Ann followed alongside the Legion, helping everyone still in the base to leave as soon as possible.

Combust stared Natalie down. "I don't care what you and your little Garden Snake are thinking of doing, I already know it won't work. You and your knights have played right into my hands." Combust started walking towards Natalie. "You and your knights held 4 Chaos Emeralds, and while that was all well and good, I needed more. Seemingly, so did all of you. So you thought to go out and collect the other three with...Ciel, was it? Helping to find two of the other emeralds. What everyone seems to forget, is one of my allies also being in that manor of yours. Of course, she's still locked up, right? If only we had someone with say, a Shard of Darkness, who could help free Teal from her cage, allowing her to silence the King's demon. Then once your team had collected those six emeralds, she could dispatch most of those weaker members, and take the six emeralds for us. And with a certain Runic Knight holding the seventh, who just can't remember who he's allies with, Destruction's Rise now holds all seven Chaos Emeralds." He stood face to face with Natalie. "Combine that with that poor whelpling's Dragon Soul, and the power of Destruction, and well; you lose."

"Hahahahaha... Ahahahahahaha..." Natalie grinned. "You idiot. Whoever said that I was here to win?" She looked up to him. "I'm just here to MAKE YOU SUFFER! "

A powerful entity forced Combust back. Natalie cackled as an ominous presence loomed behind her.

"Finally, after a millennium of slumber..."

Orochi, the eight-headed serpent of lore, had been unleashed. He finally was fully manifested.

"Mortal... for releasing me from this pitiful form, I shall reward thee by taking yours instead!"

After all the fighting it took to reach this point... Natalie happily embraced the chaos.

(Hakaishin - God of Destruction)

Orochi dove into Natalie's body, creating a pitch-black pillar around her. It quickly dissipated, the lynx being completely concealed in jet black armor. She floated up, holding her hand out to the side. Orochi's aether shaped itself into a nodachi.

The dragon simply scoffed, but slowly, had an idea of his own. A smile grew on his face as he waved his two fingers once more. "Well, they wanted me to buy some time, I'd say they got it." Combust quickly create a burst of darkness. No, not quite darkness. This was something different, for a moment there was nothing, no vision, no sound, no smell, and all too quickly, Combust was gone.

Standing in his place however were people Natalie might not have encountered on seeing. The Mythic Knights now stood before her. "I told you it would come to this at some point." Celia noted to the rest.

"We don't have to do this." Leah reminded them. "We could just let her go!"

"Not while she's like this." Zero huffed. "Natalie, we're here to kill you."

"Combust! Thee bethink thou art safe from mine own wrath? I shall strike thee down!" Natalie raised the nodachi and sweeps it across her so-called "allies", sending a wave of corrupted aether at them.

Nothing could truly be seen of the knights as dust billowed everywhere. Natalie's power was so great, that it destoryed the rebel base in a single hit, turning the entire fortress into rubble.

Being outside now, Natalie could see where the real Mythic Knights were, although the destruction of the base had left everyone on edge, so much on edge that most of them already had their weapons out, ready to strike at whatever they saw next, and the thing they were looking at now was Natalie. If she was in a stable enough mindset, perhaps she would notice that these knights were the real ones, and that the others were fakes. It didn't help that Delta now was firing bolts of shadow energy at the woman now.

Finally, having evacuated from the building. Zero stood outside with the rest of the legion, though another crisis was on their hands. there now stood two seperate armies who wanted nothing more than to kill each other, with Ann and the Shadow Legion standing between the whole mess. "Anybody got an update on how Ciel and Leah are doing?" Zero asked.

"...No, I'll check..." Monica activated her linkpearl. "Ciel? What's going on over there?"

With nothing coming from Eclipse Manor, it was very clear something had gone wrong. "What about Masako and Knave?" Zero said quickly. "Who could have attacked Eclipse Manor?"

Delta quickly stumbled up, cackling as she did so. "Can't figure it out yet?" Delta asked. "There are people far more dangerous than Combust you need to worry about..." Her eye was still aflame, and her pupils were dialated. It was clear that it was not her talking, rather someone was talking through her.

"...We need to get back to the Manor. Time is not on our side!" Anderson urged.

"And what would you say we do about her?" Rose nodded her head toward Delta.

"I don't know!" Anderson responded.

"I think the better question is what are you going to do about Natalie?" Delta noted.

Almost on cue, the rebel base was destroyed, sending dust crashing all around. The destruction gave quite a shock to the knights. "Weapons, out." Zero commanded, prompting many of the knights to be ready for a fight. Natalie stood before them now, but clearly there was something different about her.

There was a moment of just waiting, before Delta began to fire off a few bolts of shadow energy at Natalie.

Natalie raised her blade to deflect the bolts. "Thou would stand in my way whilst Combust flees further and further away from me?! Away with thee!" She sent out a pulse of energy that threw the Mythic Knights backward.

Monica went tumbling back, clinging to the ground. "Natalie! Stop!"

Natalie let out a shriek, and began moving away from the Knights.

"So this is how it began..." An all-too-familiar voice graced the Knights.

The Fallen Knight.

"We don't have time for your bullshit now!" Zero told the Fallen Knight, getting back up off the ground. "Where the hell is Natalie going?"

"This is where everything finally comes to an end!" Delta cackled.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Zero truned from Delta to the Fallen Knight. "Do you know something about this?"

"As far as anyone's concerned, that's not Natalie anymore. Orochi's at the wheel, now; the servant has become the master," the Fallen Knight explained. "She's hunting for Combust, and she'll cleave a path of destruction wherever she goes."

"How do we stop this?" Monica pleaded.

"Simple, kill her..." the Fallen Knight shrugged. "...that's what I did, anyway. But I've since learned of another way. Orochi is feeding off of Natalie's own fear, as well as the fear of anyone else unlucky enough to cross her path. If you can find a way to starve Orochi out somehow, it'll be too weak to remain in this world. It'll revert to its Sealed state."

"Like someone not scared of anything?" Zero asked. "Well...Trinity in her Phoenix Up state is too angry to be scared...Crowley might be able to stop her...so could..." Zero paused.

"Oh, wouldn't that be something?" Delta smirked at  Zero. "Summon the demon to imbue Natalie with Black Blood? Pulling from your Ace Blood side, aren't you? Empowering someone temporarily causes them to lose all form of logic and reason and fall to Madness for a short time, but then there's no fear in them while they are imbued. Of course only Ace Bloods can pull that off, so you'd need either Crowley or Teal to help you, and trust me, Teal is very far away."

"There's gotta be another way..." Zero said.

"Didn't Delta mention before that Natalie and Orochi were being treated as separate entities? If that's true, then Natalie's consciousness must still be in there somewhere... and it's her fear that's sustaining Orochi the most," Monica suggested.

The Fallen Knight nodded. "Sure, sending someone out there who's truly fearless is a start. But someone needs to reach out to Natalie and calm her down."

"Then why don't you do it?" Rose remarked.

The Fallen Knight sighs and shakes her head. "It has to be someone she knows. Someone like Zero, perhaps."

"Why me?" Zero asked. "Without any form of Black Blood, I feel like I'd be destroyed down there."

"You've kept her in line before, haven't you? Out of the whole bunch here, she trusts you the most. Maybe you have a chance of reaching out to her," the Fallen Knight suggested. "...But then there's Eclipse Manor. Who will you send to check on things?"

"We don't know what exactly is going on over there." Zero noted. "I think everyone that we have avalible should head over there."

"Please hurry." Ann pushed. "We need to make sure everyone is okay."

"So, what exactly am I supposed to do?" Zero asked the Fallen Knight. "Just go up and talk to her?"

"That's about it, Zero. Just... don't die. You still have a ways to go," the Fallen Knight said.

"In that case, Anderson and I will head to the manor with the others," Rose said.

"I'll try." Zero noted.

The hedgehog quickly hurried to catch up to Natalie, using his scythe to move as quick as possible. Finally arrived, Zero dug the bottom of his scythe into the ground in front of Natalie. "Orochi!" Zero called up. "Let her go." He said.

Natalie turned to Zero. "Mortal... thou thinketh thee worthy of my presence? Begone, whelp!" she roared.

Zero, again, wasn't really sure what to do, the only thing he could think of doing was bluffing, even if it wasn't exactly a bluff. "You are speaking to Zero Evol, king of Black Blood, Lord of Demons, and I demand that you show respect to me."

"Thou art a fool! I bow to no king, and to no lord!" Natalie raised her blade.

"I am not asking for you to bow, I am asking that you listen!" Zero told her. "Right now Destruction is plotting to destroy everything on this planet, that includes you! The only people who can stop them are the Mythic Knights, and you are currently in control of one of them. We need her back in control so we can stop Destruction from succeeding!"

"What trickery is this? Thou wouldst deprive me of this vessel, my golden opportunity to destroy the one named Combust, who dared to mock me of all people? I shall have none of it!" Natalie roared.

The Fallen Knight's voice whispered in Zero's ear. "Remember, you must be able to appeal to Natalie as well. Not just Orochi's ego..."

"And you think you can?" Zero asked. "Combust has powers far beyond what we have seen, and it's only a fraction of Destruction has." He knew he need to change topics, like what the Fallen Knight said. "And Natalie, this isn't going to help anyone. Combust is gone, all your doing now is hurting innocent people. We need to fall back and think about all this clearly and logically. Otherwise, we're going to let them win!"

"Must I demonstrate my power to thee once more? Better yet, I shall end thy life right here!" Natalie raised her blade to strike... only to force the blade into the ground.

"No... this was a mistake, what am I doing?" Natalie wrestled back control of her body, if only for a monent.

"Natalie, you need to hold on. Orochi is only going to keep trying to kill Combust, which will only lead to the deaths of countless innocent people! We'll defeat Combust, together, as the Mythic Knights."

"As if I would share the glory of his death with any of thee!" Orochi had assumed control again. "I shall hunt him down no matter how many lives I--"

"No. No, no, no. Get the hell out of my body." Natalie's consciousness fully returned. Her armor began to fade away as Orochi returned to its sealed state.

Part 3 (A): Eclipsed
As Rose and Anderson approached Eclipse Manor, they could tell from the outside that something had clearly happened here. Many parts of the yard were scorched and burned, with the ooze of leftover Black Blood dripping off the side of a hedge. Sedna's grave appeared to have been left alone, at least, being the only part with nothing on it. The door was covered in scratches, as if some creature had tried clawing it's way in.

The foyer had been obliterated, pieces of furniture were torn or burned. Clearly a fight had taken place here. Over in the corner you could spot the familiar prismatic barrier of Leah, who was somehow still managing to keep it up. Outside of the barrier was Trinity. Battered and bruised, it was clear Trinity was on the losing end of the fight, having only a single dagger remaining as her other had been destroyed in the battle.

"We're okay..." Trinity huffed. "Well...mostly..."

"Mostly? This place was practically wiped off the map!" Rose argued.

"Tell us, what happened here? Where are the others?" Anderson questioned.

Trinity started laughing to herself, giving a pretty big heartily laugh before falling into a coughing fit.

Leah let the barrier down, revealing the rest of the mythic Knights unconscious, aside from Neo, who had the biggest shit eating grin on his face. "I am the world's greatest thief." He told them, holding up one last Chaos Emerald. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Leah collapsed to her knees. "We knew what they were after once she started grabbing for them." Leah said. "She didn't think we saw, but we did."

"So while Trinity fought Teal as a decoy, Leah and I created a false emerald." Neo finished. "She took the bait, and without the last real one, they can't do anything with the others."

Anderson wiped his brow. "Gods, don't scare us like that..."

"...Do you know where the rest are now?" Rose questioned.

"Yeah, I know." Leah said. "Take a guess."

"Fort Draken." Neo told them. "They're with Fey."

"Of course..." Rose barked.

"I know... we're not really in any shape to take them on now, but... I get the feeling that we must," Anderson said.

"Once everyone's back, we need to go." Neo said. "We need to start our attack."

"Right now?" Leah asked. "Neo, we're hurt! We have no allies here, and you want us to take down a fortress?"

"You saw what they were doing to me!" Neo countered. "Who knows what they could be doing to Fey now!"

"This is exactly what Fey said when she said she was scared to get into this relationship in the first place." Leah reminded him. "There might come a time when you'll have to choose between the life of Fey or the lives of your team, and right now you are choosing Fey over the Mythic Knights."

"I love her!" Neo shouted at Leah. "Fey is the only person I have ever met who made me feel like it was okay to be me! She's the only one who ever believed in me, being me!"

Trinity looked particularly hurt at that statement, moving her gaze away from Neo.

"...Sooner or later, they're going to realize that last emerald is a fake. We don't have a hell of a lot of time, either way," Rose proposed.

Neo gave a glance to Leah, like something that said "I told you so."

"Regardless, we should at least wait for Ann's help, once she's considered the leader of the country we'll have some form of aid."

Part 2 (B): Legends
Knave took Masako and Lexi out of the base and around town. The city hadn't really changed that much compared to when the Knights first arrived. Though it should be noted that many of the citizens smiled or waved at Knave as they walked through the town. "I'm...kind of well known..." He told them as they walked through town.

Knave finally came to a large villa near the end of the street. Knave gave a knock on the door, and it opened revealing a young woman, roughly 17, she was an orange tiger. "Knave!" She hugged the runic knight for sometime before eyeing the other two.

"Carol, this is Masako and Lexi. They're friends of mine from...Piano." Knave bluffed. "Why are you in my house?"

"Your mom and I were talking about stuff." She invited the trio in to a plush room which led to a locked door and two doorways to the rest of the house.

"Oh and uh, this is Carol, she's my...well...that remains to be seen yet." Knave explained.

"Your mom uses the term 'lover'." Carol giggled.

"Ugh, please don't use her words." Knave winced.

"Wow Knave. I didn't know you had a lover." Lexi noted jokingly.

"Ah. Konnichiwa, Carol-san. Is it alright if we sit down?" Masako inquired.

"I suppose so." Carol invited them into a sitting area with couches and chairs scattered all around. A large array of family pictures had been hung all over the walls. Despite this, very few contained Knave, only two or three, while plenty of the other family members could be shown. "So what's going on?"

"Carol, what can you tell us about the Dragons?" Knave asked.

"I mean, not much that I haven't already told you. Kings, royal family, worshiped as gods a long time ago, omnikinetic, and just about everything else." Carol told Knave.

"I know about that." Knave nodded. "Let me be more specific, I want to know about the tale of Galahad and the Dragon."

"You always did like my stories, huh?" Carol gave a foxy smile. "Well, in some versions of Arthurian legend, it states that Galahad was forced to prove himself before he found the grail. In this version, Sir Kay, Sir Galahad, and Sir Bors all had snuck away from the remaining members of the knights in order to make progress in the quest. During this, they encountered a Dragon who blocked their path. Sir Kay was the first to challenge the Dragon, but the Dragon's power was so great, he never was able to land a hit on him. The Second was Sir Bors, who tried to attack the Dragon, and proved to have stronger mettle than Kay, but his attacks were blocked, nullified, and reflected off the Dragon. Many of the knights recieved the wounds that Bors would have given the dragon if his attacks had hit. Lastly there was Galahad who saw that the dragon was impervious to all known attacks. As a result, Galahad decided to invent a new type of attack, something so different and new that the Dragon couldn't possibly be able to block it. Galahad met with other dragons, older dragons, and combined their essence with the three true elements; Holy, Arcane, and Demonic, what we know today as Light, Void, and Dark, and combined them together to create God's Blood. It's said that this form of attack was what the gods themselves used, and with it, Galahad successfuly slayed the dragon."

"And nothing else happened?" Knave asked.

"Well, it's said that many of the other knights also were able to claim the power of God's Blood. Although they were at able to at different times, Percival, Bors, and Kay got theirs very early on compared to other knights, but eventually more got them." Carol explained.

"Okay, now back to the Dragons. The stories never mention how powerful the dragons are at the start, right?" Knave asked.

"No, while they are being worshiped, they never have to fight anything. It isn't until the first group of invaders appeared, that the Dragons finally used their omnikinesis." Carol said. "Knave, what's going on?"

"Does anyone else think that's strange?" Knave asked. "The Dragons never demonstrate their power until after people worship them? Sacrafice for them?"

"Maybe it's connected?" Lexi suggested. "Since they were able to make God's Blood, maybe it has something to do with that?"

"Perhaps we should be asking, in whose interests is Combust really working for?" Masako shakes her head. "Lexi, a word with you, if you will."

"Alright." Lexi nodded.

Masako led her into the hallway. "Do you know what this means, Lexi?" She clenched her hand into a fist. "Would it be that my hand were the one destined to slay the wyrm... but if history is correct, then you're the key to Combust's annihilation. So, I ask you now... are you prepared to undergo this task? To bring God's Blood into this world once again, use it to destroy Combust, and then feast upon his eyes?"

"Sure. But where am I supposed to find the three elements that make God's Blood anyway?" Lexi asked.

"Sir Galahad must have left clues about the steps taken to create God's Blood. It was not a secret that he took to his grave, after all," Masako said. "All we need to do is figure out where to look first."

As if on cue, there was a soft thumping sound behind Lexi, a book familier to Lexi sat on the floor behind her, waiting for it to be opened.

Lexi turned around and looked down to find the book behind her. "There must be something about the elements for God's Blood in here." Lexi thought to herself as she opened the book.

The Book revealed that most of the elements are still lying in wait for the next time they are called upon. They currently exist in a place known as Dragonmaw, a former fortess of sorts apparently. The book told that the only way to return God's Blood to this world was to commune with the dragons of legend. Knave or Carol may know more about Dragonmaw's location.

Masako, however, was unable to read the book, only seeing the familiar scribbles that she might be able to identify as Draconic.

"Okay, I think I know where they are..." Lexi said to herself. She then turned to Masako and summarized what the book had said. "So apparently, the elements in somewhere called Dragonmaw, but the only way to get there are to go with the dragons of legend."

(Dragonsong)

"Dragonmaw..." Masako paced for a bit. "Why wouldn't Knave bring this up before? I think we should talk to him about this." She moves back into the room. "Knave, do you know anything about a place called 'Dragonmaw'?"

"Dragonmaw?" Carol asked. "Why would you want to go there? That's the headquarters of the Runic Knights, where they get knighted."

"And it all fits together." Knave noted. "The whole time I've been thinking about this. The dragons had sacrifices, people who offered themselves up to the dragons, giving them every power they had. These dragons had every power avalible to them, every form of kinesis, so they were elected king, and made the ruler of Otogi. So the question becomes, why did Combust need the Dragon Soul? Because Combust wasn't the dragon, he was never the dragon. The Dragon Soul rested with Sedna Igneele, the true draconic ruler of Otogi, this was her kingdom, she was a queen!"

"What are you saying?" Carol asked. "I only remember the dragons ruling us, a family of them."

"Do you remember anything before the rebellion?" Knave asked. "Because I sure don't! I remember nothing from before Combust ruled! And ask Leah, or look in a book, or anyone else, but memory manipulation sounds like it might some form of Necromancy! The same form of necromancy used to link Fey's life with Combust, the same necromancy used to revive the Jester, the chosen mate of Sedna's mother, who was a dragon and the queen of this place before she was assissainated."

"This doesn't make any sense..." Carol noted.

"Carol, think about it! Why send a group of outsiders to kill everyone in a town that also contains the girl with the dragon soul? With all the necromancy and memory manipulation, Sedna would have recognized Combust, so he need people who she wouldn't recognize. Why didn't my runes work on Sedna? Because they originate from the dragons! It wasn't the runes in our jail cell that depleted our powers the day Echo died, it was Destruction! All of this has just been one power grab!"

"Explain what your saying." Carol requested.

Knave took a breath. "Long ago the people of Otogi gave all of their kinesis to a dragon, who would rule the country and protect it from any harm. As time passed, Combust was approached by Destruction's Rise, who taught him necromancy and used that power, guided by Destruction, to kill the guardian of this country, Sedna's mother. However, Combust failed to kill Sedna after her father's sacrifice saved her life. So Combust uses his necromancy alongside Destruction's Rise, and manipulates everyone's memory into thinking that his father has always ruled the country. He then uses his magic to raise Sedna's father, now the Jester, to join his council of evil, alongside the Emperor, the Queen, and Rook. The Jester is meant to be an assassin, but fails when he curses a Chaos Emerald to steal souls and puts it in his axe, so he can't kill people. He takes the power of the dragons, the runes, and twists them, causing the runic focuses of each knight to emit this memory manipulation magic, so we remain on his side. But the runes don't work on Sedna because the power of the dragon won't harm her. So, he creates a 'civil war' and gains the aid of outsiders who can use kinesis to hunt down and kill the dragon, but we take her with us. Because he fails so many times, the Queen is sent out to kill Echo, knowing that Time Spinner would change the timeline, and would forces Sedna to sacrifice herself, thus claiming him the dragon soul."

"And you can prove all of that?" Carol asked.

Knave turned to Masako. "When Zak and Jazz were infected with Black Blood, they didn't act like the Jester. The Jester was being controlled, Zak and Jazz had free will, they had to fight us or die. Destruction mutated Combust into his dragon form, and created illusions to act as his family and the blue dragon family. If there was only one dragon ruler, how could there still be pureblooded dragon mobians? They would have to have had kids with normal mobians, thus why Sedna was a Rat and not a Dragon! Dragonmaw was where we all gained our runic focuses, a small part of the collective kinesis that the dragons hold."

(*Quietly changes the music that I suggested for this section.* -MHS)

(*Appreciates the Final Fantasy XIV music* -Neo)

"So Combust is just another part of Destruction's plot... which means, the wyrm must be slain, Lifelink or not," Masako barked. "...We need to move quickly. This may be our only chance to get Sedna back. I can't imagine what's happening at the parley right now."

"My guess, is not well." Knave said. "I only hope that they can hold out for as long as possible. At least long enough for us to get everything together."

"Dragonmaw is not very far from here." Carol noted.

Knave hesitated for a moment, turning around. He handed the tiger a letter. "Carol, listen...I don't think-"

"I know." Carol kissed the wolf. "Be safe. I'll be waiting for you, for as long as possible." She looked up to Masako. "Make sure he doesn't go flirting with any girls while he's gone."

"I don't suppose that'll be problem," Masako said. "He'll be safe. I promise."

"Right..." Knave noted. "Let's get to Dragonmaw."

Part 3(B): Dragonmaw
Knave lead the way through the city, to an old looking marble building. Knave recognized it as a place where he once declared his allegience to the dragons. He shook his head while looking at the building. "The Chaos Emerald is in here." Knave told them as he continued to walk. The building itself was corridor after boring corridor all leading into a giant room filled with statues of dragons. Knave created a rune on a circular rug in the room, causing a stone platform to raise out from the floor. There was a small indent where a blade could fit, but otherwise it was barren. Knave walked to one of the dragon statues, and opened it's mouth revealing a white Chaos Emerald. "Good, now that's settled." He noted. "Lexi, put your sword in platform once you're ready."

Lexi nodded and put her sword into the platform.

As Lexi placed her blade in the stone, the area around her began to disappear, leaving only a background of stars, and the statues of the dragons to stay with her.

"Youngest hero, state your business here." A loud booming voice called out to Lexi.

"Well, I'm looking for the elements needed to create God's Blood. I heard that they could be located in Dragonmaw." She answered.

"God's Blood?" A male voice said this time. "You wish to recover the power of the Gods themselves? Who do you possibly think you are?"

"I know who she is." A softer voice said. A young hedgehog boy with golden fur stood next to Lexi. "This is the heiress to the sword in the stone, the heiress to the Dark Seat on the Roundtable, the reincarnation of myself!" He gave a handsome, innocent smile to Lexi. "My name is Galahad."

"I believe we can trust her." Another figure came and stood next to Lexi. A crimson rat with long red hair wearing a beautiful aquamarine dress. She looked so very familiar, almost like an older Sedna, in her 30's or 40's. This was Sedna's mother. "She has proved herself to my brood, and bears the mark of the hero, I believe she should be allowed to forge her own God's Blood!"

There was silence from the dragons for quite a while, before a hall opened before Lexi, with each dragon bearing an element down. Every element that Lexi could think of, stood within these halls, allowing her to take what she wanted. "If you are to save this world, you're plans will have to change, my dear." Sedna's mother told Lexi. "We will need to change all of your plans."

"What do you mean? Plans for what?" Lexi asked.

"Everything." Sedna's mother noted.

Galahad walked over the a dark wall, and summoned forth some familiar weapons. Of them, one of which was Mjolnir. "We know that it was set for you to recreate the Morality heroes by giving these weapons to those who coudl use them, you were to create the Morality Legends, correct? Regardless, we would like to advice against doing that."

"Right now, you need to create God's Blood, but using it comes at a deadly cost, the cost of your own life, unless you were to utilize a powerful enough weapon that could act as some form of mitigation, basically nullifying the negative effects of God's Blood. Here, we can take all five of the Morality weapons, including the blade that you hold, and reforge them into a weapon of this calibur." Sedna's mom told Lexi.

"Okay...that seems kinda fair. But, weren't the Morality Legends supposed to be like, important?" She asked.

"The legend that foretells the defeat of Destruction says that it could be by the hands of Shards, Knights, or Heroes. While widely believed for the Heroes to be the Morality, we believe that may not be the case anymore." Sedna's mother noted.

"The heroes bit could mean tons of other people, plus they wouldn't be heroes anymore, they'd be legends, which doesn't really fit with the prophecy." Galahad noted.

"Now then," Sedna's mother gestured to the hall of elements. "My dear, you came for God's Blood, correct? Well, I am sorry to tell you, you will not find any form of God's Blood here." She walked with Sedna through the hall. "When bits of broken glass fall into the ocean, they're edges are sharp, uneven, gnarled, and corrupted. Much like the heart, in times of despair and hardship. Much, like your heart has become, as have the hearts of countless other people in the past, and the hearts of many people in the future. Many people will overcome their hardships, they find a new strength, a new side of their heart, and they lead with that side until it too breaks like a shard of glass, and the cycle continues on and on, forever."

"But, the waves smooth out the glass, turning a broken, jagged glass, into a smooth, beautiful gem." Sedna's mom continued. "You are like Galahad, you are a shard of broken glass, and you have just now fallen into the sea. Here, we can forge something entirely unique, and different from the world outside. Here, we may empower your heart to a level many people do not possess, we can forge a brand new unique element, for you to wield. Many people will look down on this, in fact, the Elemental Spirits may even despise you for creating something not under their control, but if you hope to win against Combust, you will need a new element that he has never used before."

"Alright, but what is the new element?" Lexi asked.

"It does not exist yet." Sedna's mother answered. "It is why you are here in the first place. You are to create it yourself, taking component from all elements and creating your own. This is God's Blood. A unique element created by a single person. As I said, people will view it as wrong, but it is our only chance."

(Lexi can create a brand new element here. You can take as many elements or components and combine them together to create anything you can think of. Every base element is here, so she is welcome to do whatever she wants. An example of this would be combining necormancy with holy magic for something like Spirit Calling, or wind, lightning, and water for Storm, etc. -Neo)

Part 3(C): A king and his servant
Knave and Masako stood off of Lexi's platform, watching as Lexi simply held her hands on the blade and gave a blank stare out to the world. "She'll be fine as long as she isn't interrupted." Knave explained. "As long as we hold our ground and prevent anyone from coming for her, we'll be fine." The knight gave a huff. "Something doesn't feel right about all this. Dragonmaw shouldn't be so empty, this is all going too easy..."

"You think Combust was expecting someone to pay a visit to Dragonmaw after our departure?" Masako draws Susano'o and swings it down to her side. "He's afraid that someone will tap into the hidden power of this place..."

"So why leave it completely unguarded?" Knave noted. "He could have every Runic Knight avalible to guard this place but he leaves it empty..."

Knave took a few steps forward, wandering the room in anxiety for what might be thrown at them next. This whole week and a half had been way too long for him, and he still had so much to do. He remembered Viola City and how he fought to try and prevent those people from attacking it. How he came home after that only to learn that those same people had murdered Carol, his girlfriend. He remembered going to Crystal City to try and avenge her and then he...was that where Carol died? Why did he feel this sadness when he thought of Crystal City? And why was there this person with a sword drawn in the room with him? "Who are you...again?" Had he seen her before? She looked familiar but Knave couldn't quite place it. "Are...you a Runic Knight?" Knave asked Masako.

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" Masako asked him. "Do you need a glass of water?"

Knave held his head, why did it hurt so much? What was going on? Part of him felt like he was forgetting something really important, but he had no idea what it was. And why did he have that Chaos Emerald with him? Wasn't he supposed to do something with it. "I'm...fine...I...." He started to say. "No...no I am not well." He created a rune golden rune underneath himself and kneeled down, trying to stop the pain somehow. Even the thinking of anything gave great pain to him. He placed the emerald on the ground, so that he could free his hand for steadying himself.

Masako could see this golden rune, different from any other rune that Knave had created. It glistened with some form of power, and it quaked with energy. As Knave placed the Chaos Emerald down onto the rune, it disappeared, being telelported somewhere she did not know.

But something told her that it was sent to the worst place possible.

"...Knave. What are you doing? Where's the emerald?" Masako took him by the shoulder. "What happened to it?!"

"I don't...ngh..." Knave shuddered in pain as he was promptly moved. "Who...are you?" He asked again. "Why are you here?" He wasn't sure what was even going on anymore, how did all of this happen? Who was this person? His vision blurred as he looked around. Despite everything, his hand gripped his sword tightly. Something about that seemed bad to him, like he should stop. He dropped his sword and noticed the etching on the hilt that burned with black energy. He didn't have much time to ponder anything though, as he finally blacked out.

There was a tapping outside of the room like feet moving that let Masako know that she was not alone here.

Masako gripped her blade in both hands. "I fear no evil! Show yourselves!"

"...Alright..." Came a voice from down the hall. Walking very slowly with his hands already in the air was a handsome young yellow fox. He wore a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt, with a white and yellow breastplate over it. On his side was a sword with a beautiful golden hilt that curved out around the handle. The young man looked around the room as he entered. "Well...um..." He started. "This is very...awkward..." His eye rested on Knave, then moved up to the blank stare of Lexi. "Um...uh...y-you were not who I was expecting when I came in here..."

"...State your business here," Masako demanded. The tip of her blade dug into the ground.

"Uh...well..um..." The boy stammered. "My name is...Paragon...I...I saw someone coming in here...s-s-so I thought...I would...see what they were doing..." He starred at the ground while talking, not making eye contact with Masako. "I'm not f-from here...I'm...looking for the...Mythic...Knights? H-have you h-h-heard of them?"

"That depends, why are you looking for them?" Masako's grip tightened. She had every right to be suspicious, even towards a whelp like Paragon.

"Oh...well...um..." Paragon stammered. "I-I...I knew a woman...sh-she helped me g-get this sword and...um....she said I should...um...show them...something...b-but only them! She made it very clear that...um...I could be in great danger if I showed someone who w-wasn't...them." The boy was litterally shaking in his boots. He seemed to be very scared of Masako. Looking at the way he carried himself, it was different from Zero and Neo. This boy clearly did not have the training or experience that either of them had in combat, despite the ornate weapon. "Oh! Her name was...V-Vitality...She said to tell them that too. Oh! I hope I didn't just tell the wrong person that...I'm s-sorry to waste y-your time...but...i-is he okay? He doesn't look to good." He pointed at Knave. "M-maybe I c-could...help him? If that's...o-okay with you...?"

"Don't touch him," Masako snapped. "There are foul magicks at work, I do not wish for you to become a victim of it." She appeared to be less tense now. "...My name is Masako. We are here to uncover Sir Galahad's legacy, and the pinnacle of his achievements... God's Blood."

"B-but I can help him!" Paragon said quickly. "I-i'm not much of a fighter...b-but I can heal him, I can seal it away!"

Masako backs away slightly. "...Please, be careful."

Paragon quickly began work on Knave, getting to work almost immedietely, he began weaving this golden energy around Knave, which seemed to pull black cloud-like objects out of the boy and be stuck on the weave. Paragon pulled on the energy, drawing it all up into a ball of energy, then sealing it up in a large clear crystal. Paragon held the crystal tightly in his fist, purifying it, and finally broke it open like an egg, allowing the misty energy to shower onto Knave.

Most importantly what Masako would have seen is the pink flame around Paragon's eye, the telltale symbol of a Shard of Light.

"Gather the Shards of Light, they are the key to defeating Destruction..." Masako whispered to herself. She turned to Paragon. "Where did you learn that?"

"Learn what?" Paragon asked. "I-i've always been able to use c-c-rystal kinesis...a-a-and my healing magic comes f-f-rom my family. Vitality thinks I might be a descendent of the M-m-meta...she said m-maybe 1/16th..."

"...You're scared, aren't you? All of a sudden you've been thrust into the middle of our war with naught but this sword that you've been given." Masako quietly sheathes Susano'o.

Paragon shook his head. "I don't like fighting people...I don't like hurting others or...killing..." He shook his head again. "It's not r-right...but that's all there is o-out here..."

"So Combust would have it... but we will destroy him, and we will stop Conquest. Mark my words, Paragon," Masako triumphantly exclaimed.

Paragon nodded, then looked into the distance. He jumped up quickly as if he had just thought of something. "You're not her!" He said quickly. "Oh, sorry, I just realized...you weren't the reason I came in here. There was this Black Wolf lady who I saw coming in here! S-she seemed kinda weird, so I followed her. I don't know where she is, but I bet she's still in here!"

"What?!" With a snap, Masako ignited a flame in her left hand.

Paragon fliched at the flame. "Y-yes, I....I think she's still in here...somewhere..."

"I'm not leaving this platform, you know," Masako called out. "If you're going to do something, then do it."

No sound came from downstairs, but there was something that told Masako that somebody was down there.

"I-I could stay here..." Paragon suggested. "I could m-make a wall of crystal in the d-doorway..."

"Hmmmm..." Knave grunted, as he started coming to. "What is - ah..."

"You're b-bound to be a little s-s-ore..." Paragon told Knave.

Paralogue 3: Karma
The dark room quickly came back into view for Saren as the Deceiver sat back and watched the Lynx with a grin. The feeling of the three orbs in Saren's chest was quite clear, although it was unknown as of now what they did, if Fey's Trust is correct, this could be the turning point of the battle.

"So now you have no gifts left." The Deceiver chuckled apparently unaware of the three remaining orbs as of yet. It may be beneficial to keep them a secret from the Deceiver. "No powers, no gifts, no hope, no chance. Honestly, what did you think was going to happen? Were you drunk when you came in here or just really stupid? Never mind, I'm sure it was a bit of both. I could just kill you here, but we're not done just yet. I want to see you squirm, I wonder how you'd feel about going up against your friends?" The Deceiver raised his hand, and the orbs that Saren had given up all rested on his palm. White puppet strings connected them to the white orb above them, controlling their every move. The Deceiver gave a hearty chuckle as he allowed the orbs to fly into his chest. "Let me show you how powerful true hatred can really be..." His hands were raised and he released a pure white beam of light at Saren.

"Now!" Fey's Trust quickly rushed outwards and took shape, taking part of the blast, while Saren took the rest. It seems that whatever she did, it caused something to change because now Saren was in a pure black room, and standing across from his was Saren's Karma.

No that wasn't quite right, now was it? The pure white beings and different patches of color on his jacket, each one had one of the colors of the stolen gifts. This being was incredibly more powerful than before, since now it seemed to be using Saren's team's hatred as power.

"I'm going to try and free them as they take control." Fey's Trust hummed. "Once they have control, you need to reason with them, this isn't a battle you can win by defeating them with your scythe, you need to talk them. They're being deceived so you need to make them see the truth."

"So I have to talk to them... Well, here goes nothing..?" Saren sighed, tossing his scythe to the side. "Let's talk.."

(Karma - Saren's Truth Theme)

"Nobody really likes this world. They like to hide away from the truth, distracting themselves with whatever little thing they can find." White Saren told his double. "Deceit needs to exist, because people want it to exist. Don't you get that?" White Saren rushed forward, slashing his scythe downwards at Saren's shoulder.

Saren sidestepped the slash before attempting to deliver a palm thrust to White Saren's nose. ".... Eh, can't argue with that really. But like it or not, its the only world we have; so we have to make do with what we got.. Both the good and the bad y'know."

White Saren balanced himself on his scythe, and quickly allowed it to fall backwards so he'd land on his feet. "Good? What good could there possibly be? This is a world where everyone around you dies! A world where no one understands who you truly are!"

An explosion of energy around White Saren caused him to change shape, becoming light blue and taking Trinity's shape. "Everyone around you burns in this world and there is nothing you can do about it!" Her corrutped voice echoed. "How is this world good? DON'T LIE TO ME!" She quickly exploded with darkness, and summoned her daggers out of ice, attempting to stab Saren as fast as she could.

"This is also a world where you can make friends, forge bonds with people and support them as they support you.. You don't have to besr the weight of the world on your shoulders alone." He spoke, crouching down to sweep Trinity's legs out from under her.

"Tragedy can happen, yes, but every tragedy can just as easily be turned into a happy ending if you just try."

"A happy ending?" A HAPPY ENDING?!" Trinity jumped over Saren's leg, and threw one of her daggers at the lynx. "WHERE'S THE HAPPY ENDING FOR THE MYSTIC MAGI? WHERE'S THE HAPPY ENDING FOR SEDNA!? HOW DO YOU MAKE A HAPPY ENDING OUT OF DEATH?"

"The fact that all your trials and tribulations are over, that you can spend eternity with those you cherish in the pearly gates of heaven..? I've died once before so I can confirm there is a heaven and a hell, I can also guarantee Sedna's and the Mystic Magi are in Heaven because if they aren't I will personally go up to god and shove my foot so far up his or her ass that he or she will bur burping out shoe leather."

Saren spoke, rolling to the side to avoid the dagger that was tossed at him.

The darkness around Trinity grew smaller, it seems that Saren was finally getting through to her. "But we failed them. I failed them. I'm just too scared to face what they would think..."

Scared...

"Yes, too scared..." Neo's corrupted voice came and the image of Trinity changed to Neo, wielding Nightmare as he stood against Saren, glaring at the Lynx. "That's what we all are, too scared to face the harsh truth of reality. Why bother living in a world of fear when we can make a world of lies!"

"You and I both know that isnt the answer to anything, because no lie lasts forever; and once it shatters around us we end up left with nothing.. With fear we can atleast replace it with hope.. That's why we fight afterall.. For a better tomorrow, even me I guess.. The traitorous drunk."

"And what happens when we're too scared to fight? There's so much to worry about out there, death, betrayal, Destruction, everything. What happens when we screw up, when one of us dies, and it's all my fault?" Neo fell to his knees and leaned on his sword. "I'm just...I'm scared...scared of the future, of us, of them...of Fey...what will I do if Fey dies, if you all die?"

"Then we die, though death is only permanent if no one remembers.. Death comes for all Neo, even the deathless can die if given a reason.."

"And what if I'm not the thing everyone wants me to be?" Neo asked. "What if I've just been set up for failure, what if, this whole time, we've just been deceived?"

Deceived...

And that brought White Saren back, his shape taking over instead of Neo's. Looking at him though both the orange and aqua patches were gone, so it appeared as though Saren had done something right.

"Do you enjoy being deceived?" White Saren asked. "Does it thrill you to know that you're being fooled? I only ask because of how much you seem to fall for it."

"That's a part of life dude, of course I hate it and try to avoid falling into the machinations of others like the Deceiver; but no one is all knowing, and everyone can be deceived; all you really can do is pick up the pieces and move forward.. If you're me, or even my Karma you should know that shit by now.."

White Saren clapped his hands. "You're finally learning something for once! Good for you." He said in a patronizing voice. "I'm you, and you're me! I'm the embodiment of everything, your sins, your good deeds, your relationships, I'm all of that. See, when the Deceiver took me in, he gave me the gift of 'intelligence', I know, big word. I'm trying to figure out how stupid you could possibly be. Voices in your head, scythes from out of nowhere, a woman who wants to kill you, that suddenly defects to your side because you had a talk with her? Let me remind you that Echo, Delta, and Zapor, all children by the way, were also given the same temptation that you fell for. Two of which were smart enough to realize it was a trick and the other relied on his friend in order to get help. Meanwhile, you greedily accepted any morsel of  'power' thrown at you and even betrayed the people who were on your side from the start."

"Also, guess again on that all knowing bullshit. Destruction, The Deceiver, and Time Spinner all happen to be pretty omnipotent, and Diety's pretty close to it since he can see the destinies of everything around him! Gods you're dumb, no wonder you're the reason Fey is going to die."

Saren just shrugged. "So, I never once claimed to be smart. Just someone only interested in himself, you're just the piece of me that couldn't catch up to bite me in the ass even with help; so.. Anything else you feel like saying..?"

"Where do I start?" White Saren noted. "I mean there's not really much I can say that you don't know, we're the same person we know the same things. I just think this is pretty pathetic of you. I mean, look at where you were two years ago before any of the Mythic Knight bullshit, you were fine back then, and now? Look at all the weaknesses you've developed! Being with those idiots only makes you weak."

"True, but then again, I actually like those idiots."

"Why? What is there to like about those idiots! You're too stupid to see the truth in front of you!" White Saren told his counterpart.

Stupid...

Leah quickly replaced White Saren's form. "We're all too stupid..." Leah noted. "I've seen what Destruction can do first hand, I know there's no way we can make it out of this. We're not smart enough to stand against a god..."

"Yeah we're all stupid.. But we're also smarter in other things as well; we have eachother's back and we cover our weaknesses by working together Leah, unlike destruction we're a family.. And we'll send his raggedy ass back to hell together, sides.. Challenging a god amd winning requires stupidity to pull off, because that allows for the unconventional, the bat shit crazy yet still able to be pulled off..!"

Saren told Leah, he never was capable of expressing how he felt but he found it easier to do here for some reason. "God knows I'm the biggest fucking idiot here, so if anyone has the right to say this it's the biggest damned idiot around.."

"You don't understand, we can't send Destruction back!" Leah shouted. "Not after what I did, not after the seals opened up."

"Then we kill him, and guess what? If it can bleed, it can die."

"But he doesn't bleed. He doesn't even live, he just is! You've never seen him before, but I've gotten close, I've fallen into a seal, I've seen what it's like down there! No one really even knows how to defeat him, I don't know how to defeat him, and if I don't know then what good am I?" Leah said.

"Why not just give up?" Zero's corrupted voice came as the gift took on Zero's shape. "I mean, if we have no hope, why bother right? Better to spend that time with people we care about then to waste it on finding a method that doesn't exist."

"Why give in? If there's no hope than make it.. it's better to die standing then die on your knees." Saren retorted.

"Well, giving in is certainly easier than working towards a bleak future, no?" Zero asked. "And what's it matter how you die? On your knees or standing, it doesn't really matter. Not like we have some honor to follow anyway. Just accept that Destruction is coming and that we're dead."

"Correction, I don't have honor; and its because I have no honor that I refuse to submit even though it would be more honorable to do so.. Also, a bleak future; its always changing so there's no guarantee what the future is gonna be."

"Do you believe in destiny?" Zero asked. "I do. It's destiny that all of these things happened. It's destiny that we wound up here, that we all met each other, and it's destiny that people die. Sedna, Radon, Bravo, my sister, it was predetermined that they would die, so what's the point of trying?

"Because destiny is a load of horse shit? Seriously, if it was destiny that determined how things went then I would've kicked the bucket for a second time a long time ago and you sure as shit know that. We fight it because we have the power to carve out our own destiny, to make it a better one despite what is tossed our way.. Anyone have a bottle of whiskey for this? For old times sake, even though I should kick the habit?"

"You're in a metaphysical state here, you wouldn't even be able to taste it, let alone get drunk." Zero said. "If destiny isn't real then what? Is it all our fault? I can't live with that guilt. Maybe it was destiny that you avoided death? Maybe it was destiny that everything ends? Can you even say anything about it, you came here because of destiny."_

"I came here because I chose to, destiny is nothing more than a cowards rationale and you know it.. So man the fuck up!" Saren snapped. "Zero is a lot stronger than this!"

"Zero is a broken man too helpless to actually do anything for himself." Zero said in third person. "Do you remember the first person you killed? Zero remembers the first person he killed. It was the first time he had ever used Black Blood. His father, one of the best men he had ever known, died because of how uncontrolled Zero's blood was. His mother was able to soothe him enough, enough that she sealed it away for a long time but not before Zero took her life as well. Combine both of those with his sister, who died because of him, and it's clear why he gave up."

"The first person I killed.. Yeah, I remember him.. The fucker had it coming for the longest time.." Saren mumbled. "Aren't we all broken on the inside anyways?"

Zero's melted away to reveal white Saren underneath. "Are we? And how are we broken, Saren?"

"If you're me then you should know this by now.." Saren sighed. "This verbal game of cat and mouse is quite annoying don't you think?"

"I rather enjoy this game." White Saren said. "Humor me for a moment, what makes us as broken as the rest of the 'knights'."

"The fact that I'm a drunk bastard who'd sell out his friends for the far more reliable gold coins and silver dollars..?"

"Because you're a traitor." White Saren gave a wicked smile. "We're a traitor. So the question becomes one last thing. Will you continue to betray them? Once the Deciever's dead, he'll have that Shard of Darkness still left around, you could just pluck it from his corpse, and have all the power that Destruction could give you." The other half of Saren gave a chuckle. "Of course, who knows what that means you'll have to do to your 'friends'."

"Riiiight... Or I could double cross Destruction and take my powers back using that damned shard..? Possibilities are endless you know.." Saren chuckled, though really if push cane to shove he would just try to find a way to destroy it.

"You're so fucking STUPID!" White Saren shouted to his other. "Do you really think you'll have a choice once you take that shard? Newsflash for you jackass, in case you haven't learned anything from this entire ordeal; the Shards of Darkness come at a cost. Control vs power. Once you take that shard, you give yourself to Destruction until the world is destroyed. You won't have a say in anything you do from the moment you come into contact with it!"

White Saren's form melted into a green version of Knave who sat on his knees, leaning against his sword, which was sheathed into the ground. "Of course, I should of known, right? You're a little like me in that regard. Any chance I can get to rise from my position in life, to change the course of my destiny, I'll take it. It doesn't matter what the cost is. You're similar when it comes to power."

".... In that case, fuck the shard, power isn't fun without control." Saren shrugged. "I'm not gonna trust the guy a second time.. I'm tired of this nonsense really."

"And that's the only reason you won't take it?" Knave asked. "Have you learned nothing from this entire experience? Every time you try to gain more power, you only end up hurting yourself and betraying our trust. Does that mean nothing to you?"

"Because I do it for the wrong reasons.. That's why.. Every time that's happened it's because i'm focused on myself and my loathing of all but a few people."

"So why don't you focus on the people you don't loathe?" Knave asked. "Have you not realized that everyone is going to fucking die, and we're the only people in the entire planet who can stop Destruction? For once in your life can you not be some worthless scum?"

"Let me ask you something, do you think I really even care..?" Saren asked. "Caring only leads to an early grave, something I might've learned the first or second time.. I got myself into this mess because I cared about something, granted that something was me but still. If the world dies who gives a damn? I'm scum to the end and that's how I like it.. I don't want to take the damn thing because I don't care.."

Saren paused, as if remembering something. "By the way, my real reason is because I'm not trusting him a second time."

Knave dropped his sword, getting closer to Saren, getting in his face. "Second time? Second time?! Are we not counting all the other times you trusted him? Cut this fucking loner bullshit and look at what is happening around us! The reason you're in this situation now, is because you trusted a voice in your head more than everyone else!"

Knave gave a smirk. "That's it. You're a slave. That's all you fucking are, huh? Just some worthless slave. Why am I even wasting my time..."

Saren snapped, looking for something to toss at him. "Y'know what? I'm sick of it all..." He walked towards the copy. "How about this? Why the hell should I trust you to begin with, the bitch who wrote a fake letter to stop Echo from getting revived..?"

"And why the hell do you care eh? You're kinda me and i'm kinda you..?!"

"Which is my point to begin with!" Knave shouted at Saren. "We are the same person! There's a part of you who actually wants to save the world! If you're not here because it's the right thing to do, then do it because of the people we can save! Do it to prove everyone wrong! Do it because right now, you're a enslaved by society, by fate, by Destruction! Let us help you!"

"... Fine, I'll let you guys help me.."

(sorry, things have been weird and the recent wiki update just kills it for me thoughni will try to respond sooner.)

"Thank you." Knave told him  and faded away.

Standing there now was Celia, her bow out in front of her. She said nothing, nor did she attack Saren, she simply stood still for a moment. "So, we're being used, is that it?" Celia asked. "I suppose it certainly is a clever tactic to use your own power against you. Of course that's not why I'm here right now. Why should I trust you?"

"Not saying you should, I mean I don't trust myself much these days."

Celia gave a light laugh and smirked at Saren. "Well, guess that's understandable. Maybe you should start trusting yourself. You mght need it to finish off the Deciever." With that Celia finally faded away, returning the White Saren to the battle.

"This is the last one." Fey told Saren. "Once he's with us, we can deal with the Deciever once and for all."

"So how do I do that?"

"Just keep doing what you have been doing. Talk to him." Fey noted.

The White Saren did not move, nor did he say a word, he only glared at Saren.

(When you see this, please take a look at the Tales Decision in Puppets -Neo)

"Soooo... We're both me.. Honestly, why the hell are we fighting again..?"

"You tell me." White Saren shrugged. "What do you hate about yourself?"

"Quite a few things, I'm a compulsive liar.. I have an alcohol problem and I really can't keep friends."

"True, but you know all this. There isn't anything I can really tell you that you won't already know. What do you plan to do after this?" White Saren asked. "Do you plan on fighting Destruction, despite the fact that you will die?"

"Probably."

"Probably isn't good enough." White Saren shook his head. "There aren't any probably's in the world you're about to enter. You've been thrown into a world that you will not be able to escape from. You're options are to side with the Mythic Knights, or side with Destruction. That is where you stand now. Probably, is the same thing that you have been wasting your life doing. You either will or you won't."

".... Then I'll stick with what few friends I have and fight destruction, if I die as a result then so be it."

"Even if Destruction offers you more power?" White Saren asked.

"And we all know where that leads, so yes, even if he offers more power."

White Saren eyed his counterpart up and down. "You and I, we are one in the same, no?"

"Yeah, we are.. So I'm pretty sure you could tell if i'm lying or not, my..." Saren actually starts to cringe at this line. "... Determination.. God that is so gay.."

The corners of white Saren's mouth turned up ever so slightly. "Yeah, it really is." He walked towards Saren, and stood closer to him. "If you want to defeat the Deciever, you'll need to be careful." The other colored orbs came out around Saren as well, Trinity, Neo, Zero, Leah, Knave, Celia, Echo, Sedna and Fey, the people who believed in him.

"He's right, you're getting really close to losing everything." Echo noted.

"We'll be keeping his draining magic from you as long as possible though." Sedna nodded.

"Even with White Saren on our side, things aren't looking as up as I had hoped." Fey said. "Once you're fighting him, it'll be just you, Echo and Sedna. Everyone else will need to find an opening to join you, but once they do you'll start to feel their powers return. All we need to do is stop him for just a few moments and combine our power with the Scythe. We need you to buy us some time."

"Buy time, get odd power up, kill a bitch, got it.. Time for dry martini's afterwards..."

"Alright." Fey noted. "Let's take down the Deceiver."

With that the world around Saren faded away. The small red orbs floated into his scythe, while the other orbs faded away, with only the black orb staying for just a moment, until it too finally left.

"Sheesh, where are ye..?" Saren asked.

(My editing window has been acting up lately, can you see Paralogue 4? I can see it on my computer, but on the mobile editor I can't seem to see it. -Neo)

Paralogue 4: Heart
The world around Saren had changed, as a very dim light returned, he found himself in what seemed to be Station Square, but different. The buildings were tilted the further they went to the horizon, as if they had been built in a bowl, the buildings looked to be made out of organic material, with flayed flesh, bones, bits of organs, and fur all being used on the buildings. The sky was black, with no sort of light able to shine down aside from the purple, shattered moon.

Saren would recognize the area he was in as the town square, with the ever familiar clock tower looming in the center that was also Lightstone's base. It wasn't a long walk to Tranquil Manor, nor the apartments that Zero lived in. On the square also happened to be a bar that Saren frequented while here. The pavement below that once was concrete now seemed to be made of bone. The strangest part about this area was the sound. There was nothing. No sound, no reverb, no atmosphere, no cars in the background, or the chatter of people talking to one another, it was silent. Even taking a step onto the ground, trying to be as loud as possible, resulted in nothing.

This place clearly wasn't Station Square, but by looking around there was so much careful detail put into it, that it could be taken as the same city. Station Square, but destroyed. In fact that was exactly what this was. This was Station Square in a world in which Destruction wins. This is the horror of the future, a world where there is no one alive.

(Deciet 1:24 - 5:29 )

"Did you think I wouldn't know what you were trying to do?" The Deceiver's voice rung out to Saren, as he stood behind the Lynx. "I'll admit, you certainly are more clever than I thought, but none of that will help you here. This is my world now, the world that I lead. Here, I am your God, and you are nothing but a man, and what is a man to a god? You're going to die here Saren, I'll make sure of that." With that, the Deciever swund a Zweihandler out at Saren.

Saren jumped backwards to avoid the zweihander. "Hah! What's a god to a nonbeliever!"

The Deceiver charged Saren, swinging at the ground beneath his feet to create a cloud of dust around him. He didn't say a word, but he seemed to have some plan in mind for the Lynx once he created the cloud.

Saren knew this possible trick, so he made an effort to stroll outside kf the cloud.

As he did so, several white figures stood outside the smoke waiting for him, none of them had any faces or recognizable features, they were just figures, and they all rushed towards Saren. There was a flash of something, Fey, maybe? And Saren found himself in a pure white room.

(Describe a moment when Saren felt some sort of bond with Neo and Trinity. These could be seperate moments, one with Neo and one with Trinity, or they could be the same moment. This could be a moment that happened in a roleplay, or this could be a moment that happened off screen. You're free to use my characters in any way that you see fit for this. -Neo)