Veratis Kalohella part 1

I'm splitting what happened in Veratis Kalohella into two posts, for reasons.

 

After my last post, tings got weird. he ship teleported to anther layer of reality. That's what Kelterry told me ayway. Weird place that I can't really describe. We were there for a long time before we finally found our destination.

"Here it is," elterry said.

We were flying before a giant, floating island with a huge castle on it, with all kinds of balconies and terraces and stuff that didn't look normal at all.

"If I remember correctly, that back door right over here is the place," he said.

"So, you want me to go in and grab whatever it is we're looking for?" I asked.

"Pretty much," he said. "It's a hand mirror. You'll know it when you see it."

"Okay," I said.

I tried to get there through the Godsway, but it didn't work.

"Why can't I use the Godsway?" I asked.

"The Godsway only exists on the first layer of reality," Kelterry said. "You can't enter it here."

"Damn," I said. "What about my other powers?"

"No idea," he said.

"I guess I'll have to jump down then," I said, not very happy about it.

"Gravity's weak here," he said. "You'll be fine."

"If you say so," I said.

"Oh yeah, and take this," he said, holding out a hand. Some kind of small black slimiy looking lizard was crawling around on his palm.

"And that is?" I asked.

"Demetri," he said. "Let him ride on your head, and you'll be able to understand what the natives here say. He's basically an Eldritch translator. Try it out."

"Okay...," I said, reaching my hand out. It crawled on my arm, and burried itself in my hair.

Kelterry cleared his throat, and then spoke some weird words that sounded like he was trying to gargle and vomit at the same time. But I could understand it. He was saying "How's it working?"

"Nicely," I said. "Where's you get this guy?"

"Long story," he said. "Now go on."

I jumped down and landed on the ground on the floating island. Managed to stick my landing unharmed.

As soon as I made it down there, another figure showed up. Someone I recognized.

"Oh god, it's you," I said, as PAvouk approached me.

"Hello, Ferris," he said. He was still speaking that weird language from the last time I saw him, but Demetri translated for me. Which must have meant that PAvouk was connected to this world somehow.

"What do you want?" I demanded.

"A rematch," he said, lifting up his dueldisk.

 

So, yeah, the rest of this post is gonna be a card game, so if you want, you can just skip it. I'll cover everything that happened after the duel in my next post.

 

Anyway, as he was in my way, I decided to humor him. I got out my own duel disk and stood across from him. I remember his deck had an anti xyz strategy. Lucky for me, the deck I had with me didn't even use xyz monsters.

 

"I'll go first!" I said. "I summon Maha Vailo in attack mode!"

A spellcaster appeared on my field, with 1550 attack points.

"Next, I equip him with Mist Body!" I said. "Do to this card's effect, Maha Vailo can't be destroyed in battle. And additionally, Maha Vailo gains 500 attack for every card equiped to him!"

My monster's attack pwer rose to 2050.

"I end my turn," I said.

 

"My turn!" Pavouk said. "I activate the spell card One For One! Now, by discarding Intrusion Milipede from my hand, I can special summon my level 1 Intrusion Firefly from my deck!"

A glwing insect appeared on his field. it only had 200 attack points.

"Next, I use Firefly's effect," he said. "Since I control no spell or trap cards, I can pay 1000 life points to summon another copy of it from my deck!"

His life dropped to 7000, and another Fiefly appeared.

"I'll use this effect again!" he said.

His life dropped to 6000, and a third bug showed uo.

"Now, I build the overlay network with these three level 1 monsters!" he declared. "I call forth Intrusion House Fly!"

The largest god damn fly I've ever seen appeared on his field. It had 1500 attack and 1000 defense.

"Now, I use my monsters effect!" he said. "By using an overlay unit, the Intrusion Milipede in my graveyard becomes level 7!"

At the time, I had no idea what he was planning. But he kept going.

"I use another overlay unit to turn the Intrusion Firefly in my graveyard into a level 7!" he said. "And then I'll use this effect one last time to turn another of the Intrusion Fireflies into a level 7 monster!"

"Where are you going with this?" I asked.

"I activate the spell card Eclipse Of Fear!" he said. "Now, I can banish all level 7 Fear cards from my graveyard, and increase a Fear monster's attack power by 1000 for each of them!"

Now it made sense. There were three level 7 Fear cards in his graveyard now, and as he banished them all, his House Fly rose to 4500 attack points.

"Now, attack!" he ordered.

His House Fly buzzed forward, and I received 2450 damage. Fortunately, my monster survived.

"Now I move to main phase 2," he said. "From my hand, I use the effect of Intrusion Zicada!"

He placed a level 7 monster with 3000 attack points into his spell and trap card zone.

"I can activate this caard as a continuous spell card," he informed me. "Then, it will gain 7 sleep counters, one of which will be removed each time an end phase passes."

"And what happens when they're all gone?" I asked.

"When that happens, I can special summon it to the field," he said.

Not good. In 7 end phases, he'd be bringing out a 3000 attack point Fear card.

"I end my turn," he said, and a sleep counter was removed from his Zicada. His House Fly's attack returned to normal.

 

"My turn!" I said, drawing. "I activate Cost Down, so by discarding Sword Hunter, the levels of every card in my hand is reduced by two. Now, I tribute my Maha Vailo to summon Archangel, Lord Of The Fallen!"

The Archangel appeared on my field, with its mighty 2500 attack points. Pavouk drew back a bit, remember when I used it in our last duel.

"I use his effect!" I said. "Now, I can equip him with the Sword Hunter in my graveyard!"

The Archangel took Swrd Hunter's form.

"Now, I'll have him attack your House Fly!" I declared.

He received 1000 damage and his monster was destroyed.

"Next, Archangel's effect activates!" I said. "Since he gains Sword Hunter's effect, I can convert your monster into an equip spell that gives him 200 attack."

Intrusion House Fly equipped itself to Archangel, raising his attack to 2700.

"Archangel gains the power of every monster equipped to him," I said. "However, House Fly's effect is useless to me, so I'll activate the Archangel's other effect, allowing me to destroy a monster equipped to him and equip him with a different monster from my graveyard! Sure, He'll lose the 200 attack he gains from House Fly, but in exchange, he'll gain Maha Vailo's effect! And you know what that means!"

The Archangel's attack power went up to 3500; and extra 500 for each card equipped to him.

"Now, I set two cards face down and end my turn," I said. Another sleep counter was removed from Zicada.

 

"You'll pay," Pavouk hissed, drawing a card. "I summon Intrusion Lance Beetle!"

A new monster appeared on his field. It was level 4 (first time I've seen him use something other than 1 or 7) and had 500 attack. It was a very large beetle holding two spears.

"When Lance Beetle is summoned, I can destroy all of my opponent's equip spell cards!" Pavouk said.

"Oh shit...," I muttered, as his beetle wiped out both the cards equipped to Archangel, returning his attack to normal.

"Now, for each card destroyed this way, Lace Beetle gains 1000 attack until the end phase!" he said.

His monster rose to 2500 attack. The same as my Archangel.

"Now-" Pavouk said, but before he could finish, there was an Earthshaking roar at the other end of the castle. He paused for a moment, before turning from me. "We'll settle this later," he said, taking off.

"What the hell?" I said out loud.

I don't know what made that roaring sound, but it had scared off Paavouk. I was starting to have second thoughts about this mission. But I had to keep going.

I'll finish this later. I need a break now.

Mom

I waited just outside of town, like Tony sad. I could see a large cloud approaching from a distance, and a small light binking in the center of it. That must have been the signal. I teeprted into the sky above the clouds. I could see the Tantalus sailing in the middle of it all. I used the Godsway again, reappearing jus a few feet above the deck. It's starting to scare me how easily I can do that. It doesn't even hurt any more.

Tony ran up to me when I came on board.
"Hey, man," he said. "Been a while."
"Yeah," I said. "So this ship can create fog?"
"It's how the Wooden Girl sailed around unnoticed when she was captain," Tony said.
"I see," I said. "So where's Kelterry?"
"Right here," Kelterry said, coming up from bellow deck.
"So would you mind explaining to me why the fuck you brought my mom on board?" I asked.
"I wanted answers," he said. "And she had them. You should go talk to her. You'll wanna hear what she has to say."

He led me below deck, where she was waiting, with my little half brother, Tyler. I don't think I've mentioned him on the blog before. Cute kid. He looks kind of like I used to. We both take after our mother.

"Been a while," I said.
"Yeah," my mom said.

Akward silence. I believe I explained in the post titled "Backstory" that my parents divorced when I was six. I don't see much of her anymore. Every now and then she and Tyler visit, but it's been a couple years since the last time.

Is it true you have powers?" Tyler said, finally reaking the silence.
"Sure do," I said. "Wanna see?"
"Yeah!" he said.
"Okay," I said, turning to Kelterry. "Would you mind getting your son?"
"I don't think he wants to be desturbed right now," Kelterry said.
"Please?" I said, smiling. As I did, my aura shifted a bit, evenloping the whole room.
"Okay," he replied, leaving.
"What was that?" my mom asked.
"The Unnamed Child's power," I said. "I pull an aura. Charm people. Not a power I like to use much, but I can get some people to do exactly what I want them to, if their guard is down."
Next, I set my hand on fire. My mom and Tyler jump back a bit.
"Took me awhile to get the hang of pyrokinesis," I said. "Cryo and electro kinesis were a lot easier."
A few moments later, Hideaki walked in.
"What did you want with me?" he asked.
"I just need to demonstrate something," I said, grabbing his arm.

My consciousness flowed into him. My body faded away, and my mind enveloped his own. I was seeing through his eyes. Using his body.

"The Dying Man's power," I said. "Possession."

I left his body quickly. I've used possession once before. If I stay in someone elses body for too long, they grow weak. Decay. I didn't want that to happen to Hideaki. Besides, possession is just plain exhausting.

"Geez," Hideaki said, shaking a bit. "Warn a guy next time!"
"Sorry," I said.
"One more!" Tyler said excitedly.
"Okay, but just one," I said.

I thought for a moment, trying to decide which one. And it came to me pretty easy. I'd hit her with a power she deserved to witness. I closed my eyes and focused. More of them appeared. On every wall, chair, the floor, the ceiling, everything. Eyes. Some large as eggs, some tiny as soy beans. And I could see everywhere. All around me. No blind spots.

Everyone in the room drew back, struck by a sensation I knew all to well. They were being forced to see their darkest moments. All of their life's regrets playing out before them. I opened my eyes again, and the other eyes vanished without a trace.

"What was that?" My mom asked.
"Guilt inducement," I said. Then I added "They also make great security cameras."
"I... I see," she said. She knew exactly why I did that.

Anyway, there was no more time for games. Time to get down to business. I turned on the Black Dog's power. My eyes turned red. They would let me know if she told a lie. I made sure to brush my bangs in front of my face so she wouldn't notice.

"Kelterry says you can tell me a bit about my powers," I said. "They were supposed to have faded away generations ago. Why did I get them back?"

"Do you remember 4 years ago?" she asked.
"Vaguely," I said.

That was two visits ago. I really don't remember muchof it. I think we went to Inn-In-Out. Or maybe it was Sizzlers... I get visits mixxed up sometimes.

"While I was visiting you, I saw something," she said. "Well, multiple things. There was a man in a gas mask, watching you from a distance."
"The Archangel," I said.
"I didn't think much of it at first," she said. "But I saw him again. Then, there was this woman wearing a wedding dress. When I looked at her a second time, she was gone, and there were only fireflies."
"The Burning Bride," I said.
"And I kept seeing others," she said. "A tall bald man in a suit, an old man with a book, a wooden mannequin that seemed to move, a large dog with red eyes. After I left again, I met a man. He said the things I saw were called Fears, and that they were after you."
"He was right," I said. I had no idea they were watching me all the way back to four years ago. Exactly how long have the Fears been involved with my life?
"I didn't believe him at first," she said. "But then he showed me something."
"What did he show you?" I asked.
"His hand," she said.

Jack. My mother met the Jack Of All, four years ago. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. But the Black Dog's eyes were still active. She was telling the truth.

"It was inhuman," he said. "He even did magic with it. Real magic, not that sleight of hand BS."
"So what did you do?" I asked.
"He said you had power sleeping inside you," she said. "Power that could protect you."
"Go on," I said, scared of what might come next.
"He said he could awaken that power," she said. "All I had to do was-"
"Shake his hand," I finished for her.
"Yes," she said.
"And you did?" I asked.
"I wanted you to be safe," she said. "I know I'm not always there for you, but your my son! I don't want anything to happen to you."
"What was the catch?" I asked. "The Jack Of All... he doesn't make these kinds of deals without some kind of twist or price or something."
"He did say something," she said. "He said that in the near future, you would be forced to part with something dear to you."
"I need some time alone," I said.
"Okay," she replied.

I went to my cabin and sat on the bed. My mom made a deal with Jack four years ago. That's why I'm a Devil Killer. But what did I part with? Or have I not parted with it yet? Just what the hell was the price for Jack's deal?


.....
Kelterry just knocked on the door. He said we'll be heading off to Veratis Kalohella soon. I'd better wrap this post up and get ready.

Emotionless

"So how long will it take you guys to get here?"
"The way the wnd is... a couple days."
"And you can get here unseen?"
"The Wooden Girl wouldn't just captain any old ship, would she? Nah, this baby's got some tricks up her sails. We can get there without anyone seeing us. Just wait for us a couple miles South of town. We'll give you a signal so you'll know where we are, then you just Godsway on board."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Also, we have a new passenger."
"Who is it?"
"Don't freak out, but... it's kind of your mom..."
"Wait, what?"
"Garrot was still curious about your Devil Killer powers. He thought that maybe your mom might have the answers. Turns out, she did."
"What do you mean?"
"I think it's better if she explains it to you."
"I haven't spoken to my mom in years!"
"I know, man. But you're gonna want to hear what she has to say. It's kind of important."
"Fine..."
"I'll call you back later."
"Alright. Bye Tony."
"Peace out, man."

Hung up the phone after that. What the hell was Kelterry thinking, picking up my mom? I'm gonna have to make him explain this when I get back to the ship. I'd just Godsway there right now, but I don't know the exact location of the ship. They'll have to come to me.

In the mean time, I'm staying in a small town in Rhode Island. Not gonna put exact coordinates on the blog, for safety reasons.

Anyway, after that phone call with Tony ended, I heard a scream, just a couple blocks from me. So, being the reckless bastard that I am, I went to investigate. What I found wasn't to pretty.

There was a man, lying on the pavement. And lying a few feet away from him, was his head. Standing over him was a girl. She was kind of cute. A little too young for me, but still kind of cute. What wasn't cute was the blood stained long sword in her hands.

"What happened?" I demanded. "Did you kill him?"
"He had it coming," she said. Her voice was completely monotone. No em,otion in it whatsoever.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"He was a bully," she said.
"Is that it?" I demanded. "He was a bully?"
"Bullies deserve to die," she said emptily.
"You just killed a person just for being a bully!" I shouted at her. "Do you have any idea how fucked up that logic is!?"
"Don't raise your voice at me," she said, raising her sword. "It's a mean thing to do."
I drew my own sword.
"Do you plan to fight me with that?" she asked.
"Yeah, I do," I said.
"Did you know this man?" she asked me.
"I have no clue who his is," I said.
"Then why avenge him?" she asked.
"I'm not doing this for vengeance!" I said. "I'm doing this to stop you. It doesn't matter that I don't know him."
"So you're going to kill me so that I won't kill any more bullies?" she asked.
"I'm not going to kill anyone!" I snapped. "I said I'm going to stop you!"
"Oh," she said. "Well, good luck."

She swung her sword at me, and I parried it. I swung mine, trying to cut her arm, but she dodged and knicked me in the shoulder with her own blade. We kept at it, but she was good. Better than I am. As if she does nothing but train with that sword. And on top of that, it was no normal sword. Up close, I could feel it. I was the same as the sword I gave to Scia. It had destroyed this girl's emotions. Even if I did want to kill her, doing so would be pointless. She was already dead.

"You can't beat me," she said, driving me back. "You have too many feelings holding you back. To many stupid emotions, weakening you."
"Go fuck yourself!" I snapped.

My sword burast into bright flames. They had never been quite the same since my fight with Red Daniel. They burned brighter, and wider than they used to. She stepped back, away from the intense heat.

"You're not the only one with a supernatural weapon," I told her.

It was at that point that I did get a sense of emotion from her. Fear. She turned from me and ran. Ran to a brick wall nearby. A brick wall with a door, that didn't belong there.

I tried to stop her. Strings pierced my finger tips from the inside, coming out and extending. They reached for her, trying to bind her before she could reach the door. But they weren't fast enough. The door slammed shut before they reached her.

The strings withdrew as I ran to the door. As I approached it, it faded away slowly, melting back into the bricks. It was gone by the time I reached it.

She had ran right through a door to the Empty City. On the plus side, she wouldn't be killing anyone here in the normal world. On the down side, the Empty City had claimed a new victim. Because of me. I'm the reason she tried to escape through the door. And now she's trapped there.

Damn it. Why do shitty things happen whenever I try to do the right thing.

Guess there's nothing left to do right now except wait for the damn ship to get here...

The Angel Of Death

I was there for another week when it happened. Carla was treating my wounds when I had that feeling. A Fear was present. And in a few moments, he entered the room. The Archangel. In her father's body.

"Hello, Carla," he said.

"Carla, get out of here," I said, sitting up.

"What?" she asked.

"That's not your dad, it's the Archangel," I said.

"Now why would you tell her such a silly lie?" he asked.

I reached down to my leg and ripped off the cast.

"What are you doing?" Carla asked. "How did you...?"

I got to my feet and faced the Archangel. It hurt my leg to do that, but I had no choice.

"I must say, that scar looks good on you," the Archangel said.

"Get out of here," I demanded.

"No," he replied.

He raised a hand and sent me crashing into the wall. I slumped to the grund, in even more pain then before.

"Daniel!" Carla said, running up to me. She placed a hand on my chest and I had this weird sensation. My pain was disappearing, slowly. My wounds were beginning to close up.

"You... you're healing me?" I said. "How?"

"I don't know," she said.

Before she could finish healing me, a black sword pierced her from behind. She slumped over, dead.

"Carla!?" I said.

"What a shame," the Archangel said. "Killed by her own father. And now, her soul is mine."

"I don't think so!" I said. "This is one soul I won't let you have!"

I absorbed her soul before the Archangel had a chance to. He grabbed me by the throat and flung me against the other wall.

"You will return to me what is mine!" he shouted.

Let me fight, Justin said. Let me take him!

Okay, I said.

My form changed. I became Justin, and a scythe appeared in Justin's hand.

"You!?" the Archangel said.

"Long time no see," Justin said.

They attacked each other. I had no idea how good of a fighter Justin was. Apparently, he had been training. The Archangel retreat, but I know he'd be back. He always comes back.

I'm sorry, Carla. I told you, I should have left before. Everyone I'm ever around ends up dead.

Waking Up

Seems I've been out a few weeks. Woke up in a small house, lying in a bed with bandages around my chest. Don't remember much since my last post.

"Okay, where am I?" I asked.

"You're in my dad's house," someone said.

There was this red haired girl standing over me.

"What happened?" I asked. "Why am I here?"

"We found you lying in the street, unconscious," she said. "You were pretty beaten up."

"Why does my chest hurt?" I asked, raising a hand up to the bandages.

"We think you were attacked," she said.

I tore the bandages off to have a look at my chest. It was sickening. The twin triangles were branded right over my heart.

"Fucking Archangel," I muttered.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," I said. "Who are you?"

"My name is Carla," she said.

"I'm Daniel," I said.

The door opened and a gray haired man entered.

"Oh, good, you're up," he said. "I'm Father Francis."

"Father?" I asked. "As in 'preacher'?"

"Yes," he confirmed.

"Great," I said sarcastically. I've never liked preachers, or anything that has to do with religion.

"Are you Atheist?" he asked me.

"No," I said. "I believe in gods, and they're all assholes."

"Oh, so you're Greek?" he said, smiling. "Well, you can believe what you want. I don't judge. I have business to attend t, so I won't keep you two."

He left after that.

"You said something about an angel, didn't you?" Carla asked.

"It's not important," I said. "I should probably leave soon."

"You can't yet," she said. "Your legs aren't healed yet."

"What?" I asked, moving the blankets aside. My left leg was in a cast, and my right was bound in bandages.

"Yeah, you were hurt pretty badly," she said.

"Damn it," I said.

"I'll leave you alone for a while," she said.

She left. I don't remember anything. All I know is that the Archangel or one of his followers attacked me.

Going Our Separate Ways

Scia woke up today. Finally. She was worrying me.

“What happened?” she asked. “Where are we?”

“We're hiding out in a warehouse right now,” I told her. “It was the best place I could think of.”

“Zack's... dead, isn't he?” she asked.

“Yep,” I told her.

“The Crow did it?” she asked.

“Apparently it's the 'Black' Crow now,” said. “Yeah, it was him.”

“I see,” she said.

“Oh, yeah, I got you this,” I said, tossing her a spiked collar I got from a Hot Topic.

“What the hell is this for?” she asked me.

“To cover up the scarring and the stitches on your throat,” I said. “It would be weird to walk around like that in public.”

“Why a spiked collar though?” she asked. “Why not get me a turtle neck sweater?”

“Because turtle necks are fucking ugly,” I said.

“Whatever,” she said. “I'll wear it til I can find something better.”

She then noticed the rapier lying on the ground.

“That's one of Zack's swords, isn't it?” she asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “It's identical to the one ParaDan uses.”

“Who?” she asked.

“My future self,” I said. “It's complicated.”

“So, if he's from the future, then this might be the present version of his sword, right?” she asked.

“Possibly,” I said.

“Can I have it?” she asked.

“What?” I asked.

“You've already got, like, three swords, don't you?”

“Two swords, a knife, some brass knux, and a handgun,” I said.

“See!?” she said. “You've got like, twelve weapons already!”

“That is a huge exaggeration,” I pointed out.

“It would only be fair for you to give the sword to me,” she said.

“Fine,” I said. “But I should warn you. That's no normal sword. When I held it, I could feel my emotions starting to slip away.”

She picked it up off the ground.

“Yeah, you're right,” she said. “This sword is definitely affecting me somehow. Not much, but I can still feel it.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I should probably get going.”

“What?” she asked. “You're not gonna stick around?”

“I've been gone too long,” I said. “I have to get back to the others.”

“I see,” she said. “See you later, I guess.”

I prepared to leave, but before I made it out she stopped me.

“Can I ask you something before you go?” she asked.

“Sure,” I said.

“What was... what was my dad like?” she asked.

I had to stop and think for a minute. That was a tough question. Actually describing Malkator like that wasn't easy.

“Well, you remind me a lot of him,” I said.

“Really?” she asked. “How so?”

“He was violent and reckless, and he had an inner darkness that he couldn't always control,” I said. “But despite that, he was a good person. He fought against the Fears for the sake of the humans, and in the end, he died for them.”

“I see,” she said.

“I'd better get out of here,” I said. “Bye.”

I left after that. Not sure when 'll be seeing her again, but I'm sure I will.

Malkator's not the only one with darkness in his heart. I felt it for a while now. I have my own inner darkness. And I'm not sure how long I can resist it.

Zack Waters

Scia and I were attacked earlier. A man, about 30-ish, who was missing his right arm. He had two swords with him. A rapier, that was slung across his back in a sheath, and a scimitar, which he held in his remaining hand. He was pretty muscular, and had this crazy look in his eyes as he approached us.

“Zack!?” Scia said when she saw him. “What are you doing here!?”

“You know this guy?” I asked.

“His name is Zack Waters,” Scia said. “He was my friend once.”

“I see,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

“I'm here to kill you!” he shouted, charging at me.

I stopped his attack with my wakizashi and kicked him away from me. Scia moved toward us but I raised a hand to stop her.

“Stay back,” I said, switching my grip on my sword. “I've can handle this.”

Zack charged at me again, and I blocked his attack with all my strength. That guy may have only had one arm, but he was really strong. But he was still human. He attack me again, but I parried all of his attacks. I managed to kick him again, knocking him away.

“I don't wanna hurt you,” I told him.

“Too bad!” he shouted, swinging his sword.

I tried blocking again, but this time he knocked the sword from my hand. He then kicked me in the face, knocking me over. I didn't see what happened after that, but I heard Scia screaming. When I got up, he was standing over her body. His blade was covered in blood, and she had a wound on her chest, and her head was lying a few feet away.

“You killed her!” I exclaimed, angrily.

“That's right,” he said, turning to me. “And you're next!”

I lost control. I'm not completely sure what happened. I could feel something moving beneath my skin, and then it burst out of my shoulder blade. A long black tentacle, dripping with black blood extended toward Zack and broke his sword in half. He panicked and drew his rapier, charging at me with it. Three more tentacles sprouted from my back, and entangled him. I grabbed my sword from the ground and rushed at him, ready to impale him on the end of it. But just before I did, I stopped. The image of Red Daniel's death had played in my head again. All of what I had felt back then... I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill him.

The tentacles released their hold on him, and went back beneath my skin. I could feel the wounds they had sprouted from closing up. I returned my sword to its sheath.

“W-Why!?” he asked. “Why won't you kill me!?”

“Go,” I told him.

“What?” he asked.

“Get the hell out of here!” I demanded. “Before I change my mind!”

He got up and started running, terrified. He didn't get very far before a bolt of lightning struck him, frying him. He dropped to the ground, dead.

“What the hell?” I said.

“That was pathetic,” said a voice from on top of a rooftop.

I looked up and saw a familiar face. Almost familiar. He had changed a lot. He had eagle-like eyes and black wings sprouting from his back. His right arm was extremely muscular and coated in feathers, ending in a viscous talon. More patches of feathers covered random parts of his exposed skin, and a pair of sickly curved swords were tucked into his belt. Despite all of the changes, there was no doubt about who he was. It was Andrew Miles. The Crow.

“Andrew!” I said. “Why the hell did you do that!?”

“My name is no longer Andrew,” he said. “I am the Black Crow. And to answer your other question, I did it because you wouldn't do it yourself. That was pretty damn disappointing just now.”

He glided down from the building and landed next to Zack's corpse.

“You could have saved e some trouble by killing him yourself,” he said.

“I couldn't,” I said. “I can't bring myself to kill anyone else.”

“And that's why you're weak,” he said. “You're too hesitant. You can barely beat a human as you are. How do you expect to defeat the Fears if you cling to light?”

“What was that?” I asked.

“You cling to your foolish morals,” he said. “They won't help you win. Darkness is the only path that can lead to victory.”

“That's not what Malkator- Our friend- Believed!” I said.

“And look what happened to him,” he said. “He's dead now, because he insisted on sacrificing himself for a bunch of worthless humans.”

“How dare you!” I snapped.

I drew my sword and charged at him angrily. He raised his talon and caught my blade in his hand. Fire burst from my sword and sparks flew from his hand.

“You know, the Convocation wants you dead,” he said. “The only reason you're still alive right now is because I still need you.”

“What's that supposed to mean!?” I demanded. “Need me for what!?”

“That's for me to know and you to find out,” he said.

I heard movement from behind me and turned my head. Scia was sitting up again, and was sewing her head back on with steel thread. I backed off from Andrew.

“What the fuck?” I said.

“Well, that's unique,” Andrew said.

“Scia, are you okay?” I asked, running over to her.

“I think so,” she said.

“How did you survive that?” I asked.

“Not sure,” she said. “What happened to Zack?”

“This guy killed him,” I said, glaring at Andrew.”

“You... did what?” she asked, before collapsing.

“Scia!?” I exclaimed. “What's wrong!?”

The answer was obvious. She had reattached her head... somehow... but she had still lost a lot of blood. I tore off my vest and tried to plug her wound with it. I normally wouldn't use my vest for that, but it had been all but destroyed from those tentacles.

“She won't last long,” Andrew said, picking up Zack's corpse. “I killed some proxies earlier. Their corpses are hidden nearby.”

“Why are you telling me that?” I asked.

“Figure it out,” he said, spreading his wings and taking off.

I stayed by Scia, trying to stop the bleeding and figure out how to help her. While I was doing that, I couldn't stop wondering how she was able to reattach her severed head. Malkator couldn't do that. Or, at least, I do think he could. I don't think has ever decapitated. Maybe it was something the Archive did to her while they were creating her. But I don't think Malkator was capable of that.

That's when it hit me. Malkator had the power to regenerate his wounds using the energy he's absorbed. If Scia could absorb more energy through the mouth on her hand, she might be able to recover. And then there were those proxies Andrew mentioned. Malkator said before that all proxies carry a small amount of eldritch energy due to their extended exposure to the Fears. Those dead proxies should still have some energy left.

I left Scia alone for a little while, so I could find them. Wasn't too hard. I went back and carried her through the Godsway to them. I placed her hand on their bodied, and she instinctively bit them. At least, I think it was instinct. She was unconscious, so I'm not sure why it came so naturally to her. She drained the energy from all of them, and then I waited. Eventually, the wounds on her chest and neck faded into scars. She hasn't woken up yet, though.

I teleported her somewhere safe to recover. I can only hope she'll be okay.

And one more thing. I went back to where I had fought Zack earlier. His Rapier was still there, and it was completely unharmed. It should have taken some damage from Andrew's lightning, but it didn't. It was perfectly fine. And also, it's completely identical to the one ParaDan carries. When I picked it up, I noticed something. My emotions... they became weaker. It's hard to explain. I got back to where Scia was and set it down. I don't think holding onto it for too long is a good idea. I don't wanna risk damaging my emotions any further.