Kyle opened his eyes as a sudden chill overcame him to wake up, finding himself inside Ymir's hall yet again.
"Stand child." Said Ymir.
Kyle found that he was lying on the ground, slowly he stood up as his head ached. He stopped midway and fully took in his surroundings, Ymir wasn't alone. Far from it, several others stood by his side.
Ymir studied him carefully, unsure of what he was looking at "Let me introduce to you, the other Gods that have aided me in gaining the right to select a chosen. The right to aid you." Ymir gestured at the different Gods as he spoke their name and title.
"Loki, the God of tricksters." A tall man stood shrouded in a dark green royal cloak and hood, a skinny form unlike the other muscly beings but a certain air of danger floated around him. His face was covered by a mask leaving only his eyes and pointy nose revealed, his eyes a bright emerald green. He stood with his hands hidden behind his back, his head slightly slanted as if in thought.
"Setekh, the God of disorder." A warrior in body, covered in blue and yellow tattoos depicting battles. Long black hair left hanging and dark brown eyes, his skin was slightly dark as if having taken too much sun. He wore blue and golden jewellery along with an Egyptian style thin yellow and white cloth around his lower body as the only means of clothing.
"Titania, the Goddess of blades and Fae." The Fairy Queen was a stunning sight, a warrior herself. She stood shorter than the other God but still a giantess in her own right. She wore gleaming white crystal armour etched with runes, several blades grew out of her shoulders, back and waist seemingly part of the armour. Her short golden-blue hair glowed a dark aura, her golden eyes surging with dark lightning.
Ymir finished with introducing his partners he turned back to Kyle and gestured at him "My fellow immortals, I present you my Chosen. Descendant of Void, Yako of the impossible Frostfire. Now also slayer of an ascended being, slayer of Void."
"One who has caught His attention." Added Titania, her voice powerful like a warrior's. She approached Kyle as her form shrunk, until she stood eye to eye with him. She studied the young Yako, her eyes weighing his strengths "This creature, so full of rage, burdened by loss and confusion. We did not believe Ymir's choice was correct, we believed our aid had gone to waste."
A warm smile appeared from her previous solemn expression "It seems, that you have proven us wrong. You have caught His attention young fox, do you understand what that implies?"
Kyle shook his head awkwardly, not comprehending anything the Goddess was saying.
"You have gained the Avatar's attention, trickster of ice." Setekh spoke, his voice gruff "It deemed you worthy of it's test, it is why the Void God was reduced to what you fought. The Avatar, the creator of all, severed the connection between you and the Void. Then the Avatar left you to fight it, whether you won or lost, the Avatar would have decided if you are worthy or not."
Kyle opened his mouth to speak but as if already knowing what he'd ask, Loki began to speak "Worthy." His voice echoed out in multiple ones, different tones and pitches "There is no reward, no gain or blessing to be bestowed from being Worthy. Yet you are, you are worthy of the Avatar's attention. You might ask, what could this possibly mean? It is simple young fox, you have just experienced what His attention brings. Can you guess?" Loki asked, his eyebrows raised expectantly.
Kyle glanced between the four Deities, his mind still racing with questions and overcome with emotion of re-experiencing his past. He tried to clear it, to see through the memories and remember what had just happened, what allowed him to do what he did.
He remembered, being taken over, losing himself to anger allowing the Nogitsune to grasp at his strings. He remembered the monstrosity that emerged, the bloodshed that followed. Kyle fell to his knees as his memories began to make sense, his mind clearing from the confusion.
Kyle took scattered breaths as his heart raced, clutching his chest he forced himself into a state of calm. He retook control of his breathing, calmed himself down as a feeling of cold rushed over his entire being. The same feeling he always felt before taking control of a conversation, the chilling cold that covered his mind and froze all emotion.
Like a machine he went through the memories of what had happened again, this time remembering with emotionless thought. He saw it, or more specifically he didn't. A gap in his memory, a gap of positioning and events.
Kyle stood up, his expression empty and cold. "Change." He answered the God.
Loki revealed his arms and began to slowly clap "Indeed, the Avatar brings change to what the Avatar deems insufficient. The Avatar who watches all, the Avatar who created and knows all. What would such a being gain from this? What could the Avatar possibly gain from changing what they have already seen?"
"Change." Repeated Kyle "If such a being already knows what is to happen and are displeased by it, then they change it and watch to see if the new outcome pleases them."
Loki stopped clapping "Correct." He glanced back at Ymir who sat back in his throne "Where did you find this one, father? His mind is an interesting existence, not even he has noticed it." Loki looked back at Kyle "Something all enlightened beings have, something that makes and breaks them. Little Fox, you have the ability to stop that something."
Kyle stared up at Loki in confusion.
"Enough with your riddles Loki." Titania declared back at the trickster God, she looked back at Kyle and placed her right hand on his left shoulder "Kyle, you are a special existence. Your power is the manipulation of heat while taking the form of fire, the joining of two opposing masteries of the opposing temperature. Yet when two powers join, two powers so opposite. Both usually survive.
Your physical power, your active power if you will. Is the manipulation of a cold flame, yet the opposite is also true. Your mental power, your passive power. The manipulation of a warm existence, the manipulation of emotion. This is how the Nogitsune had such a powerful grasp on you, using your own mental power against you."
Ymir rose from his throne "This is why I chose you. You who are able to see through emotion, you who are able to truly find reason. As I had hoped, with that you have gained His attention. To truly bring change not only to Chaoz but to the entire universe, we needed the attention of change itself."
Kyle's eyes remained cold and emotionless as he tilted his head in thought, briefly after he spoke "You manipulated me."
Ymir nodded "And for that I apologise. We had no other choice, we needed the Void God to be released. As things were going, it was one of either three outcomes. Lilliana gaining her success of the Grand Quest and bringing eons of Demonic dominance, followed by struggle of other races which would only birth further conflict in the future.
The second, Liliana's failure and Scythe's success bringing forth the full might of human take-over of Chaoz and many other realms. Or…No change at all. The Elven Empire ending the Grand Quest by eliminating Liliana, powering down the Artefact reducing it to nothing more than a useless object in your manless realm.
It was the only way to bring an outcome other than these three, to gain Change's attention."
"And what do you expect to happen now?" asked Kyle "The Elven empire will soon know of the quest, the quest itself still remains intact and Scythe still holds the artefact. Do you expect my co-operation still?"
Ymir smiled weakly, slowly he shook his head "No, you have done your part for us. Now whatever the outcome, we shall at least know that we've done our best. With all the limitations put upon us, we couldn't stand to simply watch as our children massacred each other again."
Kyle stared up at the God of winter, his mind producing even more questions "Children? Who are your children Ymir? The Avians? The Mer? The Dwarves? I use to believe it was the Tundra Elves of the Frost Court…But they are Gaia's children too aren't they?"
Ymir chuckled as he glanced around at his fellow Gods "Loki's children are among Demons, Setekh's children are among Ogres and Titania's children are the Fae." His gaze stopped on Titania "But just as Loki is my child, I have others like him."
Ymir looked back at Kyle "I'm a chained God, my ability to create myself a physical form is null. But thanks to a friend…She created a form for me, a while ago. After so long I felt free…I felt myself…" he chuckled again weakly "It was a mistake, but alas the pleasures of flesh had long escaped me…"
Titania coughed as a blush appeared on her face "Liliana is my child as much as she is his."
Kyle glanced over Loki "Then why isn't she a full God? Born of two Gods?"
Titania glad to change the subject if ever slightly answered him "The body I made for Ymir only held his consciousness, his power remained chained here. He was in body just a simple Fae, with very little Astral power to speak of."
Kyle nodded making sense of her explanation, still unaffected by emotion he continued his questioning as curiosity took over "Then why do you not aid Liliana? If she is both your child, why not allow her and her people victory?"
Titania shook her head "It is much more complicated than 'People'. Even among the Fae there are different factions, as is with every other race. True I wish the best for my child of flesh but I also want the best for my children of soul. If Liliana goes through with her plan, what do you think the other Fae will see her as? What will the other races portray her as?"
"A monster." Replied Kyle plain and simple.
Titania solemnly nodded "I cannot allow her to do that, as a mother I was distant and weak but I shall not be that no more. Her betrayal of my husband….her betrayal to Oberon shocked me back to my senses, I will not allow her to become that…"
Kyle's expression darkened as the feeling of cold left his body, he looked down at his hands as his emotions returned in full force "I understand that, at least now I know why."
Ymir studied Kyle's expression "What will you do now? You will remain a Chosen until the Quest is over. You will be persecuted by the Empire, hunted down. The Void's take-over shattered your soul in so many ways that it is taking my all to hold it together, I will continue to do so until it has fully healed as an apology for using you so coldly. With it like this though…you cannot enter the veil and travel back to your original body, it would destroy you."
Ymir sighed "It will take time to recover, until then...what will you do?"
Kyle lower his arms and looked up, he considered his question with eyes closed. "I will reflect on my past, there is still so much I need to accept…So much I need to understand…After that I will continue on what I started, what me and my friends started."
Loki tilted his head to the other side "And what is that?"
Kyle opened his eyes, the cold returning and his emotions taking a back seat "To fix what you Gods have broken, to make Chaoz our own. A world of our dreams, we will clean up the scars no matter how much blood we must shed. I will not accept reality as it is, I will change it. I will make Chaoz a world I can truly accept to live in, unlike you I am not limited by chains or laws.
I do not agree with your methods, I do not agree with your plans but I will ride along them and twist them with my own. You want a world safe for your people and children, I want a world safe for mine. You did what you wished with me, you accomplished your goal and now will simply watch. So watch as I tear this world apart, as I unravel it's darkness and restore it to light."
Kyle stepped away from Titania as the Goddess and Gods watched him attentively, Kyle smirked "You went through with your methods, now I will go through with mine. The Avatar's attention is on me, so I will bring change as it wishes. I will give you a world for the free, I will end persecution and stop the wars to come.
But I won't do it alone, I don't need to do it alone."
Ymir grinned "And we shall watch, so show us. I warn you, there are many more tests for you to overcome. So show us as you build your way, we expect great things from you Yako of the Frostfire."
Loki chuckled "That we do, I have taken the liberty of assigning a new ancestor to guide you too. With the Void God gone, you will require one in your progression to come. As most of your bloodline, she was also devoured by it. You will find that, she is someone you already know. The destruction of that Void released many souls it devoured, the spirit realm is bustling with new arrivals."
Setekh sighed but nodded in agreement "A true warrior, you speak of fighting on and I approve you. If you require a safe haven then visit my people, they will shelter you for your fortitude."
Titania continued to smile as she gazed at Kyle "I am sorry for what you had to go through, I hope you truly do understand why we couldn't help. Please, whenever you can speak with my daughter. I believe if she'd listen to anyone it would be you, Kyle, Chosen Hero approved by the Avatar."
Kyle's vision began to fade as Titania continued to speak "Go young Fox, shower this world in a blizzard of ice. Extinguish the flames of corruption, freeze their anger and absorb their hatred. Light it up with your own flame, give this world the change it needs. Go, little villain. Be the Hero that you are, from the shadows act and bend the darkness."
Cursed land
Rin Darkness stared off at the surviving Dragon as it escaped off into the distance, her hopes and dreams disappearing along with it. Resigned to her fate she dropped the vial and turned away from the sea, she had tried to chase after it but the creature was too fast and already out of her range.
She stood on death's door, her right arm cleanly slice off and back open with two long cuts. Having fought the Devil Lilith assisted by the mercenary leader Birse and his subordinate, she would have succumbed to defeat if it wasn't for the Drake's sudden appearance.
In the midst of the chaos she escaped with her life, fearing she'd also fall to the mercenaries as did Draxxer. She still didn't know what had happened to him, hadn't heard from him for days. It was faint but she felt his presence within the barrier, within Devil's eye.
"We have failed, Barik is lost." She spoke to herself, as if speaking to someone who wasn't there. "The Empire will arrive and wipe us out, the entire continent turned into a warzone for them and the Dezol…".
Rin walked towards the edge of the cliff as the sea crashed down below "Twice I have failed…" she smiled weakly "It is time I make space for the next generation…Time for me to take a back seat and watch…" she gazed off at the ocean's reflection of the moon.
Suddenly a shadow appeared behind her "Ma'am, what is our next course of action?" asked Klein as he appeared behind her, standing at attention and saluting.
Rin glanced back at him "Nothing." She replied solemnly.
Klein flinched at her response, removing his mask he asked again "Ma'am…How do we proceed?..."
"We wait. We watch and see how it all unveils, it doesn't matter if we defeat the Dezol here anymore. The Empire will be ruthless, all we can do is hope."
Devil's eye
Fort Geb inner hall.
Lucifer sat on his throne, breathing heavily he focused on restoring his mana. The Drakes' assault had severely weakened him, taking his all to keep the barrier up. He had a slight idea as to what had occurred outside, the reports from his servants a constant flow as they came and went.
He opened his eyes as he sensed movement in the hall, Legion had returned.
The young Devil was battered a bruised, his cloak scorched by dragonfire and his weapon lost in the chaos. "Father…" Legion announced his entry and kneeled down, coughing he held himself from falling.
"How many?" asked Lucifer in solemn expectation, the wait dreadful as his son gathered himself to speak.
Legion began to speak "The first clash was on our terms, losing nobody as they all valiantly slew the enemy. When the Drakes appe-"
"Enough with the telltale of their strength! How many!?" exclaimed Lucifer as he tried to rise from his throne, sorely failing as he leaned back down clutching his chest in pain.
Legion shuddered and stood, staring down at his feet as he spoke "Four thousand warriors left for the defence, two thousand and five hundred riders, six hundred mages and nine hundred rangers."
He breathed heavily as he continued to speak "One thousand seven hundred and sixty three are accounted for…Over two thousand and two hundred dead…" Legion stood stalk still, shamed and defeated.
Lucifer grimaced at the losses, he leaned back fully into his throne and closed his eyes "You have done well Legion, the barrier stands. There will be ceremony for the dead, make preparations. We shall speak of the future another time…now we mourn."
Legion saluted "As you wish…Father…"
Rulek Sea
Jayce hurried Rekshar to fly faster, anxious on leaving the horrors he'd witnessed behind. He glanced around himself, thirteen Drakes and their riders entered Barik and only one came back out. The sole survivor of the creature that called itself Void, a being so powerful that dragonfire -the most powerful type of elemental flame- didn't even leave a mark.
Jayce trembled at the memory of the creature's gaze, an overwhelming feeling of despair falling over him as it met his own. He felt his Drake Rekshar's fear through their connection as companions, through their connection that took to a spiritual level.
"Jayce, what do we tell the Elders?" asked Rekshar sensing and sharing Jayce's feeling of dread.
"I do not know my friend, that creature…whatever it is…armies are useless against that. The Elders must pull back our forces from Ruk, we must surround Barik and hunt that thing down. The Grand Quest also…We must find the heroes and end them…" answered Jayce as he grimaced.
"Jayce…what are you insinuating?" Rekshar caught on to his partner's tone.
Jayce looked up and gazed ahead, his eyes wide with fear "We have no choice, the Empire has no choice. I will put in the suggestion, as the sole survivor of the Empire's strongest shock cavalry unit. They will hear me, they will listen."
"Jayce that would…that would make them awaken IT!" Rekshar exclaimed, panic in his tone.
Jayce nodded weakly "It is the only thing I believe can stand against that monster…along with the ancestral warriors we might stand a chance…but for all of them to be sent out…it has to be done."
His expression turned determined as he spoke three last dreadful words "We must purge."