Disclaimer: I do not own GC stuffs or SG Interactive or KoG.


My Decision


All Rin remembered was that she was sent on a solo mission to investigate the evil energy still emanating from the Forsaken Barrows. She had gone, laid a few stray undead to rest, and trudged deeper into the Barrows, deeper than anyone had gone in living memory. It was then she noticed an unpleasant feeling stirring inside her. Nauseous and slightly afraid, she proceeded, eager to get this mission done and over with.

The deeper she went, the stronger her fear and dread became. Those feelings reached their peak when she stumbled upon a crumbling temple, three dark spires jutting from the earth like jagged blades, the rest having fallen to decay. She entered, sensing this place to be the source of all the darkness reported. The interior may have once been a sight to see, with stained glass, a magnificent chandelier, and seats of fine mahogany, but all those were now reduced to nearly nothing. The only clue remaining of what deities these ancients might have worshipped was an engraving on the ground - a perfect black circle, a sliver of white marble surrounding it. Around it were words of a forgotten language, lost to the ages. It came as a surprise, then, when Rin could read the text as if it was simple Aernan.

Darkness overwhelms the world. Awakened, it will consume everything. Neither chaos nor harmony, only the absence of existence. The first sign, the Eclipse. The second, the Horde.

It was an Eclipse temple.

She must have fainted then, Rin reasoned, because what she saw when she next woke up was certainly not the temple.

When she came to, she found herself sprawled in a large circle of gray stone surrounded by black and white. To her left, an endless field of untouched snow, stretching to and beyond the horizon. Lovely blue sky covered the field, the occasional cloud floating lazily past. And the winds - the winds were so warm and welcoming despite the icy ground that it felt as if her friends were there with her, hugging and comforting her in her confusion. It was so beautiful and pure, yet blinding, that Rin could barely look at it without squinting, but she yearned to so dearly. Reluctantly, she shifted her gaze to her right.

Instead of snow on a bright day, she was greeted by a room of obsidian, just as endless. She could find no walls, but no matter if she looked left, right, or up, it was equally black. From the room, the presence of an unspeakable horror whispered and beckoned. A chill ran down Rin's spine as she heard it speak of terrible omens, foul rituals under the cover of night, and dark truths about herself that she did not want to admit. The wind that blew through this side was not kind, but harsh and cold like blades of ice raking through flesh. Since this side was far less taxing on the eyes, Rin saw something, resembling wisps of shadow, slowly creep towards her.

Ah, so it's the goddess girl. We see you have come to join us. Come, come to us. Shed your chains and join us in our quest...

A deep, yet grating and raspy, voiced echoed in Rin's mind as the shadows joined together. The nightmarish mass swirled and contorted into a humanlike shape. The figure donned black robes that seemed to change in shape, sometimes a monster, sometimes a human, always contorted into an expression of eternal torment and agony. Rin realized that the shadow's voice sounded of many disembodied figures as well, man and woman, young and old. Its face was shrouded by its hood, so well there might not have been a face at all. The shadow offered its skeletal hand to Rin, rasping out two words repeatedly.

Free yourself... free yourself...

Right when Rin was about to take its hand, another made their presence known, an immense light shining down from the snowy plains behind her. Surprised, she quickly spun around, the shadow hissing in frustration at this disturbance.

The living definition of an angel of light, the goddess Agnesia slowly descended from the heavens to greet the two. She was dressed in cloth whiter than the snow, her perfect light brown arms and legs in view with her short skirt and sleeveless garment. Magnificent wings graced either side of the goddess, feathers and talismans fluttering in the breeze they produced. Simple gold bands were around her thighs and left wrist. Rin noticed that she and Agnesia looked very similar; both had turquoise eyes, white hair, and almost the same facial features. Agnesia, however, had a certain aura behind her that made her seem both benevolent, yet fearsome and imposing.

Do not listen to the Horde's words, young Rin. Do not stray from the path of light that you were destined to complete.

Bah! Destiny?! You would enslave another child to follow your whims without a word of protest. Join us, Rin. Together, we will free you from your cage, just like you will free us from ours. The Horde, though still sounding of many, shifted to a deep and charismatic voice in contrast to the previous raspy, grating one. Remember the fall of Gaon, child. Do you remember the faces of the demons that slaughtered your friends, your family, your village? Do you remember that craving for vengeance as you witnessed your friends fall? Join us, and we will help you in taking revenge upon them- no, the entire demon race if you so desire! All we ask is for you to lift this seal, this accursed seal so we may finish our job of consuming the goddess...

Do not give in, Rin. Remember the fear you felt when you first encountered your dark side. That fear was well placed, for such thoughts will only continue the cycle of hatred. By following the path of light, you will learn to remember, but forgive. Only then will you be able to form a peace and end this endless cycle of war. Do you want your children, and their children, and their children's children to suffer like you have? Stay on the righteous path, no matter how hard it may be, and you will find the solution to your problems. Stay with me, and together, we can strengthen the seal on the Horde so it will sleep for thousands of years more!

And remember all the pain that that 'path of the light' has brought upon you. Make your own choices! Follow your desires for once instead of the responsibilities imposed upon you without your consent... Your nightmares, Rin. Do you not see the faces of your loved ones in torment as they die, over and over, in the confines of your mind? Do you not wish for the end of their suffering? We offer the end to your nightmares, Rin, and we offer even more. We offer power. The power to wipe your enemies from the face of existence. With it, you can remove the scourges of the world by force. After all, doesn't destruction remove the impurities of life? If your enemies don't exist, who will make your loved ones suffer?

You seem to have forgotten that those who you kill also have loved ones. The only way to stop this cycle of hatred is with forgiveness. I know it is hard, but this is not for you- this is for the comfort of your future children. Seeing as how the Horde is offering you power, I will do the same. However, I offer you the power to protect. The winds that you loved and still love playing with will not only guide and protect you, but your friends as well. I will teach you secrets with the Talismans of Heaven that have been lost to time. With them, you will aid your friends in combat, shielding them, enhancing their abilities, and together, you will emerge victorious. Don't fall for your own desires, Rin. You can be the savior of all life- would you relinquish this task so easily?

A wonderful joke, dear goddess. You are only one person, Rin. You cannot protect everyone. You can save a million, a billion, but eventually, one of them will die under your so-called protection. You cannot save the world as it is. In the end, you will merely be saving an ever dwindling minority until there is no one left for you to save, and those who do you ill will only increase. We can change that, though. Destruction, after all, is also a new start. We can start a new world where no one dies, no one suffers, and there is no hatred. But to do that, you must free us, Rin! Free us so we may help you make your utopia!

Rin, the Horde is making you empty offers. Even if it were true, would you be willing to spill the blood of your comrades for such a small hope? You don't have to fight alone anymore, dear. Your friends and I will be by your side for as long as you need us. Do you not find things in this world, however flawed, worth preserving? Assist me, Rin! Help me seal this evil away for good!

Friends only bring heavy ties. In the end, you can only accomplish tasks by yourself. If your friends died because you failed to protect them, would you live with yourself? Could you still stay focused on your mission? Stop being confined to the outdated teachings of those priests! Cut your ties and reforge them in a better world, one where such ties last forever, not the brief blink of an eye you humans call 'life'.

Rin, assist me!

Rin, free us!

Rin!

Rin!

"Stop!" Rin could not take it anymore. She clutched her head, aching from the reasons and pleading of such powerful beings, and dropped to her knees. Why her? Why was she the one who had to make such a difficult decision? She knew what she should do, but that aching desire for revenge she kept bubbled up in the deepest recesses of her heart resurfaced, threatening to overwhelm her. Both offered so much, all for a deceptively simple favoring of one or another, a choice that would almost certainly affect her way in life. Always her life.

"Why... why do you need me to choose this? You two are gods. I'm just a girl, an insignificant human. Can't you two resolve this without me?"

There was a brief silence before Agnesia responded. We have been in eternal battle for a thousand years, Rin, and for a thousand years there has been no way to shift the balance for either of us. Until you came. You are the coin toss of fate, so to speak. Whoever you decide to assist will have a small, but unmistakeable foothold over the other. With your choice comes the world's fate.

"And you..." Rin turned her gaze to the figure representing the Horde. "Why are you helping me? You've destroyed my village and tormented me from the very beginning. Now, you're offering me the chance to take revenge on your minions? On you? Don't think I've completely fallen for your words. I have no intention in destroying everything, both good and bad, either. Tell me your reason!

A chilling, humorless laughter echoed from the shadowy figure before dryly responding. For the first time in a thousand years, we have a chance to break the seal. However, we did not expect this chance to be fated on the choice of one girl. It is true we destroyed your village and brought you misery, but it was simply out of spite. The belief that this stalemate would last indefinitely was...demoralizing, angering. We also had no expectation that you would agree with our conditions so easily. After all, you are the reincarnation of Agnesia, and parts of her personality forever remain in you. However, we are not stubborn. We are willing to improvise. Even if you resist us and attempt to stop us, the fact that Agnesia is no longer the one that seals us means progress. And as for you sealing us... the figure chuckled lightly. We are willing to take that risk for the sake of progress.

At the end of this explanation, both figures approached the gray stone circle until they were each about four feet away from its edge. Both figures offered their hand, one of divine origin, the other of pure malevolence. In unison, they said, For 15 years, your fate was organized by the wills of others. For 15 years, you have been swept along by what others considered your fate. Now, you can choose for yourself. This is your decision, no one else's, and one that will affect you more than anything you will ever have to face. After your choice, neither of us will attempt to change your mind. Now, Rin... CHOOSE!

Rin looked to the side of endless light, then at the side of eternal darkness. She switched sides over and over, unsure of what path she wished to follow. The two figures patiently waited, their arm still offered to Rin and neither saying a word. In exasperation, Rin once more collapsed on to the gray floor and stared at the line where light and darkness met. She was at that line, she realized, and tilting towards either end will forever alter her, her choices, and the outcome.

She thought of her friends, the Grand Chase, waiting for her back at the mansion, smiles on their face and eyes of delight like when they first met her. This choice, she decided, she would make for her friends. It was her decision, but it will inevitably affect her friends as well. She would protect them the way she deemed fit. Rin stood up off the gray circle, gaze filled with resolve and determination. She looked to Agnesia, then to the Malevolent Horde, then back at the line. She was silent for another five minutes before she announced, "I have decided."

Rin briskly turned and stepped off the gray stone separating the two forces of light and darkness for the first time. She reached out with her hand.

"This is my decision."


Hope you enjoyed this little story! I'm not sure if I should write some sort of aftermath thing for both choices or if it's better to just leave it like this.

6/27: I have added a conclusion for each choice. If you're interested or really want some way to sum it up, feel free to take a look. I'd personally only read one to make it seem more like a single story, but maybe one of the choices were less well written than the other... -shrugs- Tell me if so, and I'll do my best to make them equals in quality.

Please R&R~