Episode 8: 中毒のフルーツ!- Poisoned Fruit!
Motsureta akai ito wo hodoku yō ni
Ryūsei ni notte ai ni yuku kara
Toki wo koe haruka
Sadame ga michiru
Sono shunkan wo ima tomo ni futari de...
Many Eons Ago…Birth of the First Universe:
If anyone could see how as early as the universe may have begun…answers would've been solved as well as predictions for the future of time and space would become.
The living could not be a part of that era…no…it was all about energy, darkness, light, and of course "Plank". But who is to say that these entities were living or not?
In the pocket of (what I would call it) the core, all what was in were the elements of light, gravity, planck, coulomb, and Boltzmann. However, the core was also home to what would be called "The Darkness", "The Void", and "Space": all of them aspects of Chaos.
At the right moment, a split crack exploded the big bang, expanding all matter into the darkness as the elements of Cosmos realized what Chaos was about to do. Chaos wanted control of what Cosmos had…but because of what Chaos can do, Cosmos made the crack to start the expansion, hoping to banish Chaos as long as infinite as possible.
The First Planet: Avalon
Later the home of the Mahotsukai
(Note: This is a realm featured from Voyage of the Magic Six Book 5: Heroes of the Gods)
With the appropriate ingredients that the universe has made, Cosmos itself landed on the developed earth with flora, fauna, and other aspects of life around. However, the entity of light could not figure out what was missing.
Deciding to split itself into further concepts, Cosmos made copies of its light and renamed them individually: Kaarina, Pandora, and Cosmos/Camelot Jr. When they discovered humanity happening in another universe, Cosmos granted his descendants their own designs. Together, they discovered how the psychology worked as well as the biology.
Despite this, Cosmos still feared of Chaos's eventual revenge so he set forth to create a city made of varying designs from stories that humans wrote. A library was eventually built to collect and protect stories of all kinds as well as the timeline we live on this very day.
He kept their sapience at low levels; programming them to help bring in more concepts of light to turn them into Mahotsukai, developing a population before having the first generation learn reproduction. The three descendants had their timed slowed to nearly almost unaging.
But did Cosmos itself had emotions? If so, how did it became man? And what were the fate of his three descendants?
Many Years Later: Pre-Library Camelot Era
As the Mahotsukai began to spread out to other regions across the planet, Cosmos kept himself busy in Camelot Magna, keeping its own identity a secret. Kaarina was already entitled the "Dream Seer" while Pandora's memories were partially removed before her intelligence was elevated to a normal human level and his junior also with the same treatment. But because of a terrible prophecy that Kaarina has foreseen about Pandora, Cosmos transformed the latter into pre-birth and later implanted her light essence into another Mahotsukai down the road but even before that could happen:
One day, Cosmos was outside by a water well with his junior when the little one said, "Father…I think someone's in dire need of your help."
Cosmos looked up to see a young woman looking in some slight distress yet her beauty gave the master some slight attention.
"Y-you're Cosmos?" she asked, amazed by his youthful form.
"Just as youthful as you imagine," Cosmos smiled, "I know this is weird but I am neither man nor a woman…well my physical body is a man but…"
The lady chuckled and answered, "I'm grateful to finally meet you."
"You seem in great worry," the master answered, "Can you tell me what happened?"
"…I was in the mountains when my people suddenly turned into monsters. The plague that people have rumored it was…began to spread according to by some man named Bubon," the lady continued, "I saw the village up in flames and all I had with me were a handful of seeds."
"Is there anything I can do?" Cosmos asked.
"My best revenge is to plant them here by the city," she said, "That way I can have a least a piece of my memory."
"I see," the master replied, receiving the seeds before scattering them around.
Seconds later, the flowers bloomed as she cried out in joy to smell them.
"Y-You're amazing!" she cried out happily, "I cannot thank you enough!"
"What is your name?" Cosmos asked.
"I'm Datura of the former Eden Nui," she introduced herself.
Flashback Forward:
The Sun Temple, Bota Duniya
Alexa and Cosmos walked through a few hallways before reaching to the vast space where floating bricks drifted across while pillars that led down to who knew where.
"It appears bottomless but thanks to our immortality, our magic will teleport to where we last stepped on these floors," Cosmos explained.
The Dark One scanned with his vision to see a bunch of nerbils further down. It was gonna be a test of jumping and following the patterns of the sunlight.
"I have sent Tak to this place to retrieve the Moon Stone to protect his people during the Silver War Times," Cosmos revealed as they traversed across the platforms, "But what he doesn't know is that the ingredient to fuse the two halves of the Staff of Dreams…is also here."
When the two got closer to the crowd of nerbils, Alexa was about to raise his hand but Cosmos forced it down by grabbing it, "You mustn't use dark magic!"
"I'm only trying to get rid of these pesky beasts!" he said.
"That's what the Darkness is telling you to do…to make things easier. Using magic in this Temple is forbidden," Cosmos answered, "The Sun Temple will react to any magic you use."
"Then if we are in danger…how will we fight back?" Alexa asked.
"I'll tell you know that this future has two outcomes…if you succeed, you will be in sheer joy of not have using your magic. If you failed, your dark magic will consume you closer to the darkness," Cosmos replied.
"Okay, then how do we defeat the nerbils?" he questioned.
Cosmos led Alexa to a platform where a bunch of purple-jar oils rested. On three, they threw them at the center of the sun-lit squares, resulting them in explosions as the nerbils either exploded into dust or were thrown from the platforms, falling to the endless pit.
"Those sun-light squares won't hurt us but they can be good for these jars to make explosions," Cosmos instructed.
"This feels like a video game," Alexa shrugged.
The two continued to jump onwards, heading to the next nerbil site.
Present Day: Sportsbrooke
Agon woke up and found himself in a bed but was also chained a little bit as well. Sousuke, Makoto, Rei, and Rin were on guard in case he tried to break out.
"Where…?" he moaned.
"At the hospital," Sousuke finished.
The ex-football player was incredibly strong and was ready to break out from the chains like butter but a warning glance from the four guys in front of him kept him otherwise.
"Where is Youichi?" he asked, "There's something I must tell him!"
"First, what did he do to you?" Rei questioned, "You attacked us at the diner because of his betrayal."
"Youichi and I were part of the football team of the Devils…" Agon began, "Then on the night of the final match…the Dark One showed up to us and gave us the victory we deserved. The next day, I woke up in some prison cell in a dark damp place and after that it's all a blank. The next thing I knew I appeared in this town."
"So if he had a wish and if your team won…then the price…?" asked Rei.
"The Dark One kept me hostage," Agon finished.
"It must have been Theagenes…there's no way Alexa would've done this. How long ago was this game?" asked Rin.
"A couple of years ago or so I think…" he shrugged, "Somehow I managed to live in the cell without any food or water…it's as if this place was alive…"
"Haru-chan and the others are seeking out Youichi," Makoto said, "So I suggest you stay here and properly talk to him like an adult."
"Tsk, don't tell me what to do," grumbled Agon.
Sportsbrooke Diner
After the little incident, the waiters, waitresses and other employees returned to work as usual. Ever since the immigration of the people of El Dorado and the other realms of Bota Duniya, the population of the city had increased as well as the expanding of cultures of the two worlds.
Haruki Bandou was carrying a set of food to the third table from the center when he saw Kazuma Hashimoto walking in.
"Kazuma! You're here!" Haruki smiled.
"I thought you'd signed up to cheer for the Rugby or Soccer," Kazuma answered.
"To be honest, I rather just be commissioned to cheer," he shrugged, "I can't always be wasting my voice for nothing."
"Since when did you get business oriented?" Kazuma asked.
"I just wanted to turn over a new leaf. Ever since we got here, my sister somehow has recovered from her injuries…I'm guessing whatever happened in those last three weeks well…you know our memories are gone," Haruki said.
"But what does that have to do with what you're doing now?" Kazuma questioned.
"I just…feel that cheering isn't enough for me…I like to do other things like singing…maybe having a band someday too…" Haruki wished.
"Well maybe we can do something about that," Kazuma smiled, "I have an idea."
After finishing his shift, Haruki followed Kazuma back to the Campsite where the other cheerleading guys had set up (after finding new friends) a mini concert-stage platform with some microphones, lights, and even a screen.
"H-HOW!?" Haruki gasped.
"You told us about your dream…so I figured we get some old junk and thanks to the Generation of Miracles and Tak's tribal villagers…they managed to piece together for this for concerts and even our cheerleading displays too," Kazuma explained.
"This…is…fabulous!" Haruki smiled, "Now we can at least alleviate the stress here!"
Flashback: El Dorado (4 – 6 Days Ago)
During the Siege of Old El Dorado/Tak's Kingdom (Team C)
Youichi rushed through the chaos as the Generation of Miracles, the White Doves, and many other survivors escaped the wave of doom as the magic unleashed by the fluid melted whatever was in its path.
Not far behind, Shougo used his magic to blast through the castle walls to find Youichi and to retrieve the staff back. He was not going to fail this task. Perhaps earning Tak's favor could give him the drugs back.
But little did he realized that the girl he flirted with was going through a bit of sickness and would later be deemed pregnant. He bused through the walls and landed in the bush as he saw Youichi and the others leaving the fortress with the survivors. With a careful aim, he unleashed a blast of his mahotsukai magic at Youichi, knocking him down before charging out to get the staff.
Akashi, Murasakibara, and Midorima tried to attack back but Shougo used the staff to teleport himself back to King Tak to resume their next phase of the plan.
"I should've used that emperor eye on him!" Akashi snarled.
"No, we have to retreat!" a voice said.
The group turned to see Kuroko who cried out, "We have to get back to the mansion! I can feel Alexa and the others heading their way back soon!"
"But we still need the staff!" Kise argued
"We will with whatever they find," Kuroko said, "We lost a lot of people anyway during this siege…we cannot fight back until they return."
"How could you possibly know this?" asked Akashi, "You can't see the future anymore!"
"…I met Neo King Julius in a dream," Kuroko revealed, "He said that they will return with the Vulcanus Fire but he sort of said something about a 'Second Rising'."
"A second rising?" asked Aomine.
Takao, Kema and Noya kept silent about this as they were told by the future king the truth about these last three weeks after their resurrection.
And we can't do anything about it, thought Takao, I'm so angry by that fact!
Team B: Kagami, Pandora, and Eijun's Quest
Out in the forests away from the uprising, Kagami and Eijun followed Pandora while exercising their magic together against nerbil creatures and the Nuba Plants.
"The Nuba Plants are a bit dangerous…it is said that the 'mother plant' has the ability to take on limited combat by throwing things and conjuring its minions," Eijun explained, "I learned a bit of this stuff back in school even though biology wasn't my fave."
"Perhaps not but it is important to be aware," Pandora smiled as she analyzed the new scene of their arrival.
"What are we looking for?" Kagami asked.
"My father said to return a mushroom from the old village of the Pupununu," she revealed.
"The old village?" asked Eijun.
"Many years before the shattering, the people lived in a nation separate from the rest of the societies, relying on the Juju Magic and their gods and goddesses," Pandora continued, "After the shattering destroyed their home, they joined up with whoever was left on this jungle realm that you see them today."
"Sounds about right," Eijun said, "But I never realized they had their own realm."
"I think those piles of slab and stones might be the answer," Kagami said, pointing ahead.
"That's it," Pandora replied, "Whoa…I didn't think that silver fluid would cover the city up like that. Sounds like the two of you need to make some explosions together."
"Maybe we shouldn't break in," Eijun replied, "If it's the remnants of their history…"
"Just focus on your powers and you'll know what you have to do," Kagami answered, extending his hand out to him.
Eijun linked his hand in response as the two were floating up in the air with the Genesis Powers collaboration and swirling around. The baseball player took out his Emerald Tri-Bolas and twirled while Kagami unleashed his Tiger Naismith Crystal Rod.
This power, thought Eijun, looking at Kagami with his eyes widened, it's…alive?
"We can do this, Super Savior Eijun!" Kagami smiled.
"Let's do it, Super Savior Kagami!" Eijun answered.
The two turned to the slabs and shouted out:
"RAIIINNNNNBBOOOOOWWWWWW SEIDOOOUUUUUUU CRYYYSSSTTAAALLLLLL KAI!"
The Bolas and the Rod fired away as a thick beam of rainbow light followed by rapid division of the bolas into multiple smaller spheres of explosive energy smacking into the site, cracking the slab into shards followed by a massive explosion of dust and smoke.
This is very different than my Rainbow Iwasame Salvation with Alexa, Kagami thought, it's too bad he's the Dark One now…I wondered how powerful we'll be if it is the three of us.
"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Eijun gasped, "I never thought I could do such a thing!"
"Let's go find that mushroom," Pandora answered as she grew out a pair of wings from her Phoenix form, "We can't delay the others."
Team A: Iwasame Senshi at the Sun Temple Entrance
After Cosmos and Alexa walked into the temple, the others set forth a small camp site for themselves along with the two Yuri's. However, Yuuri Katsuki grew more worried about Viktor's absence.
"If you two want to go find him, then do so. We don't want to hold you guys back," Rin said.
"I only wish we could have some fun with the snow," Nagisa chuckled.
"Maybe someday we will," Katsuki smiled.
"Good luck on saving your friend," Plisetsky said.
The two began their departure back to the Lake Erie Springs to begin their revolution to their lost city as well as finding Viktor. Now that their memories were returned, it was time to restore order to the ice kingdom.
Makoto watched them depart before looking back into the camp fire. Sousuke, Momo, Rin, and Haruka gathered more fire wood while Rei, Nagisa, and Nitori used the remaining of the supplies from Pandora to pitch up the tents.
"He's going to be alright Mako-chan," Nagisa smiled.
"I know he is…but the Dark One isn't," Makoto answered, "Just because he's immortal now doesn't mean he will become liberal with dark magic."
"Cosmos won't let that happen," Rei said.
"I wonder how Tai-chan and Ei-chan are doing with their training," Nagisa muttered.
One of the devices beeped on the wood stump. Makoto rushed up to answer it and it was a message from Kuroko and the others:
Things are getting bad here in El Dorado. Tak has declared war on us and we lost the Dream Shaker back to him! We will do what we can to resist his attacks and to try again reclaiming the staff.
"This can't be good," Rei said.
Present Time: Sportsbrooke
Youichi arrived to the hospital room with Haruka, Nagisa, Nitori, and Momo as Agon was lying on the bed with a hint of vengeance upon seeing the blond.
"Leave us be," Youichi said.
"But…" Makoto began.
"Just let them talk. We'll stand by in case they decide to explode," Sousuke answered.
The eight left the room as Youichi sat down on the chair next to Agon. It started out as an awkward silence indeed but the blond finally opened his mouth, "Agon…I never imagined that whatever the deal was…would allow you to vanish."
"Yes but you still drank the vial!" Agon said, "You said that you weren't going to use that kind of magic!"
"The game was a narrow escape to our opponents," Youichi answered, "I was selfish yes…but it didn't change the taste of victory now, did it? I did try to find you…but you wouldn't believe me."
"…What have we done to each other?" the dreaded-hair man replied, "Our relationship?"
"Maybe if we can recover the missing three weeks…perhaps we can find answers," Youichi said, "However the current Dark One has hidden them somewhere."
"And who is this new Darkness?" Agon asked.
"You wouldn't know him…" the blond replied, "He was previously known as 'The Savior'."
Agon's eyes blinked a little and answered, "T-The savior? Wait…I think…I remember something…"
"The last three weeks?" Youichi asked.
"I think his name was Alexa…but after I was knocked out, I had a nightmare about someone…who was with Alexa. This person did something terrible and he…or Alexa did something else terrible but after that it was all a blank," Agon explained.
"So then, what are we gonna do about us?" the blond asked.
"As much as I'd give you a knuckle sandwich…fighting won't solve our problems," Agon said, "I'm gonna rest for a bit and we'll see what to do from there."
Marotta House (Outside)
"This is absolutely ridiculous!" Tamaki said, "You know how hard it was for the others to break in!"
"Makoto entrusted us to find the staff of dreams. He and the others know it's here in this house," Sayako argued.
Miyako readied her blade and answered, "We have to at least find a way to weaken this magical barrier."
She charged up to the door to slash it down but sure enough the magic blasted her back to the streets, crashing to the ground.
A puff of dark magic revealed Alexa at the doorway as he saw the company before him.
"So you finally show yourself demon!" Tamaki said.
"I am not here to kill any of you. There is a message I must ask for you to deliver to them," The Dark One spoke.
"And what message is this?" Sayako asked.
"That this will all be over soon," Alexa replied before vanishing into the dark smoke.
"Shit…he's almost done whatever he's doing!" Miyako gasped.
"But we can't just go to war with him!" Sayako answered.
"No but we need to find a way to get some sense back into him," Tamaki replied, "Let's deliver this message to them and make another move from there."
Kagami's Loft
Kagami and Eijun were preparing some new dishes together just as Makoto and Rei walked in.
"Everything going okay with that big guy?" asked Kagami.
"Yeah he's talking to Youichi now," Rei said, "I brought Makoto here because he's not feeling too well."
"You okay?" asked Eijun.
The taller man shook his head, "Not really. My head feels spinning and I'm starting to hear some small whispers."
"Whispers?" the taller man asked, "This isn't like you."
"I know," Makoto said, lying down on the couch, "Just…let me rest here please."
"I'll make us some humburgers," Kagami answered.
"Thanks," Rei smiled a little as Tamaki appeared at the doorway.
"Sorry to not properly knock but we got word from him…" Tamaki said.
Makoto got up and asked, "W-what?!"
"He said that this will all be over soon…" she replied.
"W-We're running out of time!" Makoto gasped as his ears rang a terrible tinnitus. He cried out and clasped his head.
"M-Makoto-senpai!" Rei answered as he tried to use his own magic to relax him a little and remove the noise from his ears, "Leave it to us now! You need to rest!"
"So what do we do?" asked Kagami.
"We're gonna have to fight to get the staff of dreams," Makoto muttered before closing his eyes.
The next thing he knew, Makoto was in the basement with a group of other cloaked figures watching Alexa. The group watched as the newest Dark One had the complete pieces of the staff of dreams merging together.
Makoto snapped opened his eyes, "A-ALEXAAAA!"
"W-what's the matter!?" Rei gasped, "You've only slept for not even a minute!"
"We-we're too late! He's building the Staff of Dreams!" Makoto said.
Flashback: Sun Temple: Alexa and Cosmos' Quest
The two continued to jump across platforms before reaching at a stable tower that led up to a massive bridge.
"Well at least we can take it easy," Alexa smiled.
"I'm afraid this is only the beginning," Cosmos said as he took a tiny step on the bridge before removing his foot just as a single brick piece fell into the void below.
"It's a trap!" Alexa gasped.
"No…this is the route we need but once you start crossing you cannot stop," Cosmos answered.
"Then how are we gonna get back to the others if this bridge gets destroyed!?" Alexa asked.
"I'm sure there will be other paths…but this temple is testing us. You ready?" the master of the Mahotsukai asked.
"For the future," he answered, "We got people waiting for our return."
The two took their step before running as fast as they can as the bridge began to collapse behind their feet. Cosmos looked up and gasped as a horde of flying nerbils were swooping down from their nests to attack.
"DON'T STOP!" Cosmos shouted.
"GrgrgRGGRgrGRgrggrrgrgGRGrgRgRgr!" the flying nerbils chanted in a higher pitch tone.
One of them nearly caught Alexa's hair but he quickly threw a punch while narrowly avoiding his fall. At the last moment, Alexa sprung forward and rolled himself across to the other side of the bridge as Cosmos landed safely to the end.
"Well that was close," Alexa sighed in relief.
The two continued onwards as they entered a series of hallways. After several moments of silence, Alexa broke in and asked, "So what happened…to you? How did you become so powerful?"
"Quite a simple question yet a complicated answer," Cosmos chuckled, "For starters…I, along with Chaos…are the elements of the very universe…or at least to say time and space beyond the planets and stars."
"What do you mean?" Alexa questioned.
"Long before anything or even a universe was born…we were pocketed into a small dimension of energy, gravity, and other lovely physics. However, Chaos wanted it all so I replied to the darkness by unleashing the big bang, allowing existence and life like yourself to happen," Cosmos said, "The first universe and world that was ever created was Planet Avalon…home to where the Mahotsukai would live as well as the stories that would write out other universes of anything and everything. You know it too Alexa deep down from what Chaos has told you…no?"
"…I do as a matter of fact," Alexa said, "But does this mean we are not real?"
"I think what you define real is based on what you see…the stories that humans write about actually do exist in our library as a mirror to preserve. But then one day a group of humans arrived in the realm and discovered the truth so they made a wish," Cosmos added.
"What did they wished for?" he asked.
"That cannot be said," Cosmos replied, "For they did not want anyone else to know the truth about us. The reason why I made this library though…was to find the right group of people to fight the darkness."
"Sounds like us, isn't it?" Alexa shrugged.
"Originally yes…but look at how you and the others reunited the other sports teams back on Olympia? And soon, you'll be able to restore the world back to its original state," Cosmos smiled.
"I just sometimes wondered if our story was already written out…" Alexa answered, "I do worry how it will all end up…whether I know it or not."
"You'll know what to do when that time comes…for that revelation to play," he said, "But for now, let's worry about today and find that flame."
The two continued onwards until Alexa asked again, "How about you? Did you ever have…a significant other?"
"I did…a couple of them to be honest but…my first true love…Datura…died into the darkness. With Chaos now existing once more, I took serious measures to protect Pandora but it happened and she eventually became a Dark One herself," he said, "But…the first Dark One cursed her into an eventual candidate when there were enough apprentices before her. Thus, after she was reborn into a more realistic form, I left her in her mother's hands to prepare for the day to come.
"But on the way, the darkness…unleashed a terrible plague into that village, trying to get Pandora to the darkness but she and her half-sister escaped safely for a while until she too died. I could never show my true face to her while she was in darkness. The only way to free her from it was to fulfill a prophecy only done by the 'fairest blood'."
"That must have been terrible," Alexa said, "I'm so glad and thankful you got to reunite with her."
"Thank you for making it possible," Cosmos smiled, "But let's continue now, shall we?"
The two finally arrived at the Chamber of Fire as Cosmos explained about the location of this place was originally from his home world before bringing it here to hide its source. He also explained on how he used the fire to make the staff of dreams as well as the loss of the fire that the first darkness stole.
"Are you ready?" Cosmos asked.
Alexa nodded as Cosmos handed the orb over to him and instructed, "You must summon the first Dark One and get the flame from it."
"Does the others know you took this?" Alexa asked.
"I only did what has to be done," Cosmos said, "Now use the orb to go back to the first darkness…call out to its spirit. Get back to the origin of darkness."
Alexa could feel his arm shaking like ants crawling up his arm, "I-is this even safe?"
"Of course not, but as long as you take the right path…you and I and the others will survive," Cosmos said.
"Take the right path…take the right path," Alexa muttered to himself as he closed his eyes.
The orb softly glowed as Alexa stared at his name before it shifted around. Alexa's head shook a bit violently as he could feel the darkness connecting him to the first source of evil.
"It's just in my head…just in my head," he whispered.
The names continued to shift around just as the cloaked being appeared finally as Cosmos gasped.
"Y-you did it!" Cosmos said silently.
"Y-you can see him too!?" Alexa answered.
"Yes…power has its advantages…and it's not just a man…or a woman…it's…" Cosmos trembled.
Alexa looked down at the name on the orb and gasped as the masked being revealed its face.
Inner Flashback: Pre-Library Era of Avalon
Part 2 of Cosmos & Datura
It had only been a few thousands of years but the two star crossed lovers began to blossom each other's' presence. Pandora and Junior were still busy constructing more of the city of Camelot with the other Mahotsukai.
Cosmos at this time felt the presence of other universes being born but were developing at a much slower and uncertain pace than this time-space. It felt as if the stars were crying out to him for his help.
Datura followed him on his mission and observed many big bangs with him and was learning to become his apprentice. Even though Cosmos took on a form of a human male, the pronouns were still kept as "it" or "they" but didn't mind being referred to as "he" from her.
"I don't understand," Datura asked him one day, "Just how did you managed to strip of yourself from Chaos like that? The big bang was more than just an explosion, wasn't it?"
He turned to her and said, "You're right. It's because the laws have granted us such universal powers…when I was still one, we drank from the void in this cup of the black hole. It is rather a grail to be exact but it has very powerful properties. That was only a 5 million years ago when that happened."
"All of this immortality and you want to get rid of it?" Datura asked, stunned.
"My dear, I have seen the consequence of immortality…it's like being in a sea of diamonds that have no value," Cosmos replied, "I would rather live a true life with you…and have an end to my story along with yours."
Datura stared at him before answering, "Then how do you plan to do that?"
"I am going to take this black hole grail into a weapon…with it I can cut the ties of my immortality and I can then transfer it over to my children," he explained.
"Alright, I'm with you," Datura smiled, "When do we start?"
"Tonight," he said, "And we'll have a real story at last."
The two shared a brief kiss.
By nightfall, the two began their quest across the planet, crossing through the mountains and towards the Western Sea. Along the way, they watched as the ring of rocks orbited across the skies like many different moons across the universe.
"Water is the essence of life," Cosmos said as they arrived at the water, before handing it over to her.
"What do I need to do?" she asked.
"You need to take a bit of the water and it'll stay in the cup. Keep it safe in your sack," he answered.
Datura nodded and did the task before continuing their way across the shoreline.
As the sun rose again for their fifth day on the journey, the two finally arrived at what was called the Temple of Laws. Many inscriptions were written about the laws of physics, chemistry, biology, magic, and many others. Datura was stunned and fascinated by all this knowledge in one place.
"This is it," Cosmos said, "You got the grail?"
Datura nodded and took it out, handing it over to him. The two arrived at the Fire of Vulcanus as Cosmos carefully placed the grail into the flame on the pedestal. With a wave of his magic, the grail softened before reforming into a tall-like staff with two different sides of good and evil. The good half was blue and white with a sun-like crystal and the darker half was greenish-black with a pair of wings and an eyeball on its pedestal.
"The Staff of Dreams," he muttered, "This kind of magic turned my dreams into a weapon. And now it's finally ready for its purpose."
Datura smiled but before she could answer, someone grabbed her by the mouth as she tried to scream through it. Cosmos turned to see Bubon dressed in a dark cloak and a masquerade mask as described. He cried out but it was too late as Bubon stabbed Datura through and pushed her down to the ground.
Cosmos gasped in horror as he was tempted to use his magic against the monster but forced himself to not give into the darkness. His magic was not supposed to be used for revenge nor pleasure but rather giving and sacrificing.
"You…WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" he shouted.
"It's too late," Bubon replied, taking the Staff of Dreams, "And now I will kill you!"
"This is not meant to be a weapon of war!" Cosmos replied.
"Then you should've NEVER made it into one!" Bubon answered as he readied to blast him.
Before the magic could be fired, Bubon gasped as his neck was cutting off his air circulation. Cosmos gasped to see Datura using her newly formed magic.
"D-Datura…but how?!" Cosmos gasped.
"Yes…I drank from the grail…you didn't tell me how it felt to be so strong…so immortal Cosmos," she answered.
"But…you died and…" he continued.
"I'm sorry for the play acting but this is a last reminder to tell you what DEATH LOOKS LIKE!" she snapped.
"Look, you can't use your magic to kill this man! If you do, you'll allow my natural enemy of Chaos to inhabit you! You'll commit atrocities that you can't even imagine!" he protested.
"HE DOESN'T DESERVE SPARING!" she shouted.
"I'M NOT FIGHTING FOR HIM! I'M FIGHTING FOR YOU!" he cried out, "PLEASE! Don't do this! Killing him will be the end of our future!"
Datura's head was spinning wildly but in the end, she made her decision. With a swift move, she crushed Bubon's neck and the man collapsed to the ground. Cosmos watched as Datura's skill turned from flesh into charcoal with streaks of purple and blue glitter as her eyes turned from gold into sick green. With this commit of a dark act, Chaos finally took over this poor soul's body.
At lasssssstt, the voice of Chaos filled in both of their ears, my revenge shall begin! As a result of these two existences…man and woman are separated from both of you!
Datura grabbed the staff of dreams and said, "Let's not think about cutting anyone else's magic and immortality ever again!"
"NO! DATURA! STOP THIS!" he cried out but she turned to the Vulcanus Pedestal as the flame itself was extinguished. With a shrug she slammed the staff and broke it into two halves and dropped it on the ground.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"No Datura…I'm sorry," Cosmos cried silently.
Terrified by this loss, Cosmos would return to his city and begin a series of plans that would still be in effect today. Starting with the fact that Chaos' eventual return resulted him to use his magic to create an endless library with other stories/universes being born.
As for the Staff of Dreams, he took the pieces of them and cast a spell to bind Datura's Soul into the Evil Eye while using a glamour spell to transform the sphere into a golden orb.
"Are you sure this will work? Why can't you save her?" Junior asked.
"…It's because Chaos and I are the same. One cannot get rid of the other…even if I have banished it and sent forth space time, the darkness is still out there. And besides…I have great memories of her and I will forever cherish them," he answered.
With the Staff of Dreams broken apart, he used one of his empty books to put it in a blank universe in hopes for it to never be used. The Golden Orb/Evil Eye though remained in his possession for the time being until a successor Dark One snatched it.
Many years later, he received warning from Datura about Pandora and her plans. Feared by this new evil, he transformed Pandora back into his essence/body before marrying Igraine and entrusted her to keep her safe after mating and rebirth. By this time, the city of Camelot Magna grew significantly and the Library of Universes was already in business with their contest activities, internships, and other opportunities.
Igraine would then marry to Gorlois and start the Le Fay family which would then spark the events of Generation 1.0 prior to the existence of the Magic Six. Thanks to the strength of love of the family, Pandora's curse into the darkness was broken but the power of Chaos still reigns on…waiting for the right moment and time for its revenge.
Back to Regular Flashback: Alexa vs. Datura!
Alexa looked at the orb as the cloaked figure revealed the face from the hood, showing its (or her) youthful, yet reptilian design of charcoal with streaks of purple and blue glitter with green-sick eyes.
"Datura…" he said while Cosmos lowered his head down.
"Yes, I am Datura…and you are Alexa. How fascinating…and handsome…the first Dark One…and the latest one standing side by side like siblings," she replied.
"It makes sense now," said Alexa, turning to Cosmos, "This person is the one whom you loved…but why didn't you say so?!"
"I did…but…the creature standing before you isn't her; she was born from the Darkness itself," spoke Cosmos sadly. "This is the First victim of Chaos itself."
Datura looked at Cosmos and said, "It's been a long time Cosmos."
"…I thought about you every day," he answered sadly
"And on your last day, I'll be your last thought…how poetic!" Datura hissed, raising her hand just as Alexa's hand also rose up and blasted Cosmos down to the ground.
"W-Why are you doing this?! YOU LOVED HIM!" Alexa shouted.
"Even when you love someone…you have to say NO: this is mine! You can't take it away from me! And if they don't listen…if they try to STOP YOU from being YOU. Then you have no choice…YOU HAVE TO KILL THEM!" Datura explained, "Aren't you doing this?"
The next thing Alexa knew, he was on his knees choking Cosmos by the neck as Datura continued, "Because we are ONE OF THE SAME…ALL DARKNESS! ALL CHAOS! And we must DESTROY the threat to us! WE MUST DESTROY COSMOS!"
"A-Alexa…please…don't listen to her!" Cosmos coughed.
"T-Th-This…isn't me doing!" he cried out.
Datura walked over to him and hissed, "FINISH THE JOB!"
"D-don't listen!" Cosmos cried out.
"He's planning to reunite the staff of dreams to destroy us! To destroy me!" Datura continued.
Alexa's body was shaking as he could feel his inner light and darkness conflicting throughout the veins of his blood as his face was puzzled and dazed.
"Yo-you can control this…" Cosmos answered.
"DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!" Datura shouted, "He doesn't understand what you and I can do! He doesn't understand THE POWER! If you give up now, you'll be rendered powerless!"
"Killing…is the dark path…" Cosmos whispered.
"NO. IT'S POWER!" Datura cried out, "TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR LOVED ONES!
"KILL HIM. DON'T TURN OUT TO BE NOTHING!"
Alexa's eyes widened in shock about it as he realized the flaw in this temptation. He withdrew his neck and roared out in a darker, deeper voice, "I'M NOT NOTHING. I WAS NEVER NOTHING! THE POWER YOU HAVE I DON'T NEED!"
The Dark Savior turned to Datura and picked up the orb as it turned back to his name on the inscription, "Now I'm gonna take that flame from you and YOU'RE GONNA LET ME!"
He walked over to her and stabbed her through the torso to pull out the Vulcan rock that contained the fire inside. Datura breathed heavily in pain from the attack. Her vengeful eyes stared at him.
"The spark you will need is in there," she said, "The staff of dreams you will build has more than one use. And I'm NOT done with you yet boy! You know where to find me WHEN you want me! I'll be right…in there!"
She pointed at his head before vanishing into the dark clouds. Cosmos got up on his feet and asked, "Congratulations. How do you feel Alexa to take the right path?"
Alexa smiled and said, "For once…it feels damn good!"
"Let's get back to your friends and help the others back in the Golden City," Cosmos replied, "I fear things are not doing too well there so we must make haste."
The two rushed off from the chamber, making their way through the labyrinth when Alexa stopped running and heard something.
"W-what's the matter?" Cosmos asked.
Alexa looked at the fork of the pathway and said, "I think someone's here…"
Cosmos closed his eyes and sure enough sensed a victim in prison inside the temple. Alexa rushed down a set of stairs to a chamber filled with Blue Nerbil guards with electric blasts.
"You know what to do," Cosmos said.
Alexa nodded and took out the blow gun before firing burning acorns, burning the beasts apart before they exploded into dust.
"Over there! It's a man in chains!" Alexa shouted.
Cosmos soared over and prayed to use this magic in the temple. With a wave of his hand, the bars flashed into light as the stranger looked up to see the rescuers.
"W-Who are you?" he asked.
"A friend," Cosmos smiled, reaching his hand out, "Come…let us get you back to the real world."
Alexa watched as a man with darker skin with dark-purple and black dreads got on his feet. All he wore was a loincloth and a cloak but had a bunch of scratches on his face from the nerbils.
The trio made it back outside as the others rejoiced on their return.
"I got the flame," Alexa smiled.
"You did it!" Makoto cried happily, hugging him.
"Let's give this man some clothes here and something to eat!" Rin said as Sousuke and Haruka opened a sack and handed over.
"Thank you," the stranger said, "I never thought I'd taste the outside air again."
"I'm just glad we managed to find you," Alexa replied, "What is your name?"
"…Agon," he answered, "Agon Kongo."
"Well then, let's bring you back with us Kon-chan," Nagisa smiled.
"Do you mind if you answer us on how you got to the temple?" Alexa asked.
"…It's personal but…I was on a football team with my…so-called friends. But then we tampered to the Dark One about winning the final match. I argued the captain to not fall for it but…he didn't and betrayed us all. We won the game but the next thing I knew I was in this labyrinth for an eternity yet I didn't even die of starvation. The nerbils did make it a living hell though," he explained.
"Theagenes…" muttered Rei, "He must have done this."
"But you…" Agon hissed at Alexa, "The new Dark One…?"
"I…yes…but we are in the process of removing it from me," he replied, showing him the spark inside the Vulcan crystal.
"Very well. At least you're not 'him'," Agon said.
Back in El Dorado: Team C
The Pupununu villagers were on lockdown as Tak conjured an army of woodies and putting them under his authority. He, along with Shougo were also working on how to get Cosmos to do their bidding as an ultimate weapon against Alexa and the others.
As for the Vorpal Swords, the White Doves, and their allies from the newer village, they retreated to the outskirts of the city while a few of their numbers reported back to the Lynhaven Mansion.
Midorima managed to diagnose Kuroko with some sort of an illness that he was developing; showing signs of spots on his legs and feet. However, the time key managed to halt whatever it was doing.
"There's a few recipes that can fix this," said Sumiaki Iwashimizu, "My father is a healer and has worked with the Pupununu villagers on their magics."
"Do we have the available supplies to do this?" asked Akashi.
"Perhaps but it will require a break in to their village without getting caught," Sumiaki answered.
"I'll go," Takao said, "Kenma and Noya can come with me as we can do this in our animal form."
"That's if you guys don't run into Haizakicchi," Kise grumbled.
"YOU GUYS!" shouted Shouyou happily.
"What's up?" asked Murasakibara.
"It's the others! Alexa and the Senshi got what they needed and they're coming back!" the orange-haired smiled.
"That's good! Hopefully with their powers we can break through Tak and get the other staff!" Kise nodded.
"But I wonder where's Kagami and Eijun?" Aomine asked, "The witch was taking them to a different quest and we haven't heard back from them."
"Maybe the others might know," shrugged Shouyou.
Team B: Kagami, Eijun and Pandora
As the trio approached to the old ruins of the Pupununu's abandoned village, they witnessed a strange growth of plants looking like Venus Flytraps.
"W-What the hell?" asked Kagami.
One of them snapped its mouth at Eijun, narrowly missing his arm.
"Shit! These guys are trying to eat us!" the baseball player gasped.
The Venus-shaped Nubu Plants hissed and snapped its jaws but to their surprise, they were rooted to the ground and couldn't move.
"Looks like they're here to guard something," Pandora muttered.
"THERE! The mushroom!" Kagami shouted, pointing to the shrine where a mushroom was growing nearby.
"That's the one!" Pandora said as they carefully made their way through the crowds of these plants. As they got closer, the size increased to nearly quadrupled their height and length.
"Dammit," growled Eijun, "We're gonna have a battle in our hands!"
"Then let's show them who's boss!" Kagami answered as he readied his Tiger Naismith Crystal Rod, firing blasts of light to incinerate them.
Eijun fired multiple shots of his Emerald Tri-Bolas, chocking the plants by the stem-necks before using his powers to uproot them down.
"It's working!" Pandora shouted, "We'll get there in no time!"
The trio were just several yards away when an explosion rumbled behind them. When the dust cleared out, a massive size Nubu plant was shaped like a little creature with a face of a venus flytrap but with a humanoid body and with thorny vines.
"Fuck," growled Kagami.
The Monster Nubu roared and threw seeds at them, unleashing its minions to attack.
"It must be the queen root!" Pandora said as she and the others narrowly dodged the plants.
"THIS ENDS NOW!" Kagami growled as he twirled on his rod.
"I agree with that!" Eijun nodded as they both jumped in the air and combined their powers again:
"RAIIINNNNNBBOOOOOWWWWWW SEIDOOOUUUUUUU CRYYYSSSTTAAALLLLLL KAI!"
The Bolas and the Rod fired away as a thick beam of rainbow light followed by rapid division of the bolas into multiple smaller spheres of explosive energy smacking to the Monster Nubu plant. However, the living botany replied with its own magic, pushing back the combined powers slowly. Pandora gasped as she felt a familiar sense in the air.
"You cannot defeat me…honey…"
"N-No!" she gasped, "It can't be!"
"But it is…" the voice said, "I am hearing the cries of the golden orb…and the staff of dreams…your minions are closer and closer to me than ever before…"
"You don't have to do this!" Pandora cried out.
"If you didn't want me to die…then YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE KILLED ME IN THE FIRST PLACE!"
"STOP ITTTTTTTTT!" she screamed as her hands glowed with the same magic as her father donned. She gasped as the magic growing on her was finally awakened once more.
T-this power, she thought, I…I have it back!?
"Pandora…my beloved…your wish will be granted but only if you are willing to pay the price…"
"Father…" she muttered, "I will not lose sight of my wish! I regret what I've done…but now I am READY!"
She stepped into Kagami and Eijun and added her Mahotsukai Magic to the mix, amplifying the blast back to the Nubu plant as it roared in pain before being burned into the light. The two men looked at her as she was shaken by the powers that she…for the first time…felt in eons. As for the rest of the plants, they were gone as the area was quiet.
"A-are you alright!?" Kagami asked.
"…I…I'm finally back," she replied, "As daughter of Cosmos…I finally have regained my abilities as a full-time Mahotsukai and more…I can now officially join the fight with you guys!"
"That's great!" Eijun smiled even though he had no clue about her life and what not.
"Thank you," she replied as they went to the mushroom and picked it up.
"Let's head back," Pandora said, "And…"
But she suddenly stopped as her newly returned powers detected someone nearby. The two saviors looked at her in confusion as she followed the radar she sensed.
"W-what's going on?" Kagami asked.
"Someone's nearby!" she answered, "Hurry!"
The trio rushed through the abandoned village and towards the forest before they found a naked man with a thick branch from the tree fighting off a few of the nerbils. His messy hair was silvery with blue eyes as he growled at the nerbils before killing them into dust.
Viktor turned to them with no shame as Kagami and Eijun turned their heads to not stare at his form. Pandora conjured a set of clothes for him, "Here…take this."
Viktor roared and tried to attack them but Pandora froze the man in place while keeping him audible.
"W-Who are you?" Kagami asked.
"GRAAAAAA!" Viktor roared.
"I know you can talk!" Pandora snapped, "SPEAK!"
Viktor howled in a bit of sadness before being released from the magic and curled up and whimpering. Pandora sighed and took out a small vial of blue liquid created from her father before pouring it in his mouth. Seconds later, the man finally spoke, "Wh-why did you save me?"
"Because it's our job as the saviors," Kagami said.
"Saviors...ha!" Viktor answered sadly, "I only need saving to myself."
"How did you end up out here?" Pandora asked.
"…I…I dunno," he shrugged, "The last thing I remembered was being in El Dorado with someone and then it's all a blank."
"You were in city?" Eijun replied.
"Well sure I was...but now I'm stuck out here alone and it's no doubt that I've lost everything!" he said.
"You haven't lost anything," Kagami answered, noticing the ring on his finger, "We'll get you back and find your happy ending."
"It seems you are in love," Pandora smiled, "We can enchant the ring to help you reunite with whoever it is."
"…I…I don't think I can," Viktor said, "But then again, what do I remember?"
"Remember what?" the Mahotsukai asked.
"…When I was in the city, Yuuri and I…well, we were going to get married after the show. I had planned a proposal but then someone came up to me but after that…I found myself running into the woods, smashing everything I see here," he explained.
Pandora remained silent about this as she was told exactly the truth by her father about Alexa's damage to him. Now it all made sense; Alexa must have reverted him into some animalistic-behavior to forget what happened. But that truth was not meant to be spoken…not while he was the Dark One.
"Let's get you back," she answered, "And resolve this."
Present Day: Sportsbrooke Eco-Park: El Dorado Campsite
Haruki, Kazuma, Shou Tokugawa, Kouji Touno, and Gen Hasegawa sat down at one of the campfires just as some of the rugby guys including Kenji, Sumiaki, Takuya Sekizan, and Etsugo brought over a supply of marshmallows, crackers, and some chocolate bars.
Despite the mess that was going on, the two groups decided to try to get to know each other a bit better as the Cheer guys had an idea about the rugby team.
"So I heard your sister does Kendo?" Kenji asked to Haruki.
"Y-Yeah, she's with the Bamboo Sisters!" Haruki smiled.
"Fascinating how the apple fell from the tree," muttered Sumiaki.
"I just…didn't find the sport to be my taste…in fact I took a bit of gymnastics when I was younger," Haruki said.
"That's like Kenji liking his otaku," Takuya said, "But how come we never heard of you guys before?"
"Well we were just starting a first ever boys cheerleading. Sadly many people think it's not a sport and just for the whimps but we do have mastered unique tricks of jumping around and making swift movements," Kazuma explained, "We wanted to prove the stereotypes wrong and show that we can be whatever we want to be."
"Surprisingly our team has a need of some support. Perhaps we can commission you to support us?" asked Takuya.
"Sounds like a great idea!" Haruki replied.
"Hey you guys, I know we're having business but what's going on up there in the skies?" asked Etsugo.
The men turned to see a dark cloud hovering above just east of Sportsbrooke.
"I got a bad feeling about this," Shou commented.
Marotta House: Basement
The Black Dragon placed the dream shaker and the nightmare staff on the slab of rock and closed his eyes for a moment. He finally completed this part of the task however…
"Congratulations, now…you know what you must do," said the voice of Theagenes.
"Why will you NOT leave me alone?!" asked Alexa, annoyed.
"Why wouldn't we?" he chuckled, "We are here to see a HISTORIC event happening!"
"Theagene's eyes are very useful now a days, but I planned to see this personally myself," said the voice.
Alexa turned his head and saw that it was Datura standing nearby.
"You…you kept me away from this power!" said Alexa.
"It's because back then we feared you would use this power to cut away the darkness. But now you can use the staff of dreams to douse out the light instead," she explained, "We are PROUD of you. All of us."
"All of us…all of us…all of us…yes….yes…all of us…"
Whispering voices of all the past Dark Ones echoed in the room as Alexa saw about 15 other dark-cloaked figures representing the past evil beings tied to the darkness stood.
"Fine," he growled as he walked over to the wall and took out a small box that contained the Vulcan Crystal and took out a small spark of flame with a wave of his hand. Directing the spark to the dish, the latest Dark One recreated the flames as they all watched in anticipation. He then put the golden orb back onto the headpiece of the Nightmare Staff as it shifted to the evil eye.
Alexa extended out his hands, waving the flame into a sphere and clasped his hands together to fuse the flame into pure energy of light. When it was time, he took the two halves of the staff and fused he ends together. Electrical flashes connected the both ends and the full staff floated in mid air.
Datura gasped in excitement as the Staff of Dreams was finally whole again. Everyone was silent while Alexa started to reach out for it but stopped halfway as he felt a memory throbbing his mind.
"Cosmos…" he muttered as he remembered what that mysterious white haired man that looked like himself told him.
"Leave the staff…alone"
"He told me not to do this…" said Alexa, "When I was a boy."
Datura shook her head and answered, "And now you are a grown man."
Alexa stared at her as Theagenes said, "Take…the POWER!"
"Take the power, take the power, take the power, take the power!" they all chanted.
After a moment of hesitation, Alexa grabbed the staff as they all stood in darkness and silence, happy to see that the newest Dark One obtaining one of the greatest powers in all of the realms.
Alexa stared at it before looking at all of them with a shady look on his face.
"I know what needs to be done," said Alexa, "To snuff off the light…forever…"
~Episode 8 END~
~Episode 9 PV~
Narrator: Next Water Wednesday, the DEEPEST, DARKEST SECRET REVEALED AT THE CLIMAX OF THE BLACK DRAGON ARC!
Makoto: I must find the truth!
Rei: He's manipulating you, that's what the Dark One does!
Nagisa: Mako-chan, we don't want to lose you!
Narrator: Alexa's Dark Plan finally exposed and a startling revelation that will tear everyone apart like none other!
Alexa: You really want to know the truth no matter how awful?
Makoto: I do.
Narrator: Next Time, Free! Episode 9: Birth - The Second Rising! All what you love about Free! will be changed forever!
