There's a poll on my page for what story I will write next. Whichever one ends up winning will be written right after the short OCs stories have been uploaded. If you care about what I'll write after the OC stories, then consider voting.

[Chapter 34]

A few days had passed since we had won the final match. Luna had followed Neptune, Shiri and I as we had made our way to Jewel's place to rest.

After a few days, Angel and Brindle came to visit us at Jewel's place. Soon after, Uzume started coming, then Plutia, Noire, Vert, and Blanc. Basically, it was like holiday break at Jewel's place again.

We all sat in her living room, chatting and eating while the TV blared in the background.

"Oh, look!" Neptune pointed towards the TV screen. "Sigi, they're doing that singing thing!"

"Hm?" I paused my conversation with my sister for a moment and looked at the screen. "Oh, they are."

The screen displayed Rouge's city square, right at the fountain.

Usually, a few days after every final round of the tournament, a group of people would gather at the square to sing, congratulating all the participants and wishing the best of luck to the final participants.

We all stared at the screen that displayed the city square as people were gathering right below the fountain.

"Wait, when do they start singing?" Brindle asked.

I pointed to the fountain. Currently, the projection of the Ruler wasn't there. "Well, they turn off the Ruler's projection. Basically, once they turn it on, they'll start singing and such."

"W-Wait..."

All of our eyes had turned to the TV screen. Not because we wanted to watch them sing, but what was on it. The projection of the Ruler had come on, but there was no singing. Not this year. Instead, a dead silence had fallen over the square.

And the projection wasn't of Victor.

It was of the Second Ruler, Shiri's mom. She was the person who was assumed dead. And, since the projection displayed the current Ruler...

I looked over at Shiri. Her face was a ghostly pale. "…"

Luna and I exchanged a look, gulping.

Shiri then stood up, hurriedly making her way to the door.

Jewel watched her with concern. "Shiri, where are you going?"

"The square," Shiri answered quickly before dashing out the door.

"Sigi, we have to follow her," Luna said.

I gave a nod. "Yeah, I know. This isn't going to end well."

*BOOM!*

We spun our heads back to the TV to find that the square had been destroyed while we were turned away. In its place was a giant crater, everything that had been there before had been destroyed, gone from existence.

And standing at the center of the crater were three people. The person that seemed to be acting as the leader wore a mask, a woman.

She took the mask off, revealing her face to be of the Second Ruler's.

"Sigi..." Forcing my eyes off the TV, I stared into Luna's face. "It's like what mom and dad said..."

"…" I looked back at the TV then at her. Luna was the last bit of family I had.

"…!" Freeing myself from my sister's grip, I dashed out the door after Shiri.

"S-Sigi!"

I didn't let any of their cries stop me. I continued running at full speed to the city square.

The Second Ruler, Shiri's mother, was there.

I knew Shiri was strong, but she wouldn't win against the three of them. What would she even do when she got there?

Questions filled my head as I made it out of the complex and began pushing my way through the crowded streets to get to the city square.

Shiri was right that her mother was still alive, but—even if I didn't know the Second Ruler personally—I knew that this was something that wouldn't end well.

Shiri would die if she went in alone.

[Third Person]

"…" The woman scanned the area around. Besides the crater that she and her lackeys had put in the town square, there weren't any real differences in the city since the last time she had been there. "Strange, I really thought they would've remodeled this place. Hades, I thought you said you'd make this place look different..."

Hades had his hands jammed in his pockets. "Sorry, didn't get the time to do it. You know how it is to rule a nation, Grim."

The woman just shook her head. "I don't want to hear your petty excuses. After all, I came back for a reason. Fang, you know what to do."

"Yeah, yeah..." Rolling his eyes, one of the two lackeys pulled out a thin vial filled with black sludge. "It's a shame that all of this was already gone from Hyper Dimension and those other dimensions we visited."

"No, it was strange," Grim said. "That substance isn't supposed to disappear. And yet, it still did. The only way you could make it disappear was by absorbing it. But, even then, your body wouldn't be able to handle it and it would just return."

Fang shrugged. "Doesn't matter. At least we managed to get some. Good job on keeping those preserves in that one room, Hades."

"That room wasn't just meant as a storage room," Hades said. "You know what it was used for."

"I'm gonna pretend I still don't," Fang muttered.

"Enough," Grim's voice was sharp and stern, glaring at Fang with her cold eyes. "Pour it. We have to start before they catch up."

"She's right," Hades admitted. "They've been a real bother and I'm afraid this is the end of the road. It's now or never."

"Yeah, you're right," Fang let out a sigh. He popped the cork off the thin vial. "Well, I guess it's—"

"MOM!"

"You..." Grim's attention turned to the person that had appeared at the edge of the crater—the person who had called her mother. "I know you... You're that Sensos brat, aren't you?"

Shiri, struggling to catch her breath, watched the woman she called mother. "W-Wha...? Mom, it's me, your daughter. Do you not remember me?"

Fang shook his head. "Poor brat... You must have this person confused for someone else. This is Grim, the Second Ruler of Rouge. She's here to make all of your nightmares a reality."

"N-No..." Shiri shook her head. "THAT'S A LIE! MY MOTHER'S NAME WAS SCARLET AND SHE WAS THE REAL SECOND RULER! YOU'VE BRAINWASHED HER! GIVE HER BACK!"

"Brainwashed, eh?" Grim let out a chuckle. "Really, you must have hit your head, you brat."

"MOM, STOP TALKING LIKE THAT!" Shiri shouted her pleads. "COME BACK TO YOUR SENSES, PLEASE!"

"I just got here and I've already had enough of this stupidity..." Grim—Shiri's mother—raised her hand at her. A crimson aura radiated from her. "If I really am your mother, I'll take the responsibility of killing you myself. How does that sound, daughter?"

"N-No..." Shiri's legs became weak and she crumpled to her knees. Tears began to flow down her cheeks. "M-Mom... W-Why...?"

[Sigi]

Somehow, I had made it just in the nick of time as I forced the power out of me and set my Limiter to it's highest level. "SHIRI!"

*BOOM!*

Jumping in front of Shiri, I burst out lightning from my body, creating a barrier of lightning.

The blast slammed into the barrier, shattering it and blowing us both away. Somehow, I was able to recover midair and caught Shiri, landing on my feet before setting her down.

"S-Sigi...?" Shiri stared at me, dumbfounded. "W-Why are you here...?"

I smiled at her. "Isn't it obvious? It's because you ran off, you dummy."

"Sigi..." Shiri's face had disappointment written all over it. "T-That's my mom... O-Over there..."

"Your mom?" I hadn't looked yet. "But she just tried to kill you!"

"I know, but that's her," Shiri said. "I don't know what's wrong with her though!"

I bit my lip. As I glanced up. Instantly I saw Victor. "So he's in on this as well... No wonder he's the Third Ruler..."

The person in front was the person who Shiri claimed was her mother.

Her skin was fair, she had amber red eyes and long robes that matched her hair color. Along with that, she wore a pair of black, steel gauntlets and matching leather roper boots.

Honestly, she just looked like an older version of Shiri with red hair. I could see the resemblance.

There was also another person other than Victor and Shiri's mom. This was a person who I hadn't seen before.

His skin was a ghostly pale with blood red eyes and matching short hair that was spiked up. On his left cheek was a jagged scar.

He appeared well equipped with his armor, wearing a plated steel breastplate, arm guards and boots along with chainmail underneath. Over it all, he wore a torn crimson cloak.

Besides the vial he held in one hand, his other hand held onto his long sword. It was a black sword with a crimson edge, with a Devil-shaped mark carved into the guard.

The person standing in the front—Shiri's mother—stared at me with hollowed eyes. "You... Even though I don't know you, something about you feels familiar... Tell me, who are you?"

"That's Sigi Aurum, Grim," Victor told.

"Ah, now I know," Grim—Shiri's mom—said. "You must be the son of that man I fought. Silver Aurum, I'm pretty sure that was that man's name..."

"What do you know about my dad!?" I shouted.

"It won't matter soon," Grim said. "But, I do know that his son will be dead soon."

Grim looked over at Victor. "Hades, would you like me to send your students to your storage room or just kill them."

Victor—Hades—chuckled. "Actually, I was supposed to fight these two later this week. But, I wouldn't mind if you killed them now. It'll just ensure that I stay the Ruler."

"Just remember that this was your decision, not mine," Grim then turned to face the man. "Fang, pour while I end them. We've had enough distractions as it is."

The third man, Fang, nodded. "Yeah, I got it."

*Crack!*

Just as Fang began to tip over the vial in his hand, a shot of ice suddenly turned his hand—along with the vial—to ice.

"What the hell!?" Fang spun to the direction it had come from. Sitting atop a small building was Yami. "Great, another brat!"

"Y-Yami..." Shiri and I stared up at him. Though, I was wondering why he was here.

"I don't know what that sludge of yours is, but I would appreciate it if you didn't spill it there," Yami stood up, his eyes turning to it's chilling blue. "Or is it that your trying to make me mad?"

"Didn't expect to see you here..." Victor watched Yami. "I don't know why you're here, but I suggest taking those two with you and leaving us alone."

"You must be more of I fool than I thought," Yami spat at Victor. "I'm here to do something I should've done a long time ago. Oh, and in case you didn't realize, our agreement is off. You must've been really dumb if you thought I'd agree to something like that."

"Such a shame," Victor shook his head. "I could have made you great."

Yami's glared at Victor, gritting his teeth. "No, you're what's plaguing the world."

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Grim glared at Victor and Fang. "Hades, help me end these idiots! Fang, focus on freeing your hand so that we can pour the vial."

They both nodded. "Roger."

Yami hopped down to where Shiri and I were. "Well, look who it is..."

"Yami..." I couldn't hide the confusion written on my face. "Why are you here?"

He smirked. "During our fight, I learned something. You taught me how change existed. Change was the thing I overlooked before judging the world. And change is what can either destroy or make the world better."

I smiled. "Yeah..."

"Now," he turned to face the three at the crater's center. "We have to defeat these three here or the world might be doomed."

"Yeah," I spun to look back at Shiri. "Shiri, do you think you can do this?"

She let out a deep breath, opening her eyes to reveal her now glowing blue eyes. The golden aura began to emit from her. "I'll do it. If we try hard enough, I think I can get my mother back."

Nodding, I pulled out my energy sword. I only had four minutes left before my body would break from the strain. "It's now or never."

"SIGI!"

Turning around, we saw Neptune, Luna and everyone else coming towards us. Neptune was the first to make it. "What were you thinking!? You could've died before we showed up! We don't have any 1-Up Mushrooms!"

I shook my head and quickly turned to Luna. "Luna, those people know our parents."

"R-Really?!" Luna stared at me, unable to believe the words coming from my mouth.

"Yeah, and the one with the red hair is also Shiri's mom," I explained. "I don't know what's wrong with her but she doesn't seem to be acting like herself."

"Then we'll knock the sense back into her!" Neptune said. "If you hit a TV hard enough, it'll come back on eventually!"

I shook my head. "That's not the same..."

"Wait, why's Yami here?" Brindle asked.

I smiled. "He's here to help."

Angel smirked. "Good, we can use all the help we can get."

I gave a nod and pointed to Victor. "I'm guessing Shiri's mom is the strongest. So, Vert, Blanc, Noire, Uzume and Plutia, you all take on Victor. I think your abilities are unique enough to allow you to win."

They nodded, drawing their weapons and moving to position. I then turned to Brindle and Angel, pointing to Fang. "You two take him on. I don't know how tough he is, but I think you two might be able to take him on. Plus, he can only use one arm right now."

They nodded and also positioned themselves.

I turned to Luna. "Sis, you're going to help Yami, Shiri, and I take on the Second Ruler. Do you think you can handle that?"

Luna gave a firm nod. "Yeah."

"Alright," We all stepped up to face her, readying ourselves.

"You people really are foolish," Grim shook her head. "Actually, we had another few fools challenge us earlier. Would you like to know what happened to them?"

Everything suddenly fell into place. "You don't mean..."

Grim snapped her fingers. A small bubble appeared over her. Unconscious and trapped in that bubble were the four faction leaders.

"No way..." I gritted my teeth.

"Do you really want to do this?" Grim asked once again, making the bubble disappear. "I could end all of your lives in under a minute. You could just walk away and mind your own business..."

I shook my head. "No, if we don't stop you here, the world will be doomed!"

Grim just shook her head. "All of you people really are fools. Hades, you know what to do."

"Yeah," Victor gave a nod. Blue flames then began emitting from his body. He swept his hand.

*FSSSHHHH!*

Blue flames rose over us and trapped us in its high flames. Slowly, I felt my strength leave my body, sapping away at my energy. "W-What the...?"

As I collapsed, so did everyone else. Somehow, the flames were sapping us of our strength.

*Clang!*

Suddenly, cages rose from the ground. Before we had time to try to react, the cages each pulled us in, binding our movements while the flames continued to sap away our energy.

The flames lowered, allowing us to see Grim. "I gave you all a warning and a chance to turn away. Now, I'll make sure wretches like you remember not to defy me..."

Blood began to flow down Grim's now black sclera's as a black aura was cast around her. The area shook violently as dark energy was built up at her hand. "It's over..."

*BOOM!*

I squeezed my eyes shut as the blast sped towards us. Even though I had been through so much, it really was pointless in the end...

"…"

I had accepted my death, but I hadn't felt anything hit me. I then opened my eyes. "N-No..."

"You've really grown, Sigi," he smiled at me, as he helped free me from the cage, dispelling the blue flames. "Let me handle things from here on out, alright?"

Tears blurred my vision. But I didn't need to see clearly to know who had saved me. "D-Dad..."

My father smiled at me as everyone was freed from their cages. "It's been a while. Don't worry, I'll handle it from here. Later, we can catch up."

I stared at my father as he turned his back on me and made his way with two other men towards Grim and her lackies.

I smiled. "Yeah..."

[Third Person]

Grim shot glares at the three men, the ones who had constantly chased her around. They wore their usual stupid getup.

The father to the kid, Silver, still had his black hair that partially covered his emerald green eyes.

He wore his black hooded cloak with a gray placket shirt underneath. His black jeans wore torn while his brown utility belt kept it tightened and also stored various knives. Finally, he had black, leather fingerless gloves and crimson combat boots.

The crimson-haired man with a combover had scarlet red eyes and pale skin.

He wore a red, black-accented hoodie jacket that clung to his body, a crimson cloak over the jacket. He wore black leather gauntlets, matching ripped skinny jeans and combat boots like the other man. Though, he wore a snowflake necklace.

The final man had hair like Silver's, except that his hair color was silver, covering parts of his amber eyes. However, it didn't cover the jagged scar on his left cheek.

Simply, he wore a black muscle shirt, tattered blue jeans and a pair of black combat boots. Along with that, he wore a silver chain bracelet on his wrist.

These were the people that had been bothering Grim throughout her travels and she had grown tired of them.

Silver smiled. "Well, looks like we found you again. Seems that it's becoming easier to track you down."

"You have good timing," Grim said. "I was just about to end your son's life, Silver Aurum..."

Silver's expression turned serious, eyes becoming crimson. "Yeah, I know. You really think I'll forgive you for that?"

"Don't worry, you'll join him," Grim said.

Silver turned to the red-haired man beside him. "Hikan, I already called dibs on the chick with your hair. You can have a party with one of the dudes. Which one do you want?"

Hikan shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. As long as I can finally beat their faces in."

Silver shrugged before turning to the other man. "Tolise? What about you?"

Tolise grinned widely. "I actually want to fight the armored dude. Hikan, you can get the dude with the blue flames. It seems fitting for you to fight him."

Hikan rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

*Ching!*

As Tolise's eyes turned crimson like Silver's, a white light enveloped Hikan as he turned to a more muscular version with a new appearance.

His hair had become spiked with flames licking at the tips of each strand. He now wore black, plated armor over a red suit underneath. From his back were a pair of flaming dragon-like wings.

The three of them each produced their own katanas, Hikan's emitting flames.

"Alright, I'm ready to end this!" Silver took a stance. "We're going to finish this here and now!"

Grim smirked. "I can agree to that. All of you will die here!"

*Bang!*