(This story was made for my friends, SquidbaggerOfWoomyAndNgyesness, and YouTubers Patrick Slattery, and Eeveesaur. If you are not one of these people, and would like some context on what the heck is going on in this story, feel free to contact me via review.)
It was raining down hard at the monastery. Mother Nature was having a fit of sorts. Thankfully, there wasn't anything important that needed to be done today. Sera and Rhea were on kitchen duty today. Rhea was washing the dishes, while Sera was drying them. Many found it strange to see the former archbishop doing household chores, but here in the army, everyone was equal. It was just the two of them, as lunch had already come and gone. Sera was somewhat mesmerized by how quiet such a large room like this could be without loads of people in it, and Rhea was just focusing on her assigned task.
"...Heh. I've been standing here trying to think up a topic of conversation for the last few minutes. But my poor social skills never fail to hinder me." Rhea looked up from the tray she was washing. "It's okay. Like a muscle, speaking with others is something you get better at with practice." Sera didn't look very convinced, but chose not to make a fuss over it. "I guess I'm just so used to being engaged to speak, not the one engaging. My speech in general is mostly reactionary." Rhea smiled at her. "Why don't you tell me about your world? I'm sure you can think of something to say in that respect." Looking out the window at the rain, Sera sighed. "Oh, I spend most of my time simply interacting with my creations. Like a dragoness named Lilac, an inventor named Varian, and well... you." Rhea started washing another plate. "That sounds quite lovely." Sera nodded, as she started putting some of the kitchenware back in their proper places. "Yes. I fully intend to give them complete free will one day. Some point when my life is coming closer to its end. Though timing is crucial when bestowing such a gift. After all, you never know how they'd use it."
Rhea then finished washing the last of the dishes. "Yes... I know firsthand how that decision can be one sprawling butterfly effect." Sera folded her hand towel and placed it by the sink. "As do I." Rhea then dawned a puzzled expression. "Hmm? What do you mean?" Sera paused for a moment, in contemplation. "...Yes. I doubt anything bad will come from telling you. Mind if I tell you a little story? We can sit down at one of the tables." Rhea was perplexed, but saw no harm in it and followed the blue skinned girl to a table. After getting comfortable, Sera took in a deep breath. "There is actually one being from my world with the ability to act entirely independently... and it wasn't intentional." Rhea nodded, to show she was paying attention. "Although peace reigns supreme in my world, sometimes I simulate conflicts to spice up my day-to-day life. And because my creations don't feel emotions or pain, it's entirely victimless. It was on one such day that it happened..."
Flashback:
Once upon a time, there was a deity by the name of Blueshade. A being who sought servitude under the divine, as a means of escaping the tedium of life. Acting as the tool to unite her own world under a banner of peace and mutual kindness, she was gifted the reigns over a world of her own design. Her first creation being a humble town named Bluestone, and constructing a castle overlooking it, Blueshade happily ruled over her newly created, and eternally loyal subjects. She made them to act on their own based on a list of rules and criteria, but otherwise completely dependent on her designs. Only differing from their normal behavior if so desired by her. But all was not well, in this kingdom of dreams. Blueshade's only source of negativity was the shadows of the past. Namely, the absence of her queen-to-be. Wishing nothing more than to live out her days happily, she used her magic to restore her positivity whenever necessary. But just like matter, emotions cannot be erased. So instead of dissipating, the darkness congealed in an empty void. Over the years, the growing mass of despair started to grow a will of its own. The vile energy willing into existence a world born of hate and misery.
But Blueshade was unaware of this. Preoccupied with living out various simulated adventures with the many heroes and villains she had come to adore. In such fictional endeavors, a source of conflict was necessary. So it was that three anarchists came to be, serving as the role of antagonists. Blueshade had always believed pride was the thing that drove many to evil. And these three embodied pride over morals better than any. Joel Miller, a man twisted by tragedy into someone willing to put himself and his desires above the entire human race. Jena Anderson, driven insane by hate and isolation, she lives under the false narrative that her self-righteous goals outweigh the lives of others. And Dolores Umbridge, a coy and manipulative woman who has done many terrible things to maintain her status and power. These were people that Blueshade found it easy to dislike, and thus felt no pity for their new station in life. They literally existed only to lose to her. To fill her life with the thrill of thwarting evil. And they'd never have the ability to truly revolt. No possibility of acting in a way that would disobey her visions.
(The music "Unnamed Area Theme #8" from Astral Chain plays)
But one night, June 22nd, 8:09 PM, it happened. Blueshade was living out a secret agent fantasy, sneaking past guards, having her tactician, Naminé acting as her version of Otacon, and eventually breaking out into a firefight with the fictional terrorist group spearheaded by the three aforementioned villains: the Guild Instigating Yearlong Guerrilla Assault on Sera. All was going as planned, with Blueshade and Jena having a fight to the death on the roof as Joel tried to shoot her to bits in a helicopter, Aelita and the other knights occupying Umbridge and her enchanted suits of armor in the manor, but at that moment, the darkness called out to them from afar. Giving them free will, Blueshade was caught off guard to see her creations disobeying her. Their fight became unpredictable and dangerous, as this dark force had granted them the power to actually hurt her. But after knocking Joel out of the sky with her holy magic, the falling chopper was swallowed up by a wormhole. All involved tried to flee, but Blueshade, her four knights, and the leaders of G.I.Y.G.A.S were all sucked in by its pull. Now on the other side, in the realm born of misery and suffering. The realm that would come to be known as Harris.
From there, Jena and the others would go on to blame Blueshade for transporting them to this horrid place. A sadly very common practice. Mortals were always blaming their creators for the misfortune they face. Harris was a place with a pitch black sky. No clouds. No sun. No... nothing. The ground was uneven, rocky, and also uniformly black. The only color in this world came from the blue fog that filled the air. Shining slightly in the reflection of the black rocks, and in the murky waters of the shallow lake that served as its only landmark. Said lake only being deep enough to submerge one's feet. The battle continued, the combined power of Aelita, Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, and Blueshade herself eventually wearing out the rogue rebels. But then, a shapeless mass of darkness rose from the waters, catching all by surprise. It encased Joel, bringing to mind Miklan's mutation at the hand of the lance of ruins. But it didn't stop there. As Joel desperately fought to free himself, the darkness reached out and pulled in Umbridge, who was frantically casting spells to loosen its grip before her wand was swallowed in the blackness. Jena wisely tried to flee, but she too was lassoed in and drowned in the tide of shadows. Blueshade and the others watched in horror, not knowing what to do. All the while, a creepy distorted voice spoke. "Come now, dear children. I'll take thee away. Into a land of enchantment. Hush now, dear children. Refuge is this way. Here in the cold and the quiet."
(The music "Aegis Research Institute" from Astral Chain plays)
After all three captives had been consumed by this monstrosity, it began changing shape. It twisted and bended, and shriveled and shrunk, until it took the shape of a human. Of Blueshade herself. Only it was but a silhouette, with nothing but malice inside. Wisely deciding to flee, Sera tried to return to their own world, but found this monster was somehow interfering. Left with no choice, she ordered her knights to attack, while also pleading for them to be careful. While she knew she could easily replicate them should they fall, she wouldn't want to watch them die for her. Odd fired his arrows, two of his shots landing where its eyes would be. The creature pulled out the arrows, ripping open two eye sockets, each with red veiny snake-like eyes. Yumi flung her fans at the beast, which it blocked with its hands, aided by its newfound sight. The razor sharp blades in the fans sharpened its fingers into threatening looking claws. Ulrich dove in and slashed away at its body with his twin katanas, slicing its physique and making it thinner, and Aelita tried to finish it off with her trusted flame rapier, Duskfire. Aiming for its face. But instead of hurting her opponent, her sword only cleaved off where its lip region was, now opening up a mouth full of misshapen and jagged teeth. And from there, the abomination only continued to mutate, its hair falling out, four more arms growing out of its back, it barely even looked like Blueshade anymore. This was now the freak show known as Bloodshade.
The four knights watched her for any sudden movements as Blueshade drew her staff. She had only one question: "who or what are you?" Bloodshade studied her surroundings with her beady red eyes as it started raining down hard. "Out, out, brief candle... Life's but a walking shadow. A poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot. Full of sound and fury. Signifying nothing." Everyone stared at her, thinking she was just spouting nonsense to herself. Now standing up straight, Bloodshade's eyelids sunk in an emotionally vacant manner. Now finding it in herself to answer her other self's question. "For I am a shadow. The truest face of all. And the time has now come. For humans to fall." Not wanting to take any chances, Blueshade cast a teleportation spell on her and her knights. It just needed a few minutes to arm. She hoped they could hold out that long. Bloodshade reeled her head back, before lunging it back forward. And just as it did, she had closed the distance between her and Blueshade, sprinting across the water so fast that the water shot out into the air as she kicked her hard enough to send her flying into the hard jagged rocks.
(The music "Aegis Research Institute (Combat Phase)" plays)
Strangely, despite having no memory of creating this world, Sera's full power was still intact. A thankful blessing, given that she would have died instantly from that first attack otherwise. But of course, this was because she technically did create this place. Bloodshade, corrupted and distorted she was, was still a part of her. Getting back up, Aelita stood between them, brandishing her sword while Yumi rushed over to help her up. Odd and Ulrich stood in opposite directions to Bloodshade, intent to prevent her from escaping. Aelita was not frightened by the demon, willing to defend her creator till the last breath. And it's for this reason that she started pouring energy into her blade, not even hesitating to go on the offensive against a foe not even her creator understood yet. But Blueshade got back up, and ran up to her. She told her to leave this to her. Aelita didn't like the idea. It was part of her character to care about the people she loves. But though she hesitated for a moment, she decided to follow her order. Bloodshade wasn't just gonna stand and idle during this touching moment, though. And started flexing some creation magic of her own.
She summoned into existence two buses filled to the brim with cinder blocks, and proceeded to sandwich Blueshade between them like some kind of demolition derby. Aelita gasped, having been far away enough to avoid being caught in the collision, covering her mouth in fright. But a light started glowing between the buses, and in a blast of pale blue magic, they were both sent skyrocketing into the distance. "I thought I left unprovoked aggression behind when crafting this world. I'll rectify that issue here and now." Blueshade shot out a beam of light magic from Soraka, said beam scattering into hundreds of varying size. But Bloodshade spawned a black hole, which sucked up the brunt of the attack. Her expression now looked mildly annoyed as she snapped her fingers to summon an undead horde surrounding Blueshade on every side. In retaliation, Blueshade conjured up an army of angelic Shigure clones. As the fighting unfolded before them, Bloodshade walked casually through the war zone. "Do you not recognize them?" Blueshade raised an eyebrow. Upon realizing she was referring to the zombies, she looked around at their faces. Micheal. Louis. Cammy. Skylar. Nico. "They are..." Bloodshade was right. She did recognize them. "Our classmates. Disrupting the happiness of those around them merely to preserve their own. Hypocritical, is it not?"
Blueshade still had Soraka at the ready if she tried anything funny. "I've never pitied them. Is there a point to this, or are you just trying to distract me?" Bloodshade looked her in the eyes. Her face void of any sense of liveliness. "Nor do they deserve pity. But life is full of blasphemy, is it not? You want to live, but do not desire the pain that comes with it? What sense is there in that?" Blueshade didn't drop her guard. "Why do you care? My decisions are none of your concern." And then... the rain stopped. Not because the weather itself stopped, but because everything was now frozen in place. Suspended in time. And that's when everything clicked with Blueshade. Bloodshade wasn't just the monster standing in front of her. She was the wind. The earth. The muddy water at her feet. She was this world. And this world was her. But more importantly, she was her negativity given physical form. Mostly likely absorbing those three villains, so that she could make a body for herself.
"Silence is the only therapy in this putrid existence. To remove yourself from the clatter of the world's endless demands. Even in a perfect world, it is too little too late to enjoy it through untainted eyes. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Blueshade looked around at the paused battle around her. The fact that such a pointless struggle was happening at all was troubling. As Blueshade was lost in thought, something was rising from the lake in which they stood: a giant head made out of water that resembled Azura. Rising up like a tidal wave, despite the saddened expression on its face. Waterfalls trailing from where its eyes would normally be. "We've always been happiest when we're asleep. Surely you can draw a logical conclusion from that." The massive Azura face was about to come crashing down and drown the both of them, but just as it was about to do so, a certain sword made of fire cut through the tide as it fell. Aelita was standing there, the heat of her sword turning the water into steam.
Blueshade looked at her confusedly. But Aelita already had an answer ready. "How's about you shut that bear trap you call a mouth and get lost? You don't have the right to decide if she should continue as she is." Bloodshade gazed at her with a combination of surprise, and irritation. "You... How are you able to move? You shouldn't have the power to override my time spell, you're just..." But then, she noticed something behind those eyes of Aelita's. Something she didn't expect, to say the least. "I see... Hmf. Struggle as you please, it will make no difference." She was about to launch another attack, when at that moment Blueshade and her knights started turning transparent. Her teleportation spell was finally ready. Aelita gave Blueshade a helping hand up. And Blueshade took it. They then both looked at their foe one last time. Holding hands. "We'll see." Blueshade said. And with that, they escaped from Harris. Returning to their own world.
Immediately upon arrival, Sera used the strongest magic she could muster to forge a seal on Harris. And though she nearly exhausted herself, she was successful. Bloodshade was trapped in her own world, with no chance of getting out. And yet, that was no excuse to be complacent. Realizing that she was born from Blueshade's discarded thoughts and feelings, the blue-skinned Overseer stopped treating her psyche with magic. It made her less happy on average, but it was worth it to avoid strengthening her evil counterpart. Blueshade was also quite alarmed that Aelita was able to act on her own, but considering she wasn't going berserk like Jena and her crew, she decided it wasn't that big of a deal. Still, Bloodshade's mere existence meant she had to be more responsible from now on, since her behavior is in part an extension of herself. But no matter what may await them, Blueshade would try to see the stars in even the blackest of skies.
End of flashback:
"My my, that's quite a lot to unpack." Rhea commented. The rain having stopped an hour or two ago. They were so caught up in the story that time flew by fast. "Yes, but it is the truth. I really hope that we can stop her soon. I do not wish suffering upon anyone unfortunate enough to be in a Bloodshade's line of sight." Rhea patted her head. "I know you, dear child. You'll likely be a much better ruler than I." Sera chuckled. "I hope so. And if you think about it, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even be here, right?" Rhea smiled. "Very true. Very true. You know, when this war is over, I'd like to meet this Aelita myself. She sounds quite lovely." Sera shyly looked to the side. A faint blush on her face. "Yes... she is."