DISCLAIMER

The following is a fan-based

FICTION

F/SN, F/Z, F/KPI and other products related to the Fate Series are all owned by TYPE-MOON, Kinoko Nasu and Takashi Takeuchi.

All Parts of the JJBA are all owned by Hirohiko Araki.

Please support the official release.

Chapter 19: Eighteenth Mantra! The Heavens Beckons!

Jotaro held his breath as he tried to make sense of the situation in town.

Moving by foot sounded like a good idea as it offered the best chance to move around and be able to handle ambushes without having to be constrained within a vehicle. It was the slowest too, but there wasn't much of a choice between comfort and efficiency. Caster was walking a few feet away behind him, her current task being to guard the children while Joseph acted as support in case they ended up attacked in their path to the Holy Grail's hideout.

The idea of bringing both Sakura and Shinji together with them had been one driven by necessity rather than need tied to the situation itself. While at one glance the plan sounded irresponsible, the truth was that Joseph didn't trust the security at the warehouse to protect the children and while that gave them an extra reason to be wary while they approached their destination, the old man decided to step out of being among the direct participants to destroy the grail so he could keep a good watch over the duo while Jotaro and Caster took care of the major problem.

It was the best solution, but it was the best they could get for the time being. Without wasting any time, the small group continued with their journey, knowing that they needed to reach the rendezvous as quickly as possible and have this situation wrapped up at once. The more time was given to Francesca, the higher the chances of the woman doing something dangerous with the grail.

As they started to approach the route that was taking them directly to the Ryuudou Mountain, they started to hear the noises of loud crashes and explosions unfolding within the city. A quick glance around identified a couple of issues were indeed unfolding as Caster swiftly announced. All Servants were engaging in combat with some entities that were stopping them from reaching the proper destination.

The only possible reason for this to be happening was definitely to further delay their arrival and give more time to Francesca to do more damage with the Grail. At this point, Jotaro knew that there wasn't much of a choice for them to follow if they wanted to stop this before something even worse unfolded. He believed that most of the Masters were more than capable of fending off these threats, but he knew the witch wasn't just going to send them anything simple for them to handle. And… that meant that it could as well be the circumstance where he would have to handle this on his own with Caster.

Far from ideal, but still doable since he doubted Francesca had the chance of preparing something that could match him from the fact that there was nothing standing in their way. If he took into account the words from Caster herself over the ley lines, their foe could do so much before having some trouble manifesting any dangerous element aimed at them. No, it was clear that the woman was planning to delay most of the group so she could try to beat the rest of her enemies with what she got through the Grail.

Their wandering eventually concluded as they managed to arrive at the spot described by Risei Kotomine, one where the secret entrance to the local mountain allowed them to reach the underground area right beneath the lake where the Grail was stored. Only two individuals were already there and that didn't really give them any relief about what they had realized a little earlier. One was Risei himself, while the other was a young woman with short blue-hair and similar-shaded eyes. Neither Jotaro or Joseph recognized her.

"Father Kotomine," Joseph greeted, gaining a nod from the fellow elder as he approached them with a small smile.

"Joseph, Jotaro. I'm… I wasn't expecting for you two to bring the children," The priest pointed out in the middle of the greeting.

"It was better than leaving them alone at the hideout. I doubt that crazy woman had no plans about the place once we were out," The old Joestar explained with a sigh. "I'll keep watch over them while the others focus on the problem."

Risei nodded, before turning to his associate. "This here is an agent that has been sent by the Church-"

"My name is Bow," The young woman interrupted with a serious tone, her gaze focusing on Jotaro as… something seemed to match between the two. Caster might not be the brightest in catching onto small details from two people, but there was actually something similar between the two. "I've been sent by the Church to handle Dio Brando at first, but I guess you can say that the circumstances have changed as there is a higher threat to face."

"Miss Bow is experienced in handling this kind of trouble. I can vouch that her assistance will be essential to handle this issue," The old priest confirmed. "She is prepared to face any demonic entity that our common enemy might be making use of."

That was a relief in a good part. While it was clear that Francesca couldn't make a large use of the Grail, that didn't mean she still couldn't do more damage by using her problematic powers to create even more problems for them to pace.

Still, before anyone else could have said anything more about it, Risei paused as his mood started to shift, with a worried look appearing on his face. "Also, if I may also ask, have you seen my son, Kirei? I think he was supposed to be guarding the entrance of the temple and yet he isn't with you two."

Joseph frowned at this last bit. "We didn't see him. Was he guarding the gates?"

"He actually wandered off to try and clean up the way to the temple since Assassin had spotted several monsters along the way. I suppose he did get through that if there were no issues for you to come here."

"I could go and try to-" Joseph offered before being stopped by the fellow old man.

"I suppose he was caught busy by some other trouble. I trust him to handle any problem without major issues," Risei interrupted quickly, the concern remaining despite the calm voice in that interruption. Something that Joseph quickly caught onto and spared a confused frown about. But before the old Ripple user could have said something about it, Jotaro decided to speak up.

"It would be best if we dealt with this threat at once," The marine biologist proclaimed quietly as he gave one last quick hug to Sakura. "It's clear that these troubles will fade away once the Grail is destroyed."

Bow hummed in agreement at his words. "I guess that could be done. Still, I would have preferred to have more allies to… well, avoid trouble."

"It's not ideal, but it's the best we can do right now."

The girl smiled and shrugged. "Not gonna complain with that thought. Still… I suppose she is Caster?"

Xuanzang merely nodded, stopped from giving an introduction as the fellow woman resumed.

"I hope you're not a support monk that can't stand the heat. I would like to have someone strong to cover my back," The blue-haired girl commented. "It wouldn't do if you just handed out prayers now that a direct action is needed.

Pink eyes briefly allowed some annoyance at that comment, but a determined smile and mindset flipped her negativity. "I will do my best."

Bow was surprised, but she quickly schooled her features before anyone could have commented on her sheepishness at that response. With Joseph taking the children with him, it was only the three of them to face Francesca in her current lair. The entrance was quite dark, but Bow calmly used the torch she had on her to enlighten the path in front of them.

The route to the Holy Grail was actually pretty straightforward since the main way was bigger compared to most of the secondary tunnels. There were a couple of different paths to try and create a maze-like system to distract any intruders, but Caster's ability to follow the right way by keeping track of the Grail's unique magical pattern allowed them to avoid finding any of the various dead ends.

Despite the smoothness of their current predicament, Jotaro's mind kept him on guard as he could tell that there was a possible threat nearby. Something dangerous, something that he could tell was going to be too troublesome to handle. It wasn't Francesca but… he couldn't help but feel it was familiar to him to some extent.

After a couple of minutes spent wandering around, their walk was interrupted when something swift slammed on the ground and exploded the floor underneath them. Part of the caves collapsed at the damage forcing the trio to move quickly to not die because of the fall. Caster decided to stick by Jotaro, grasping at him as the man quickly manifested ｢Star Platinum｣ and used the Stand to grasp at part of the exposed rock. Once the two had their fall's stopped, the Servant swiftly jumped onto a section similar to the one ｢Star Platinum｣ was holding onto. Bow pulled out two Black Keys and stabbed those on the nearest wall, using those to gain an artificial grasp on the stone.

"I'm glad you reacted readily. I would have really regretted my conditions if you hadn't… Jotaro-kun."

The voice… it was familiar. So familiar that he just couldn't forget it. Jotaro paled, his eyes widening as he turned to see the origin of that painful reminder. A glance up and he saw him. He was met with the sight of a young man of above-average height and fit to slender build. He had medium-length cherry red hair, characterized by a large, twisting bang hanging in front of his forehead. His lavender eyes were flickering between their original color and red. It was a momentary flash but… it was a telling sign that he wasn't an ally in that moment. He was wearing a green slim-fitting school outfit that matched well with his physique.

In front of him, an even more familiar humanoid, his Stand. It had an athletic figure with a few robotic elements, such as its eyes and legs. It was only slightly taller than its user, though Jotaro could remember how it could also stretch itself to great lengths. Its body was covered in veiny lines, which was protected by light-colored armor.

He… he was there, and attacking them. Gritting his teeth, Jotaro's anger for Francesca Prelati seemed to triple the very moment the horror dawned upon him. It was so unfair and… yet now Jotaro had to kill someone that he had for so long thought of having forsaken back in Cairo when they were fighting DIO.

Kakyoin Noriaki, Servant or not, looked far from happy about the situation he had been resurrected for. Especially when his Master wanted the death of his former close friend.

Dio scowled at the situation, his mind burning in hatred towards his former 'Master' as this predicament wasn't favoring him in any shape or form.

The first bit of the morning actually started perfectly for him. Much to his delight, Pucci had finally arrived in Fuyuki as predicted. The loyal priest was awed by his return, but he was soon angered to discover the method he was brought back. Such a friend, a good friend. And yet he had to ask the man for a big favor. Something that strayed away from the original plan they had idealized through their conversations about almost a decade ago.

Enrico was confused by his request, even more confused by the fact he was being entrusted with three missions instead of just the original one and the one that Rin was aware about. For now, his objective was to keep guard of the young girl and provide her with proper education and intellectual food in the form of conversations. It didn't take long for the priest to realize why Rin was important to their plans, and why it was of great importance for her to be given a proper tool to grow, learn and reach her fullest potential before being blessed with part of their master plans. It was so important that it was vital for Dio to live just for long enough to see the end of the Holy Grail War to finalize his temporary stay in the material world.

He needed to be 'ignored' and then 'reported death'. It was important, essential even, that his foes believed he was killed in the strike against Prelati and that Rin had been returned to her parents. Just so Pucci could move in and properly secure the girl through legal means.

It wouldn't take long. The Tohsaka might have a good standing in the city, but they weren't prepared to handle a double case of murder. Especially when their killer was strong enough to subvert anything they could throw back at him. It was critical for Pucci to succeed, so he demanded him to make use of other followers of his cult to deal with them as cleanly as possible and with the minimal of risks.

With that in mind, Dio was planning to spend a good part of the day to plot a good way to join the fight without risking himself too much. It was expected for Francesca to have taken steps to make him troubled with some issue. An enemy, something that was either meant to gauge his current capacity or even give him something to worry about.

There was a good list of troublesome heroes that could do that, and he knew well enough that there were possible individuals that could have been as strong as Gilgamesh at their prime. It was a mere guess, but Dio didn't hesitate in preparing contingencies when it came to possible attacks at his current headquarters. It was around early afternoon that something alerted his senses. He had been busy catching some rest after setting up a couple of traps meant to destroy any of the possible creatures the woman could have also sent as back-up to assaults aimed at him.

He felt something was wrong. A sensation that was familiar, and also incredibly frustrating. So much that he gave a simple order to Pucci as he checked on his current conditions. The priest was sitting beside Rin, taking this opportunity to patiently teach her some grammar. The child wasn't as respectful for him as she was for Dio, but that was because the blond had used his capacity to frighten her to instill that sense of respect. Pucci's work was tied to a degree of likability. He was meant to be liked by Rin for his patience and goodwillness rather than be respected similarly as the vampire. Which is why that route demanded a slow but steady approach that would eventually work their way.

"An intruder is soon to come," Dio announced, deciding against greeting the two occupants of the room. Enrico looked up from the paper Rin was working on and the girl merely snapped an annoyed look at the vampire. "You will guard the child as I take care of them. I can say they are going to be too strong for you."

…

"I understand, Dio."

A nod was shared, and while Rin would have wanted to ask more about this intruder situation, she decided to keep quiet and actually study their interaction and ponder about it instead of stopping the Servant from going through his current tasks. Dio swiftly moved to the lounge of the two-floors manor, the windows already closed as candles illuminated most of the rooms and the hallways of the building. A small smile formed as he was ready to handle the being that had just breached into the proximity of the manor and was making their way towards the main door. Slow-paced, thoughtful, his soon-to-be enemy seemed to take a cautious approach.

They weren't strong enough, he could tell from this behavior they weren't. So he braced, amusement skyrocketing as he waited excitedly to see who he was going to face now. His eagerness peaked as the door opened, the sunlight failing to reach the position he was in as he waited for the unknown individual to enter.

…

As soon as the frame of the man that had been sent to fight him was revealed by the sunlight striking his back, Dio's mind entered in a sudden state of turmoil. His golden eyes widened, his shocked gaze mutedly aimed at the familiar individual as bile and disdain roused before the malicious gift the disgusting witch had thrown at him.

His foe was fairly tall and extremely muscular. His current stance carrying the classic British Gentlemen's poise. His short blue hair matched with his cerulean eyes, the pair of sapphire-like orbs betraying no fear or fight as he eyed back his target. He was wearing a reinforced blue tank top with shoulder pads, a pair of elbow-long gloves, light-gray pants, and a pair of light-brown boots.

There was no doubt in Dio's mind that the horrible sight before him was actually…

"Jojo..." He growled in pure anger. Not just aimed at his old enemy, but also at the only reason he could have been brought back. Prelati had given him back the kindness from the looks of it and… Dio wasn't amused. Far from it.

"Dio!"

Gritting his teeth, Dio jumped away as Jonathan Joestar didn't hesitate in rushing up to him. Fast, way faster than he remembered him being. Even with his bolstered state, the man shouldn't have been able to gain this much power for the occasion. Maybe it was tied to the way he was remembered or… the deeds.

Regardless of the reasons for how he got this strong, the truth was one and simple. Dio couldn't allow himself to lose now. This man, this… this infuriating individual stood between him and his plans. Again. And there was no way in Heaven itself he was going to submit to another defeat. Not at his hands, not now that he couldn't accept dying before the beginning of tomorrow.

"You better have something more than just loudness, Jojo. I'm not in the mood to deal with someone like you right now. Not when I can tell the wench is responsible for your ludicrous return."

"That woman… she isn't one of your servants?" The Joestar looked surprised at this novelty. Maybe he had yet to catch on the fact he was being manipulated from the way his eyes kept on alternating between blue and red.

"I believed… before she tried to use me as a toy to have the 'best laugh' ever. A capricious clever thing, I have to admit, one that has gained my greatest hatred for bringing you back from the grave I sent you to."

The hamon user paused, frowning at him or rather at his neck. "You- You took my body."

"Indeed! You see, Jojo, I decided to put to use the brawn you tried to use for something so cheap as playing heroes. Isn't that grand? You are finally part of something great!"

"Y-You will pay and- and then I will stop that woman from hurting people."

"Sadly, I think you will be surprised to hear that my current allies, temporarily at least, are part of your family. A coalition to stop the end of the world, something I don't wish to see until I'm ready to take over."

"You monster and… and I will help them!"

"Then come forth, Jojo!" He demanded brazenly, his sight blurring as he felt back at Windknight's Lot, back to when they were fighting at their peak in their respective forms. Hamon against Vampire, Poor against Rich, Honesty against Pragmatism.

Heavens against Fate.

The time of chatting was over as Dio decided to rush back at Jonathan, swiftly trying to use ｢The World｣ to deliver heavy damage and avoid the dangerous effects of Hamon. Much to the blond's surprise, as his Stand started his classic brawling rush, he felt the humanoid's arms suddenly restrained by something tight, something that… started to burn him.

Panic exploded in his head as he forcibly ordered ｢The World｣ to pull away from the danger. It was his quick-thinking that saved his arms from being rendered useless. Again. This time, it wasn't a direct hit, with his body reacting well to the sudden injection of hamon coming straight from the… ｢Hermit Purple｣-alike Stand. It had the same size and form of tendrils, but those soon manifested in the form of a proper Humanoid Stand. A pinkish mixture of ｢Star Platinum｣ and ｢Hierophant Green｣, with the same sizes as the former and the same facial mask as the latter. Bulky, it was equal to ｢The World｣ in frame and height. They were equally matched… but also not.

Hamon seemed to actually have an effect on ｢The World｣ differently from Joseph's Stand. Could it be his true power? He hoped this was indeed the case or things could get really messy if he wasn't too careful about it. Dio felt his arms itching painfully, and he knew that it had to do with the Hamon almost corroding his limbs off. An unpleasant feeling he didn't want to feel once more, and that gave him the adrenaline needed to push himself even further for this upsetting circumstance.

Glaring heatedly as his life-long enemy, Dio roared in challenge as he began to make use of all tricks and abilities in his arsenal, giving Jonathan what he really deserved. To be exposed to true superiority and be removed from the world of the living at once.

So he, DIO, willed it!

T-Too fast.

Kirei knew his opponent was quicker than him and far more resilient, yet he was still surprised by it despite the beating he was getting. It was impressive to see how his daughter was making use of her current advantages, with her Servant body allowing her to go beyond human limits and give her the chance to stand equal to other heroes.

Caren was mostly calm despite the sadistic glint playing by her eyes. The girl was vicious, just as the priest would have expected out of his daughter. The girl was violent, precise, efficient and… even though the pain was growing difficult to ignore as he blocked as many attacks as possible but still getting butchered left and right by her precise strikes, Kirei was proud. It was perhaps tied to the way she handled him, the familiarity, the knowledge- the fact it was clear she studied his style and was now massacring him with that research.

Her left leg lifted, striking the side of his head and sending him rushing away at the agonizing pain. Running wasn't among the possible things to do, knowing he was already outmatched by the white-haired girl when it came to speed. Still, there was something he could do about it that required some time to accomplish.

Ducking down, he allowed her rushing form to jump over him. The girl blinked, a perplexed look on her face as she barely saw his fist reaching her face. It wasn't his speed, nor his strength. While Kirei was no Servant, he could still use his Command Seals to boost his own might beyond human limits. Just temporarily. And that was more than enough to provide him with a counter to her malicious assault.

A yelp rushed out of her lips as her flight was stopped by a couple of trees behind her. No blood, just pain and a lot of anger tied to it at first glance.

"My mistake."

"It's forgivable," The young man muttered unconsciously, almost allowing his own instincts to reply to that comment.

Caren's anger softened as she gave him a nod. "I will be more careful."

"Please do."

Why was he helping her? The thought played a lot in his mind as the fight resumed. The situation was similar to before, yet it was clear that something was missing about it. If before Caren hadn't held back on him, now it was blatant how she was pulling her attacks and restraining her strength.

Pity? No. It was something else. Something driven by curiosity and fascination. She wasn't bored, she was… confused. A confused person's plight tied to understanding something unusual, something that severely clashed with her truths and beliefs. Caren was a believer of God just like him, her use of Black Keys confirmed that she had trained under the Holy See and developed a connection strong enough to warrant that training.

But right now, it wasn't her God being put in question. It was her belief that something that was supposed to be her father sounded and acted differently than expected. It wasn't a novelty for Kirei, knowing how much of a terrible father he had been but… did her perplexity mean he failed? Did he fail to find purpose beyond pleasure in inflicting pain and despair to people?

Is my cause and my pledge worthless as my daughter fails to recognize me as a good man?

As Kirei's resolve faltered, Caren's curiosity continued to grow as she studied her father with an intrigued look. This was different than anything she could have imagined out of him. Here he was, the sadistic Kirei Kotomine, the man that was reportedly a cause of the disaster in the Fifth Holy Grail War. To be fair, the girl had her own suspicions that this wasn't the timeline she was accustomed to. Not only did the War take a completely different route compared to what she remembered studying. This time around there was another Caster's Master. And another Caster.

Her father, together with the other remaining Masters, was actually planning to destroy the holy grail. This, she knew, didn't happen in the timeline she originated from. This was absurdly wrong in a positive way since… since it opened a curious door that she was perhaps helping closing. A door so interesting that could perhaps give the Caren of this world a parent to love and that loved her.

A blink, she remembered the few times back when she was just a little child, when the pains caused by her curse were forcing her to bed- when she would bemoan the lack of a father and a mother. She understood death at the time and thus forgave Claudia Hortensia. But Kirei Kotomine? From hopeful hero, he became a missing element that just brought despaired hope in her heart. He could have come to her, he could have rescued her from the painful situations she was set in more than once.

And yet he didn't. He never came. He never cared.

Yet this one… he seems so regretful.

It wasn't even her appearance that broke him to this state of fragility. It was the realization of a possible failure. He had been thinking of this for so long. Where was the Kirei Kotomine that was so malicious that Shirou Emiya had to kill him? Where was the evil priest that manipulated many Masters in the Holy Grail War and then died together with the practice?

With her mind finally burning with the many thoughts that had besieged her focus, Caren paused as she saw Kirei drop down to his knees. Pain filled his face, regret granted him tears and tiredness made his stance wobbly. He was far from death, and far from unconscious, but still in no shape to fight. He was hers to kill or… to use for a curious exposition.

The priest groaned as the girl decided to push him on the ground belly down, with the Servant herself sitting by his upper back. A hum, quiet and calm seemed to stop Kirei's efforts to struggle, confusion and dread formulating in his mind and heart as he tried to understand what was her plan right now.

Caren stared down at her father, pondering on the circumstance she was presented to him. Life or death, gambling or staying safe and hope for the best? So many choices, so many ramifications and… so many questions. The young woman was a curious person after all and there were questions she had wanted to ask to people for so long, only for those to be rebuffed or ignored. But now? She had the source of many good answers she had desperately craved as a child.

Soon her humming was over and she sighed.

"Apologies, daddy," She replied with a neutral voice. "But before I slay you, I have a couple of questions. Questions that I think would be better for you to give me or I will hurt you. Really bad. And I mean it."

The Master of Assassin didn't have much of a choice. He was one step away from getting killed by his own daughter, or at least her future forms from the height, size and age she was bearing with her frame.

"Y-Yes."

A soft hum, she decided to start with something so simple. "When I was really young and I was given the chance to finally visit Mama's grave, I remember seeing a dark figure that was waiting for us to leave. He was tall, he was dull-looking and he was holding a bouquet of white roses."

She didn't ask the right question, but he expected him to tell something. To say a truth, may it be right or wrong in her mind and within this reality.

"That was… your mother's favorite roses."

"Why?"

He sighed tiredly, slowly recovering from the pain. "S-She said that it was something that her mother brought to her frequently when she was a young girl. She said that it reminded her with her pale beauty. So fragile, but so strong inside..."

That, Caren thought, I didn't know about.

There are so many things she didn't get the chance to know about Claudia Hortensia. First her grandparents withheld that info because she was too young, then they died and she was left in the foster care of a strict priest that considered Claudia a shallow woman for killing herself and that she married out of wedlock.

The insults stung at first, but it was instinctive for a child to be angry at those that besmirched the memory of a dead parent, even though they know so little about them. It was the imagination, the creativity, and the few true details that the child knows about who they have lost. And right now, she had the truth at hand.

"Why did you leave me? Why me?"

There was a long pause, but the Ruler Servant didn't stress herself too much about it. She knew it wasn't an easy question and-

"I'm sorry."

…

That wasn't what she asked for. A pout broke through her composure, her annoyance flaring at that petulant response. She pushed more weight in her seat, pressuring his spine and gaining a gasp out of that.

"Not the question."

…

"I… I didn't want to… hurt you. I knew that, if you were with me, I would have- have failed to hold back my impulses."

A slow blink ensued at that response. So curt, yet so genuine… Caren couldn't just believe it. It wasn't what she expected and it was definitely not what she thought her father was going to be going for. Her hopes of this being just an act faltered just by listening to his heartbeat. The guilt, the sorrow, the regret- Kirei Kotomine wasn't supposed to be feeling like this. Where was the selfish priest that threw his faith of God away for a world of fun for him to enjoy by causing chaos and pain?

...

...Well, this Kotomine isn't a bastard.

That was as upsetting as fascinating for Caren. Here she was, trying to make the world a bit brighter than before but… no. Fate had to disrupt her chances to have revenge by giving him a version of her father that was actually good. If she killed him now, she would also end up depriving this world's Caren of a chance to have her own Daddy back.

…

Her golden eyes finally remained unchanged, breaking from the influence of Francesca while she stared up at the sky. There was not much for her to do, except doing something silly but overall smart on the long-term.

"What are you going to do after the war?"

Kirei's breathing had normalized, he was seemingly recovering. "I… I planned to check on you. I had discussed this with your grandparents but… it seems I failed."

...Wait, did he believe that- well, it wasn't his fault for not considering other options beyond time-traveling. She huffed and stood up from him.

"You should give it a try. You will definitely do something good with that," The girl pointed out, looking at him with a serious look. "And I hope you mean it."

He spared a quick nod. "Y-Yes."

She gave him a smile. "Good. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to retrieve your Servant and handle my… partner. I will be back quite soon… Papà."

Kirei's eyes widened as he recognized the change of way she was addressing him. But before he could inquire about this, the girl was gone in a red blur, leaving him alone to recover and ponder about what had just happened.

"S-Still… Maybe I should really give it a try..." He whispered to himself, thinking about the words used by Caren before leaving. The day was still far from over, but he could tell he got something big out of it already.

AN

The day is indeed still young and we got our newest share of 'villains'.

Why didn't I say anything about them when there were numerous comments bringing those up? I wanted to give you all a surprise. I've seriously noticed that many readers now have taken some sort of burden and duty to try and bring out the flashiest way to elevate a story. It kind of makes it difficult for a writer to come up with clever untouched ways since there are a lot of you commenting about possibilities.

So… next chapter is the final battle. And then… aftermaths!