Star Bearers

by dragonridley

Universe 1 and 2. In one Universe, two beings are taken from their fated paths onto new roads, rallying people to their causes as they venture through the Universe whilst in another, a band of people follow the shadows of a past to make their future.

11. U1 Prologue Part 2: Another Him

"So, Ulysses...You sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. This place, this world...this Universe. It holds little to me. The struggle has ended."

"But that means you can live. You can enjoy life. Chill out, get hitched proper, not be worried about your tribe so much."

"The Corruption Tribe is fading away. But I don't wish to end the road I've walked. Lysander taking over, the peace achieved and the fall of Smith. I wish to leave it behind and see what is beyond."

"Beyond this whole Multiverse though?"

"Yes. Beyond it all. I have seen a taste of it before. It led to Equestria burning. This time when I leave I shall make sure the dangers remain here and to see what is created."

"...There's no way to shake you off this idea is there?"

"No. But I know others wish to come with me. I cannot refuse them, as you cannot dissuade me."

"Terra, Sephiroth, Toki, Barrel, Q, Keaton, Dark Rich, Luna and Celestia. You know we didn't just revive your tribe members from the past just so they can throw their lives away again. But as you said...can't dissuade them."

"You three revived many from that time, that base of heroes to stand with us all as the Enclave loomed. You even revived her."

"Yes well. What good would that Chad be if the Heart Connection was incomplete...Gonna miss you in some ways. Not the constant hounding of me, kidnapping my now-fiancee and stealing my goddamn sword but this. The leader of people...You did good Banner Calen."

"As you have over time, Richard Chandos."

Ulysses placed his hand out, and shook that he once believed an enemy. They stood within a metal ship hanger bay, beyond it's opened doors was a beautiful blue sky. Within this place with them, was a large vessel that was created by the once known Species 8472, now known across the Multiverse for their true name, the Guardians. A species that had now left the Multiverse on their great expedition that Lysander promised them. Though he asked them to stay in this new age he would create they still wished to leave, to continue to care for and explore new universes like that of the talking ponies of Equestria.

This was their last ship. One gifted to Ulysses, as several of them seemed to know that he too would want to venture beyond all this as the end of the great war that had occurred.

The war that brought the twenty universes together. A war between races led by Universe 19 and Commander Samus Shepard, Universe 13 and Lightning, Universe 10 and Starforce, and finally Universe 8 and the Gamemasters against Agent Smith, Shinryu, Alduin, the mysterious child of the gods Andromeda, and Vul Grohiik.

It cost them greatly, it led to Azrael and Ronni barely surviving and handing their powers to Lysander after finally reuniting, accepting the Oni once and for all...but it was won. The Enclave was destroyed, the Terran Empire was scattered to the most distant stars and all the angels, leviathans and deities that sided with the machines were destroyed.

Lysander became the new god of creation, creating his own core of power. Azrael and Ronni were made mortal by the decision and chose to live their lives in Death's domain, which he expanded to include a small paradise for them to enjoy as so long as they lived there, they would never have to fear the mortal ageing effect, which Death felt would 'DISTURB THESE OLD TIMERS A LITTLE TOO MUCH FOR THEM TO HANDLE'.

It had been only six months since the decisive battle with Smith ended and already the courier of the Divide was ready to move on. Two holsters on his back. One carrying his staff...the other, a rusted Dark Wolf blade.

Richard questioned it back in the Divide of the Fallout world once their feud ended. Ulysses explained it belonged to another who had been corrupted, the other Richard of Universe 10. It was a memento of him that Ulysses wished to keep, to remind him of what corruption could do if the person is not guided on a path to understand what was happening to them.

Richard soon left him alone, saying he had to meet Roll to see the baby in her stomach for the first time. Ulysses focused on the ship. He had gone inside the flesh and steel united machine, made sure the power glove within was in place ready for him, he had plenty of supplies for the long trip, data disks and storage machines about the Multiverse he could show to others…

He had packed the holotapes he used to lure Richard into the Divide. He wanted to remember. The turning point where he made Richard realize the evil within the blade was his real enemy, never Ulysses. He explained that if he just walked up and told Richard this without the kidnapping and the tests through the Divide...would he have listened? Would he have noticed when not in a situation that requires his complete attention?

When he got back off the ship, he was met by Sephiroth of the world of FF VII, Terra Branford of the world of FF VI, Keaton Al'Keriff who had his wife Philipa Al'Keriff with him who had brought more snacks for the others, Toki from the Fist of the North Star series and from Universe 10, Barrel Wily of Universe 10, Dark Rich, Q in his Starfleet Uniform and finally there was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

One of them looked in her late twenties, with a slim body and wearing a dark blue with silver lining, royalty military uniform that seemed like it came from the Victorian era, complete with a black cape with a certain moon symbol on it, her hair shimmering much like it did in the Universe she came from, her eyes the same teal colour as before, her skin white and fair. She was holding what seemed to be a long, thin sword, a rapier, with a black handle with the same moon symbol as the cape on it.

The other woman looked more in her late thirties, her long hair flowed of mixed colours, her skin more peachy than her sisters, was more taller then her sister. Her chest larger too. She was wearing a white long dress, with gold lining on the neck, the end of the long sleeves and at the bottom of the dress, wearing high heeled gold shoes and had pink irises.

They all were ready for the journey. Philipa gave them the snacks, kissed her husband farewell, hoping he'll come home someday. She so wanted to go but with the kids they had, someone had to watch over them. He promised her he will get back, at least on a yearly basis which Q mused over saying it WAS possible...so long as the laws of time remain the same in the other Multiverses they see.

Once Philipa was gone, two other came to visit Ulysses, Noel Kreiss and Yeul Paddra. Since Boris Verne returned to them thanks to Ulysses and the Gamemasters, these two can't seem to thank the wanderer enough. Yeul offered the man one of her flowers for him to find a way back, should they ever get lost.

Soon the tribe was on the vessel, united and prepared for the journey. As the ship took off with Ulysses placing his hand within the Power Glove attached inside the ship, they flew into the sky, away from the world into the stars. Richard, Chad, Blue and many others had gathered and watched in the distance on a cliff edge that overlooked the base that the hanger bay was connected to. Lysander, who strongly resembled Neo out of the Matrix stood before them all, with his two daughters beside him and gave one final prayer of good fortune to the travelers.

Soon the powerful crystal orb within the glove, the Sigil Stone, came to life.

The ship burst into warp, and opened a way through the barrier that lay at the edge of it all, forever expanding with the Multiverse.

Ulysses had made sure the visual screen was on. Lysander told him that it would be a wondrous sight, the travel between. The place where nothing exists beyond what you know, anything seen simply blooms and dies, a mesh of all they knew. Death told Lysander he had passageways that were less painful on the eyes to go between Multiverses and Universes he knew of and had friends at. He explained that in the eyes of Deaths, the void was it's true self. A void of blue, or black. But to mortals and gods...it was whatever their minds held, expected or hoped it to be.

Ulysses, with Terra to his left and Sephiroth to his right, all watched as the screen burst into colours, teals, blues, purple and greens...before turning into hills, into a endless starry vision...Each moment for them all, the sight would morph, would take shapes they knew of, floating buildings, starships, signs of shops, dragons and beasts that came and faded out, seas formed of stars and auroras. At times, there were other people with them, standing in the ship smiling at them, trying to speak to them. Close family and relations that quickly faded as they appeared. Moments appearing within the void, moments in time that passed by the vessel that they felt if they entered...they would no doubt be there.

The ship drifted. There was no sense of direction now as Ulysses had no destination. If they find another realm, that was fine. Accepting what they saw brought some center of peace within him. He closed his eyes, seeing his home, the Twisted Hairs. He felt Q hold his shoulder. He just knew it was him.

"Wonderful, isn't it?"

"When you were Ronaallo, did you see this?"

"Yes. When I first left the Multiverse this is what I saw. Ronaallo and I, we...laughed. We spun together in this void. Free from our guilt. It ended when we passed through the barrier to where Equestria was. Once you have a location in your mind, it's hard to find this again, as you'll find yourself passing right by back to where you want to go in...a flash almost."

"Should I wish to go home then from this new place we see..."

"This will not happen."

Ulysses opened his eyes and looked to his left. Beside him and in front of Terra, was Julia, the girl he adopted and cared for back when he was a Twisted Hair. Her brown pony tailed hair and eyes, the ragged clothes on her, and her sweet smile as she brought her hand up towards him, and he held it, smiling beneath the mask. It felt real. "Then I must enjoy this moment."

For Terra she saw the orphans, happy as anything, holding her hands and thanking her for all she had done for them. She knew they were in good hands, they were safe. But it didn't stop the regret looming as a few tears escaped.

Toki had focused on his meditation to not think too much on the visions around him, untill one of Kenshiro, standing before him while the shadows of his brothers and sisters, Lightning, Jecht, Raoh, Jagi, and their master Gouken, all hovered close by. Toki bowed to them all respectfully, now focused on the ones he lost.

Sephiroth saw Cloud, Zack, Genesis, Angeal and Tifa. He gave a chuckle, knowing Cloud no longer had to worry about him being around. He wanted to look away, turning to ignore them, but the hand of Zack touched his shoulder stopping him, making him look to the man...who gave him a smile. And he smiled back.

Keaton felt as if the ship faded into a blur around him, and he was back in Pandora's Box. The gateway before him...He was smiling as he spotted Medina, Pandora, Khamsin, Roll and Philipa waiting for him at the Gateway as it came to life.

Dark Rich saw the other clones. He was back on Arcadia at it's helm. Ready to take the ship to another destination at Kei's command. The wood of the wheel felt so real, it was hard for him to recall this is all a vision.

Barrel saw Chad and Anna. Both living their lives in the Hero Base...He looked away from them and then there was Grievous, Xemnas, the rest of the Organization XIII, Ocelot, Snake...along with everyone else of Unit 666, all saluting him, as he did the same back.

Celestia and Luna were seeing the ponies. The ship to them had turned into the cartooney state of the Universe they came from. They saw Twilight, Pinkie, Cadance, Applejack...all kinds of ponies, while for this moment as they looked to eachother, they had changed back to Alicorns.

Q was the only one who resisted the enjoyment of memories. He focused on the ship, noticing purple stings of energy floating around everywhere, coming from Ulysses and the Power Glove. He wasn't sure if it was corruption or something else, as he approached one of the energy strings. He heard someone cough a little. Looking to his left, he saw Lysander.

"...Why are you here?"

"It's the last time you may see me. Vision or not...You helped me so much Q. I know the real me had already said it, but I feel it must be known again. Thank you."

But as he focused on Lysander, the image faded.

For Ulysses Julia vanished too, the colours died as he then noticed something worrying...the purple crackling power of the glove was now flowing all over the ship, it's hull, lashing out into the void. Before something struck the ship and voiceless words entered his mind.

Come to me.

Alarms blared out as they all were unable to hold their balance and fell, with Ulysses' hand coming away from the power glove and all the illusions they had witnessed disappeared.

The realm in-between was gone.

"What the hell hit us!?"Keaton called out as he tried to get on his feet like everyone else, with Sephiroth being the first and helping Ulysses up.

Ulysses in turn help Terra up and then Luna, before focusing back on the Power Glove to reattach himself to it to regain control of the vessel. Q meanwhile seemed to briefly phase out. "...My god. This feels like home but..."

The view-screen had shut off on the impact, but with a single thought Ulysses had it back on.

There before them were stars again. But clearly not a mere vision. They were real. The ship was spinning, the whole thing shaking and groaning as the forces it was against were causing strain to the hull. Ulysses focused on the glove again wanting to know if there was any damage, any reason the ship got hit.

There was no external damage. The ships systems on the other hand were going haywire. "Something's wrong! Shields are offline, weapons are disabled and I am unable to activate the engines!"

"Get the Stabilizers online! At least then we can re-aim the vessel and see where the hell we're going!" Dark Rich called out to him.

Ulysses focused again on the glove, he could see the wires, the systems like a digital blueprint in his mind. He soon found what he was looking for, the ship now easing on the turning and seemed to point in one direction, which revealed a world.

A yellowish, habitable world, massive in size to a point it was extremely rare to something like this that wasn't a gas giant...and latched to it with chains that flowed with glowing golden energy, were four smaller worlds, clearly all habitable looking of multiple colors, different amounts of moons and all being circled in the distance by a blue sun.

And they were heading right for the middle one. "I'm trying to get the engines back on! Hull is beginning to buckle!"

"Then we have to land the ship!" Keaton quickly moved beside Ulysses.

"This ship isn't built for emergency landings!" Q quickly explained to the once Galactic Federation leader. "The gravity diffuser helps it keep afloat!"

Keaton looked to the angel. "Any chance for a divine intervention?"

"I can seem to control anything at the moment, my power takes time to readjust like it did with Celestia's and Luna's home!"

The man focused back on the wanderer. "Is the gravity diffuser online Ulysses!?"

Ulysses shook his head. "It's as dead as the engines!"

"Both warp and impulse?!"

Ulysses quickly realized he was focused on the warp engine. "Trying to get the impulse back online now!"

"What of the planet?" Terra asked him now.

"Class M!" The ship was beginning to shake even more violently as Ulysses tried to keep his mind on his task "We're being pulled in by it's gravity now!"

"Keep at the shields and impulse, we can ease the landing at least!" Q suggested to the courier.

Soon the visual screen showed they got through the atmosphere entry point. Showing a world of dozens of mixed biospheres, buildings misplaced and barren ash covered wastelands in several places, all shooting by as they got closer and closer to the ground, into a desert biosphere.

"Impulse is back! Trying to slow our descent! EVERYONE HOLD ON!" Ulysses yelled out.

That brief chance passed by within seconds. He felt the first impact sending him flying from where he stood, a brief purple glimmer all around him before he slammed into something, and everything went black.

---

Everything was blurry. Pain surged throughout his body.

He felt his lungs scream for air, taking a sharp intake and yelling out for a moment as he felt his nerves come to life. He was on his front...in sand.

He could barely hear thunder echoing in the distance.

He tried to focus on something around him, anything.

There, close to his right. He saw Luna's hair. Her hand. She was close to him. He crawled, trying to ignore the pain, fighting it to reach the woman he fell in love with. His Pip-Boy was sparking, the screen broken and barely showing anything. His mask was struggling to take any air in, clearly being heavily damaged.

Smoke. He could pick it up between the smell of his blood.

Soon he was with her, reaching out and grabbing her hand. "L...Luna..."

He shifted himself closer still, to look at her to see if she was okay, trying to use his other, shaking hand to push the hair away from her face.

Terror.

A look of sheer terror is what remained on her pale face.

He looked closer, and noticed now that she was not whole.

He was holding her hand, from the only arm attached to this upper part of her, the rest of her body missing, a stain of blood covering where her flesh, muscles, skin and clothing was torn.

Looking down at the damage, he could barely see that, further away...the wreckage of his ship...other bodies...he felt the pain rush over him, numbing his feelings and senses. Rolling onto his back letting go of Luna, he looked up to the thundering dark cloudy sky, with a tint of neon blue flowing through it as each flash of light pulsed throughout the sky.

He closed his eyes. Death was coming to him, in a new universe. For his tribe. With the pain he was in, it was a relief. Regret was hard to focus on as his body felt like it wanted to give up.

Soon the sounds became faint and distant, his breathing no longer audible.

…

"Highwayy to the danger zone..."

Ulysses gave a weak groan.

"Gonna take you right, in-to, the danger zone…"

Something was moving. It was dragging...metal? He couldn't make it out. But his body wasn't in the level of agony it was previously. There was no more thunder.

"Ah damnit, it's just scrap. No more Stimpaks. So we're down to just two left. Maybe I should use them on him...if he ever wakes up."

That voice sounded so familiar.

Ulysses weakly opened his eyes. He was looking up still. The stars above held a tint of purple, an orange and blue aurora washed the skyline. The air felt warm, comfortable.

"Out along the edges, always where I burn to be. The further on the edge, the hotter the intensity...highwayy to, the, danger zone..."

"B...Barrel." Ulysses managed to say, soon feeling that his mask was missing.

"Ulysses!?"

He heard footsteps, before he saw his ally, Barrel Wily bending down close to him, his clothing torn and damaged, his jacket missing entirely and his hair messed up, holding a long metal pipe like a staff in one hand, using it for balance it seemed. "Barrel. What...happened?"

"We crash landed obviously. Ship is completely fubar. Been recovering our supplies. Got a small bit of the foodstuff. A little bit of water and health items. Mostly used the Stimpaks on ya to get you to not die on me. 10 of them to be precise."

"...How, are you so, undamaged?"

"Overlord blood remember? I healed over time. Had to yank out a jagged piece of metal in my head from my broken gun no less. Had severe lacerations and broken bones."

Ulysses slowly moved his head to look down, noticing the torn coat of Barrels was over his torso and arms.

"I was planning to build a fire but this place… it's warm at night, and the aurora is producing enough light to see. Nothing like the Divide I knew though..."

"The, Divide?"

Barrel looked at Ulysses for a moment. "Do you think you can move now?"

Ulysses tried. The pain was present but far less. Hunger, and a bad dry throat became a priority in his mind as he forced himself onto his side, then eventually his front to get onto his hands and knees, Barrel placing the pipe down to try and help the courier up off the ground, his coat falling to the sandy floor.

The man stood with his tribe member, looking out to what was ahead of them.

Ulysses was stunned.

Hopeville, the ruined city, it's wrecked buildings...they were there. His domain on the Fallout world. A dust-storm clearly visible swarming around it with them thankfully about a good few miles away out of it's reach.

"That...cannot be. It's an illusion."

Barrel picked up his coat placing over his shoulder and holding the pipe again. "It's real. I've checked a little of it out as the sun was going down. No marked men there but there was Oni corpses, as well as Navis and GF troopers and hell, even some I didn't know from their clothing. Grabbed my weapon here from it. I could see the base we gathered in before but it seemed to have been torn apart."

"What has, Q said of, this?" Ulysses was swallowing with every few words, speaking was hurting him.

"...Q won't be saying anything anymore."

Ulysses slowly looked at him.

Barrel motioned with his head to look behind them.

Ulysses turned around...saw the wreckage of the ship, it's fleshy outer shell shattered and torn to bits, the impact clearly leaving black marks across the landscape they stood on and embers visible on certain parts where there was fire before...close to it, were eight mounds of sand that stood out. With burnt plating of the hull of the ship marking their locations.

Barrel spoke to him once more, sighing and shaking his head. Thinking of the day he had gone through made him stutter as he explained "I, gathered them and made sure I had...all of their parts that hadn't disintegrated into mush. Six of them had been torn to shreds on impact from the destroyed ship. Q and Terra were the least divided...I'm so sorry Ulysses."

He made his way over to their final resting places.

It was like a repeat to him. Another tribe cut down to so little left.

Ulysses felt grief, he felt the pain of the loss, yet the fact Hopeville was so close, the place feeling all too familiar, he couldn't truly grieve. This was too much like what he had lost before to the point it felt almost like there was nothing different.

Barrel seemed to understand. He allowed Ulysses his space whilst still going through whatever salvageable stuff he had gathered from the ship, opening up badly damaged crates and trying to get datapads to function.

Neither wanted to sleep. The shock of it all was catching up to them though, and soon they sat together near the salvage pile, leaning on the solid parts of the wreck and falling asleep. Their bodies needed to regain strength.

As they fell into their slumber, a figure seem simply came into existence near the burial mounds, the pitch black coat, the scythe and the skeletal hand indicated who it was that had come to visit.

He slowly raised his empty hand out towards the mounds, and out of each them came a spiritual, colourful orb of light, hovering over to where his hand was, now eight of them floating close.

Slowly, each one faded away as the Death spoke to himself. "RETURN HOME. THE CYCLE HAS LONG BEEN RENEWED."

"I suspected you might arrive here, to this strange feeling, this strange crash site. I have been cautious to approach."

That voice came from behind the grim reaper. A burly, large mighty beast covered in chitin-like armor, an autumn coloured beard from it's face and neck with white piecing eyes. Despite it's movement and weight, there was little sound as it approached on all fours, it's movement like that of an ape. It's voice was deep, echoed, but it clearly did not wake the others present.

"I HAD GOTTEN WIND OF TRAVELLERS FROM A MULTIVERSE I KNEW OF BENDU. MY PENPAL LET ME KNOW OF THEM HUNDREDS UPON THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO. NO DOUBT THE DISTORTION OF THE INFINITE HAS LED THEM THIS FAR TO THE FUTURE. DRIFTING WITHOUT A DESTINATION CAN MAKE TIME FLY FORWARD OR BACKWARDS THERE." Death walked over towards Barrel and Ulysses, stopping close to their resting forms. He looked at his scythe, then at them again. "I SHOULD SET THEM FREE."

"I am not one to argue your will, god of the dead, as you know. But I sense something unusual with the one of twisted hair."

"DO YOU?" Death looked closely at Ulysses. "WELL HE IS ONE OF THOSE FLAG COURIERS. A ULYSSES. THE OTHER IS A BARREL. PERHAPS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE."

"No...I do not feel that. I feel something else. A violent storm that shouldn't be. A grave wound or a deadly infection that has no visible marking or signs."

"BEING FROM OUTSIDE OUR MULTIVERSE...AND YOUR UNIVERSE CAN CAUSE SUCH FEELINGS." Death looked away from those that were asleep. "WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST?"

"I cannot ask for life. Nor can I suggest they die. Your role is a respected one."

Death sighed in annoyance. Rubbing his forehead with his skeletal hand. "OF COURSE NOT. WHY DID I EVEN BOTHER TO ASK?" With that, he pulled a coin from his cloak. One that was of silver. One side had an image of him embedded on it, and the other side had an hourglass. "I SHALL ALLOW THIS, TWISTED STATE OF A UNIVERSE TO ANSWER."

Bendu and Death watched, as the coin was flicked upwards into the air. Spinning in the light of the auroras and the moons, it came down and landed into the sand next to Death as he looked down, as did Bendu.

It was the hourglass.

"INTERESTING." He picked up the coin. "RARELY DOES MY MULTIVERSE ALLOW THIS SIDE TO LAND. PERHAPS AN INFLUENCE FROM THE OTHER? OR WHERE THEY EVEN CAME FROM...STILL. IT HAS GIVEN ME MY ANSWER." He placed the coin back into his cloak.

"Then they are alone on this world. You sent their fallen companions home." Bendu gave a small laugh. "Perhaps I shall make sure they gain a place in all this?"

"THE DAWN OF TOMORROW MARKS THE END OF THE MERGE. THE CORE HAS BEEN WEAKENED, ONE OF THE ANCHORS THAT ALLOWED THIS TO OCCUR. THEY WILL REMAIN WHILE YOU WILL, AND WILL NOT, RETURN TO YOUR UNIVERSE."

"Ah. An echo is left behind. Fully alive and sentient of ourselves?"

"INDEED. THEY WILL ALL HAVE TO LIVE IN THIS UNIVERSE WHICH WILL NOT UNDERGO THE CYCLE PURGE. THE DAMAGE IS TOO GREAT AND AZRAEL AND RONNI HAVE AGREED TO CLEANSE THE STABLE FOUR...THIS MARKS THE END OF IT ALL."

"How so?" Bendu was curious as he lowered himself a little towards Death.

"WITH THE WEAKENED GODS. THE MULTIVERSE WILL BEGIN TO COLLAPSE."

"And what of our Universe?"

"YOU HAVE YOUR OWN POWER, YOUR OWN DEATH. I'M SURE MY PENPAL WILL GIVE ME AN UPDATE IF ANYTHING HAPPENS." Death seemed to just...blink out of existence to Bendu. Who slowly moved back, and watched the two sleeping people for a moment, before heading towards Hopeville. It was a suitable hiding spot these days, and something told him the one called Ulysses will come there in time. But would it be before or after the new dawn that was to come?

Ulysses woke minutes before the blue sun rose. He stood up, the aches and pains hadn't cleared away, a part of him hoping this was all a dream crushed by the reality. He was still on this strange chained world. With a version of his Hopeville.

He soon sat himself down, planning his next move. Finish sorting out the mess, explore that other version of his home, see what this place was all about.

As the sun appeared while lost in his train of thought, he noticed a mighty green energy wave seem to appear on the horizon with it. Slowly but surely making it's way over. The shape it, the feeling, the way it moved. It was all like an image he saw before, elsewhere.

It was like a blanket, creating a loud humming sound slowly covering the sky, before going over him as he heard Barrel awaken to the sight looking up in wonder.

Across this galaxy, this Universe, everything saw this same sight.

The light that signalled an ending.

For a Universe that was now separated while four others were faced with a golden light. The 7th Cycle had ended for them, and the 8th was going through it's one hundred thousand year starting silence.

This Universe would now move on, the humming and the light ended, no change to those who waited at all. The world chained with four others,

Darkrift,

would now enter it's next phase.

---

Three long days past by.

Ulysses and Barrel had finished sorting out the wreckage on the first day. Ulysses found the rusted Dark Wolf, his staff which had the eagle piece broken off and lost, and managed to fix his pip-boy enough to be able to use the VATS system if nothing else. His mask was no good.

Barrel meanwhile kept with his pipe, as well as the Masamune which he discovered in the wreck intact besides the handle missing. He didn't mind holding the Tang part of the blade until he had something to set up a makeshift hilt.

They found they had enough supplies between them to last a week at most, and made it their goal to make Hopeville their temporary home, so they can feel a form of safety as well as set up a location to store the intact datapads and holotapes they had.

The power glove, the torn shredded pieces of it, was found too...but the Sigil Stone had shattered entirely and turned pitch black, with no sign of any power coming from it.

At day two, they searched the edges of Hopeville. Finding plenty of bodies that didn't belong naturally to the world Ulysses came from. Barrel reminded him he did mention the Oni and the Galactic Federation before. There was also bodies of Krogan, Turians, Sneath and Navis.

Besides the bodies they managed to find a little bit more food and water, as well and scraps of cloth, leather and old weaponry that Barrel was willing to carry back to where they were holding out to break down and try and make use of.

Come the afternoon they encountered a lone Deathclaw. Easily dispatched but it confused Ulysses. It was made of flesh and blood. The Deathclaws he knew of were cyborgs. These appeared to be natural. they both started to reach a conclusion that they were in a parallel universe that was akin to theirs. They recalled Q saying about the fact there was so many, so it's possible there is one where his world was entirely different.

Nightfall came and went, and during it Ulysses managed to get the radio system on his pip-boy to a functional degree. Picking up signals but they were so far and weak, it was impossible to understand what was being said.

The third day led to them going into the depths of the location, heading through most of Hopeville towards the place that was Ulysses' home on his found, torn open and heavily damaged from what they saw from afar, like an explosion had occurred inside the place at one point. Ulysses wanted to go there as well to see if there was a place beyond, the rest of the Divide.

Back home he had saved it, healed the Lifestream after a decisive conflict with Ronaallo.

Here he knew it wouldn't be, but still wondered if it was the same violent state like his was.

He walked through the ruins with Barrel in tow, the lack of Marked Men and the Tunnelers made him feel more unsettled before finding himself before the pathway leading into the base. No graves out front like he had for the fifteen members of the tribe that never made it after the revival the Gamemasters did.

The blast door was operable, just about. The power level was clearly low here as it was creaking loudly and groaning whilst opening extremely slowly. Barrel couldn't be bothered to wait, rolling underneath the opening when it was big enough whilst Ulysses was being patience about it.

The lift inside worked as Ulysses eventually got in and noticed Barrel had already used it, no longer being present and waiting for him on the other side. Getting in the lift and going up...Ulysses was greeted to the sight of the main missile silo room of the base, whilst Barrel had been standing there near the doorway to the lift waiting for him.

It was destroyed. Completely. The computers were blasted to bits, the walkway was bent and distorted, the sound of the metal ceiling that was in pieces, creaking and slightly shifting each time the wind blew by.

"...Someone fired the missiles?" Barrel asked him.

"Entirely possible. The question of who springs to mind. We must search for any possible answer. If it were myself, there may be holotapes we can use. A message left behind."

Despite the state of it all, they both found ways to get through the mess. Being agile on their feet and being used to climbing over wrecks and debris helped them. Barrel was clearly more in shape though since he reached a door opposite of the room. The door that led to the other lift, to the rest of the Divide. Ulysses stopped at one wreck of the walkway though before getting over to where Barrel was.

There was in the midst of the casing of one of the computers that appeared to have been blown inside out, a holotape. Damaged slightly but it looked like it would be functionable.

He grabbed it, jumped over the gap that led down to the empty depths of the silo and just managed to get on the same spot as Barrel, who was just as interested in what Ulysses had. The courier placed it in his pip-boy, barely able to read the instructions to play the tape, and got it going.

It was Ulysses' voice.

"This world. Twisted. All roads merged. A convergence. I have been unable to find most of my tribe. Marked men dispersed. No doubt the Lifestream has been altered more so than before my venture into the depths of the Divide. Saw a group far off today. Detected a frequency. 110.10. Called themselves Neo Arcadia as a whole. Elie is the leader. Working with a man named Raoh and his Ken-Oh army. Barely recognize the name. I'm sure Toki and Jagi described someone called that before. Could be their brother, could not be. Can't afford to take the chance. Will continue to listen, to wait. I wonder, if the Gamemaster is here also. If he and the other two have been dragged to this world."

As the tape ended Barrel to looked to his friend. "Got any ideas?"

Ulysses took a moment, allowing the words to sink in, to put together the answers, if there was any. And one stood to him. The way this world was described, it was the exact way he himself described "Darkrift."

"You serious? The time mix-up world? It's here?"

"We're on that world. Yes."

"Is...this the actual Darkrift? I mean is it the one we fought through?"

"I don't know. The silo being destroyed was not something that occurred. The Oni drove me away from mine, led me to side with the alliance of factions, kept myself in the shadows watching Richard and his actions...this could be after it all. I don't recall this message...nor Jagi."

"All of our memories of that place were never completely restored, we know that well enough." Barrel took a guess as to why. "I mean it never had world's chained to it so...you could be right. This is after that horrible war. Maybe something else is happening here."

"...Blue Hikari."

"The Enclave base incident one right?"

Ulysses nodded. "He claimed to have come from a time after Darkrift. Perhaps this is it. This is that world."

They headed onto the lift, and soon found themselves in the rest of the Divide, the winds still strong, the signs of a storm trying to form still existing. There was no green life, no sign of hope that he had brought here in the past. The enclave base, it's imposing hexagon shape, black steel walls still standing tall as anything.

Walking through the place. It felt like revisiting history. The battles against the phantom forms the Lifestream, twisted by corruption had made, the eventual talks they had with one another, the fight against his world's version of the Gamemasters, Equestria… The lack of life now and the lack of a threat from the Lifestream made this all now feel eerily haunting.

They climbed up the side of the Divide, making their way past the buildings that in their timeline, they encountered a Deathclaw, and discovered the abandoned airport as the sun had gone down. Ulysses felt it a struggle getting to this point. His body still needed time. Once inside Barrel noticed something off straight away that Ulysses took a while to click onto.

There were flags on the walls, black ones with a golden 'E' on it surrounded by stars. They looked new. There were cameras on the walls as well, turning and observing the place before they also noticed that all the lighting system here was working fine as were a majority of the computers, which were out of place by model and design as they used holo-keyboards and flat screens rather than the blocky computers the Fallout world has. It was still showing signs of decay, but unlike the one they knew, it was serviceable.

Ulysses quietly suggested Barrel check outside for anything whilst Ulysses readied his damaged staff and checked around further into the airport, knowing that this was clearly still in Enclave control unlike his world. He doesn't recall them at all appearing on Darkrift during the incident when the war was focused on the Oni, so could it be entirely possible they have been biding their time? The only things he discovered resource wise was the fact they had their supplies the same as he knew of his Enclave.

In the Divide before his tribe discovered an Enclave outpost in a road tunnel that had rations and coffee. As he encountered the Enclave more and more he discovered the purpose of it. The 'Coffee' was processed oil to be connected to one of the tubes running off the Enclave power troopers helmet to feed them, created from the bones of the long passed, the greatly decayed and plant life. The 'rations' were liquidized plasma waste, created from all manner of creatures, victims of the Enclave army that were melted into that state to be injected into the torso of the armor to fuel their shielding and weaponry.

Beyond his journey through the Divide whilst within the stars, he discovered the Husks, the bodies that worked within the Power Armors of the Enclave were not aware of their already-dead state of being. The false smell of Coffee for the oil and apple for the plasma was to avoid reality of existence seeping in. To them all, they were soldiers of the greatest force in the Multiverse. That was their family, their way of life. Anything before is a dulled memory that is twisted to make them hate it.

He remembered what their leader, John Henry Eden said about it to him when he tried to pretend he was working with them during his luring of the Gamemaster to avoid them taking over his base. "Mindless husks are quite useful Ulysses, but Harbinger could tell you they lack a major thing that humanity and the aliens have. Self-reliance. A husk will walk into the firing line, they will charge without thought. By 'waking' them, letting them be who they were in our, hm, special way, they can think and act as independent beings, changing tactics on a battlefield quicker then any control we have over them directly. We simply create the facts that the Enclave is the only way of life into their minds, and they'll die for it."

Ulysses eventually focused on one of the computers. It was hackable for Ulysses. despite the damage to his pip-boy the upgrades that Keaton provided him in his ventures after the Divide were still in working order. He managed to connect the easily modifiable wire to the machine and the auto-hacking tool he had installed was clearly running despite the lack of information he could read on the screen, as soon enough the computer skipped over the password requirement allowing him full access.

It was clearly linked to some-sort of radio system. There wasn't much else stored here besides numbers for the supplies gathered. He decided to use the frequency that his Darkrift counterpart informed them of, 110.00.

He picked up on Yuan Shao's voice. He recognized that pompous idiots voice from anywhere.

"Begin the march to the Divide! We will take the radio tower back to Elie and our allies to help establish long range contact with the others!"

Another voice answered him. "What about the report that Wreav is moving the Oni to the Divide as well?"

"Pah, the Oni are routed! Ingrid is defeated and so is the Chaos Lord! They're nothing but a joke! We can ignore them! King Knight! Lead our frontal forces!"

The courier decided that was enough information and headed out to meet Barrel, who was looking over the fuel supplies left at the airport as well as glancing up at the huge black radio tower with a red light slowly fading in and out on top.

He warned Barrel of the oncoming danger, not wanting to get mixed up in any conflict at this time suggested they move towards the mines that were the last obstacle in their way in the original Divide before they found the Enclave base. Barrel agreed so long as Ulysses could walk the distance.

When they first got to the entrance, they heard shouting and gunfire behind them. It was clear a battle was now being waged but Ulysses ignored it to head within the mountain with Barrel in tow. Within the mines were empty, with a weak howling wind flowing through that carried a feeling of warmth.

Curiosity was quick to get to them and they headed further down. Ulysses was quite surprised at what he and Barrel had soon discovered.

The mines that once led to little but iron, coal and copper, had opened up to reveal an ancient city of stone, with statues of bird like people illuminated by molten lava flowing like that of waterfalls and rivers through the place hardly effecting the stone structures, and close to each river was... an unknown green substance, that seemed to have it's own rivers and waterfalls.

There were weak dim torches that were placed around this once-populated place beneath the surface as well as writing on the walls. Going across the bridges and caverns intermixed with the buildings was quite the trek for them both, with the heat of the lava making them heavily sweat and drag their feet.

In one wide circular location, which seemed to be a leisure area with the way there was a dried up fountain in the middle, long died-up wilted trees that were ash covered and stone benches, they saw Bendu. Who had been looking over the city, before turning to face them as they cautiously approached. "Do not be alarmed by me. I am no enemy to you."

Ulysses was the first to speak back. "Who are you? What is this place?"

"This is one of the ancient cities of the Chozo. It never belonged on your world, but the one known as Yacht. It was fused into the mine with the creation of this world, Darkrift. It had plenty of people and creatures that served a woman of magic exploring it, especially of a knight clad in red, but they have long since joined with Ken-Oh's army. As for myself, I am one between the sides of what is known as the force. I am the Bendu. I take it my feeling above is correct? A battle is being waged?"

Barrel nodded. "That it is. Between Yuan Shao's forces and Wreav's. I'm Barrel Wily by the way, and this is Ulysses."

"Ah, you mean between Neo Arcadia and the Oni. It was expected the forces would move after it felt like the wave of energy did nothing. They probably seek the airport above as it has an effective radio tower, which dismantled and taken elsewhere would prove useful to Neo Arcadia, as well as a chance for a payload of weapons left behind, which the Krogan Wreav is no doubt pursuing. Neither side figuring out that close by the Enclave watches intensively." The Bendu looked up to the caverns ceiling. "The machine force has been biding time after it's decisive defeat against the Oni at the start of Darkrift."

Ulysses raised his eyebrow a little. "The Enclave should not exist here. They did not if I recall the war myself."

Bendu looked down at him and Barrel. "Not yours. But this one, they quickly tried to put down the Oni's expanding army commanded by Ingrid, which had absorbed several factions into it's own. They proved a powerful adversary to those of blue skin, but were overcome and scattered back to their hiding spots."

"Wait, what do you mean 'not yours'?"

"...This is not your Darkrift, your Multiverse. You are outsiders, I can sense it around you both and those you had lost."

Barrel stared at Ulysses, and he back to Barrel.

They had arrived in another Multiverse afterall. "Another that suffered a Darkrift?" Ulysses just seemed, dumbfounded at that.

"Is it truly so surprising that what could happen in one could also happen in another? Within the infinite there could be a Multiverse like yours but still hold differences?" Bendu answered with. "I do not even belong to this Multiverse. I was pulled here from my own along with everyone there to be merged with this Darkrift too. A line of destiny and fate ties all three of our origins, this Multiverse, yours and mine, similar paths all existing but leading to different conclusions."

Barrel looked a little amused by this now. "Well, heh, this'll be an interesting story to tell Chad and the others when we get back to our multiverse...somehow."

"How did you get here, may I ask?" Bendu appeared quite curious after asking that question to them. "Not often people go from one Multiverse to another."

"The power of Corruption, a Sigil Stone and the Power Glove gave us a way to leave ours to come here, even if it was not our intention." Ulysses looked to his pip-boy...the same arm and hand he used for the Power Glove before it all went wrong...

"I see...what kind of power is this, 'Corruption'?"

"An immense element of creation, formed from the Negative Multiverse of ours that can be wielded and controlled, but when untamed can be damaging and destructive to the very nature of life."

"Ah, of course something like that to be achieved would require such a force to become possible. But I assume you have lost such power now?"

Barrel nodded. "Yeah. The whole lot got wiped out in the crash of our ship. I found small fragments of the Power Glove but we can exactly build anything from those." He looked to Ulysses once more, who...seemed to faze out for a moment, as if something was on his mind. "Ulysses?"

"...I believe I still have some degree of that power." He looked up at Bendu.

"You serious?" His friend was surprised with that answer.

Ulysses nodded, grabbing the rusted Dark Wolf off his back into his hands. "When I said the word Corruption, I felt a tingle of it's power from this blade coarse through my back. Like as if the sword had absorbed some of it..."

He recalled the energy surging through the ship, the power of corruption flowing all over...could some of it have redirected into the now soulless hollow sword, taking up room in such a void?

The courier tried to focus on it, trying to draw the power out. But while he could feel it do so, it was like feelers reaching out all around him, but going no further than the tip of the blade, before retracting in despite his wish for it to do more. "...I do not have much control over it, without the Power Glove."

Bendu though, was surprised. He saw what Ulysses and Barrel couldn't, the purple colourful strands of energy emitting from the sword in that moment, going as far as Ulysses felt before going back into the blade. "It is the same as I first felt when I saw you all near the wreckage...perhaps with time you can regain your control over it, and not what I feared it to be."

"Feared it?"

"Like that of a coming storm. A nightmare that will not end."

"So..." Ulysses looked at the sword again "I should focus on it, and maybe I can use it to try and get ourselves a way back home."

Bendu gave a small nod of approval. "To return from where you came from is the best option in this situation. Remain with me during your time of training, I shall ensure you are not harmed by the events that will come to pass nor suffer any interference."

In time the two had brought down the salvaged equipment they had gathered from the wreckage and that of the Divide with the aid of Bendu, establishing a home in this place. Secluded and away, It gave Ulysses time to focus on the power, as well as his pip-boy, continuing to fix the screen and some of the wiring. In time, it was close to being back to full working order, and for the sake of reminding themselves what happened in this place the courier wanted to record the events.

Barrel suggested they use one of the datapads, link it up to the pip-boy so Ulysses could record himself but not require holotapes. The Federation add-on was useful in this task, and as Ulysses sat down in the orange and green glow of this ancient lost city, he began to speak.

"We are the corruption tribe. The last two. The others have died. Lost to time. These shall be my recordings of the road we have found, the road that will take us home. One day. I am Ulysses, Banner Calen. The other is Barrel Wily. I am from Universe 8. He of Universe 10."

---

"3 weeks, six days. Our new ally, Bendu, an alien I have never encountered before our coming here spoke of this Darkrift. The war with the Oni much like our own. These Oni are not worthy of mercy or glimmers of hope. They are forever tainted by hatred, by their idea of The Chaos Lord. He is not like ours. A monster who had used the child of god without her knowing. But like ours, forces from different places of time and space chose to form a coalition to stop the Oni and their master."

"Those same forces now struggle to maintain their friendship. Knowing they will not return to their true homes or time, many have become restless, knowing that there are habitable worlds beyond this twisted planet chained to four others. Some felt there is little reason to stay and fight the Oni who were still evidently trying to fight on. Azure Phoenix, led by a man called Cao Cao is the main voice that calls for ships to be salvaged and a departure to be swift. Conflict was inevitable with others."

"Recently there had been an attack on the Divide after Yuan Shao had left a small token force at the airport close to where we are. To the north at the Enclave base, an assault had occurred by the Guardians, to some called the Undine or even Species 8472. To the south a rush of Zerg, a type of which I had never seen before had attacked Hopeville and was assaulting Yuan Shao's men. It didn't take them long to wipe them out. The leader of these Zerg, Zurvan, felt the presence of the Dark Wolf, like Bendu."

"Instead of attacking us, he proposed to unify. He wanted to know what this strange calling was to him and why Bendu was here, who did not enjoy the presence of 'a creature that seeks to feed on others to evolve.'. It was decided to push into the Enclave Base with the large range of Zerg at our disposal."

"We were greeted by the Undine. They were efficent in slaying many of the, as Zurvan called them, 'Primal' Zerg. But our forceful assault had made their leader come out and meet us in person after he had slain the last of the Enclave. A man with long white hair, black and gold clothing and armor, a spear beheld by pure dark magic coursing through it that allowed him to sit upon it, use to unleash powers of the Thu'um without using his voice. He battled Zurvan, Barrel, myself and Bendu, ceasing only when he noticed our intent was not to kill."

"He called himself Odin. A once follower of Primus. The master of the Undine. He agreed to a ceasefire as he felt he needed protectors of this place for his forces to rest and recover, to which I agreed to. Zurvan was pleased as it allowed him time to gather more Primal Zerg to the Divide from across the world, and Bendu...he was unsure of all this, but still agreed to help me get home."

"Today...I had attempted to use the power to create my own aid. Odin's power was dangerous. I needed help. I know back home, with the power of Corruption that could perform many feats. Perhaps revival was one of them, a power of limitless strength was at my fingertips...I wanted to try. I want to see her again."

The sun was setting. Ulysses stood on the helipad at the airport which overlooked the Divide.

He watched as more and more of the scaly skinned Primal Zerg gathered their numbers. Zurvan said they would hear his call. He was the oldest of all of them. They feared and respected him. Bendu was close to the Courier, watching as well. "Do not trust Zurvan Ulysses. His actions are clouded by his hunger to grow and need to thrive."

"You cannot tolerate him." Ulysses glanced up at the creature, who bitterly chuckled.

"I shall tolerate his presence for the sake that he has agreed to follow. But I will not lower my guard around him or his kind."

That's when there was a blue light close to them, taking the shape of a man and materializing into Barrel, who looked a little surprised at his own arrival, looking himself up and down. "Huh, I expected the teleporter to turn me inside out, looked faulty as anything thanks to them breaking all kinds of Enclave stuff..."

"Barrel." Ulysses turned to him, as did Bendu. "How is it within the Enclave Base? Are the missiles present?"

"No sign of them. Odin followed me every step of the way along with plenty of his three-legged minions. They didn't like the idea of 'just looking around'. Kept explaining we come from somewhere different but Odin isn't fully buying into it. He seems fixed on the idea we're plotting to take him down. No sign of Megatron, or anything related to the machine force we know."

"That's good. Perhaps the base is from an earlier time before arming it with weapons or after they were disposed of. Bendu, do you know of this Divide? What happened in the normal timeline."

"No. I do not Ulysses. This place appeared to be a good location to keep away from further conflicts on this world when Darkrift came to existence." Bendu explained to him.

Ulysses was still content enough with the fact the base was not armed with galaxy destroying weapons and focused back on his other task today, going to the middle of the helipad and pulling the Dark Wolf out of it's casing, whilst Barrel went over to Bendu and was talking to him about the Primal Zerg below.

"So if they're Primal Zerg, was Char a green planet? I mean their colours aren't those of a barren world."

Bendu looked amused. "Char? No Barrel. Zurvan and his kind are from the original planet of Zerg. Zerus. The world is the birthplace, whilst Char is the world where the later species of Zerg live on."

"Like the vampire Zerg? Lexnus and such?"

"Vampire Zerg?"

"Sorry. Cross-species infection back in our Multiverse. Helluva mess. Xel'Naga, the name of the one who caused it, really didn't turn out well from the experience."

"How so?"

"He had this mad desire for the sweets known as Skittles..."

"U...Ulysses?" That quickly caught their attention as it was a female voice, one Barrel knew.

They both looked over and saw that before Ulysses, with the Dark Wolf glowing a purple hue, was Terra…

At least it appeared to be. Barrel quickly went over to Ulysses with concern. "What did you just do?"

"I...I demanded to see her. I wanted her to appear and, she did so. I have revived her." Ulysses seemed a little relieved at what he just did, placing the Dark Wolf away and approach Terra with Barrel.

She backed away a little, scared of them. "W-What's going on? The ship? What happened to our ship? Where's my home?"

"Terra. It is okay. The ship is lost."

"T-Terra? Is that...my name?"

"Yes. That is your name." Ulysses answered her, before Barrel grabbed his shoulder to stop him from trying to get closer to Terra, who kept her distance to try and figure them out.

"Something isn't right here Ulysses. Why didn't she know that herself?"

"The revival process may have caused a small degree of forgetfulness. She is here now."

"I've seen people get revived before, by deities or divine power and they knew who they were."

Bendu made his approach to them whilst Terra watched the beast. "That 'thing' is hollow and empty. I sense nothing from it. I do not believe you have revived anything Ulysses."

"She is here, both of you." Ulysses was focused on them now. "This is Terra Branford."

"I am, Terra Branford...It's okay Barrel. I'm just confused. I've just got...so much going around in my head. So many homes and-and the Divide. I can see the Divide as we, went through it."

Ulysses focused back on her, while Barrel was watching the Dark Wolf, noticing it was still glowing. He grabbed it off Ulysses' back and threw it across the ground. "What the hell are you doing?!" Ulysses quickly looked to the man.

Whilst the glow on the Dark Wolf faded...and Terra seemed to go limp, falling to the floor.

"What, what happened to her?" The courier ran over to her and tried to help her sit up...noticing she was dead and lifeless. "Terra! TERRA!"

Barrel though didn't take long to put it together. "Bendu was right. She wasn't revived...I had a feeling the sword had something to do with it but-"

"She was created by the power within." Bendu explained. "It formed her from the memories you have. Collective pieces brought to temporary life. A puppet whose strings are now cut."

Ulysses watched Terra now, as she began to break like glass shattering apart, each piece falling off her body dissolving into sparkling violet energy...before she disappeared entirely. "There...there must be a way to gain more power. To keep her with us without the blade."

Bendu thought on this. "It is clear you have improved in your ability to control over time Ulysses, but to gain more power...that is beyond me. We must speak to Zurvan and perhaps Odin to further give you strength...though remember, you are seeking a way home, not to simply try to mimic the dead."

It took till the sun had long since set as the moons rose.

Outside the airport a giant hole had been dug, filling it was the mighty scaly giant known as Zurvan, settling on the broken dirt and clay surrounding the hole. Close to him was the begrudging Bendu, who was focused on the three before the two vastly larger creatures.

Ulysses, Barrel, and now Odin was with them. His spear floating close to his back that he named Gungnir. He was seen staring at the Dark Wolf as Ulysses showed him it, his arms folded and clearly showing on his face he wasn't happy being out here without his servants. "I know the blade. It is, was, linked to a Leviathan soul. Now though it's quite clear it lacks that. Perhaps that is what you seek in your mission to 'go home', as you claim."

Zurvan agreed with what Odin said. "I had encountered this sword before on this world. It contained a powerful gifted soul, like that of the ancient beasts. Unfortunately I have not seen them so far for you to take."

"...What about higher beings? Like deities? Are they around?" Barrel looked at them.

The leader of the Undine looked a little amused on that question. "Since when do the enslaved not get mixed up in affairs? There were plenty of them during the war with the Oni. Now I feel there are far, far less. I don't know why that is as many of those who fell in the war were returned to life."

"But who would wish to remain on a world, that echoes the feeling of doom?"

All five looked over to someone new that can come out of the airport entrance, dusting off his dull blue suit and checking on his briefcase before making his way over. A face Barrel and Ulysses recognized from their Multiverse.

G-Man.

In the middle of meeting Odin, none of them expected another person to come in and join in with their talk. Odin clearly wasn't impressed with the arrival. "And what brings a deity to my presence?"

G-Man seemed to give a small chuckle, adjusting his tie as he joined their little assembly. "Well I had not expected to even stay upon this, world. Most of us deities have moved on. We have concluded that, with the defeat of the Oni and our, entrapment, into this Universe, we needed to seek out our own place in this, distorted place. We cannot return home as we have, counterparts there. Death will not tolerate our, arrival."

"And what, pray tell, brought you to this base?" Bendu asked him.

"Why the sword that this strange courier carries. That alone, has given an unusual calling to me. Being one of the two remaining, peaceful, deities I had to simply check the power I felt earlier today. Chronoa will not move from the, coalition she is siding with."

"Well, regardless for what you have come for there is not much here to witness. The power within is weak. I can only create a single phantom. There is not enough Corruption energy." Ulysses explained.

G-Man raised his eyebrow momentarily before coughing slightly and speaking once more. "While I do not know what this, 'corruption' is, the energy it uses is, familiar, at least, a part of it is. Not only from the power of a Leviathan, but the power of souls from the Lifestream, harvested. It reminds me of our Dark Wolves which carried the same."

Barrel felt like mentally slapping himself as he recalled that. "Of course! Richard exists here so what the chances there would be a Dark Wolf, and no doubt—"

"—The spirit within is bound to exist. Within the Abyss of the Farplanes..." Ulysses thought about this. "If we were to link this sword to him or the lake of souls he used to always harvest...the power would greatly improve, in theory."

"Or perhaps you will lose the sword entirely. Beware taking such a risk Ulysses. Your weapon is from your place, not either of ours. It can easily be absorbed and destroyed by counterparts too similar to it's own, or cause damage to those that exist here to disturb the balance." Bendu warned.

"Bendu's concern is notable. But it should not deter you. You have a will of pure determination and strength. It will stop the weapon from leaving your side, I can feel it." Zurvan countered with.

"I am willing to gain further power, if anything to help in my plan to return home. With shadows I would be able to provide protection for us, and with them they can help us gain the right materials to find a way home. Perhaps a gateway even. I wish to take that chance. G-Man, how would I gain passage to the Abyss?"

G-Man seemed to think this over, looking over at the ruins of the Divide. "Perhaps I, can provide a way. Death should not look to there. Perhaps he will not care for us, now outsiders, to exist there...but I do have one condition, Ulysses."

Ulysses was interested, allowing him to continue silently.

"With that power, you will assist me. I wish to restore an, order, of power back in this Universe from this, barren world. The Enclave. I am well aware one of your allies have destroyed the forces here, in the Divide. I am willing to overlook that issue, as will the other sections of the Enclave. I help you, you help me. Do we have a deal?"

Odin was clearly unhappy with that idea. "Crawl back to your people."

G-Man frowned at him, but Ulysses now spoke again. "Odin. You have an army and our aid. They will not attempt to retake the base."

The deity agreed to the notion. "We, have a need for allies. It would not benefit us to turn on those who are willing to aid the Enclave...yet."

That even got on Bendu's nerves now, but Ulysses agreed to the deal and asked the deity to take him and Barrel to the location. With a click of his fingers, G-Man opened a dark blue vortex that he stepped through, with the courier and the solider in tow, leaving their allies to question who they were working with, even for Zurvan and Odin, temporarily.

---

G-Man had did what was promised. Ulysses and Barrel along with the deity himself arrived into what became known in the Multiverse of Ulysses' as the cavern of the Wolf, when Gamemaster Richard decided he had to confront the soul within the blade and end it's control once and for all.

But despite it's appearance being the same in many aspects, two things were very different.

There was no stone throne that the soul had established for itself to show a form of dominance.

And the inside soul in question was but a beige, yellowish sphere of energy, floating there close to the lake, wisps of energy flowing out of it in white across the cavern.

Ulysses looked to G-Man, who explained. "Clearly, while the Multiverse is within it's one hundred thousand year cycle cleansing, those souls who power is exceptional, deities and leviathans, are placed into a state of sleep. It cannot hear or acknowledge our presence."

Ulysses wandered close to it, reaching out a little, feeling a strong heat coming from the being within. Barrel meanwhile walked over to the edge of the lake and looked into it. "This soul...Vul Grohiik. A creature filled with hate."

"Vul Grohiik?" G-Man looked a little surprised. "That is not him. He is still contained. That, is Nidhogg. The soul-devourer. He was trapped by Azrael and made to obey his whims. Why did you suspect..."

The courier explained. "There was no Nidhogg, where I and Barrel have come from. Vul was in control of all Dark Wolves. You make it sound like Vul exists still in this Multiverse."

"Yes but, the Dis have not handed his soul over to Azrael. They refuse. Choosing to keep hold of him. He was a close ally to Alduin before he fell as those leviathans we, obtain, information from have told us."

Ulysses now made his way over to the lake, leaving the leviathan soul alone. He looked to Barrel who seemed unsure what exactly they were looking for. "So this looks dead Ulysses. What exactly are we looking for to power the sword up?"

Ulysses pulled the Dark Wolf off of his back. He stared at it for a moment.

Something told him what to do. The back of his mind a weak, whispering voice that had never been there before answered the question.

Cast it in. Bring me.

He threw the sword into the lake, with it vanishing under the dark waters, the ripples spreading out from the point of impact, the slight sloshing sound echoing throughout the cavern.

Barrel looked dumbfounded for a moment, at Ulysses, then at the lake. "...Well I ain't going in to grab it for you. Looks more poisonous then the water on your world."

Ulysses sat down at the waters edge, and waited.

The water was turning darker and darker. Becoming like that of a black void before Barrel noticed the fact was that the water had solidified, become more like tar than anything else, barely moving or reacting.

G-Man walked over and watched, quite curious.

That's when the voice spoke again within Ulysses mind. It needed something else to become powerful. A strong soul to latch onto. The lake of souls were hollow, they had some power and helped link the sword to this multiverse version of it's brethren, but it needed more.

A gift.

Ulysses looked to Barrel, then to G-Man.

He stood up and stepped away from them both.

"...Well I don't think we're getting the sword back Ulysses. G-Man, do you think you can sense it?" Barrel looked over to the deity in the suit.

"I cannot. It appears to have been, absorbed into the lake of dead. You may need to retrieve one of our Dark Wolves now. A shame, for that will take quite some time, unless you can get one from those on Darkri-UGAH!"

The deity looked stunned as he had now found the broken tip of the flagpole Ulysses carried sticking out from his chest, before he was thrust into the lake submerging in along with the weapon in moments, swallowed by the tar-like substance.

Barrel was horrified at finding his friend standing there, panting, seemingly surprised at his own actions. "Why the fuck did you do that!? What's wrong with you!?"

They now both watched the lake as something had appeared.

A dragon like creature was trying to rise out of it, screeching and roaring, it's scales that appeared to be of a blue hue were melting off showing it's flesh, bone and sinew beneath, it's red eyes darted around in sheer panic, the tar-like substance latched on tightly and despite it trying to shake some of it off, it refused to budge an inch.

They could only watch as soon it was just flesh and bone, it's efforts getting weaker.

It's face stripped away. It's eyes dissolved into sludge. It's mouth and lower jaw snapped off as it gave a last cry, now lacking most of it's flesh and organs, and sunk back into the abyss, which now was bouncing off the weak lighting here, shimmering.

"W-was that, G-Man?" Barrel asked as he found the silence that returned a little much at the moment.

Ulysses didn't answer him. He just stared at the lake as it began to move, slow ripples coming away from the center.

A mass arose out of it, human in shape. Standing there in the middle of it all. Besides the fact it was clearly covered in the substance from the lake, there was no other features to it.

The courier finally spoke out to it. "I offered you a gift. Who are you?"

Barrel quickly said to his companion. "Hold on what? A gift? What spoke to you and when?"

Ulysses looked to his friend. "Within my mind. I heard it as we waited. Trust me here and now Barrel." Before looking to the figure once more. "Can you communicate?"

It spoke to them via their minds, no voice echoing in, but they knew there were words coming from it, burned into their thoughts.

...I am...the remain...

...So many...one is focused but...

...Useful...Return the sword...to you...

It raised it's hand towards Ulysses, and fired out of it in an arc, a congealed mass of the black substance which landed just at the couriers feet.

Melting and revealing the Dark Wolf, no longer rusted, no more jagged edge from damage nor a decayed hilt. It was clean, restored, and as Ulysses felt as he picked it up...alive with energy now.

...more you use...

...stronger...alive...

...will...aid...

Slowly, the figure melted back into the lake, which seemed to, from the edges inward, turn back into water. By the time the figure was gone it was back to the way it was before Ulysses tossed the weapon in.

Ulysses and Barrel looked to how they got here...the wall that held the portal which was now missing. "Well thanks to you, we now lack a deity."

The rugged bearded man looked to the fresh sword in his hand and focused, closing his eyes as a purple glow wrapped around the blade.

"You have one now."

Ulysses snapped out of his moment of focus and looked behind him, as did Barrel.

Standing there was a certain silver long haired swordsman in black leather, with a long sharp blade in his hand.

"...Sephiroth?"

The man looked to Barrel as he said that, for a moment there was no answer, but eventually, he nodded. "Yes...I am Sephiroth. Ulysses, Barrel. I remember now clearly. We had crashed...I had died. Interesting."

His memories...reflect what is known…

The more you think of yours...the more he becomes…

That time only Ulysses heard it. He gave a small smile to Sephiroth. "It is welcoming to see you again. Open us a pathway back to the Divide old friend. With this power we may have enough to seek a way back home, once we have a usable ship."

Sephiroth had did just that. The vortex led them back to airport, Ulysses said of the boost in power he had. Bendu wanted to know where G-Man was.

Barrel couldn't say. He didn't want to. He was now becoming worried over his ally as Ulysses quickly lied to those around them, claiming G-Man attempted to betray them and fled to the Enclave once Ulysses refused to side with them. He introduced them to Sephiroth.

Odin returned to his base, warning Ulysses if any of those he creates attempt to sneak into his forces, there will be a price to pay. Zurvan seemed very happy with the increase of power coming from the courier before returning to his swarm, whilst Bendu was clearly wary of what was going on, reminding Ulysses once more to focus on his goal of leaving.

Ulysses tried to sleep soundly that night...but in his dreams, he saw the lake.

He saw it change again, the figure appearing from it, speaking to him as the courier stepped away, noticing the black ooze was coming up the shoreline and moving towards him whilst the figure remained in the middle.

More power...god power...creation…

No other way will remain…

Not yet linked...a calling…

No name…

As Ulysses fell to the floor with the ooze covering his feet, and rapidly now his body, burning, pulling, he saw a shadowy figure above his head.

It was the whisper.

Eight. Circle. Must happen.

Find the core. To return home.

We will never meet. Not now.

He was now submerged. He couldn't breathe as he saw nothing but a faint glimmer of purple glowing. A single light in the dark.

Create the shadows.

---

The Datapad that Ulysses could link to was now within the ruins of his old home in the Divide, flickering, playing back recordings, bits of them. Slabs of scrap metal used as walkways now within the place, no souls within but the faint wind flowing through, in the distance...a unique, metallic roar could be heard...

"Fifth week one day. The army of Ken-Oh advances from the Coalition, The Oni is fighting again as well as the Enclave-"

"-Azure Phoenix has the Gamemaster, Richard. He appears to be attacking the Hero Base forces of a Universe with Cao Cao. I have been able to watch him from afar. Little difference, but it appears his feelings for her are as powerful as ever. Picked up on communication between Xiahou Dun and one known as Absa, a mobian, who confirmed they were targetting Chad Oswald of '2', because he has something 'Richard will never have' whilst also using this as a distraction so Cao Cao can obtain plasma coils from the power core of the base itself."

"Meanwhile, I have created many more Shadows to help protect us. They are each called-"

---

"Ninth week five days...Personal note. It has been impossible to sleep. Last three weeks the dream doesn't stop. I am trapped yet, granted strength. Bendu grows distrustful of me. Odin though, he thinks I can be useful at last. It appears my Shadow creations, all named bar one as especially requested by Barrel-"

"Odin wants to widespread the power I have, using the technology in the Enclave base and the Undine's gifted abilites with tech. Unlike the ones I knew, these ones are just as effective with machines as they are flesh. Bendu warned me if I agree to Odin's request, I will have strayed too far from my goal to directly interfering with what is going on here-"

---

"Eleventh week two days. I have agreed to work with Odin. Bendu no longer trusts my motive and has left the Divide. If we were to cross paths again, it would end in one of us being slaughtered. I cannot care for what my actions do to this world. Darkrift has proven as destructive as I have known from mine. The Coalition has collapsed entirely. Only ones who seem united are those under Neo Arcadia, the Universe 3 named Hero Base Faction and Starforce."

---

"Thirteen weeks. Two days. The dreams have ended, but now the whispers are frequent in my mind. Coming from the sword, I know that much. Barrel...and myself are worried about my condition. Although the dreams have stopped, since one night of peaceful rest I have had no desire to sleep at all. I am eating so very little now, and drink only the slightest sliver of water. I have dismissed the worry to Barrel, but cannot stop myself from my concern. My back has purple markings, like the veins under my skin there have turned purple, glowing. I do not know what is happening, but the voice of the sword keeps reassuring me."

"Odin has found information on a type of Nanomachines within the Enclave Base, a prototype self replicating version that can heal serious wounds and grant unusual strength and power. It has been dismissed by the Enclave as it cannot be controlled well enough to be of practical use. I have looked into it, and feel we should test it. The Primal Zerg plan for battle soon, a cluster of troops from the Galactic Federation has stationed themselves close to the Divide. A perfect chance to inject some of the Zerg to see how well it heals them in combat."

---

"Thirteen weeks, three days. Yesterday's battle ended with the Zerg overcoming the Galactic Federation but...now we're in a deadlock with Zurvan. It appears the nanomachines have already mutated due to the self-replication...perhaps even thanks to the Zerg's own evolving DNA. Those Zerg that perished in combat quickly returned to their feet, but their heads...dissolving, decomposed rapidly, replaced by glowing stalagmites formed by the flesh, fighting in wild abandon with no intention of consuming the fallen now, instead the Zerg that suffered this fate were spreading what they had, hundreds of Galactic Federation troopers now also with these...stones replacing their skulls, some had their lower jaws, some necks, others it went all the way down to their shoulders."

"Zurvan became hostile. Angered that this nanomachine was no matter then the Hive mind his kind had resisted. He has set up his own protective means in Hopeville. Refusing me or anyone else entry. Odin has classed him a threat...and I am inclined to agree. Soon we'll push against him and he must either submit...or I'll allow the nanomachines to consume him."

"...What am I becoming? Is Barrel right? Am I changing somehow?"

---

"Sixteen Weeks. Two days. It's been a while since I recorded anything. Zurvan is dead. His Zerg have been fully integrated into the Wanderers...Those who are possessed by the Dread Dust...the nanomachines that I have named, and hold control over. Zurvan's body has been used well, creating a central power that I command. I named it, the Lord of Dust. It continues to grow within the Divide. Feeding off Wanderers to build itself."

"Odin is now cautious of us, but in order to provide him reassurance of wanting to maintain the alliance we're going to help fight off an army that has been spotted close to our land...two figures I recognized when I scouted around. Gamemaster Blue Hikrai and Bendu. The forces were a mixture of Jedi, Republic, Klingons, Starfleet and Galactic Federation. A rather impressive mass of forces, though it is clear they do not know exactly what they face."

---

"Sixteen Weeks. Four days. It was a slaughter."

"Benjamin Sisko was the first leader of this united force to fall to the Lord of Dust. It led to the scattering of their forces whilst the Wanderers hounded them. Bendu was clearly horrified at seeing the living machine. Once Bail Organa was swallowed by the Lord of Dust Odin chose to bring his forces out to fight the united alliance. It was clear he was the one they were seeking, but with the Lord of Dust in the way it was impossible for them to set up their forces to fight."

"Once the Klingon leader Martok and the Galactic Federation commander Master Chief was killed by it, they quickly figured out their dead was being reanimated to fight them. A call to make a retreat was set out. Bendu become like the rage of the elements and aimed for myself and Odin, whilst Mace Windu led his Jedi to form a defence for those trying to escape and to attempt to halt the Lord of Dust."

"The Jedi were consumed as the Gamemaster managed to escape with handfuls of survivors. Bendu fared no better. I had nothing to fight him with, his scolding words that I have chosen to disregard this multiverse simply to return to my own slowed my movements and made me question myself once more. Odin had no such problem. His magical spear surged through the storm, piecing the heart of Bendu, causing him to fall from the sky...I have chosen to add the audio I had taken from that moment, as I had planned to create the report in that moment, standing over the body of the one who first aided me, but Bendu was found still alive."

A brief moment of static, before Ulysses was heard again. "Sixteen Weeks. Four days. It has been decided. The-"

Bendu's voice was heard, weak, struggling to speak. "U-Ulysses."

There was an audible sound of surprise from Ulysses. "...You live. Odin had declared you dead."

"Perhaps, I, will be one with the force, soon. But that monster in the shell of a human will, always disregard everyone who is not a Leviathan. He will turn away from you Ulysses."

"...Like you did. Like Zurvan. You claimed not to take a side in any war, yet you came here with them. A lie?"

"I have seen what you have done. What twisted mind is now within yourself. You have created a destructive power that will end this world. One that if I, did not show them, would kill far more than it will now. I have given them an early warning of a plague, a disaster, made by an outsider. The shadow will not be idle forever. You carry his remains and the longer you allow him to exist the more it will gain the will to return. It may never be that person I can see in your mind but something entirely new, an amalgamation of thoughts and memories. Whilst it will not destroy you, I have seen what will. What I saw before I chose to come."

Ulysses was heard moving, bending down close to the ground. "What did you see? What will destroy me?"

"I see you. In a realm of shadow. Alone with echoes of the past. You will die. So he, may live." The Bendu seemed to give a brief shuffling movement...then silence, as Ulysses was heard standing up. Howling wind was heard for a time, then nothing...as Ulysses spoke once more.

"I am sorry."

There was static again, then the recording moved on.

---

"Nine...twenty...thirty five...I...do not know, anymore. I have found this datapad. Going to place it inside the base. My home so long ago. Leaving information on my creation. On what I have been doing. Forgotten it all this time. My mind has been, elsewhere."

"I allowed the Lord of Dust to spread outwards in lashes, retreating back to the Divide once more were turned into wanderers. Scouts, small armies, lesser factions. They were transformed. Blessed, by my creation and my goal of returning home."

"Barrel has abandoned me. He did not have the will to get back home like myself. He seemed to wish to protect those of this Multiverse over our need to be in our own. I had heard rumours of him during this time, but no more."

"The Enclave Oni unity war has ended. Andromeda attempted to take the Azrael Core for her own gain once it was discovered, but she was driven off this world. Mocking those who remain that they are not who they think they are whilst Odin has now fled from here with whatever loyal followers he could. Any Oni or Enclave that remained have folded into several of the armies left."

"Those armies had readied ships now, detecting life beyond here. They had chosen to go their separate ways. The war had drained them, and those who wished to stay were concerned over the Azrael Core. It was clear it was suggested it should be taken from this world, but other factions demanded it stay to avoid power plays and struggle over it. The Shinra Federation attempted control with a temporary alliance with Azure Phoenix, but Cao Cao had used this alliance to get his forces close enough to the core to secure it, rebelling the moment other factions marched to stop Rufus and his army."

"Rufus was killed, and his forces scattered. It was at this time...I finally was ready."

"My shadows I had made marched, the Lord of Dust walked across the land, infecting and turning anything and everything it could. I, wanted the core. Their constant fighting has weakened them enough. Whilst it was clear the Gamemaster and the survivors of the encounter over a year ago now had managed to ready some of the factions to what was coming, others fled or rushed to their deaths."

"Many moved their people to the four chained worlds and use the set up spaceports to escape from there rather then this world. I had allowed it. I wanted Darkrift. Those outer worlds chained, their moons and the star systems meant nothing to me. Those who fought noted the hopelessness of their actions. As time passed...as I walked this world, they had readied temporary ports, allowed the shuttles to leave near instead of getting to the chained worlds, trying to save as many as possible in the time I had allowed, the Lord of Dust, slow in it's pace. Evacuations saw the empty ruins of Metropolises, cities, military forts and landmarks that once meant something to their worlds, now husks as the Lord of Dust and the Wanderers swarmed them."

"...I came back to leave data on what I have done. To allow those survivors, should they evade the Lord of Dust in the future, to understand why I had done this. Why I must get home. Why I must use their Azrael Core. I felt pity for them, many looked like those I cared for. That I knew. And soon I will see them again."

"I will leave now. To obtain the core. I am Ulysses. Banner Calen. And I, am from the other Multiverse of Azrael."

With that, the datapad shut off, silent in the hollow base…

---

Ulysses stood there. Alone.

The sky nothing but the darkest clouds, thunder rolling across it. In the distance, the chains connecting the other four smaller worlds remained visible, glowing a faint golden hue as always.

His staff was stabbed into the ground, his hand firm on it.

The Primal Zerg were no longer of flesh. They had gained an evolution that the Lord of Dust provided them soon after it was brought to life by Ulysses. They were machine, their tendrils long, numerous red glowing eyes covered their cold husks.

He knew beyond the wasteland before him, there was a metropolis. The last great city of this world. Inside it was the Azrael Core.

In the way were the Light Protectors as they collectively called themselves.

The damnable Gamemaster is still trying to halt him. Oswald and Hikrai left this world with the others during the time of departure, but Chandos? No.

He chose to stay and watch as the world turned to eternal darkness. He, the forces of Shu, the Labourers of Universe 2 and a handful of other factions rallied up to keep the Azrael Core safe from Ulysses and the Lord of Dust. Ulysses was certain he could see the scarred Gamemaster, his mark across his face from his last confrontation with Chad of Universe 2. Liu Bei to his left, and Sally Acorn to his right.

And of course, there was one other with them.

"Barrel..."

The other member of his tribe. The now named Betrayer.

Clearly he had given up on going home. Just because of the fact they killed so many to try and achieve it. It mattered not to Ulysses. In the end this was not home. None of it was. The only things left of his home were buried away in an unmarked grave on this world, all of his tribe no doubt rotted to nothing.

He had to remind himself that's who he was doing this for. To see them alive again. If his home has moved, that it had gone to a new cycle like this one, then they could have been revived.

That alone was enough for him, to see their faces as he closed his eyes.

"Celestia."

"Sephiroth."

"Terra."

"Luna..."

In his other hand, there was the Dark Wolf. A dark purple haze surrounded it as a mighty, echoing machine-like roar flowed through the air and vibrated beneath the ground.

As the Lord of Dust, it's numerous silver legs and claws, flowing with purple glowing energy, its cylinder shaped body going for hundreds of meters had started to overshadow him, passing by as it began it's mission to go through the wasteland to the metropolis. The finale source of life here.

Soon passing by Ulysses, were hundreds upon hundreds of Wanderers. Human, Oni, Navi, Krogan, Klingon, Mandalore it didn't matter. Any and every species were a victim of this transforming possessive nightmare, all with purple to red crystals replacing a majority of their skulls, carrying whatever weapons they could and obeying their masters mindlessly.

As they marched by, two people walked up to stand beside him.

One appeared to be Chad Oswald, growing a goatee now, and Lucy.

"The others are moving with our forces. Richard and Anna are handling the western ranks, Roll and Blue are dealing with the east." Chad explained, looking dead serious as always these days. He no longer was disturbed by their killings. He believed he would be heading home with Ulysses and the others.

Ulysses already decided all of these shadows will stay trapped behind once the core is his.

The leader of the fallen tribe nodded. "Good."

"…Will this end after this battle?" Lucy was now talking "Will we stop making all these beings suffer? Just so we can leave this place?"

Unlike most of those he brought to existence, Lucy was the most disturbed out of them all. Ulysses decided not to answer her, glancing at Chad, who urged Lucy that they need to get moving. Walking by Ulysses before Lucy trailed behind, clearly showing deep concern about all this.

He hoped this would be the last battle. He was tired of all this. He felt more exhausted these days, not because due to lack of sleep, food, water...everything his body once demanded now abandoned. No. He didn't need them. He had forgotten the taste of water.

His outward appearance lacked change despite that, besides his eyes, which had turned darker and his yellow glowing iris' turned a deep haunting purple.

Then there was the ever lingering black shadow behind him. No longer did it simply form when he demanded it. It was always there. The twelve claws, the singular glowing purple eye...His own shadow was long since gone.

"The shadow will not be idle forever. You carry his remains and the longer you allow him to exist the more it will gain the will to return. It may never be that person I can see in your mind but something entirely new, an amalgamation of thoughts and memories."

Those words were now like a fading whisper to him from the long since gone Bendu.

He never suspected it would come to pass as this next battle reached it's height.

The Shu forces made themselves the front-line. They were swept aside by the Wanderers in time. It seemed odd for them to be so suicidal until it was clear other parties were attempting to surprise attack the Wanderers from their sides and using explosives to cause buildings to collapse and fires to spread.

It slowed Ulysses goal and the people he had with him, but it all was rendered mute as the Lord of Dust progressed.

Barrel blocked the way to the underground complex that held the Core...he perished. Ulysses decided to end him. Promising Barrel he'll always remember him. He witnessed the soul leave Barrel as a spiritual orb and soon disappear.

Liu Bei was dead by the hands of the Wanderers when he attempted one last futile charge at them all, and Sally Acorn has been crushed by the Lord of Dust once the Labourers were divided and broken down. Richard eventually became the last leader figure as he stood by the Azrael core waiting for Ulysses.

It then finally happened.

As Richard, beaten and bleeding was made to flee, Ulysses failing to kill him when the last of the Gamemasters allies, led by the goat-like Mobian Absa pulled the Gamemaster away to get out and leave the world with the last shuttle, breaking the army known as Light Protectors into scattered sections that in time, will be consumed by the Wanderers as they had no escape.

The Azrael Core was before him, glowing brightly with it's white light covering the grand stone hall beneath the now burning city above…It was a wonderful sight, it's energy touching him and feeding him almost. The Wanderer that were with him held back, unwelcome by the light. The shadow behind him seemed to embrace him a little, two words whispered hauntingly into his ears.

Thank you.

He never suspected those twelve claws would strike at his back ripping through his chest, lifting him ever so slightly off the ground.

His Staff and Sword fell, both with an audible clang as they hit the stone floor.

He fell, the cold ground quickly becoming one of the last sensations he would receive and found himself looking upwards at the shadow now standing there...the white light showed it was as dark a violet as the energy of the Dark Wolf, fully materialised, the energy of the core feeding it. It's single eye looked down at him as the face began to form.

Ulysses saw the Dark Wolf on the ground and as he tried to reach out to it, the shadow picked it up. He cursed the being as it remained over him, he was sure it was now smirking, knowing it was now able to exist without him. No longer needing the host that cared for it. Allowed it's power the grow the longer he held the Dark Wolf, his corruption power feeding it, and now with the power of Azrael, it was alive.

Regret hit him hard now the Dark Wolf was taken away from him. A haze that he never knew was there had lifted away. He could feel his life draining from him as he focused on the figure and spoke. "You...No matter what, no matter how...You'll be stopped. You'll fall to the powers that broke you before, that made you nothing but fragments, dying memories. I finally shall name you, shadow of the broken one. The deceiver. The betrayer. You, are,-"

The shadow aimed the sword with both it's hands on the hilt and stabbed it into Ulysses, still looking directly at the dying courier.

With one last bloody cough, his eyelids closing, he said the name. "-Richard, Wily."

Darkness and silence consumed his final moment.

---

Ulysses felt the pain fade. He felt his body relax.

He opened his eyes, finding himself in a grey mansion, standing in what appeared to be an entranceway, he could hear a clock behind him, loud and clear ticking away. The doorway before him was open, showing a black void with glimmers of purple flickering lights appearing now and then, the doors were missing, the hinges damaged showing they were perhaps, torn off.

Looking at himself, there was no sign of injury or damage. It was like the last few minutes of his life never happened.

The floor was shiny, made of some-sort of stone, marble perhaps, a grey out carpet went from the doorway to beneath his feet and beyond.

He looked to his left...and was certainly surprised.

Connecting to this room was a hallway that seemed completely different, mechanical, steel...looking to his right was another hallway, this one of stone and torches on the walls.

He looked behind him, finding a huge ancient looking circular clock on the marble wall with one hand, numbers 1 to 20. The hand was hollow, an outline of a sword needed to be placed within it. Right now empty of a blade. It was pointing to 8.

Ulysses then heard someone hit the ground from the doorway with a clang. Turning to look, he saw there was the broken flag pole he always carried. Walking over to it and picking it up, he held it close as he decided to walk towards the torches and stone walls, wanting to know where he was.

And what came, was a maze that felt to be never ending.

He found himself wondering the Palace of Power. Every window showed the void. No one else was around. There was no power glove. No Gamemasters. Only himself in this hollow place. One door led to New Vegas, it's streets clear of life. Entering the Lucky 38 led to him to his base back in the Divide. Filled with non-working computers and empty missiles. The door that led to the lift to the rest of the Divide brought him to Midgar, the Shinra HQ.

Certain doors would take him somewhere else that they should not even connect to, not just buildings but landscapes that seemed isolated in this void he was trapped in, Tallon IV, Capital Wasteland, Green Hill. All grey and dulled. Sometimes, rarely, he would encounter something that worked, computers that had maps...but they were always a jumbled mess, the words on the machines were meshed and fragmented. His pip-boy did not work here.

He felt no hunger, no thirst or desire to sleep still. Answers were all he wanted now. After stepping through the Citadel docking bays doorway he found himself in the Hero Base. As he stepped into the main room, looking up to the glass ceiling showing the void, he finally heard someone else speak to him. "It's daunting isn't it? The arrival here is the same for everyone."

Ulysses spun around as the voice came behind him, and walking into this place was Sephiroth. His face was showed no emotion...and he seemed damaged. Parts of him were seemingly hollowed out, his left arm, the right corner of his head, a part of his chest. There was no flesh showing, but instead a purple fragment glow emanating out of the open spaces.

Sephiroth continued. He seemed unfazed by Ulysses looking surprised at his appearance. "But we all have to explore. To accept what is. Come with me. You can explore more in time."

Ulysses noticed Sephiroth simply turn and walk away back down the corridor he came. "Sephiroth wait! What has happened here!?" He was quickly following him.

"We're dead."

Ulysses stopped, staring at his old friend.

Sephiroth didn't though. He moved on, heading towards one of the bedroom doors. It led to Ulysses trying to swallow that information and following him. "What do you mean? We're alive. I feel, I can see. I know I am. Like you, despite the, damage you have on your body."

"That is not damage, but something more. That feeling you have...Like we were in the Farplanes. You remember that well, don't you?" Sephiroth stopped himself from opening the door to look at the courier.

"Yeah...but, here, there is no warmth, happiness. Where is this?"

"...The Dark Wolf. We're trapped within it. Your soul has been taken."

Sephiroth opened the door and walked through, with Ulysses in tow.

Ulysses stared in horror and shock at the room they had entered.

"What the hell is this?"

They were back in the main room of the Hero base….but this one had no other exit. The glass ceiling was replacing by a flat metal one, the doors to the hospital and labs were now just a wall. There were twenty chairs, all gathered around in a circle at the sides. The door they came through remained behind them being the only spot without a chair.

Sitting in chairs were familiar faces, all looking to Ulysses as he arrived.

Chad Oswald. Richard Chandos. Blue Hikrai. Lucy Valentine. The Net Navi Roll. Anna Hael. Iris Anderson the daughter of Lysander. Akao Hiiragi. Darkmega. The clone Dark Rich. Kevin Keene. Elie Keene. Zuo Ci. Silver Oswald. Subaru Hoshikawa. Terra Branford. Q. Orochi.

All were who he had revived with the Dark Wolf, the shadows. The empty puppets of his as he now realized more so.

All of them were...broken, in ways. Fragments of their bodies missing, showing a purple glow within their hollow shells. All of them as void of emotion as Sephiroth. They all then looked to one chair. Between Kevin and Lucy. In the middle of the room was the Dark Wolf itself. The rusted blade embedded into the floor, cracks of purple light glowed surrounding it.

As Sephiroth walked over to sit with Dark Rich and Zuo Ci, Ulysses instead approached the sword...but he knew.

He could not, would not be able to move it. Something told him this clearly in his mind. He was not the one to help end this new nightmare they were trapped in. He had no strength. He was already condemned. The only soul to be complete, now also a slave like them...

He slowly walked over to the chair between Kevin and Lucy and sat down in utter defeat, sighing deeply whilst leaning forward looking at the others and Terra, who, past the sword, was sitting opposite. They all focused back to the blade. Not speaking.

Each of these hollowed people...he had created them to fight to go home.

Now they were all trapped. The light only coming from the cracks in the ground near the sword.

Bendu's words haunted him now.

"I see you. In a realm of shadow. Alone with echoes of the past. You will die. So he, may live."

Years ago. He was alone in the wasteland. Feeling trapped by his own hatred. He aimed to destroy the Courier, then the Gamemaster. He met Q, who led to him meet his Corruption Tribe, united in their memories that should never be with them. They stopped a Leviathan, fought to save their Multiverse…

Then he left there with his tribe, lost them along the way, and killed the last remaining one besides himself.

And now he was alone again. Trapped once more.

His road had come full circle. Despair showed within his eyes as he looked to the sword.

He had reached it's end.

---

Notes:

1. For the backstory of this Ulysses before the next one we focus on look to Multiverse The Other Stories the chapters 'Lost to Time: Lonesome Road I' 'II' 'III' 'IV' and 'V' which are being sorted out with little corrections, edits and add-ons from the previous time these chapters were posted.

2. Barrel is a character from Megaman Battle Network.

3. Bendu is from Star Wars.

4. Zurvan is from Starcraft II

5. Odin is from Warriors Orochi 4.