Author Note: This story was supposed to end with this chapter.
But there have been some program changes, instead of a rather long second chapter that may be too long to read and cause the audience to lose interest.
I decided to split the content, this story could last a couple of more chapters.
XXX
Chapter 2: The Hero's Journey
Plot: Once Bruce crumbled into a thousand particles, he believed he would die and get his place on the Throne of Heroes.
Instead he woke up in the Realm of Darkness, an endless desert of black sand, populated by a tide of ravenous monsters.
Time passes, Bruce's sanity begins to falter.
One day he receives his miracle, the sudden arrival of a strange adult version of Luz who delivers a message that motivates him to use a Blackened Denarius to make a contract with a Fallen Angel.
XXX
POV storyteller
The Realm of Darkness is a metaphysical place, a meeting point for the darkness of the entire Multiverse.
This place is beyond the reach of time, allowing its inhabitants or prisoners to live forever, not having to worry about dying of old age or starvation.
The only way to die in this place is by violent means such as beheading.
This realm is a meeting place for every existing type of supernatural creatures created or distantly related to shadows, darkness or evil.
Practically a purgatory for the creatures of evil.
The whole geographic aspect of the Realm of Darkness can be summed up as a wasteland of black sand, high cliffs and strange column-like structures with bright blue markings, covered in thick fog and surrounded by dark, twisted trees in the background.
The most unnatural thing about this place is the starless sky, if you look up you will see a shade of purple decorated with strange metaphysical phenomena reminiscent of a twisted and barbaric version of the Northern Lights.
In such a place it is populated almost exclusively by creatures born of darkness, suffering and death.
The three most common types of creatures that can be found in this realm are: Heartless and Schatten.
Heartless, physical and living manifestations of darkness in people's hearts, a plague for countless worlds that receive the unfortunate of attracting these parasites.
Schatten, a rather particular breed that is born and evolves through a unique method.
When a practitioner of magic dies in an environment surrounded by black mana, his shadow has a chance to end up in the Realm of Darkness.
Once you reach this place full of exotic energy, the shadow dissipates, dispersing a bunch of floating shadow grains and the soul impressed consciousness of the deceased caster.
And sometimes, all those little fragments floating around will begin to accumulate, and then that lump will attract all the millions of different strands of faded consciousnesses from the real dead, and begin to develop their own unique consciousness.
Thus the Schatten are born, a group of dark echoes of dead sorcerers and witches who come together to create a single sentient being.
The only law that governs this place populated almost exclusively by nightmarish creatures is quite simple: The largest dog has the right to do whatever he wants if you have the weakest.
I emphasize the phrase populated almost exclusively by nightmare creatures, because in these wastelands, there are individuals who have ended up in this realm.
The very few individuals who come to the Realm of Darkness never do so of their own volition.
Often they are people who are punished for their actions, living in exile, condemned to spend eternity fighting the creatures of Darkness until they are killed.
These unfortunate prisoners can fall into one of three categories:
Number one, powerful and dangerous beings who cannot be killed because of immortality or because of the bad consequences that will be caused by their disappearance.
So if they cannot be eliminated, they are locked up in this horrible place, being the best solution to free themselves from the troubled individual indefinitely, perhaps for eternity.
Number two, a person who has done something to seriously anger a big shot who has the means to banish the source of their annoyance.
Number three, an unparalleled unfortunate who joked with the wrong magic and ended up sending himself here.
Bruce Bahamut Belmont is a mix of all three categories.
One moment he stands near the cliff of the Owl House, turning into a heap of gold dust, completely sure he will die for his actions against heaven, hell and the laws of nature.
Bruce sincerely believed he would die, expected to find himself on the Throne of Heroes or forced to go through the cycle of reincarnation.
Instead of finding himself in his "room" on the throne of heroes or in a womb, Bruce wakes up on the black sand dunes of the Realm of Darkness.
Bruce was part of one of the biggest surprises of his life, the ten days passed through a degenerative process where his body crumbled to dust, it wasn't a death sentence.
In reality it is a sentence of exile.
Bruce was simply "taken apart piece by piece", then "assembled" in the Realm of Darkness.
Once again Bruce Bahamut Belmont aka Arkan Bloodedge managed to cheat death.
Now he has to find a way back to the Owl House.
XXX
In this dark starless world.
Standing near the edge of a black rock cliff is Bruce looking out over the endless expanse of black sand.
It's been a long time since Bruce ended up in the Realm of Darkness, unfortunately counting the passage of time is useless in this place.
Bruce remained a white-haired 17-year-old teenager with a bandage covering his left eye.
At the moment, Bruce is wearing clothes that show very little skin, only his hands and part of his face are exposed, showing an almost sickly pale complexion.
His right eye glows with an unnatural fluorescent yellow that may appear to be pure gold in a certain light.
Even though his eye glows in the dark, they can't hide the tired expression and deep dark circles.
Surely Bruce hasn't slept or rested properly in a very long time.
The jaw and the lower part of the face are covered with a kind of futuristic gas mask of gray-black color.
He wears a black-gray combat suit, the kind of outfit Sam Fisher or Venom Snake wear on their top secret missions.
The suit is made from a special obsidian-like material that offers insane protection against blades and firearms.
The suit incorporates a greyish harness and multiple scabbards / belts to hold an arsenal of weapons and gadgets.
His clothing is not purely military / espionage. For currently unknown reasons she wears quite unique accessories.
Etched in white on the cuirass is a unicursal hexagram called the Aquarius Star.
Various mystical, arcane, alchemical, runic, glyph and geometric engravings are engraved on various segments of the suit.
The suit leaves uncovered hands covered in pitch black tattoos.
She also wears an old red leather coat with the sleeves cut to be worn over the suit.
"This time I ended up in an almost impossible problem to solve. It is easier to get in and out of Hell than it is to find a way out of this endless wasteland." Bruce said, with a weary expression, still staring at the wastelands of the Kingdom of Darkness.
Bruce reaches out to pull a chain pocket watch out of his coat pockets, opening the watch lid shows a photograph taken shortly before the disaster that began with Luz's death.
In the photograph is Bruce's entire extended family: Eda, Lilith, Camila, Zul, Vee, Luz, Miyu, Hunter, Illya, Kuro, Adeline, Anne, Marcy, Sasha, Stan, Dipper and Mabel.
"I am completely alone, separated from any form of ally, surrounded by enemies of every shape and size imaginable." Bruce said quietly, clutching his pocket watch.
Physically Bruce is suffering from exhaustion, mentally he is complicated, emotionally his heart is broken.
The homesickness and the lack of his friends are worse than any wounds earned by fighting monsters.
The Sorcerer closed the lid of the watch, slipping it into the inside pocket of his coat, no longer wanting to see the photograph that is good and bad at the same time.
"I can't even invoke one of my Familiar Demonic or get in touch with my straight roommates who lived inside me.
I can't even ask for the support of my beloved Heroic Spirits or more esoteric Mystical Entities. "Bruce murmurs, feeling incomplete without his numerous summons which have become dear friends, confidants or in some cases lovers.
"Worst of all, my connection with my mystical structures and domains has been completely severed.
I can no longer access Yggdrasill Mímameiðr, The Celestial House, Castle Bahamut, the Wandering Lair of the Ravens or the Vault of the Morgans. "Bruce said, in a dejected tone, considering the inability to access and / or invoke his magical structures like the worst possible misfortune.
Among many things Bruce is an avid collector and a great craftsman having bought and / or created a large number of useful items.
Unfortunately, all of his equipment is out of reach.
Without the right tools or a workshop where he can build the right artifacts, Bruce's magical power has become difficult to manage and limited to combat scenarios.
"Let's recap, I find myself in a metaphysical realm where everyone wants to kill me.
They are without friends, without allies, without equipment, without a workshop, without a real idea of how to get out of here.
If that wasn't enough I got into the bad habit of talking to myself and my head itches like crazy. "Bruce said, scratching the left side of his head wildly as if he had lice.
This could be a sign that stress is having a great deal of trouble on Bruce's mind.
"All of these factors are building up, slowly shattering my sanity.
I feel like I'm on the verge of collapse, ready for a psychotic attack. "Bruce said, not having high mental health expectations even before, being an Occult Detective who risks his life against supernatural creatures, all for fifty dollars an hour. .
But finding himself stuck in the Realm of Darkness is taking a big toll on his psyche.
Bruce suddenly stopped talking about his bad situation, because he sensed something strange in the air.
The killer of Arcangeli, feeling observed, takes out of his coat a pair of weapons, a semi-automatic pistol and an iron dagger.
For a moment, Bruce around looking for a mysterious attacker who could attack from any angle possible.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a large gray barrier pops up sa here comes a 14-year-old Dominican-American girl, with tanned skin, short purplish-brown / brown-purple hair that is usually styled in a pixie cut, and hazel eyes.
Her clothes consist of a pair of ebony earrings, a half-white, half-indigo short-sleeved hoodie with cat ears attached to the hood, high-waisted denim shorts, dark gray capris leggings, and a pair of white loafers. .
A younger version of Luz Noceda, her best friend, appeared in front of Bruce.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Without the slightest hesitation, Bruce fired three bullets at the 14-year-old Luz, aiming for the head, heart and left leg.
After battling various shape-shifting creatures, Bruce has got into the habit of firing on sight of any Doppelgänger.
Perhaps it is an excessive maneuver that could result in a friendly fire scenario.
But when you are stuck in the Realm of Darkness all the friendly faces you might see are definitely a type of shapeshifter who mimics the appearance of acquaintances to gain psychological advantage.
The bullets fired by Bruce passed through young Luz, eventually hitting a pile of black sand.
"No shapeshifters, maybe it's an illusion?" Bruce murmurs, starting to bite his tongue.
The intent is to use true pain to disturb any kind of illusion.
"Bruce you look awful! What happened to you!" Luz asks, in a worried tone, approaching to inspect Bruce's tired and depressed appearance.
"This place is not good for you, you have to find a way to escape from here. I'm afraid the isolation will make you make bad choices." Luz said, wanting to snap her fingers and get Bruce out of the Realm of Darkness, but she can't do it without ruining several lives.
"I was wrong, I am not on the verge of collapse. I have already fallen into the abyss of madness or I miss home so much that I have hallucinations on my best friend, Luz." He tells Bruce, in an unnaturally calm tone, accepting that he is completely insane and that he is suffering from hallucinations.
"I'm not a hallucination!" Luz declares, in an angry tone, slamming her foot against the sandy ground.
In a second, the image of 14-year-old Luz was distorted, becoming a mature woman of 24, quite attractive.
He wears a thick purple leather coat, a nice magenta shirt, black pants and tight purple shoes.
Around his neck he wears a box-shaped dual-lens camera.
The most interesting item of her outfit is a white, hexagonal-shaped belt.
It possesses two side levers, with three gems each, and the white center section with a red window with what looks like a barcode inside and a ring of symbols and a green gem on top.
And engraved right above this white part is a strip of metal and engraved in it is a word: Decade.
"I'm Luz, your best friend offers her brotherly love and unconditional help." Luz said, before giving a strong hug to Bruce, holding him tightly in her arms.
Arcangeli's killer seems stunned by the actions of this hallucination and by the strange sensitive information he receives.
When the hallucination stopped hugging him, Bruce took a big step away from the mature Luz, needing a moment to… reflect.
"I am psychologically disturbed, this has become a fact.
My disturbed mind has subconsciously created an idealized imaginary construct of Luz to give me one last mercy before I collapsed completely. "Bruce said, completely convinced that he is close to mental breakdown and that he is talking to some kind of hyper-realistic imaginary friend.
"Maybe this is an absurd way in which a madman says he is not mad. But who cares what I say?" Bruce said, mocking his own sanity or what's left of it.
" I care about you." She declares 20-year-old Luz, pouting adorable, not appreciating being considered some kind of extravagant hallucination, especially when she tries to help her.
"May I ask you a question, why do you think I'm an idealized version of Luz?" Question the possible imaginary construct, wanting to move to something less bleak.
"After more than two years in here we have had a hundred big and small adventures, you didn't realize that I have a soft spot for women older than me.
With a few tweaks you could become one of the few women who can get my attention as a man. "Bruce said, having no trouble talking about his partner preferences or stating that I find the appearance of an adult Luz very pleasing.
The supposed fictional girl blushes like a tomato, not being in the least prepared for this kind of compliment from Bruce.
"Thanks for the flattery, but we have to find a way to help you get out of here." Luz said, wanting the discussion not to take a strange direction.
"Well, my friend, whether you are real or imaginary, you have always been good at stimulating my intellect." Bruce said, folding his arms and leaning forward, hoping this Luz might give him a flash of genius.
Mature Luz was silent for a few seconds, trying to come up with a motivational speech on the spot ... but this time she had nothing to say.
Fortunately, Luz remembers coming here with a message prepared by ... someone.
A few seconds later, Luz pulled an old postcard from a place called Fuuto City out of her jacket .
"This message should light your way: your guardian angel is by your side and helps you be assertive and stand up despite the stresses of your life." Luz said, reading the short message on the Fuuto City postcard .
"You have an idea how to get out of here" asks Luz, hoping that this proverb can help Bruce in some way.
Arcangeli's killer has completely stopped, focusing on analyzing every sentence of this proverb.
The message transmitted by Luz set in motion all the gears of the steampunk machine that represents the brilliant and crazy mind of Bruce.
" Guardian angel !" Bruce exclaims aloud, with a maniacal smile and a crazy glint in his eyes.
"I've seen that smile and that look before, none of them bode well." Luz said in a worried tone, having a bad feeling about what's to come.
Luz knows Bruce well enough to recognize one of his crazy flashes of genius that can fix the problem or make it worse.
"You are about to perform a reckless act that many might call pure suicide, aren't you?" Luz asks, imagining dozens of grotesque scenarios, each one that can end up in a very colorful mess.
"It's not suicide if I don't die." Bruce answers, keeping the smile handle, the first smile in a long time.
"I don't want to ruin your plans. But I remember you have a family waiting for your return. You need to take better care of your life." Luz said, not supporting Bruce's lack of concern for his own well-being.
"We must all die. This is what I sing about: the fact that I am alive. And the fact that my newly conceived plan will work wonders. To life and freedom!" Bruce exclaims aloud, clapping his hands to the rhythm of the dance, preparing to sing: Bella Ciao.
"At this moment I regret having shown you, La casa de papel." Luz murmurs under her breath, recognizing that the first sentence comes from Berlin, one of the protagonists of the casa de papel.
After a small musical show, Bruce became serious again, but the depressive aura was replaced with an aura full of energy.
"I understand that the next actions may have lasting, possibly irreversible, consequences that will haunt me for the rest of my life.
But my heart tells me it's better to die on your feet than to rot in this realm, fighting a futile battle with no purpose. "Bruce said, expressing his desire to gain freedom or die trying.
"The Game is Afoot." He muttered Arkan, starting to use a specific type of his magic by him.
Circuit-like symbols of fluorescent blue appeared on the hands, a magical seal appeared on both backs of the hands.
"Isn't this your space-time seal to seal the most dangerous objects you have recovered during your various adventures?" Luz asks, capable only of asking questions and nothing else.
His role in this play is that of a simple secondary character who does not have to interrupt Bruce's actions.
Mature Luz starts out in a cold sweat, having a vague idea of the kind of objects that have been sealed in this way.
Bruce wants to use the kind of weapon that in the right circumstances can destroy a city or suffer a catastrophe comparable to a full-scale pandemic.
Bruce doesn't answer Luz's question, instead he takes a deep breath, closes his eyes and joins his hands, joining the two seals.
"And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought, but it did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven.
Thus the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, misleading the entire inhabited earth; he was hurled to the earth and his angels were hurled with him. Revelation 12: 7-9, The Bible. "Bruce recites a biblical verse, the code word for bringing out the most dangerous object of his weapons storehouse too dangerous to use on Earth.
When the Archangel Assassin separates his hands by a few tens of centimeters, the two magical seals on his palms glowed entirely for a second, emitting a blinding light.
The magic brought out a small glass box with an ancient coin inside.
"Blackened Denarius!" Luz shouts, expressing a mixture of horror, fear and concern at the sight of the ancient coin.
"Bruce, I feel homesick too, I want to go back to the Owl House and relive the carefree moments of my adolescence.
You must understand that what you are about to do can destroy you, maybe not right away, but over time that coin can ruin you in unspeakable ways.
Please change your mind! "Luz said in a desperate tone. If she could seriously interfere she would have stolen the coin and thrown into a volcano.
If this plan for the Lord of the Rings didn't work, Bruce would be ready to get down on her knees, beg and make any kind of promise to stop Bruce from touching that coin.
"Blackened Denarius are said to be the pieces of silver given to Judas Iscariot in exchange for his betrayal of Jesus. Of the thirty coins, eleven are currently believed to be in the possession of the church.
Each coin carried by the Pentacles contains the trapped spirit of a fallen angel.
Whoever touches the coins is contaminated by the interior Fallen, tempted and empowered; the Fallen guide the mortal deeper and deeper into his influence di lui until eventually they surrender enough to allow the Fallen to take control. "Bruce said, giving a solid gun explanation of what the Blackened Denarius are, their level of danger and the enormous risk of corruption that it entails.
"If you understand how dangerous that coin is, why do you want to use it !?" Shouts Luz, wanting to know why Bruce is willing to risk his life to get out of the Realm of Darkness, must there be alternatives?
"If a painter told you that he has three years left to live, would you ask him to stop painting?" Bruce asks, suddenly, confusing Luz.
"If you were Michelangelo's friends, would you have told the master to stop sculpting his David and take a safer and healthier path !?" Bruce asks raising his voice, approaching Luz who slowly backs away, not wanting to argue with her best friend, especially when she is unstable.
"No, of course not. You would have said: come on, Michelangelo, continue to do your passion!" Bruce declares, clenching his fists, his eyes sparkle not only with madness.
No, his eyes burn like an impossible fire, nothing and no one could stop Bruce.
Not even the forces of Heaven and hell, not even the devil himself and God's right hand man, could imprison Bruce's spirit.
Once the Assassin of Archangels has chosen a path, nothing, no one being mortal or divine can make them change their mind.
"A painter? A poet? An Occult detective? A hero? It's the same thing." Gentlemen. My passion is fighting evil and saving lives! "Bruce declares, raising his arms to the sky, as if he is ready to take flight.
"If I had to choose to live a hundred years without my passion or to live a day of happiness, I would choose to die at sunset doing what I love!
This cursed coin is the means by which I will be able to return to the scene and continue my art! "Bruce screams, opening his heart, showing his unwavering summons.
Adult Luz upon hearing this response, I understand that Bruce is well aware of what he wants to play with and unfortunately there is nothing I can do to change their minds.
Silence reigns over the cliff for a brief moment.
"I dream and wake up on the verge of my deception. I take my breath away and I know it is waiting for me. I hear the echo of its words and the end can no longer wait. In the dark I will throw myself!" Bruce pronounces the exact words to open the glass box.
"You used the verses from Giorgio Vanni's song for the Death Note theme as a password. You're a bigger nerd than me who uses Luzura as a password for many things." Luz said, trying to lift the mood.
An incredibly difficult task to do when preparing to negotiate with one of the Devil's lieutenants.
The Assassin of Archangels looks at the BlackenedDenarius, his appearance belies enormous power, few would believe that an ancient silver coin of just under a quarter could contain the essence of a fallen celestial being.
One side of the coin shows the ancient portrait, possibly in the profile of a man. The opposite side to a kind of sign hidden under a rune-shaped stain that resembles an OOO, which could mean beyond infinity.
"The genius and the demon get dirty with ink. Destiny has chosen me and there is no return. There is an idea that touches my mind, a new world and my light will shine. Nothing will stop me." Bruce said, uttering the latest spells to remove all magical protections on the artifact, then he grabs the coin with his left hand.
With this last gesture Bruce took a road of no return that will take him through new paths impossible to travel before today.
But it will be a long and arduous road, full of indescribable wonders and horrors for many.
It all starts with a deal with the world's craziest fallen angel and the world's most eccentric wizard, a one-of-a-kind couple.
Keep on ...
XXX
Blackened Denarius (600) (The Dresden Files): Without a doubt the most dangerous thing on this list, I can't recommend enough that you pretend you haven't seen this.
Each of the thirty blackened Coins contains one of the Fallen, one of the rebel angels that the Devil himself was afraid to keep around.
This one in particular contains one of the nine deniers that we have not yet met, who will be really happy to make your acquaintance and offer you all sorts of goodies to be your partner.
An inhumanly powerful form, immense knowledge, magical ability, and all it costs is a timeshare in your immortal soul.
Who knows, it might even be a fair partnership, just like Anduriel and Nicky. Or they will gradually begin to repaint, until you can't even recognize who you were before and you won't want to go back.
Of course, if you don't want to go the whole distance, your new friend will be happy to bide his time. Instead of taking an interest in your soul, they will just be permanent guests.
They may speak and may be able to have some influence on your perceptions, but they are completely unable to directly exert power over you.
But trust me, they will talk a lot. After all, they have a lot of time and so much to offer if you're interested. Knowledge of all earthly languages, perfect eidetic memory and a small power called Hellfire.
This unholy flame is useful on its own, but its real trick is to drastically increase the potency of any magic you feed it with, especially its destructive elements. It will be harder to control and using it heavily is really exhausting, but adding some hellish gasoline to your flames can be really helpful in a pinch.
Best of all, none of these powers will come to you at any cost ... except the realization that there is so much more you could get and, eventually, you will find yourself in a situation serious enough to get help from your new friend, taking that next step seems like a really good idea.
It should be noted that this is completely incompatible with Soulfire, so unless you have a penchant for wasting points or a friend who shouldn't really call you that, you should reconsider buying if you already have that skill. Or completely, really.