Chapter XXXI: The Council.
The being opened its eyes, not desiring to watch anymore.
"He shows potential." It said.
Another thing nearby answered.
"He also shows sentimentality."
The being answered quickly to this.
"That generation is dead. We are all that remain of it. He shows potential. We must grant him the power he needs."
There was a murmur among the other seven beings, then one stood up.
"The other one must also be granted the right to be tested."
The being thought of this.
"You are right. They shall both be tested. Begin the summoning."
The ancient entities began chanting in their ancient, forgotten language.
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Chaos watched as his previous master came into being. His glowing spectral figure illuminated only their corner of existence. He looked around himself, trying to find out where he was.
"Chaos?" Vincent asked.
Chaos smiled his evil smile.
"Welcome to MY world." He said.
Vincent looked around him again.
"Where am I?" Vincent pondered.
Hellmasker walked up to Vincent, putting his hand on the man.
"If there was a hell, then you're in it." The demon said.
Vincent looked puzzled at this. Chaos tried to explain.
"You know how normal humans go to lifestream when they are dead? Well, you could call this the demons lifestream. Here, we wait for the Council to grant us life."
Vincent closed his eyes, trying hard to find out what the hell Chaos was talking about.
"The Council?" He asked.
Chaos nodded.
"Your friend, the red dog, was not far from right when he spoke about our life. We posses others, yes. But we cannot just pick our target. The Council decides which one of us moves on to their next life. You are lucky, the Council wishes to test you and the other one. Hate, I believe his name was."
"We do not underssssstand thissss either." A hissing voice said.
Vincent turned to see the demon, crawling on all fours, its tail slowly moving back and forth.
"You're the one that Chaos was worried about?" Vincent asked.
Hate smile a toothy smile.
"We are Chaosssss!" He said laughingly.
Vincent raised an eyebrow.
"He baffles us as well." Chaos remarked.
Vincent turned back to Chaos.
"Tell me more."
Chaos stretched his ebony body.
"What else is there to tell? There are eight demons in the Council, and they will each test you. The shadow lord is the final test. The Council is made up of the final survivors of the demon races."
"How many races were there?" Vincent continued, wanting to find out as much as possible.
"Eight. They all have their own special abilities. The shadow lord is known to be the bridge of existence. He decides what ANYTHING becomes. Should you pass his test he will grant you life, but if you fail you must wait until he deems you ready before you may be tested again. He is as close to a god as anything can get."
"Damn. For things that are supposed to be the most feared of all races, demons have tons of rules!" Vincent commented. A thought struck him. "Why haven't you been summoned?"
Chaos laid down on his back, spreading his wings.
"We are blood warriors. We live only when a vessel of power appears. You presented yourself to be a nice choice. You have also proven yourself to be a very willing host."
Vincent raised a spectral eyebrow.
"Willing?" He said, now very confused.
"If you made THAT," Chaos pointed at Hate, who hissed at him. "Then you managed to bridge the gap between us very nicely."
Vincent had to acknowledge the logic in this.
"Ok, what exactly IS a blood warrior?" Vincent asked, eager to get away from the fact that he had "Bonded" with his demon.
Chaos was like a veritable fountain of knowledge on that plane of existence, unlike in Vincent's mind.
A pleasant change, he thought.
"A blood warrior is like a demon permanently on steroids. It feels a constant urge to kill, maim, and cause pain. It also receives huge strength and speed. It eventually became a great honour to be blood warrior, in spite of all that the warrior sacrificed. Home, family, past. They all disappear as the power surges through you. I became a blood warrior to bring honour to my clan, but by the time the strength began to subdue, I wanted to leave the warlike ways of my people. I was not alone." Chaos gestured to the other all demons, other than Hate.
"So you betrayed them." Vincent remarked.
"We left them, and they lost the war. The Cetra were formidable foes." Chaos said quickly, avoiding Vincent's gaze.
Vincent looked at Chaos suspiciously.
"Right." He merely said.
Awkward silence.
"Why don't you talk to me mentally here?" Vincent asked suddenly.
Chaos was never short of an accurate answer.
"We I don't need to."
Chaos sat up, folding his wings behind him.
"Now, we will give you our final gift."
Chaos's held up a spectral hand, gesturing for Vincent to take it. Vincent looked at the clawed hand, reluctant to take it, but took it anyway.
As soon as their hands touched Vincent felt excruciating pain as a pair of black, feathered wings slowly grew from his back. He felt his muscles grow. Chaos let go suddenly, letting Vincent recuperate from the pain.
Vincent gasped for breath, falling to his knees.
"Now you truly are one of us, at least until you are reincarnated." Chaos said.
Vincent stood up, and looked at his wings. He flapped them experimentally. He felt himself lifted by their powerful gusts of wind. Vincent flexed his further enhanced muscles. Then he smiled at Chaos.
"Thanks." He said.
Vincent felt a tugging sensation flow through him. He felt the urge to go somewhere.
"The Council has summoned you. You must go now." Chaos said, with a tinge of regret in his voice.
Vincent smiled, and flapped his wings. He flew toward where the sensation beckoned.
Chaos merely looked as his previous master winged off into the distance, feeling like he was missing a limb.
"Master." He muttered.
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Yuffie cradled the still body of Vincent in her lap, tears streaking down her face.
"Vinnie, don't go." She sobbed.
All around her, battle was going on as Mech-Head summoned more soldiers. But she didn't fight. She merely continued cradling Vincent's body.
"Vincent, please, don't." She continued.
There was a howl of ragged surprise as Seph X and Jarred exploded into the room, causing instantaneous havoc.
But Yuffie didn't care.
All she could think about was that Vincent was gone. She would never see him frown, or look at her in confusion. She would never here him laugh. Never.
And she cried.
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Seph X hacked at the steel warriors with the Masamune for all he was worth, but the long blade just wasn't made for such close combat, and Seph X was rapidly losing ground. He felt his back touch the wall.
Suddenly there was a mad laugh-howl and Jarred was among them, twirling his dagger and a hand axe.
He made short work of the robots.
"Ya gotta stay on your toes." Jarred laughed as he spun the hand axe into an oncoming soldier.
"Where did you get that thing?" Seph X asked, slicing through a metal head at the same time.
Jarred was like a grey whirlwind, dispatching enemy after enemy with almost mechanic efficiency.
"I honestly have no clue," Jarred cackled, stabbing with the dagger. "But it gets the job done splendidly." He decapitated a nearby soldier.
Seph X impaled a soldier on the Masamune.
"I see."
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Mech-Head saw no point in continuing the battle. It had served its purpose, now it was finished.
He grabbed the still body of Malice, and sounded a retreat.
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Err, Reese, Its easy for me to be right here, 'couse I've got a Webster's that I can look at, but I appreciate the tip. Hate and malice are NOT the same thing. Malice is the desire to harm or kill without reason, while hate is, well, hate.
Other than that, I have only one more thing to say:
THE COUNCIL AND MALICE IS MINE TOO!!!! (Square can't have them either.)
Ok. . .
The being opened its eyes, not desiring to watch anymore.
"He shows potential." It said.
Another thing nearby answered.
"He also shows sentimentality."
The being answered quickly to this.
"That generation is dead. We are all that remain of it. He shows potential. We must grant him the power he needs."
There was a murmur among the other seven beings, then one stood up.
"The other one must also be granted the right to be tested."
The being thought of this.
"You are right. They shall both be tested. Begin the summoning."
The ancient entities began chanting in their ancient, forgotten language.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Chaos watched as his previous master came into being. His glowing spectral figure illuminated only their corner of existence. He looked around himself, trying to find out where he was.
"Chaos?" Vincent asked.
Chaos smiled his evil smile.
"Welcome to MY world." He said.
Vincent looked around him again.
"Where am I?" Vincent pondered.
Hellmasker walked up to Vincent, putting his hand on the man.
"If there was a hell, then you're in it." The demon said.
Vincent looked puzzled at this. Chaos tried to explain.
"You know how normal humans go to lifestream when they are dead? Well, you could call this the demons lifestream. Here, we wait for the Council to grant us life."
Vincent closed his eyes, trying hard to find out what the hell Chaos was talking about.
"The Council?" He asked.
Chaos nodded.
"Your friend, the red dog, was not far from right when he spoke about our life. We posses others, yes. But we cannot just pick our target. The Council decides which one of us moves on to their next life. You are lucky, the Council wishes to test you and the other one. Hate, I believe his name was."
"We do not underssssstand thissss either." A hissing voice said.
Vincent turned to see the demon, crawling on all fours, its tail slowly moving back and forth.
"You're the one that Chaos was worried about?" Vincent asked.
Hate smile a toothy smile.
"We are Chaosssss!" He said laughingly.
Vincent raised an eyebrow.
"He baffles us as well." Chaos remarked.
Vincent turned back to Chaos.
"Tell me more."
Chaos stretched his ebony body.
"What else is there to tell? There are eight demons in the Council, and they will each test you. The shadow lord is the final test. The Council is made up of the final survivors of the demon races."
"How many races were there?" Vincent continued, wanting to find out as much as possible.
"Eight. They all have their own special abilities. The shadow lord is known to be the bridge of existence. He decides what ANYTHING becomes. Should you pass his test he will grant you life, but if you fail you must wait until he deems you ready before you may be tested again. He is as close to a god as anything can get."
"Damn. For things that are supposed to be the most feared of all races, demons have tons of rules!" Vincent commented. A thought struck him. "Why haven't you been summoned?"
Chaos laid down on his back, spreading his wings.
"We are blood warriors. We live only when a vessel of power appears. You presented yourself to be a nice choice. You have also proven yourself to be a very willing host."
Vincent raised a spectral eyebrow.
"Willing?" He said, now very confused.
"If you made THAT," Chaos pointed at Hate, who hissed at him. "Then you managed to bridge the gap between us very nicely."
Vincent had to acknowledge the logic in this.
"Ok, what exactly IS a blood warrior?" Vincent asked, eager to get away from the fact that he had "Bonded" with his demon.
Chaos was like a veritable fountain of knowledge on that plane of existence, unlike in Vincent's mind.
A pleasant change, he thought.
"A blood warrior is like a demon permanently on steroids. It feels a constant urge to kill, maim, and cause pain. It also receives huge strength and speed. It eventually became a great honour to be blood warrior, in spite of all that the warrior sacrificed. Home, family, past. They all disappear as the power surges through you. I became a blood warrior to bring honour to my clan, but by the time the strength began to subdue, I wanted to leave the warlike ways of my people. I was not alone." Chaos gestured to the other all demons, other than Hate.
"So you betrayed them." Vincent remarked.
"We left them, and they lost the war. The Cetra were formidable foes." Chaos said quickly, avoiding Vincent's gaze.
Vincent looked at Chaos suspiciously.
"Right." He merely said.
Awkward silence.
"Why don't you talk to me mentally here?" Vincent asked suddenly.
Chaos was never short of an accurate answer.
"We I don't need to."
Chaos sat up, folding his wings behind him.
"Now, we will give you our final gift."
Chaos's held up a spectral hand, gesturing for Vincent to take it. Vincent looked at the clawed hand, reluctant to take it, but took it anyway.
As soon as their hands touched Vincent felt excruciating pain as a pair of black, feathered wings slowly grew from his back. He felt his muscles grow. Chaos let go suddenly, letting Vincent recuperate from the pain.
Vincent gasped for breath, falling to his knees.
"Now you truly are one of us, at least until you are reincarnated." Chaos said.
Vincent stood up, and looked at his wings. He flapped them experimentally. He felt himself lifted by their powerful gusts of wind. Vincent flexed his further enhanced muscles. Then he smiled at Chaos.
"Thanks." He said.
Vincent felt a tugging sensation flow through him. He felt the urge to go somewhere.
"The Council has summoned you. You must go now." Chaos said, with a tinge of regret in his voice.
Vincent smiled, and flapped his wings. He flew toward where the sensation beckoned.
Chaos merely looked as his previous master winged off into the distance, feeling like he was missing a limb.
"Master." He muttered.
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Yuffie cradled the still body of Vincent in her lap, tears streaking down her face.
"Vinnie, don't go." She sobbed.
All around her, battle was going on as Mech-Head summoned more soldiers. But she didn't fight. She merely continued cradling Vincent's body.
"Vincent, please, don't." She continued.
There was a howl of ragged surprise as Seph X and Jarred exploded into the room, causing instantaneous havoc.
But Yuffie didn't care.
All she could think about was that Vincent was gone. She would never see him frown, or look at her in confusion. She would never here him laugh. Never.
And she cried.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Seph X hacked at the steel warriors with the Masamune for all he was worth, but the long blade just wasn't made for such close combat, and Seph X was rapidly losing ground. He felt his back touch the wall.
Suddenly there was a mad laugh-howl and Jarred was among them, twirling his dagger and a hand axe.
He made short work of the robots.
"Ya gotta stay on your toes." Jarred laughed as he spun the hand axe into an oncoming soldier.
"Where did you get that thing?" Seph X asked, slicing through a metal head at the same time.
Jarred was like a grey whirlwind, dispatching enemy after enemy with almost mechanic efficiency.
"I honestly have no clue," Jarred cackled, stabbing with the dagger. "But it gets the job done splendidly." He decapitated a nearby soldier.
Seph X impaled a soldier on the Masamune.
"I see."
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Mech-Head saw no point in continuing the battle. It had served its purpose, now it was finished.
He grabbed the still body of Malice, and sounded a retreat.
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Err, Reese, Its easy for me to be right here, 'couse I've got a Webster's that I can look at, but I appreciate the tip. Hate and malice are NOT the same thing. Malice is the desire to harm or kill without reason, while hate is, well, hate.
Other than that, I have only one more thing to say:
THE COUNCIL AND MALICE IS MINE TOO!!!! (Square can't have them either.)
Ok. . .