The Grand Order - Solomon

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD or Fate.

Note: This is an AU story, so don't expect things to be the same as in the anime or manga.

'Thinking'

"Talking"

"The Time of Crowning has Come; He is the One who Begins All."

…

Chapter 8

- Solomon PoV -

Walking through my temple home with slow, careful steps, I continued channeling Creation Magic through the Key as I worked to heal the damage done to my back. Feeling the flesh loosen and become more normal as blackened, charred scabs became natural pale skin.

Honestly, the damage done to my back wasn't as severe as I'd initially feared.

Yes, a large portion of my skin had been burnt to a crisp and hurt as bad as it looked, but that was mostly superficial damage. Something that, while unpleasant to look at, wouldn't affect me long term. It was any potential damage done to my spine that I had been the most concerned with.

Sure I could fix my skin easily enough, and I have been over the last two days after I'd passed out.

But attempting to fix a broken and/or destroyed spine?

…maybe?

I hadn't really gone too far into practicing my self-healing with Creation Magic, but in theory I could heal any wound done to myself no matter how bad it got, so long as the Key was functional.

So, something like a bit of burnt skin was a rather easy thing to deal with. It just took a bit of time to get used to the method of changing damaged flesh back into what it should have been before, and then making sure that none of my organs, blood vessels, or veins were inadvertently left in a semi-healed state. Which would have caused who knows what kinds of damage to my body if left unchecked.

More importantly than learning my current limitations with healing, however; I'd finally come to the realization that I was being an idiot by walking around with no actual protection other than a thin cloth robe to cover me.

At the time, I had made them to match the environment around me. But I'd been too relaxed in the safety of my own dimension, and the ease with which each of the previous trips went, to realize that I was making myself an easy target.

What was I thinking trying to engage the Red and White Dragon Emperors in combat while wearing nothing but a bit of fabric?

Which is why I'd set out to change that.

Firstly, by getting rid of most of my other robes that were nothing more than a thin sheets of cloth, I went about creating brand new sets that were made of an incredibly durable material but still looked like the old ones.

I liked my original style, I just had to make some adjustments since I was now using an entirely new type of material that was as tough as a knight's armor, but without the bulky look that came with using actual metal.

After that, I began adding some magical protections to them that would hopefully take some of the punch out of any magical spell or weapon that hits me.

It wasn't going to be perfect, obviously. Even with my ever-increasing rank, creating magical protections that were so overpowered that nothing could get through them was still well beyond me.

And by well beyond me, I meant until I reached the rank of God. Where I'll then - according to Tiamat - be able to do whatever I wanted, no matter how obscure or overpowered it may seem.

…Talk about proper motivation for getting stronger.

ALERT!

Multiple presences detected within specified parameters!

-Sigh- The work just never seems to end.

Carefully testing my back to see how injured I still was, I grunted through a brief flair of pain before ultimately deciding I was well enough for another trip to collect more souls.

…so long as it wasn't to Kuoh again.

That fucking town had issues.

Crossing the marble floors of the temples living room to the large globe that was flashing with multiple alarms, I activated the screen that pulled up an overhead view of where CHALDEA had found its latest target.

Surprisingly, it was a small down back in my old home of England. A place that had roughly a few hundred residents at most, and was far enough from any major city that practically no one went there to visit. As an added bonus, because it was within a country under the protection of the Church, that placed it firmly with Heaven's territory.

Meaning no surprise visits from Fallen, or Devil Kings and their annoying Peerages. At worst, I'd be expected to deal with some Exorcists or Exorcists-in-training; because the Angels never ventured outside of the Vatican unless absolutely necessary.

Perfect.

With a few commands, I had CHALDEA focus in on the supposed souls that it targeted for collection.

"That's… the entire town's population?" I mumbled confused. Practically every single person living in the town was registering as a potential target.

Something that shouldn't have been possible, considering I'd made CHALDEA to ignore regular humans due to the weakness of their souls.

"Is it broken?" I asked aloud before quickly using my Key to run a quick scan of the device.

Nope. It was in perfect condition.

"It's not CHALDEA…" Tiamat replied with an odd tint in her tone. "Look at the people, there's something wrong with them. They're not acting right."

Ever since I'd taken that hit by the Red Dragon Emperor, my constant companion had been a lot more reserved in our conversations. Instead of being as enthusiastic about gathering souls as she was before, now she was almost hesitant to suggest me continuing to do it altogether.

I think it had something to do with seeing me get hurt so badly, and undoubtably the damage done to my body had shaken her something fierce.

I knew I'd have to sit down and have a talk with her eventually, but right now there were more important things to worry about.

Following her lead, I zoomed in on a small main street where a dozen presences were detected.

Staring oddly at the screen for a few seconds, my brow wrinkled in confusion as I stated, "They look like they're zombies."

Well, not exactly. The people looked completely fine in terms of appearance when compared to the typical half-dead features that zombies usually have in movies. And they were all walking normally instead of shuffling around slowly while muttering "Braaaainz~!".

But after a moment of watching them, I realized that none of them were actually walking in a specific direction. They all seemed to be moving in the same pattern that had them loop back around in endless circles. The small bits of conversation that I could pick up between a few of them were also the same conversations being repeated over and over without anyone noticing what was happening.

In fact, every last person in that town seemed to think everything was completely normal, and they all continued to do the same actions like some type of sick horror movie being replayed on a loop.

"What the fuck is going on?"

"Some type of mental magic, I believe." Tiamat theorized, watching with me as several cars drove in an endless circle around a round-about. "Meant to keep the town trapped in the same routine so that no one would call out for help should something be amiss."

Which meant that whoever it was that was doing this to them, had imbued everyone with enough magic to keep them docile that CHALDEA was picking them up as potential targets. 'No… the magic was making them seem like potential targets. They ARE potential targets.' I thought, checking the reading on the screen again.

Somehow, whoever it was behind it all had figured out a way to improve their magical reserves beyond normal means. Allowing their souls to strengthen as their bodies filled with untapped power.

'Just how is that possible?' It was like someone had learned the basic principles behind my Key of Solomon, but lacked the rest of the equations necessary to bring it to life. 'Not to mention they needed Telos Karma just to make its creation a possibility.'

I was hesitant to go. While the promise of over a hundred souls seemed very tempting, the thought that whoever it was behind all of it had the strength to keep that many people held under their sway worried me.

Powerful mind magics like that weren't common. And whoever it was that did it, was obviously going to be powerful.

Meaning I'd be going up against someone while I wasn't exactly at 100%.

"You can choose not to, beloved…" My lover's voice reminded me. "It matters not how great the prize, if you do not live to claim it in the end."

"We both know I'm going to." I replied after a moment. "That many souls, all of whom are just sitting there waiting to be taken? How can I turn that down?"

I also needed to find out how someone knew about the Key of Solomon, and how they were able to get as far as they had.

Because I was sure that I'd destroyed any and all notes I'd had at the Golden Dawn before I made my escape.

"Looks like I'll be heading out again, Tia." I mused with a crocked grin. If nothing else, it should prove to be an interesting trip.

So long as I survive, of course.

- England -

- Unknown PoV -

Watching through one of their many magical seals that monitored the town for any outward intrusion, a cloaked figure with a hood covering their head witnessed the very moment that a golden portal appeared on the edge of the town's main square.

The person in question appeared to be a male around the age of 18-years-old, with long white hair that fell down one side of his head, and wore a rather strange black robe that had red and white accents on it.

"Oh? Another visitor?" The figure whispered to themselves.

It wasn't the first time that someone had come snooping around the town after they'd taken over, and it made things easier in the long run to have another able body to join their collection.

With their mental link to the townspeople, the cloaked figure was able to get a better look at the newcomer's face as they made their way towards the center of town where a large clocktower sat. Noting the magical energy permeating from their clothing that spoke of some type of magical protection.

"…impossible." They whispered as they took in the man's features.

Features that were very familiar.

"You've grown stronger," Their tone carried a hint of respect for the man, which made the whole situation all the more intriguing since they'd assumed he'd have died long ago after having not heard a word of his survival in over a year.

"Well then… Let's give you a warm welcome, shall we?" The figure said as they ordered their mind-controlled slaves to attack the newcomer. A brief flash on the screen illuminated the lower half of their face, revealing a cruel grin on unhealthily-pale delicate features. "After all, that's what friends are for… Aren't they?"

"Solomon."

… …

- Solomon PoV -

Have you ever had the feeling like you're being watched? Well I have, and it didn't take a genius to figure out who it was doing it.

"I guess they know we're here." I mused as I walked across the street towards the large clocktower in the center of the town. Figuring it was probably where said watcher was at given its strategic position to everything else in town, and the fact that it overlooked every way in and out. "So much for the element of surprise."

A bummer really, because attacking when people least expect it has been my go-to move for collecting souls this whole time.

Why would I get into long, drawn out battles where I and my opponent slowly push ourselves to the limit before one of us finds some bullshit power-up, when I could just… not do that.

"Something has changed," Tiamat warned. "The people have stopped moving."

She was right. The entire town filled with people suddenly went completely, and terrifyingly, still. The complete lack of sound where there had once been a cacophony of noise was louder than anything I'd heard before.

Seeing the heads of every townsperson turn in my direction, I groaned. "Oh, you've got to be shitting me."

"Ars Enkidu!"

The moment that I saw the nearest group of people start charging in my direction, I wasted no time in calling on my chains to pierce them in their hearts. Absorbing their souls without concern for who they were before their minds were taken as I sent another wave of chains towards the next group.

It was probably the most inhumane thing I'd done yet, killing them as I was. But I found that it didn't bother me as it once might have, having long drown numb to the sensation of killing someone in cold blood after collecting as many souls as I have.

What was a couple hundred more, when my hands were already stained with so much blood?

'I really have changed, haven't I?' I thought to myself, thought I knew that Tiamat still heard it.

"You are still the same person you have always been," She replied firmly. "You've just come to understand things beyond the limited mindset that all humans have. And that is a good thing."

Raising my eyebrow as I sent three chains to pierce a young family that was trying to sneak up behind me, I withheld a scoff as I asked, 'And how is that a good thing, exactly?'

"You have heard the saying: Power corrupts, but Absolute Power corrupts absolutely… yes?" I nodded. "The potential of your Creation Magic, and the limitless power locked away within the Key, are beyond anything that mortal minds have ever seen before…"

"What do you think would have happened to you, if you'd still clung to your human mentality when you unlocked the full power of the Key?" She asked pointedly, already knowing the answer. And I did too, whether I wanted too or not.

'I would have become corrupt…' I sighed, knowing that she was right.

Many people would likely disagree with us on it, but it was perhaps for the best that I had begun to completely shed my old way of thinking.

If I hadn't, there's a very really chance that I would have gone back on my promise of freeing Tiamat and removing ourselves from our old world entirely. After all, with limitless power in the palm of my hand, why would I want to leave when I could just go around and make everyone who ever hurt or bullied me suffer for their actions?

In my heart of hearts, I know that I'm not a good person. No Magician was. Our very nature was to unravel the secrets of power itself, and collateral damage was always going to be a result.

Just like with whoever it was that's controlling these townspeople. It's entirely possible that they're a Magician like myself, and saw the idea of taking control of everyone's free will in order to practice their experiments as a necessary cost of achieving their dream.

"Ars Enkidu!"

Staring unblinkingly as a wave of golden chains blurred past me out of golden portals, I directed them to take out another crowd of people that were racing out of a nearby restaurant. The pointed ends tearing through their chests in a horrendous spray of blood as one-by-one I gathered more souls into the Key.

Already, I felt my palm growing warm from the weight of how many I'd already collected. Which, based on my best estimate has now grown to a rather staggering triple digit.

Nearly equaling the strength of Kokabiel's own soul, though it was much easier to handle the strain this time around.

I'd made sure after I woke up the morning after that night to add a few improvements onto the Key. With some tips and guidance from Tiamat, and liberal application of Telos Karma, I'd successfully managed to unlock more of the Key's functionality. Allowing me to not only carry more souls at a time, but also providing me with the necessary catalyst to rank up once again.

Solomon

Creation King - [37%]

As if having grown tired of sending them in small groups, the person in control of the town decided to go for broke as they sent the remaining hundred or so townspeople to charge at me from all sides as I finally made my way to the front door of the clocktower.

"I think I've have enough of this, don't you Tia?" I asked rhetorically, getting an affirmative sensation from the Dragoness before I sent a massive wave of chains to deal with them once and for all.

And this time, instead of them being the size of my arms, the chains were as large as my head. Their massive, spiked tips moving like serpents before blowing straight through each townsperson's chest as they immediately continued on to the person behind them.

Wiping out the last of the townsfolk in droves as my chains left entire streets filled with blood in their wake. Their souls being absorbed in mere moments as their bodies disintegrated on impact.

After the last townsperson was killed, and the only living souls alive were myself and the one behind this whole thing, I turned away from the blood-soaked town without a care as I pushed open the door into the clocktower.

"Now to see who the hell is behind it all."

- Unknown PoV -

He'd grown far stronger than they'd anticipated. They figured he might have lasted a little while, but they'd been certain that he would have fallen when they'd sent a horde of slaves to attack him. Only to be proved wrong as his chains slaughtered them without remorse.

"…it seems you've surpassed my expectations." The hooded figure frowned, clenching their hands in white-knuckled fists as they banged them rather loudly on a table. "HOW ARE YOU SO STRONG!"

It wasn't fair!

Solomon had been the weakest Magician they'd ever seen! How could he have grown so powerful in such a short span of time?!

"It's the mark…" They whispered, feeling the warmth of blood drip down their hands as their nails dug deep into the flesh of their palms. "It has to be, there's no other explanation for it!"

The failure of a Magician might have thought that he'd gotten rid of any evidence of his creation, but the arrogant fool hadn't realized that others had already been aware of what he was trying to create long before he'd made it.

Magicians were gossips, after all. And the knowledge that one of their own had sequestered themselves away in their room as magical power spiked and fluctuated drastically enough for everyone to feel it, had been an obvious red flag to anyone who was paying attention that he'd been attempting to create a spell.

Hell, they'd all been prepared for the inevitable explosion as his lackluster talent and probably inconsequential spell failed! Many of them had even made plans around the fact that their lecturer's would have given them the day off after what should have been his untimely death.

But then the failure had somehow gone and done the impossible.

His attempt had worked!

Somehow, a talentless Magician with little to no power of his own to speak of… successfully developed his very own spell using "Gamer Magic" as he'd called it… to unlock the hidden potential buried deep within the human soul.

Having spotted the small golden rose compass on his hand every time he'd sent a wave of chains to slaughter more of their slaves, the cloaked figure glanced down at their own arm where a myriad of ancient runic marks and symbols littered their once flawless skin.

It was their attempt at recreating Solomon's own creation. But it paled in comparison to the original. Theirs was flawed…impractical. Useless in a thousand different ways, and now merely existed as a reminder of their own failure.

"I WILL have your secrets," they hissed out vehemently, watching Solomon as he stepped into the clocktower at the same time as they heard the door open below them. "Even if I must turn you into my slave and pry them from your mind."

Waiting for him to make his way up the stairs, the hooded figure felt a way of excitement take them over at the thought of what they'd be able to accomplish with Solomon in their grasp. Nearly drooling as the promise of finally achieving what they'd failed to achieve drew ever closer.

"Welcome, Solomon…" They uttered as the white-haired male stepped onto the landing, flicking their hand slightly as three small metal nails appeared between their fingers. "I've been expecting you."

There was an almost nostalgic feel to see his face again. Even though it'd been almost two years to the day, they still recalled in clear detail everything that had happened. Everything that had led up to this very moment, as they stared down the key to their success from underneath the hood that hid their face.

"Oh?" Solomon replied, his lips breaking into a slight crooked grin as his hands flexed in preparation. "And why is that? I don't recall every meeting someone like you before."

The hooded figure's suddenly shook at his words, before a slightly crazed laughter burst from their mouth. "BUT THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG, SOLOMON! WE HAVE MET BEFORE… A VERY LONG TIME AGO!"

It was exhilarating, knowing that their plans were finally coming together! It was so overwhelming in fact, that they couldn't even keep the mirth from their words as they basked in how things were starting to turn in their favor.

Sure, they might not have expected to ever see him again, but his arrival bore unexpected fruits that they would be foolish to ignore.

The failure really should have known better than to poke his head out of whatever hole he'd crawled into. He might have actually lived longer.

Too bad he'd never get the chance to learn from his mistake.

"As for the why? Well…" They grinned, raising the hand that held the nails as the symbols on their arm lit up in a sickly red hue. "You have something that I want, and now you're going to give it to me!"

Throwing the nails in his direction, the same red glow on her arm coated the nails that already bore a slight Light sheen to them, causing the small finger-sized weapons to lengthen into three-foot spears that soared across the room before slamming into a wall of thick golden chains.

Rather than being upset by it, the figure grinned as several more nails appeared in their hands. Each one lengthening into similarly long spears as they were thrown repeatedly in Solomon's direction.

The process repeated itself over and over as they sent waves of nails-turned-spears at Solomon, only to be countered at every turn by his chains. The few that managed to get by only succeeded in bouncing off his robes, as a brief shimmer of magic proved them to be more than they appeared.

"I see you've grown from the failure that you used to be, Solomon!" They mocked him, trying to throw him off balance as they changed tactics. "If only you'd been this strong before you'd left the Golden Dawn! Maybe then LeFay might not have betrayed you!"

"W-What?!" Solomon's eyes widened in shock, his concentration momentarily slipping at the revelation that they knew about his past relationship. "Who are you?"

Laughing at his look, the cloaked figure used the opportunity presented to them to slam their hands against the floor of the landing, causing a wave of nail-like spikes to rise up from the floorboards as it headed in his direction. "WHO DO YOU THINK?" They shouted gleefully, mistakenly thinking that they'd finally caught him by surprise.

Unfortunately, their plan didn't go as they expected.

Instead of getting pierced by the nails, Solomon used his chains to create a makeshift platform to jump up to as he sent some flying towards his opponent.

As they prepared to dodge, they barely managed to catch a glimpse of his rose compass lighting up seemingly at random before a chain shot straight out of the ground from under them. It's golden tip passing a hairsbreadth away from skewering through their mouth as it tore the hood off their head.

"Che… copying my moves, Solomon?" They scoffed. "And unsuccessfully at that, too. I guess what they say is true… once a failure, always a failure."

Waiting for his reply, the figure was confused when he didn't respond, only to pause at the look of utter shock on his face as he stared at them.

Feeling a slight draft cross their face, the once-hooded figure belatedly realized that their head was no longer covered by their hood, and that their nail spikes had carved enough holes in the floors and walls of the clocktower to let sunlight into the room as a sole beam shone down upon them.

Solomon stared open-mouthed at them for several long moments, watching as a formerly-beautiful face that now had unhealthy pale skin and ragged auburn-hair tied in a braid was revealed.

Sky blue eyes set with dark, heavy bags gleamed with an insane, hungry light in them as she tossed the ruined cloak away. Allowing her stick-thin figure that had once been quite curvy to be shown beneath a tattered black blazer that bore a unique golden cross on the lapel.

Solomon's breath seemed to catch in his throat at the sight of her, before he finally managed to breathe out…

"…Meredith?"

… …

- Solomon PoV -

It took a minute for me to put the pieces together; what with my thoughts being muddled by the presence of so many mind-controlling nails around me. But once I saw her face, my mind instantly cleared as flashbacks from my time at the Golden Dawn ran through my head.

I'd almost forgotten all about Meredith Ordinton in the wake of everything that had happened, but now that I was staring at her in the face, it was easy to see that time hadn't been good to her.

Her face alone spoke of serious sleep deficiency, and the way her clothes hung limply off her boney frame pointed at a very severe lack of nutrition. Which, based off of how the clocktower looked as I entered it - covered in spiderwebs and dust - made me think that she hadn't actually let the tower in quite a while.

"You look… terrible." I said with a lingering bit of shock in my voice.

Of everywhere I'd have expected to run into her, I hadn't thought it would be in the middle of a mind-controlled town where she had made everyone into her slaves.

"Is it truly a surprise, beloved? Magicians, no matter how they might seem, are never normal. Even you cannot say that your own interests are considered normal by society's definition." Tiamat bluntly stated. "While she might have seemed normal to you back then, that by no means meant she was any different from the others around her who sought to achieve their own desires through whatever actions they deemed necessary."

With the hindsight of what I know now, I guess I can't be too surprised to find out Meredith turned out the way she did.

She'd been all but abandoned by her family, forced to take refuge in a magical institution as her only means of building a future for herself, and then she'd suddenly awakened a Longinus-type Sacred Gear that allowed her to take control of people and make them do anything and everything she wanted.

Hell, if I'd gotten that same Sacred Gear instead of Telos Karma, who knows what I would've done with that kind of power?

Probably tried to do the same thing she did, honestly.

"Is that all you have to say?" Meredith spat out, glaring at me. "After what you did, that's the only thing you care to say? Pointing out my appearance?"

…what?

Waiving her hand as another wave of nails flew towards me while turning into spikes, I created several chains to intercept them as her voice grew louder.

"Do you know how much suffering you caused us all by doing what you did?! Do you know how hard life became for me after that day?" She started screaming, spittle flying from her mouth as more and more nails were thrown at me. Each one making it even harder for me to think as their mind-control powers struggled to take away my control over my own body. "WELL?! DO YOU, SOLOMON?!"

Grunting as an increased force bore down on my head like a terrible migraine, I grunted in pain while my Key went to work creating a healing affect that was slowly working to push back the force. Helped along greatly by Tiamat's own power through the Telos Karma.

"I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about," I groaned out through clenched teeth, breathing a small sigh as my combined efforts with Tiamat succeeded in pushing back her Alphecca Tyrant's power. "I didn't do anything to you, or anyone else for that matter."

Okay, that was a lie. I'd killed a LOT of people recently in order to gather up their souls.

But I certainly hadn't done anything back when I was with the Golden Dawn, though. So, unless she's been aware of my more recent antics, I'm beginning to think I'd missed something.

Because whatever she was about to say stopped as her mouth momentarily froze, her hands clenched around another handful of nails that she had raised in preparation to throw at me, only to pause as her eyes briefly lit up in recognition.

"You don't know…" She breathed out. Her head tilted slightly to the side as her bloodshot eyes took in my appearance like she was seeing me for the first time. "You don't know what you did to us… to the Golden Dawn… do you?"

The Golden Dawn?

What the fuck is she talking about? I haven't been near that place in over a year. How could I have done anything to it?

"No, I don't." I replied, shaking my head as my eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "I have NO idea what you're talking about, Meredith; I haven't seen or spoken with anyone from the Golden Dawn since I left almost two years ago."

That only seemed to enrage her, as her eyes widen while her hands clenched around the nails she was holding.

A brief glimpse of light on her right hand showed some type of intricate tattoo that felt oddly familiar to my magical senses before it was distorted by the blood that began falling from her hands as she unintentionally pierced her own flesh with the nails due to her grip on them becoming too tight.

"You…" She hissed out.

"You… destroyed EVERYTHING!"

In a flurry, her hands lashed out with the blood-soaked nails. Only this time, they glowed an even brighter red as they became barbed spikes that seemed less intent on taking control of me, and more intent on stripping my flesh from my bones.

"You stole ALL of the magic that protected the Golden Dawn's institute with what you did!"

Doing my best to block her attacks with my chains, I eventually had to use my Creation Magic for greater effect as I began molding the walls and wood panel floors of the landing into barriers. All the while feeling shocked by every word she said as Meredith revealed what my creation of my dimension, and subsequent escape, had done.

"You left us defenseless against our enemies!" She screamed. "The institute barely lasted a day before other organizations and Factions descended on us in droves! Those of us who survived were forced into exile as the Golden Dawn was torn apart!"

Using my hands to better control my chains, I blocked another barbed nail spike that was aimed at my eye as I stood on top of my makeshift chain platform.

Something I was very grateful for, as Meredith's attacks were becoming increasingly more erratic and had already begun to destabilize the clocktower's foundation. The material used to make it not having been built to withstand a Magician of her caliber; even less so one that was backed by the power of a Longinus.

"At least your actions weren't for nothing!" Meredith added in the midst of her hysteria, her once beautiful auburn hair moving with her now a wild, untamable mess that had several patches of it missing. The slight blood around the missing patches told me she'd probably torn them out in her moments of frustration. "To think an absolute failure of a Magician like you would be able to create such a work of art…"

Hearing that, my eyes momentarily strayed to the markings on her hand as my face paled in realization.

'She didn't…'

"She did." Tiamat confirmed my worst fears with a solemn tone.

"But it is not as powerful as your Key…" She added to my relief. "It is missing several important parts that yours has, and it will never give her the same limitless potential that yours offers."

Still… how did she figure out how to make a lesser prototype of my Key of Solomon?

"That's right," She grinned nastily as she caught where my eyes were looking, holding up her hand to display a myriad of runic marks and symbols that glowed with a haunting scarlet glow that made her unhealthily-pale skin look even worse. "While it's not a perfect recreation of your own… I was able to make my own version of your little invention."

"It wasn't easy, of course." She admitted. "The spells I'd placed on your apartment had only recorded the bare minimum of what I'd needed to make it work. But they were enough to get me started."

…she'd bugged my apartment?

Raising the hand up into the large beams of light that were shining through the massive holes in the clocktower, Meredith admired her work for a moment before directing a hungry look at my own Key. "Though… once I've killed you and taken that hand of yours, I'll finally have what I need in order to perfect my work."

Licking her lips, she almost looked like she was about to drool the more she stared at the golden rose compass.

"It's only fitting that I deserve its power more than you ever would." She added. "After all… if a failure like you could get as strong as you've become in such a sort time with its help. Then a master of magic like myself would undoubtably become the most powerful Magician who'd ever lived. "

So… Not only did she figure out how to recreate a failed offshoot of my Key, but now she wanted to dismember me for its power and make it her own?

Yeah, fuck that.

Meredith and I had never been friends, only mutual acquaintances through our relationships with LeFay. And while I'd initially been hesitant to kill her outright when I'd realized who she was, I no longer felt any hesitation about holding back as I went on the offensive.

"Ars Enkidu!"

She wants my Key of Solomon? She can fucking take it off my cold, dead hands.

It was mine, and mine alone.

Unbeknownst to me, Tiamat smiled with pride at my display of a more draconic response.

- Meredith PoV -

How had it gone so wrong?

For a brief, fleeting moment she'd thought that the battle was hers. That her opponent - despite his outstanding growth from the failure that he'd been when she used to know him - had been giving his all just to withstand her onslaught.

But then he'd said those two words…

Words that she'd never forget until her dying breath, as what was left of the clocktower they both stood on was destroyed in a tidal wave of golden chains that poured out of countless golden ripples. Each one as massive as a fully-grown tree trunk, and capable of easily plowing through whatever Alphecca Tyrant nails she could send their way before they crashed into her body.

The agony she felt as they blew holes in her stomach and destroyed the hand that contained her masterpiece, was nearly as painful as what she felt when her body fell several dozen stories through the broken landing and landed on the ground floor. Only to then watch in horror as the entire clocktower collapsed in on itself and dropped the rest of the building down on top of her.

'How…?' Her broken mind asked, only to repeat the question in a small, pain-filled whisper as she heard his footsteps walking through the rubble that now pinned her broken body. "How did you get to be so strong?"

Seeing Solomon's long white hair moments before he appeared over a small pile of broken rooftiles, she would have been insulted at the lack of wounds on his body if she wasn't in so much pain.

Instead, she simply felt tired.

After spending so many countless days and nights without sleep, pouring over obscure texts and trying to improve her own creation until it matched Solomon's own… only to come up woefully short.

It was all just too much for her.

"I wasn't alone." Came Solomon's reply. His eyes staring down at her bloody and bruised face with a look of pity that she wished he didn't make. The last thing she wanted right now was to be pitied, and least of all by him. "And… I got lucky, I guess."

The little shrug he gave at the end caused her body to convulse as a bubble of laughter tore from her throat, sending a fresh wave of agonizing pain.

It was a move so reminiscent of how he used to be… of the boy she'd known all those years ago, that her mind's eye conjured up an illusion of his old appearance over his current one - uniform and all - before it faded to reveal the powerful Magician he'd become.

To think this is how their futures would play out.

How ironic.

"Lucky?" Meredith giggled at the notion, for once sounding not unlike the girl she used to be as she smiled a bloody smile up at him. The hostility she'd shown early completely gone from her face as she looked up at him like an old friend. "Good… you're going to need all the luck you can get… because even with that thing on your hand, it won't be enough."

Feeling her vision start to swim, she realized with a sense of clarity that she hadn't felt in so long - since the moment she'd awoken Alphecca Tyrant, in fact - that she was about to die.

'Good. Let it all finally end.' She thought with relief, only to refocus her attention on the conversation as Solomon replied.

"Enough?" Solomon's voice echoed in her ear, though it sounded like he spoke from a distance instead of from his position standing over her. Almost like those times when she was a child about to fall asleep, and her mother would whisper comforting words in her ear while holding her close. "Enough for what?"

"Enough to stop her…" She whispered out as her breathing slowed, her heart rate dropping rapidly as her eyelids began to close.

Before she closed her eyes for good, she heard his voice ask one last question. "Her?... Who?"

With her final breath, Meredith replied with but a single word. The last word she would ever utter in this life, and one that would send a chill crawling up Solomon's spine.

That word?

"LeFay."

- END -

Author's Notes:

And that's Chapter 8!

What do you guys think, eh? Who saw Meredith's reveal coming? I'd always planned on bringing her and LeFay back into the story later on, but figuring out the When and How had been a right pain in my ass.

Also… I cancelled my account, btw.

Honestly, I never expected anyone to be interested in it. And considering how bad my stories have seemed and how my writing has been struggling so much right now, I just don't feel comfortable with it. Especially with the way is set up less as a simple donation site, and more of a monthly subscription service; which just seems weird to me.

Not to mention the amount of hate messages and anonymous reviews I get is getting rather annoying to deal with. For every one good review, I get like 4 negative ones picking apart every single thing they don't like. Even stupidly simple things like a slight mistake in someone's eye color during a description.

Hope you all are still liking it so far! Thanks for checking out my story!