Yes, I missed my 2nd Generation update this week. Yes, I'm sorry. Yes, it'll be up on Monday.
Enjoy!
"So...This is Zentopia?" Elizabeth asked. Neptu nodded as he stared up at the massive cathedral-like building at the top of the hill. After another twelve hours, they had finally arrived at the bottom of the hill. So far they had not encountered any resistance, but he knew that their wouldn't be any for a little whole longer.
"Stop wasting time," Zynna said, already a few steps up the hill. "We need to get inside." Following after his sister, Neptu went up the hill with the girls quietly. Nobody had anything to say, mostly because they were tired and worried. It was much to difficult to come up with small talk at the moment.
"Hold up, you three." Neptu came to a stop as they approached a closed gate, with two men guarding it with spears. Both of them were dressed in Zentopian garb, faces covered by masks. "Civilians are not allowed with past here, please turn back."
"Can't do that," Zynna said as she approached the men, making them tense up and raise their spears. "My name is Zynna, and this is my brother Neptu. We need to get access to Zentopia, is that possible?"
"What for?" One of the guards asked. Zynna jabbed her thumb back at Neptu.
"Got a Demon problem," she said.
"If you're having trouble with demons, it would be best to consult local priests before you come too-"
"Enough of this," Zynna said, digging around in the bag around her shoulder. Eventually she pulled out the scroll Magnus had written, and presented it to the guards. "This was written by Magnus Skylancer, our ancestor. You know his name, correct? We're Skylancers."
"Magnus?" One of the guards asked. "Skylancers? Oh my..." One of the guards went over to the small booth near the gate and the group went silent for a moment, nobody saying a word. After a few minutes of silence, the guard returned and the gate opened up on it's own.
"You've been given access to the church," He said. "Once you get to the courtyard you will be greeted by Cardinal Mesa. He will guide you from there."
"Thank you," Zynna said, turning and nodding to the others. Neptu and Elizabeth walked forward to walk past the gate, but the guards stopped Elizabeth before she could pass through.
"Are you of the Skylancer name?" One of them asked. Elizabeth looked ticked off at the question, but Neptu knew they had asked because she wasn't.
"No, but I'm a friend." she replied. Both guards looked back at the siblings.
"Is she trustworthy?" One asked. Neptu nodded.
"Of course, let her past." Both guards listened to this and opened up to let Elizabeth past, the girl quickly rejoining the pair as they walked up to the church.
"Figured they would have given you more trouble then that," Zynna said.
"I guess Magnus' name carries more weight around here than we thought," Neptu replied.
"I would have fought them if I had too," Elizabeth said. "I was clearly with you, so I don't get why they tried to stop me."
"Calm down," Neptu said, forcing a smile onto his face as he nudged the girl. "We don't need you knocking heads right now." Elizabeth only smiled at this.
"I was ready, don't doubt me." She said with a laugh. The walk up the mountain was long and quite tiring to finish, but if he didn't finish it then he would probably die, so it wasn't exactly a difficult choice to make.
After what felt like forever the group finally made it to the top, where the pearly white doors to the cathedral opened up as they approached.
"Well," Zynna said. "Welcome to Zentopia."
"Yay," Neptu said weakly. The three walked inside quickly, the doors shutting behind them immediately.
"Ah, you must be the Skylancers." Neptu looked over his left as a man walked across the courtyard, also dressed in cathedral clothing. Neptu could only assume this was Cardinal Mesa.
"We are," Zynna said, once again taking charge. "This is my brother Neptu, and our friend Elizabeth."
"Hi," Elizabeth greeted, Neptu only nodding at the man. Mesa nodding back, a smile on his face.
"It is a true honour to meet descendants of Magnus," he said. "Although his is not a sect we speak of publicly, he did much for the formation of the church hundreds of years ago. After all, protecting mankind is a noble goal."
"So we've heard," Zynna replied. "Listen, the reason we're here is because of my brother. He's a Demon Slayer and-"
"And the curse is building up inside, yes?" Mesa asked, looking over to Neptu. Despite being slightly shaken by the Cardinal's interruption, Neptu nodded.
"Yes sir," he said. "And we found that the only way to truly rid myself of this infection is to do a certain ritual." Mesa nodded again, seemingly well informed.
"I am aware of the ritual," he said, turning his back to them. "Please, follow me. I will tell you all you need to know." With this the Cardinal walked off, leaving the three travellers no choice but to follow him. Mesa led them towards the cathedral quietly, entering inside and taking a swift left turn down a passage of stairs. Neptu could swear he could hear people chanting in the distance, and it was really creepy.
"Allow me to start at the beginning," Mesa said as they travelled down. "The infection Magnus spoke of is, of course, an infection of the spirit. Demon magic was never meant to be practised by humans, as with the Dragon Slayers before you. And as such, the magic starts it's slow but painful course of turning you into what you are supposed to be to use such magic."
"That we knew," Neptu said. Mesa nodded.
"I expected as much." he said. "However, please understand that this infection is no mere injection away from a cure. It will be a very painful process, depending on how long it's had to ingrain itself into you. How long have you been a practitioner of Demon magic?"
"Too long," Zynna mumbled. Neptu ignored her and thought genuinely.
"Easily over fifteen years if that's a benchmark," he replied. Mesa seemed to look troubled by this response, which did not soothe Neptu's nerves.
"Then it will indeed be painful," he said. "However, it is also a good thing. Destroying it all in one go lowers the chance of reinfection."
"W-Wait," Neptu said, head spinning at this. "Did you say reinfection?" After reaching the lowest level the stairs allowed, Mesa turned to the three of them again.
"Yes, I did." he replied. "Demon magic is by it's very nature dangerous. A single ritual will destroy the infection of your human soul, but it won't tear the magic out of you. Repeated use of Demon magic after the ritual will cause reinfection."
So now, after coming all this way, Neptu was being told he couldn't use magic after this, or he risked having to do it all over again. How was that fair?
"Why didn't Magnus mention this?" Zynna demanded, seeming upset herself. "This seems kinda important!"
"The speed of reinfection is slow," Mesa said as he led them down dark hallways lit by torches on the walls. "The rituals holy light keeps it at bay for some time, but soon enough it will return. Your ancestor Magnus did not live long enough to see this come to fruition."
"So in order to truly purify myself, I can't ever use Demon Slaying magic ever again." Neptu concluded, heart heavy. Mesa nodded.
"That is the path of least resistance he replied as they turned a corner. Up ahead was a massive locked door, guarded by more guards. "That being said, there are always other ways."
"Like what?" He asked. Mesa did not reply, he instead looked ahead to the guards.
"Cardinal Mesa," One said. "Why are these guests here?"
"These two here are descendants of Magnus Skylancer," Mesa replied, gesturing to Zynna and Neptu. "We seek the texts detailing the purification ritual." Nodding, the guards unlocked the doors, making musty wind force itself outward from the other side.
"You're friend must remain outside of this point," Mesa said as he stepped inside. "She is not allowed inside."
"Why not?" Elizabeth demanded. "It doesn't seem that important."
"Just stay here, Liz." Neptu sad, sensing this was something the Cardinal would not budge on. "We'll be out quick." Upset but understanding, Elizabeth nodded as the Neptu entered with his sister, following Mesa closely. Soon the three were beset upon by bookshelf after bookshelf, each one filled to the brim with scrolls or books or artifacts. Neptu felt like a history buff would climax inside the room he'd been allowed in.
"Where are we?" Zynna asked, also looking around at the shelves.
"The Zentopian Holy Archive," Mesa replied. "On these shelves are texts and proclamations from some of the most famous men in the churches history. Some even claim there is a writing from Ankhersam himself present in the bowls of the Archive."
Ankhersam? As in, the God of Life and Death himself? Neptu doubted that.
Mesa lead them through shelf after shelf, finally coming to a stop in front of one in particular marked with a symbol Neptu didn't recognise. He dug through the shelf for a moment silently before pulling out a large and clearly ancient looking book, dust flying everywhere as he did so.
"Here it is," He said as he turned to Neptu and Zynna. "The holy scripts detailing the ritual." Neptu reached forward and slowly took it from the Cardinal, opening it to the first page. The page had one language that he didn't understand at all. and another that was understood as 'The Demon Purification Ritual'
"So," Neptu started. "Now what?"
"Now we will begin the preparations for the ritual, if you are ready." Mesa replied. "Are you?" Neptu watched Mesa for a second before he turned and looked at Zynna, who just nodded. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to Mesa.
"Yes, I'm ready." He said. Nodding, Mesa started to lead them back the way they had come, this time Neptu holding the book. Looking down at said book, Neptu felt the weight of it in his hand, heavily weighing down his arms. Just how much info was in this freaking thing? How much did he have to do in order to save his own soul?
Somehow, he felt like it was a whole lot more than he'd already been told.
"Alright, let me see the book." Mesa said after they had reached the surface. "I'll read what is says and see what we have to do first."
"It's got a language there I can understand, you know." Neptu replied as he gingerly handed over the artifact.
"I know, but I worry something may have been lost in the translation." Mesa replied. "Best to read it in it's original form." After taking the book, Mesa flipped it open and began to read, leaving the other three sitting around Zentopia's courtyard waiting for him to speak up. After a few minutes Mesa looked up, and then to Neptu.
"So, what's first?" He asked.
"The first step is to prepare yourself," Mesa replied. "The ritual will be gruelling and probably the hardest thing you've ever had to do in your entire life. In order to make sure you even survive the exorcism, we must start meditation immediately."
"Wait, exorcism?" Zynna asked. "You never mentioned that."
"Well, it's exactly what the ritual is." Mesa said. "The first step is to separate the demon from the human, exorcising it and leaving it to be dealt with by the human. Before we can do that however, we must make sure that you're body will survive the process."
"The note Magnus left said it was a mental battle," Neptu replied weakly. Mesa frowned.
"It is," he said. "The mental battle between the infection and the slayers does indeed occur. However, if you wish to truly clean yourself, it must be done this way as well. Is that what you want, Neptu Skylancer?" Neptu didn't know what to say. He already knew that coming here was going to be difficult, but now he was hearing there was two battle he had to take part in. One mental and one physical. How was this going to go down?
"How does this work, exactly?" Elizabeth asked. "Why can't he just do the mental battle like Magnus said."
"As I've already said, Magnus did not live long enough to see reinfection progress in Demon Slayers." Mesa replied. "The demon does not just infect the soul, it also infects you as a human. If only the soul in purged during the mental battle, the body is still infected. However, for a true demon transformation the soul must also be infected. The mental battle makes the infection docile, but does not eliminate it. Soon enough it will infect you again."
"So essentially Neptu has a choice to make," Zynna said. "Only purge his soul and keep doing this for years, or do both and never use Demon Slaying magic again. Am I right?"
"In essence, yes." Mesa said, looking over at Neptu. "What will it be, Neptu?"
Neptu didn't know what to say. Sure, he'd already come all this way to clean himself up, but to hear that he'd never again be able to use this magic given to him by his father was insane. Speaking of which, how the hell had his father not gone insane? If this magic had been passed down from generation to generation, did that mean Neptu might have been the first since Magnus to truly rid himself of the infection? The first Skylancer gifted this power to rid himself of it? Now he felt queasy.
"I don't know about this," he finally said. "Sure I need to do this, but I was given this power by my father. And he got it from his father, and so on. If I got rid of it-"
"You'd be the first Skylancer in over two hundred years to do so, yes." Mesa replied. "Did you think the Mother did not have this conversation with your father many years ago?"
"The Mother?" Zynna asked, allowing Neptu to wallow in indecision. "Who's that?" Mesa sighed before he looked back at Neptu.
"Perhaps it would be best for you to speak with Mother about this," he said. "I understand your indecision. Giving up a gift like this is not something easily done. After all, your father didn't want to either. Would you like to speak with her?" Neptu gulped and nodded, hoping that this Mother would have answers for him.
"Yes," he said. "Take me to see her."
It wasn't normal for Gin to smile so much, but he supposed that was what happened when your life does a sharp turn so suddenly.
After leaving Magnolia with Neptu and Anna coming to The Hollows, Gin found that the girls energy was very infectious. She was always running all over the place and getting herself into mild trouble, making whoever was her current caretaker bail her out. It was Gin's turn today, so he was planning on taking her to town today so they could get some supplies Xeros wanted to build a new wing on the mansion. But first, obviously, he had to find her.
"Anna come on, this is getting old!" He shouted as he entered the main lobby of the building, looking around for the girl quietly. She'd said she wanted to play hide and seek before they left, but she neglected to say that she was going to hide anywhere in the mansion. He'd already spent twenty minutes looking for her! He had to admit, she was sneaky.
Sadly, not as sneaky as she'd like to think.
Gin was no fool, he could see a small pair of feet hiding between behind the curtains near a window. She was good, but still just a kid. Gin advanced on the curtains quietly, his smile growing wider as he reached her. Without warning Gin lashed out and grabbed the girl, causing her to squeal in surprise. Gin hauled her out from behind the curtains, making her laugh as he spun her around.
"No fair!" She shouted. "You were cheating!"
"Cheating?" Gin demanded, as he put her down. "How so?"
"How else could you have found me?!" She demanded. Gin just rolled his eyes as the girl upset look and rubbed her head teasingly.
"Maybe once you get older you'll beat me," he said.
"I will!" Anna said. "I'll be the best hider in the world!"
"I believe it, but first we need to go get what Xeros wanted. Ready to go?"
"Yep!" Although she'd been around for a few days, Gin was still surprised such a frail looking girl was able to run around so much. Following after her out of the mansion and down the beaten path towards New Avalon, Gin had some time to himself. After all, Anna was running ahead as usual. It was weird to have a child running away from him as a game and not because he was an animal, but he supposed that was because Anna didn't know any of that about him yet. About Mortavius, or Demons. It would all sound foreign to her, and Gin didn't want the girl to start worrying again.
"You rang dear friend?" A deep voice boomed from Gin's left, making him wince.
"No, I didn't." He replied as he looked over at Mortavius as he appeared next to him.
"Why are you here?"
"Too mock you for going so soft on me."
"I was always soft in your eyes."
"Hence why I'm here," Mortavius said. "Actually, I'm here to tell you to be careful." Gin felt his stomach drop at this. Mortavius wasn't one to give warnings, unless he was about to take Gin over.
"What?" Gin demanded. "Why?"
"Because if you aren't careful, bloodshed will soon fall upon us once again." He said, making Gin's eyes widen. "So keep an eye out."
"From what?" Gin demanded. "And when? Give me more than that!"
"You'll find out soon enough." Mortavius replied. "After all, it's righ-"
"Gin come on!" Anna shouted as she ran back down the path towards Gin. "You're so slow!" Gin swallowed and forced a smile out for Anna's sake as she reached him.
"Sorry, I tripped over something and fell." He excused, looking for any excuse he could. Anna, however, didn't seem interested.
"Woah Gin, who's that?" Gin made a face and looked down at Anna, looking to answer her question.
She was looking dead at Mortavius.
"U-Uh, who?" Gin asked weakly, feeling his stomach nose dive straight from calm into a category five hurricane. Anna pointed right at Mortavius.
"Your friend!" She said. "You have one too?"
Oh no.
"T-Too?" Gin managed. Anna nodded, and Gin watched as the woman appeared again, this time next to Anna. The woman in the black dress with red eyes and lips. The same woman he'd seen around all the time.
Gin couldn't believe it had taken him this long.
"This was my only friend before I met you guys!" Anna said as she hugged the woman's side, who allowed her to do so and even gave her a squeeze back. "Right?"
"Of course, sweetheart." The woman said, voice as smooth as silk. "I will always be here for you.' At this, Mortavius chuckled.
"Quinxotic," He said. "The Blood Priestess."
Seems like a good stopping point for today, right? I hope you guys enjoyed, leave a review!