"You remember how that encounter went, don't you? I was polite, even as I was beating you down to teach you a lesson."

"At the time, my ferocity was misplaced…So I thought."

"But my eyes had already begun to piece together that something was…terribly wrong about our encounter."

"The hair color, the subdued anger buried in your eyes. Your body was moving like a puppet on strings."

"You were not the person I foresaw. But I heard your name and presumed…perhaps I had only made a minor miscalculation, and it was possible for a brother to take his place."

"You had my husband's soul, so the process we implemented obviously worked to perfection to weed out any other possibilities."

"Just as soon as my sister had brought you before me for approval, you were returned to the future."

"And I tried to put the encounter into the back of my mind. After all, I had been given a chance at hope again."

"There was only one last affair to put in order before I would leave this world of mushrooms behind for good."

"Carting my husband's empty body over my back, I went to visit the realm of the wish-granting Star Spirits to give them a gift."

"They knew everything that was going to happen through their meeting with the wizard. They worried that somehow, darkness would slip between the cracks and bring turmoil to the dreams of the people below."

"Using the last motes of my husband's Light Wellspring, I compressed it down into a twinkling star and infused it with a bit of my aura to give it life."

"This being would serve as the Star Spirit's guardian, acting without fear of breaking their agreement to not meddle directly."

"I believe he currently goes by the name 'Geno'."

"This served a double-fold purpose as well. The 'higher-ups' put in place an agreement with my husband that they would not interfere in the affairs of his successor, and that it will ultimately be up to Sarajin's will to guide them to protect other worlds."

"Heavenly onlookers from other worlds would be unable to do the same as well."

"So 'Geno' would be able to help out the successor in their place, essentially serving as both guardians of the Light element."

"There was nothing left for me to do…even if I wanted to."

"The very moment I said goodbye to the Star Spirits, Yen Sid used his magic to warp me and my husband's body back to our home in Sancturia."

"I arrived many bodies lighter…to a house much emptier."

"After ensuring Gabriel of my safe return, I remodeled one of the ruined chapels into a place to hide and preserve my husband's body."

"It would be a period of rebuilding for all of us…And a way to redirect my focus from the emptiness growing inside of me."

"Yet, the nagging feeling that I was ignoring a great blasphemy continued to bite away at me until I delved back into the future to reconfirm my hope."

"...I only wish now that I had killed you back then, Alex Whiter."

With the death of Xiark, the abstract backdrop surrounding Obscura faded into obscurity from the people's consciousness.

Exposed to the harsh sunlight and drying trees, they wound up hiding themselves in their homes, only a few braving the weather to try and question their leader.

But he was gone and, much like his heart, the place he lived was empty.

Only one woman dared to approach the palace without flinching at the phantoms stroking the ruins.

And no, not the one you would be expecting…

"So the ruling lineage has finally burnt out." Uttering this in a brash tone, the woman turned her back to the ruins and was greeted by a trio of younger mages bending their knees at her.

"Now is finally the time for us to consolidate the power of darkness for ourselves, as the great Umbra tried many centuries ago!"

For those painted skies and mystifying lands were no mere decoration…they disguised that this land was a cage.

Darkness was not necessarily evil by nature. But it invited many to take the easiest path towards ambition.

And when the walls of this cage came crashing down…the shadows of ambition could only grow unchecked.

"Yes, Lady Whiter!" Shouted the trio in unison, as the sole woman befouled the air with a wicked smirk, the setting sun baking her shadow into the palace.

But their ambition was but a mere drop of darkness in the abyss compared to the Vizier.

Wasting no time after the mysterious departure of her one and only lord, the Vizier peered deep into the shadows to trail Auris' activities after the parasite failed in its efforts.

She had done so for the past few days without rest.

Seeing her lord succumb along with his final words sent shivers down her body.

And that quickly devolved into a subdued, tired anger. She dropped her hands beside her robe and paced about, biting her lower lip in frustration until the skin broke.

"Nyeh…! Nobody should have been able to stop him…! Nobody! That flying rat cheated…!"

"But that power my lord displayed…even bound in chains…" The Vizier's mouth began salivating as her mind dipped into her own delusions.

"Hrrmmm…" Only for her to immediately trample on her stray thoughts and realize, "A fool though that parasite may have been…but they were right on one thing. I must be more cautious."

"Think, Cackletta, think…Interpret the meaning behind your lord's final words."

"You seek to humiliate me in this pose, but every roar I defy you with shall echo in the hearts of those who desire what I am!"

"And when those echoes of desire beat back into my being I will RISE…and deliver judgment upon this pitiful, inferior realm of creation!"

Her heart quivered with lustful validation, "O-Of course…It was a secret message. TO ME!"

"My lord wants ME to save him, so that we can bring judgment upon all these weaker beings!"

"Yes, yes…!" Her heart rose steeply in elation, "If that is your wish, my lord, then I will follow your commands to the bitter end!"

The unraveling of dimensions brought a strange wind to her abode, as the jester made his presence known through his wily teasing, "Someone appears to be enjoying themselves."

The Vizier bit their teeth down and squirmed with a hiss, "You…"

Dimentio snapped his fingers and chuckled, "In the flesh…if you can even call this that."

The Vizier draped their arms in front of their body and began casting magic, "There's nothing stopping me from removing you from the picture anymore."

"Ah, now that'd be quite the tragic departure. And here I was hoping you'd be more hospitable to my company in these trying times."

"Hmph, I never liked you." She casually swung her right hand up and tried to blast the jester with lighting, only for them to dodge by slipping into a 2D plane.

"Ah ah ah," It felt like the jester was wagging his finger at her, "For a magician, you have an awfully narrow bag of tricks."

The Vizier tested their own patience by ignoring the jester's antics and wondering with a growl, "What do you want?"

Dimentio escaped from two-dimensional space and remarked, "I told you, I want you to accept my company."

"Why should I?"

"I believe we both share a vested interest in bringing back Lord Solomon. No, I suppose it'd be more respectful to call him the Dark King now, yes?"

The Vizier became a little more relaxed by this unexpected news. The jester's motivations could flip on a dime but if tamed, then perhaps he'd be a worthy tool for her goals…

"Tell me what you seek, jester, and maybe I will tolerate your presence."

"Ah, spoken like a true tree growing out of the shade of their lord," Dimension snapped their fingers playfully and then chuckled, "This whole ordeal has given me the motivation I seek to write the first act of a new play."

"Yes, my brain's typing away at the keyboard like a spider of a thousand legs. I, the star of the show, shall bring about the age of nothingness to all creation."

The Vizier shook. The jester was too calm about his high ambitions. He may very well have been too dangerous to keep in check…

And yet, the scale of his desires spoke to her. For it was the very gods who lord over creation who dared to defile her great lord in chains.

Retribution could thus only be paid in greater measure…

"My lord's power, and all those Wellsprings…left unguarded."

The Vizier's muttering led to a stray utterance, echoing what the parasite once told her about, 'A 'Blank'..."

"..."

The Vizier turned around and with but a wave of their hand, opened a corridor of darkness.

Dimentio was stunned speechless, "Well now…this is a new trick."

The Vizier marched one foot into the darkness and turned back, "If you're coming, then you better put on a brave mask. This…is TRUE darkness."

Dimentio floated closer without hesitation, "Ah, then I'll fit right at home."

"Eh heh heh heh! Then let us venture off. We have a long road ahead of us, jester…" The two entered the darkness, unaware that the door behind them was being pushed open.

The young blacksmith Smithy, confused by Lord Solomon's disappearance, tried to come to the Vizier for answers.

But upon seeing them leave into the portal, he ended up jumping in after them, inadvertently changing the course of his fate forever…

"I did not know at the time what was transpiring in the darkness. I had involved myself fully into tending to the matters left behind in the wake of the Ten Sages demise."

"I had no choice but to step up as the sole ruler of the city and our people. Ironic, that I would end up here after so long despising that duty…"

"Gabriel assisted…Damascus too…"

"The rebuilding efforts weren't terribly difficult with the aid of Lianne and the others in Oreore."

"Taking care of the fragile emotional states of our people was another story. They had been left vulnerable to 'D.'s' toxic mindset even confined within the chapels."

"I called upon the people of Caimanabel, they too attended to a broken leadership, but they were pleased to repay a favor to me for freeing them from the masks."

"Their council and psalms helped ease our people's hearts, and pull them away from the temptation of darkness."

"They were still scattered and confused, but more easily managed within our city walls."

"I thought this was fine…that two-thousand years would pass by peacefully like this."

"But there was still the matter of my visions…"

"And no matter how much I scoured every branch, considering every possibility I could…I could not find the original hope that guided me."

"You had supplanted the dream like an invasive parasite."

"And because of this, I only saw everything we worked so hard to make right unraveling."

"The Dark King would return in the body of our would-be savior."

"The powers of Franklin Richards would be misused by the one meant to bring about great things by them."

"A dark reflection would be born from the Vizier's ambitions, after she herself had become twisted to the point of being near unrecognizable."

"All that and more awaited because of your existence."

"But I refused to lie down and let this happen. Surely the strength to change the future is still laid inside of me. As did the knowledge to solve this mystery."

"There were plenty of clues to follow, all I needed was the means…"

"But to accomplish that much…I would have to do the unthinkable."

"And as luck would have it, the stars brought down one last light of hope to make that decision easily…"

"One month after returning from the Mushroom Kingdom, Catherine reappeared to check how things were going."

"I had to deliver the unfortunate news of my husband's passing, and though she seemed saddened by it, she…consoled me."

"I was surprised she had it in her, all things considered. Or perhaps I didn't believe I deserved sympathy for what I was about to ask…"

"Giving her full access to Sancturia's inner workings I had only one condition, a simple one at that…"

"Make it capable of space travel."

"She was understandably confused but I could not divulge my clairvoyance to her, nor the secrets of Sarajin's resting place."

"The trust we had from our shared, departed comrade was more than enough to get her to cooperate."

"And so more time continued to pass, as I played the role of leader while she worked in secret. Until finally…"

Auris stood at the base of the pyramid where many memories have come and gone.

She crossed her arms and looked up at the setting sun…the last she would ever see on this planet.

She closed her eyes and the memories of old passed through her like a flowing river.

This was still her last chance to take back this decision, to accept and flourish in this peace that her husband sacrificed so much to give them all.

Flower buds were starting to rise in the wastelands. The seas were slowly being cleansed.

The sky was free to have clouds, and it amplified the warm tones cast by the sunset.

"It's all too beautiful to take in…" She said, her voice cracking under the restraint of her shifting heart.

But as she grabbed hold of her right arm, she knew that she could only be loyal to the cause she believed in the most.

Her own.

"I'm sorry…to all of you…" She admitted this guilt solely to herself.

But did not realize that Gabriel was close enough to overhear her, "Lady Auris…?"

His approach made her stiff and fraught with worry.

"Are you feeling alright? This is your second time here today."

He was showering her with concern, rightfully so in his eyes.

She shifted her body away from his eyes and tensely gripped her arm, immediately spilling what needed to be heard, "Forgive me, Gabriel…"

For it didn't matter what he knew at this point…

"Hey! Can you hear me, Auris?!" Rang Catherine's voice through Auris' earpiece.

"That voice…?" Gabriel picked up on it as Auris pressed her fingertips upon the device to answer.

"Y-Yes, Catherine…?"

"I just installed the last engine part! Do you want me to fire it up now, or do you still need time?"

Auris felt like she was collapsing within a soundless voice as she answered, "...Yes, do it now."

Then she squeezed her fist and her heart ached enough to kill her.

Gabriel extended his hand and all of Sancturia began to quake.

A pristine barrier of scientific design rose to cover the city and keep them locked in, with a supply of fresh air steadily being provided through vents built in around the city.

A few more shakes loosened the city from the ground and it began to rise.

Gabriel regained his balance and immediately turned on Auris for answers, "We're lifting off?! Why? To where?!"

"I promise I'll explain it in more detail later…!" Auris tried to brush him off in a haste.

"Lady Auris…!" Gabriel reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder.

And then the ground shook so hard it was felt across the entire planet, followed by a gravelly scream from its Titan.

"T-H-E A-U-R-I-A-N-S A-R-E E-S-C-A-P-I-N-G!"

Auris winced as she felt incredible power exploding to the north.

Their escape would not be an easy one, it would seem…

She turned to Gabriel and shoved him off, disarming his immediate concerns with as best an explanation as she could give, "Sarajin's soul is in jeopardy! I-I believe…we've been tricked…!"

She then drew both her sword and shield and dashed to the edge of the city, where she saw the humble forest advancing upon them, and the seas rising with Coralcea floating through the air after them.

Ividae's silhouette grew from consuming the plant life around it in a blind frenzy, until it was able to cast its shadow over the city.

Sancturia shook off-balance thanks to vines entangling around it from below.

Auris held her ground and tried to keep as many people as she could from sliding around while rushing to the edge of the city.

Ividae crushed down with enough pressure to break a small moon, and the barrier started to crack.

Auris shed tears and wondered how much of this was the Titan's rage, or her friend Carmine's feelings of betrayal…

Nevertheless, she took her glove off and reached out to give the vines a little touch.

And the Anti-Genesis Theorem spread through them like an inferno of intoxicated veins, causing Ividae to shriek in pain and recoil around, battering its home with every footstep.

"I'm sorry…" She cried out in pain.

Power then swelled like a geyser and a bright, watery light grew from the tip of Coralcea's mouth.

Auris' eyes widened as she recognized that as she was now, she would not be able to prevent it from destroying the barrier.

She ran towards its destination as it fired and readied her sword with all her strength, but found her wildly fluctuating emotions were chaining her down.

That was when a green aura wrapped around the immense water pressure and forced it down into a more manageable sphere.

Before Auris could even blink, the water was thrown back to strike the Titan out of the sky and beach it on the wasteland.

Auris turned to her right and saw Damascus lowering his hand with a dismissive scoff.

"Savage beasts…Lord Borealis was right about them all."

Auris felt a horrible chill in the pit of her gut seeing this man's power displayed unchecked…

But there was no time to linger on it before their ascension was stalled by a roaring lighting bolt from up high.

Voltneir and Twinbeak were working together to tear through the barrier, the wise owl's words more scathing than the millions of volts smiting down upon them.

"If you will not atone on the ground, then die in the air, Aurians!"

The lightning bolts came screaming out too fast for Damascus to handle. Auris held out hope that they would make it through. All they had to do was escape the clouds, and there was nothing they could do…

"Ooook hoo hoo! Y'all are getting way too riled up about this!"

Having made the world her enemy, there was one who still chose to side with her.

Magmankey jumped across the land to atop the barrier and used his swords to slice away every last lightning bolt his brother fired.

"Lord Titan!" Auris shouted between thunderclaps.

Magmankey glanced over his shoulder and muttered, "You got a good reason for this, I'm assuming?"

Auris gave him a nod and he smirked back.

"Good enough for me!" Magmankey then summoned all his arms and drew his sword upon his brothers.

Voltneir growled, "This is no time for your antics, brother."

"Awwww, clam it ya big angry coward and fight me! I've always wanted to see how ya measure up to my swords!"

Magmankey then flung straight into battle howling like a loon, knocking away the last two Titans standing between Sancturia and its ascent away from this planet.

It would ultimately be a minor scuffle, and they would continue on as though nothing happened eventually…

Auris tapped the communicator in her ear and shouted, "Is everything good, Catherine?"

"Holy moley! Did you summon armageddon out there or something?! Yeah we're fine, but SHEESH…!"

There was no looking back. Hanging her hands to her sides, Auris murmured, "...Then take us away from here."

"With the aid of Catherine's station, we were guided through the stars to…somewhere."

"I hadn't yet logged a destination for us to settle down on. I needed to look into the future once more."

"But first, I explained what was happening in greater detail to Gabriel. He didn't enjoy abandoning Genestasia, but didn't hold enough attachment to mount much of an argument against me."

"Catherine eventually urged me to give her a destination."

"I thought of going back to the Mushroom Kingdom and running interference, but unfortunately, she hadn't heard of such a planet."

"It took some time to think it over, but I recalled the coordinates I etched onto the tablet and prayed that would save us…"

"Fortunately for me, her technology locked onto a planet in that vicinity."

"It was a long journey with multiple stops along the way to provide our people with food and water, with them dragged through the mud mentally to survive."

"I did my best to assuage their concerns, but the stronger voice between us was…Damascus."

"He acted out of loyalty to my departed father, but through his voice I could hear the seeds of ambition growing…And chose not to listen. I did not need to add another concern to my mind, I thought."

"After weeks of touring the stars, we arrived at an evergreen and blue water world…Earth."

"This one mirrored Genestasia development wise when it came to society, so we were able to enter the atmosphere without issue."

"You know where we settled, I will not drag out the end of this tale with the minor details that followed, beyond telling you that Catherine departed us to return to her heroism."

"All that mattered was THIS was the world where the infection would grow. And once I settled my people into this new location I would do everything in my power to locate and destroy it at the source…"

Auris and Gabriel walked through the city together, the first reprieve they had in a long while.

"The air on this world is fresh, and the water appeared pristine as we flew over it," Gabriel commented, "Our people will settle in fine here."

Auris shook her head, "I do not think that would be wise. I sense no trace of magic in the air. Mingling Aurian blood with regular humans could only lead to trouble if we don't approach the matter delicately."

Gabriel hung his shoulders and sighed, "A little longer then."

Auris grazed her pointer up his way and remarked, "Are you displeased?"

Gabriel shook his head, "I just hope you're right about this decision, Lady Auris."

She clutched her arms and muttered her breath, "I have to be…"

"...We have two-thousand years to determine how to cut off the branch, Gabriel. First, we should-"

Auris' eyes widened as a cold chill went down her spine.

Gabriel turned and reached for his sword, only to have his hand frozen in place by the clasp of an immeasurable force, not unlike gravity.

Standing before them was Damascus, his eyes now open, and ambition flooding forth from his demeanor.

"'Lady' Auris," He said, approaching with his presence towering over her, burying the sun's light behind his behemoth body, "I believe…it's time we had a talk."

As the light of the sun faded from her eyes, so too did the light of hope soon follow. She couldn't frown, she couldn't cry, she couldn't even laugh.

"I thought I had it all figured out."

"But I did not even begin to comprehend the cunning of my opponent, or how many roots he had spread out."

"Behind my back, in but a mere blink of an eye, God had already moved his pieces and turned Damascus into his pawn."

"No. That man died there."

"Gravitus was born."

"And his ambitions, now unchecked by any stronger power, would serve to keep me from intervening against God's 'Blanks' until they were born."

"...I did everything I could."

"But you, and the callous tainting of my husband's legacy and goodwill that would follow…were inevitable."

"...Checkmate."

Chapter 0.99: It Could Only Be For You

ACT 3: END