Chapter 4 - Future Forward
Sorry for not updating in a while got caught up in an original project. Yay Mage College! :D
'Thought'
"Human Dialogue"
"Demon Dialogue"
"Unknown"
"Celestial Dialogue"
"Technique"
Disclaimer: Oh! Oh! Oh! I own nothing. You know the drill. :(
On to the Story!
The savage siege was fast coming to an end. Waged for what has felt like months, it has left indelible scars all across the realms and even the other realities are starting to crumble.
A violent clash raged between Naruto's forces; beings born of the Void and the Shadowsun Citadel's combined forces.
So far, all has been well for Naruto's army. His Dragonflight has utterly crushed the Dominion Corps – the generals of the treacherous army; composed of high ranking hellions and celestials. As his forces neared the nexus of the great stronghold, these elite soldiers swooped in and countered with deadly force. Though their power was nothing to laugh at, Naruto's own corp of elite warriors battered them without relent.
The high ranking warriors were all defeated in one lightning quick assault. A brutal and precise slaughter, Naruto expertly ordered a small company of heavy hitters to plow head-on through their forces...to gain their attention. Then, as the celestials and hellions engaged the small force, two ambush parties sprung out and stabbed onto their flanks, sewing chaos among the enemy ranks. The Dragonflights then massacred with no remorse and absolutely no pity. The strong energies the Dominion commanded was no match for the utterly powerful elemental manipulation of the Dragonflight. Under the Dragonflight's control, the elements danced and moved with grace and elegance. Beautiful magic lit up the battlefield as the Dragonflights launched their elemental manipulations. So masterful were the Dragonflights that they made a bloody battle look like beautiful stageplay. White-hot fire serpents slithered and breathed searing flames around the battlefield, turbulent water sharks brutally tore up the opposition, lightning falcons pierced through defenses and a whole symphony of ever changing elemental spells lit up the warzone like a beautiful pyrotechnic display. The Dominions, not wanting to get outmaneuvered, opted for a tactical retreat to recover. Encamped inside a nigh impenetrable light shield, they healed and waited for the perfect time to strike. The Dragonflights surrounded the desperate defense and began their assault. Numerous elemental spells crashed against the steady shield, but it held its place. At the last second, before the Dragonflights began another round of their magic barrage, the celestials put down the shield and the hellions went on an offensive counter.
The battlefield was suddenly plunged into shadowy darkness as the hellions sprung out and fired off their attacks. Balls of compressed dark energy flew everywhere, projectiles of volatile poison zipped across the surroundings and demonic energies tore open the warzone. Fierce explosions rocked the battlefield as two powerful energies raged against each other. The elite celestials momentarily turned the tide of battle when they ambushed with their superior melee skills but the Dragonflights proved too tough when they released their Primal Forms. Before the final blow was struck, the remaining Dominions mounted a desperate attack. So focused were they on at least reducing the numbers of the Dragonflight that they began using suicide tactics. They gathered together and combined light and darkness. The volatile combination of two opposing energies imploded upon itself before erupting into realm shattering explosion which took out almost half of the attacking Dragonflight forces.
Though the casualties incurred were large, the operation ended in victory for Naruto's forces. The commanding officers of the Shadowsun Citadel's army were taken out. This left the rest of the forces directionless and scattered. The disarray allowed the Formless to score a decisive hit with the remaining forces; further crippling the abominable army. With their enemies' weakened and decimated, the rest of Naruto's forces spilled forth into the Shadowsun Citadel's Nexus - the place where the Allfather and the Chaosbringer were holed up to finish the remaining stragglers. As chaos reigned in the inner sanctum, Naruto went on ahead to deliver the coup de grace himself.
And there it was...the Citadel's Nexus. Standing high like a great beacon of power, this structure has been the base of operations of the two Avatars since their defection. Previously, it was just a monolithic crystalline pillar radiating a pure light; a structure meant to propagate the Allfather's power all throughout the mortal realm, this was meant to counteract the Void's "corrupting" grasp on the weak mortals. This did more harm than help though as the Allfather's power slowly eroded the Void's fabric; making miniscule rips and causing subtle disturbances. In its current state, the Void is what holds the realms together, what connects all the realities and what facilitates the cycle; it has been that way since that fateful battle eternities ago.
But with the usurpation of the throne just a few years past, the new Allfather changed everything, gone were the lush forests and calming greenery; the smooth crystalline structures became jagged and sword-like. Instead of a dazzling crystal pillar, a warrior's citadel was made; turrets, battlements and other warlike implements dotted its entirety. Most notable of all its defenses were the great outer walls that protected it. rumor has it that no one has ever entered the labyrinthine outer walls of the Citadel and got out.
Naruto stalked toward the gates. He was clad in a form fitting black hooded coat. It was adorned with flowing white runes resembling tribal tattoos which glowed rhythmically every now and then. The hood was up, fully obscuring his face.
"Anyone home?!" the young man said as his boot met the front doors of the outer defensive wall
The powerful kick sent the massive doors off their hinges. The pieces slammed onto a nearby wall, leaving a rather large dent. The Voidwalker strutted in and lo and behold what was waiting for our intrepid adventurer; a lone Celestial wrapped in quite an intimidating battle aura. The impressive energy raged around like a calm beast; gentle to those that would mean no harm but could quickly turn into a rabid abomination if provoked.
Naruto whistled as he took in the entirety of the area, he was just in the outer wall and yet it looked incredibly massive and entrancingly beautiful. Tall bunches of crystals jutted out of the ground forming different formations; like coarse, jagged statues. Small floating crystals dotted the landscape, reflecting light in an entrancing manner. Crystal arced galleries lined with glowing, runed weapons and busts surrounded the garden-like area. Likely guarded by mammoth soldiers, these galleries served as entrances to the inner sanctum.
'Not bad' Naruto said to himself as he raised an eyebrow.
Moments later, he dodged a barrage of thrown blades from the unknown celestial.
Said Celestial was garbed in a deep blue, lightly spiked battle armor with gold accents. Upon closer inspection, the armor surface had ornate carvings of flowing rivers and a multitude of stars – probably an array of defensive runes. A long and sturdy handle was strapped onto his back which was hidden by a pure white cloak with gold trim.
"Kygori. The Engulfing Fruit. Out of my way please, this does not concern you." Naruto said monotonously as he unleashed his energy in a show of threat. It was heavy and formless, as expected from the Void he controls with unshakeable resolve.
The celestial released another barrage of blades toward Naruto and this time the young fighter was not able to evade the projectiles. Unable to react to the lightspeed projectiles, Naruto sank to his knees as copious amounts of blood blossomed out of his chest like a grisly flower. He collapsed onto the ground softly twitching, his lifeblood quickly escaping him.
Kygori looked at the slowly draining form of Naruto with disbelief in his eyes. 'A ruse?' he narrowed his eyes as he searched for other energy signatures but found none. Is it really over?
"If you want to die that badly...then I shall oblige" came a husky whisper
'Illusion!' Kygori realized as Naruto jabbed a blade right down his throat. Imagine Naruto's surprise when the Kygori he stabbed exploded out in searing blue flames.
"Let's finish this quickly" Naruto said as he stepped out of the azure flames, impressed but ultimately unharmed. He created a dual katana combo from the Void and swiftly went into the offensive.
Kygori saw this and unsheathed his own weapon – a large sledgehammer-like bashing implement encrusted with glowing runed crystals.
The two warriors traded fierce blows, their movements blurred out, the only signs of a fight are the momentary sparks and loud clangs as their weapons met each other. Naruto was slowly picking apart the Engulfing Fruit's fighting style, trying to take advantage of any gaps in the defense with his own style. Kygori's guard however, didn't look like it would break apart anytime soon.
The celestial would nullify blows with a weak, flowing swing and then another quick swing came around for the counter. The heavy-set Celestial used the weight of his impressive weapon to quickly move around and attack in a circular fashion.
Naruto got in a thrust kick to the armored knight's midsection and jumped back, allowing himself a bit of breathing space.
"Perish is a sea of steel! Million Blades!" Naruto said hardly as he commanded the dual katana. The swords then diffused into millions of tiny blades fine as a grain of sand. They flowed around, draping him like a liquid shawl. The miniscule blades glinted a soft, silver glow in the intense light.
"Surge forward!" Naruto said as he sent the flowing stream of blades toward Kygori. The single blade stream engaged the Engulfing Fruit like a mass of angry bees. The blades quickly descended upon him like liquid death and smothered him in a blanket of razor sharp agony. The Celestial's heavy armor absorbed most of the attack though, it glowed intensely and nullified the water-like blades.
"Pierce! Hydra!" Naruto commanded as he pointed the empty handles toward his adversary. Suddenly, the single stream divided into five razor sharp, whip like partitions
With a swing, the blade tentacles surged forth with serpentine grace and engaged the armor clad celestial again.
Kygori smiled as he swung his maul, dissipating the delicate stream of blades.
"The offensive capability may be high, striking with millions of miniscule blades, shaving away chunks of flesh with every hit. But it is far too fragile; one strike from the Dreadmaul and the form is rendered useless. You cannot defeat me with a glass sword" Kygori said flatly
The blade stream however was very persistent, even as he spoke, the annoyingly nimble blades assaulted him. Everytime he would strike, the blades would swoop in, exploiting minute gaps in his defense.
"Checkmate..." Naruto whispered "Wind Bomb!" the young man said as he clapped the empty handles together.
Kygori now saw what the Voidwalker was doing; the blades were deliberately keeping him busy while discreet wind bombs moved in closer and closer, cutting off his escape route. Once they closed the gap, the invisible bombs exploded out in a storm of razor wind.
Kygori was engulfed in a tempest of air pressure and blades, the sheer force from the attack carving gigantic gashes all across the battlefield. His armor saved him yet again but at a price. Large gashes now decorated the titanic armor. Now it is nothing more than a nuisance, preventing movement and offering virtually no protection. The heavenly knight discarded his maul and shed the torn steel.
The Celestial's helmet came off and his face was revealed for all to see...except there was nothing there. Just a faint semblance of a head and squirming distortions where a face should be.
''Ah, yes. The Allfather's...''gift''. Cute'' Naruto said as he surveyed the Celestial
''Enough talk! Witness the Engulfing Fruit's true power. Tide of War!'' he said as he let his aura dance about, focusing his next move.
Intense energy whipped out as Kygori unleashed his might. A surge of energy blew Naruto's hood down, exposing his face. The features changed as the years passed, various scars marred his once smooth face, a testament to the numerous battles he has gone through. An eyepatch with a circular network of interlocking runes covered his left eye, limiting his energy output to controllable levels.
"Voidwalker...Your rampage ends here" Kygori said coldly. His battle aura steadied and with a casual wave of the hand, conjured a sea of grey skinned humanoid warriors garbed in light armor. They appeared almost instantaneously. A large wave-like surge of energy escaped Kygori and quickly formed additional warriors. Armed with swords and daggers with serrated edges, they twirled their weapons masterfully before taking attack stances. Without warning, all of them charged in a violent tide of weapons and armor.
"...Flame!" Naruto said as he nimbly avoided the slashes. Massive amounts of energy erupted from him and suddenly expanded out into a dome-shaped wave of black fire. Those who were unfortunate enough to be hit with the attack died instantaneously in a sea of obsidian flame; burnt down to the last. With a simple motion of a finger, the sea of onyx fire converged and formed a number of large, raven-like machinations that proceeded to chase down the opposition.
Naruto looked on, uninterested as the minions scattered around, the flame avians taking them out one by one. The white clad army ran about like headless chickens trying desperately to evade the flaming wings . A few soldiers got caught up in the attack, it didn't look pretty. They got sliced cleanly and then burst into dark flame.
"Blast!" Naruto whispered as he clapped his hands together. This action detonated the flying ravens of blazing death, shaving off more than a few enemies.
From the flames, a new wave of enemies emerged. They launched themselves at Naruto, intent on ripping him a new one.
"...Shock!" Naruto muttered under his breath as he shot out large bolts of lightning on the minions.
The attack blasted clean through them, leaving them little more than bloody chunks littering the floor.
"Shock Explosion!" Naruto suddenly said out
Those that were hit with the bolts of lightning swelled up as uncontrollable electricity welled up inside them. A massive electric discharge followed which forcefully threw the attackers away. Those caught in the blast were disintegrated from the intense electricity and the force of the blast.
"Hmph! So what they say about you is true" Kygori said emotionlessly as he summoned large, reptilian looking warriors clad only in simple loincloths. Uncontrollable bloodlust raged inside these berserkers as they surveyed the battlefield. They relinquished weapons in favor of brute strength and adamantine defense; their huge arms covered in needle spikes meant to increase the offensive potential of their strikes.
"Breakers...onward!" Kygori ordered the iron brutes
The grey-scaled machinations moved toward Naruto with surprising speed and engaged the young Voidwalker in a vicious attack barrage. Punches, kicks and elbows appeared out of nowhere as the lightning bruisers continued their merciless offensive.
"Hmph!...Not even close to Lee's level" Naruto said softly as he spared a moment of silence for his fallen friend
'I should have tried to understand him…' he thought sadly
The young man blocked and trapped a strong punch from a metal man and did a full spin before throwing the heavy-set machination into a large concentration of enemies. A huge explosion of dust and bodies ensued as the force from the throw obliterated the target.
He had no time to admire his handiwork as he dodged a right hook aimed at his head. A counterkick blew the enemy followed by a haymaker which crushed the heavily muscled enemy's chest. With a single hurricane kick, he sent the other interlopers away, he needed a little breathing space for his next attack.
"Terra Sunder!" Naruto said out loud as he let his energy explode out, the huge cloud of energy seeped into the ground and for a few moments, nothing happened.
Naruto floated upwards, he wanted to admire the chaos from an unimpeded bird's eye view.
Without warning, violent tremors rocked the battlefield, huge chasms cracked open and geyser-like jets of lava spewed forth with great force.
A lot of the summoned soldiers got caught up in this attack. They were either burned by the scorching magma jets or they fell to their deaths in the gigantic spike filled chasms.
"Deluge!" Naruto said with a small wave of the hand as he manipulated the pooling lava, making it move like water. The searing magma moved in like a blazing flood and smothered most of the heavy hitters in molten death. Naruto then breathed a strong gust of icy wind at the pile of superheated earth and bodies, trapping them in a shell of hardened rock.
"Serpent!" Naruto continued as he let his energy spring forth as he manipulated the blazing magma once again. This time, shaping the viscous liquid into a dragon that quickly sprang into action. The lava dragon snapped its mighty jaws at the attackers and spewed dual jets of lava from its massive maw. Before it could start with its deadly course though, the oversized snake was blown apart by dozens of light bombs that surrounded it almost instantaneously.
"Die!" Kygori muttered as he sent a barrage of light bombs toward Naruto.
"You talk too much...Onyx Cutter!" Naruto answered as he focused a spiraling ball of dark fire on his right hand. He placed his left hand over it and refined it, turning it into a Fuma Shuriken-like shape.
He threw the flame shuriken and it met with the speeding explosives. The explosion that ensued was so massive that it wiped out the rest of the rabid attackers. Kygori didn't seem to mind this as he just kept on going and going.
"Valkyrie! Soar!" came out Kygori's reply as he again summoned a different class of warrior
A group of five winged female knights stood in front of him like a protective bulwark. They were bathed in a brilliant light that does not seem to fade and exuded a fairy-like elegance. They floated forward, clad in heavy angular armor with a wing motif, their spiked helms hid most of their features from prying eyes but the frosty cerulean glow from their orbs pierced the darkness within. The Winged Knights wielded long spears with different glowing runes inscribed on the blades and a pair of wing designs protruding out near the base of the blade.
"Genesis Arts: Shadow Slave!" Naruto rebutted as he let his energy spill out in copious amounts.
Three pools of viscous tar-like liquid oozed off his shadow and surrounded Naruto in a triangle formation. As his energy infused the three pools of liquid, globs of varying shapes slowly rose up, higher and higher until they twisted into vaguely humanoid forms. As the energy stemmed its flow, the progression of their growth reached its peak and out formed imposing figures.
"What abominations have you spawned now Voidwalker?" Kygori said, apparently appalled at the display
"Shadow Striders" came the simple answer
Three dark humanoids with heavy set forms took the place of the pools of tar. Their faces were flat and featureless save for a single glowing white circle in the middle that pulsed every now and then. They had mouths festooned with serrated fangs; viscous, corrosive saliva constantly dripped out of their horrendous maws. Their arms were muscular and their hands were vicious claws that oozed with a virulent poison. They looked at their master and nodded. With bestial roars they were at the heels of the Valkyries, savagely slashing with their wicked talons.
"Strider Charge: Inferno!" Naruto said. Immediately, the white ring on their faces flashed an intense orange, the color of the all consuming element of fire. Their attacks exploded out with raging fire as they continued with their assault without relent. An intense heat flowed from them as they focused their raging energies. Instantly, their hands burst into a vermillion blaze and elongated into two long, slender blade-like forms. This increase in attacking range proved effective as the Striders scored hits, they were shallow though and soon, the Valkyries countered with strong gusts of wind from their wings that pushed the Striders back.
The Valkyries countered with precise spear stabs that had such speed that they blurred.
This lapse in attack was used by the Valkyries to launch their own major attack. They flew forward quickly in a vertical pentagram shaped pattern. They spun hypnotically as they let their energies meld together into one powerful attack. Circular glyphs appeared around each of the rotating warriors as their powers neared its crescendo. At the energy's peak, the five glyphs joined together and formed a shining star-shaped crest.
"Penta Strike" they all said in unison
"Strider Charge: Titansteel" Naruto said softly before the huge attack hit
The Shadow Striders' face-circles lost the bright orange and flashed gunmetal grey as their bodies were wrapped up in a silver energy absorbing coating. They braced themselves for the impending attack as Naruto focused his energies.
An almighty blast issued from the crest and engulfed both Naruto and his summoned beasts in an intense flash of pure energy rivaling the force of a hypernova. (1)
A harsh whistling sound echoed out as the Shadow Striders absorbed the powerful flare. The attack was too powerful though and soon, the summoned warriors overloaded and exploded in a massive display of light and energy. The whole courtyard was reduced to a molten crater from the force of the attack, the once beautiful place burnt down to the ground by the awesome might of the sea of energy.
Due to the force of the released attack, much of Kygori's forces got obliterated from the overloaded Shadow Striders. This did not faze the defending celestial though as he kept on summoning a sea of warriors from a seemingly endless source.
"Give yourself up Voidwalker" Kygori puffed triumphantly
"No. Apocalypse Release: Devour." came Naruto's voice as he sent an orb of black matter towards the heavily armored Kygori. Before it can come in close though, the Engulfing Fruit ordered his summoned soldiers to intercept the projectile. The obsidian orb hit and expanded out into a large black hole, sucking up everything with an iron-clad grip. Most of Kygori's forces got caught up in the devastating move, he saw as his summoned soldiers got sucked in the black hole and disappear into nothingness.
The celestial pooled his energy, he needed more power to put this heathen down
"I tire of this...it is time to end you. Summoner's Lore! Trigger!" Kygori said, his voice distorting from the sheer force of the energy that he expelled.
A fierce energy whipped his cape about as he levitated a few meters off the ground. The Engulfing Fruit held out his softly glowing hands on either side. He focused the energies and at their peak, slammed the hands together producing a bright light and a large surge of energy. After the light subsided...
A large macabre sphere appeared. The massive orb seemed to be made up of Kygori's summoned monsters; they squirmed like many insects trying to burrow inside a ripened fruit.
"Witness my undefeatable power and bow down!" Kygori said in a deep distorted voice. Suddenly, the flesh orb spilled forth an endless amount of soldiers all heavily armed and armored. Canine spearmen, Ursine warriors armed with gigantic greatswords, Reptilian snipers toting energy crossbows, Lupine warriors armed with spiked whips, Feline assassins armed with devilish claws meant for ripping out guts and a lot more; it was like a magical menagerie bred for the sole purpose of stripping the opponent to the bone.
Naruto sighed as he wordlessly formed a flowing water whip and a lightning crossbow
Naruto quickly flicked the water whip forward. The whip flew forward and cleanly sliced up everything that got in its way.
"Die!" Naruto said as he unloaded a few salvos of lightning bolts at the enemy
Naruto sliced through his umpteenth monster, he roughly kicked at the slain warrior and fired some lightning at it just to be sure it was dead. Yeah, its fun creatively killing the first few thousand soldiers but this is getting real old real fast. Naruto touched the end of the water whip on the ground; suddenly five watery tendrils shot out of the ground like flowing trees and impaled a group of soldiers. The tendrils curled and snaked around, collecting more and more bodies as they rose higher. As they finished their ascent, more than a dozen soldiers were impaled on the flesh tower. It looked like a macabre kebab more than anything.
"They really are like an unending flood" Naruto sighed as he shot at a serpentine rogue wielding dual katars
"Had enough yet, Voidwalker?" Kygori taunted
"Hmph!" Naruto did not care to answer back as he sent a water snake crashing toward a group of snipers followed by a large blast of lightning directed at some oncoming spearmen.
He looked at the skewered warriors and noticed something odd. They were slowly dissolving into millions of miniscule energy particles. He followed the path of the particles, they were being absorbed by the flesh orb. As soon as it absorbed the energy back, it spewed out more of those strange warriors.
"I see" Naruto though out loud. Then, an idea hit him like the side of a freight truck. ' 'Game Over' he thought
'Why haven't I thought of that sooner?' Naruto mentally berated himself
'Time to finish this' he scowled as he let the water whip and lightning crossbow dissipate away.
An intense light enveloped him as Naruto stood in the presence of the Allfather.
"The Engulfing Fruit and even the mighty Triumvirate have fallen…" the figure said
"And you're next." Naruto answered
The Allfather snorted
"I'd like to see you try" the supreme celestial said in a bored tone "There is nothing you can do, the process has already been put into motion long ago" he said in a monotone voice without even looking
"You think that would stop me?" Naruto said as he narrowed his eyes
The Allfather didn't respond. They locked eyes, measuring up each other; Naruto was the first to tear away his gaze. Suddenly, the young warrior found himself drained of energy; his spirit crushed. A crippling fear gripped his heart and a sense of longing permeated him. He felt physically weak, his knees buckled, it seems as though he would collapse at any moment.
'It looks like I'm still not ready' Naruto thought with a snort, disappointed with himself. With a grimace, he thought of all the events that finally concluded with this: the erasure of all existence.
"Why?" a single question escaped Naruto's lips
"Because nothing matters" came the simple answer as the powerful celestial continued to look at the multitude of gigantic rips marring the Void.
As Naruto pondered over the answer, the Celestial Nexus slowly continued the process of merging with the Void. Should this merger complete, the huge output of energy would erase everything. The reduction of everything into the Zero State; complete nothingness.
"Wha…what do you mean?" Naruto asked as he felt the Void shudder in pain
A powerful surge of energy engulfed the chamber as the agonizingly slow process continued. Outside the chamber, massive distortions appeared all throughout the different realities. It seems as though the end is fast approaching.
"Allow me to explain before you meet your demise" the Allfather said flatly "There are an infinite number of realities and worlds born from the choices we make…born from each and every choice of each and everyone"
"Most of them are not that different from what we know. But some of them are so radically different that you begin to question your core...your very being." The Allfather stated "In one reality you and I are brothers in arms, in another neither you nor me have ever been born, in yet another; the sorrows of war and hate have been eradicated, ad infinitum" the man flourished
"I…I see…" Naruto said as he felt a stinging sensation 'Make it stop!' he heard a faint whisper in his mind
"Anything you have ever thought of, everything you have ever planned on doing. A version of yourself on another reality has already made it, has already thought about it. Somewhere out there, a version of you is doing or has experienced things that you cannot even fathom. When you think about it, we are all nothing…less than nothing. Nothing we ever do can be considered important." The Allfather monologued
Naruto looked on, slack jawed
"We are in what is called the Prime. This is where the other realities are born from. Destroy this one and the rest follow." The celestial said grimly
"You can kill me if you want, but it will change nothing" the Allfather said as he faced Naruto, guard completely down
"No…I don't want to fight anymore. I just…" Naruto said as he winced at the growing pain he was feeling
"Just what? Just want to end the suffering? And then everyone will live happily ever after? You think we'll all join hands and sing "The Happy Song" in front of a big campfire?" the Allfather exploded out suddenly, mockingly "…You are more naïve than I thought"
"Life IS suffering! Why prolong your pain when you can just save yourself the grief and end it all? The way I see it, you should all be thanking me on bended knee" the Allfather said pompously
"Many see death as an enemy…something to be feared and scorned. An ancient evil that must be conquered...beaten into submission. I beg to differ; I see death as a gift. A final rest for the tired and weary; the final frontier. The proper finish to everyone's story" The man finished soberly
"There…there may be no meaning to this existence, but does there have to be? Does everything have to have a reason?!" Naruto said defiantly as he steeled his resolve
"Whatever reason you find will not matter. Trying is futile; you cannot go against the tide" the Allfather said in a tired tone
Everything shuddered as the melding process neared its completion. The voices in Naruto's head increased their screaming, like a symphony of a thousand people being simultaneously tortured with instruments of pain.
"I may wither and die but the experiences I've had will never disappear! The laughter and tears I shared with my friends! All the sacrifices and the adventures we had together. They happened and no one can take them away!" Naruto said he tore off the eyepatch that regulated his energy
Naruto fell to his knees as he felt his body rip apart, atom by atom. Pieces of skin and raw flesh flew away like pieces of ripped paper. The intense power of the Void too much for his mortal coil to handle. A flood of light escaped him as the energy liberated itself. He screamed out in pain as he felt his innards catch fire. His bones were melting and his blood was freezing; as the energy increased its intensity, Naruto's pain reached a new plateau.
"The Void may call you its master but have you mastered it?" the Allfather taunted
"Don't…count me out…just yet" Naruto said through gritted teeth as the energy kept on pouring out of him. He clutched his chest, what was left of it anyway.
"It doesn't matter. Nothing you do can ever change the course of what is about to come" the Allfather stated as he slowly walked away
Without another thought, Naruto let his energies creep outward, trying to correct the damage that has been done. The ethereal tendrils moved about. Trying to halt the process; trying to separate the two essences.
"Futile" the Allfather said under his breath as he watched the event unfold
A faint power pulsed in the soft darkness as the Void moved to its master's will. It was weak however; as it was at that moment all it could do was delay the fusion of the two realms.
'NO! Give me more power!' Naruto demanded from the Gatesman
'You know full well what will happen if I do that' it answered back
'I KNOW! Just give it to me dammit!' Naruto desperately ordered
'You're the master, just don't come bitching to me when you fade away' the Gatesman answered with a shrug
An explosion of the Void rocketed throughout Naruto's being. A combination of a euphoric feeling and torturous pain raced through him; engulfing him with an overload of sensations.
"So…so this is how it should be…" Naruto muttered, a faintness grabbing hold of his being "It…it feels so nice…"
'…You did good…but…' the Gatesman trailed off
His eyes were getting heavy. He slowly drifted off to a nice slumber. Yes…sleep, rest, reprieve. Seems as though that pompous asshole was right about one thing, it is a blessing indeed; relief for the weary soul. All worries gone, fear and anger all dissolved.
He let a smile grace his features as he felt himself slowly fade out.
Suddenly, the fading sensation stopped and Naruto felt himself being picked up by a large pair of hands. They were soft, like a feather bed but they were slightly knobby, like the hands of one who has known only hardships all his life.
'There is still a lot you have to set right Voidwalker. Rise and serve the Void as it has served you' a harsh rasp came
He wrenched his eyes open as he felt himself falling again through the infinite darkness. He felt the velvet darkness slowly creep onto him and he knew no more.
The bound preteen boy awoke to a familiar darkness. He had been stuck there for quite a while now, about ten hours now if his body clock were accurate. He looked around, heightened eyesight piercing through the darkness of the room. Various crates stacked on top of each other surrounded him and a wet, musty smell hung in the air. Seems like this storeroom hasn't been used for quite a time.
He had been falling into uncomfortable sleep in the last few hours, most were dark and dreamless but some carried really freaky dreams, hazy visions of places and faces he had never seen before. He blinked as he felt cold sweat run down the side of his face
The boy felt incredibly thirsty. He tried to swallow but his throat won't permit him, it was bone dry and hurt with every little motion he made inside his mouth.
Suddenly…
'…Forgive…my master, but all…could…mere fragments…use…memories…suffering…end' Naruto heard a familiar voice say inside his head. The message was fragmented however, like it came from a broken radio.
"Weird…" The confused boy muttered as he tried to make sense of the splintered words.
This continued on for a few hours, strange visions flashed in his mind like fragmented footage from an old camcorder. The more the boy tried to make sense of it, the more he felt his grip on sanity weaken. He remembered things he didn't do, recalled memories that weren't his.
"Who are those people and why do I feel like I know them somehow?" Naruto found himself blurting out
The bound boy scrunched up his forehead in concentration, trying to make sense of it all; he wasn't as gifted as that Nara guy but he could probably give the guy a run for his money.
''Well, first thing's first. Escape." Naruto told himself. He looked at his bindings and examined the material. He pushed against it and felt the inside.
"Hmmm...Chakra enforced restraints. Hard to break through brute force, but a chemical persuasion would suffice." he monologued.
He readied his salivary glands and shot a jet of clear liquid at one of the restraints, a practice run. He didn't want to make a mess. A sizzling sound issued from the restraint as his saliva easily ate through the bond. Remember the Shoomba blood that infected him? Yeah, that gave him super saliva. What is super saliva, you ask? Its basically an upgrade, his salivary glands now produced saliva of the stinging, burn-you-in-the-face variant. You do not want this guy spitting on your face, its a literal facemelter.
Naruto got snapped out of his 'activities' when he heard a shrill creaking sound echoing throughout the enclosed space.
'...door' he thought as he narrowed his eyes, ready for anything
Heavy footsteps and loud, metallic clinking sounds signaled the arrival of his visitor
''...Grind that sonuvabitch to fine chunks. Hahaha'' an unusually high pitched male voice rang out as the deranged man fought down the urge to shake all over
''Make sure you get all the information we need out of him before you have your fun'' a stern voice said before it left
'Zabuza'
''Good day to you...meat'' the man spat as he regarded the bound prisoner. His trench coat billowed as he came to an abrupt stop. The weak, eerie light cast by his lantern accentuated his bony features making him look like the grim reaper itself. An ancient man with a figure ravaged by time and sickness stood before him; he looked like he would fall dead at any second.
''You know what's going to happen next'' the torturer gave a toothless grin. His hollowed eyes glinted maliciously as he opened his overlong trench coat like he was some kind of dresser. Zabuza stood behind him with folded arms and watched. A hard look in his eyes, on guard and ready for anything.
What Naruto saw next made him question the man's sanity, meticulously lined up in the ancient man's trench coat were 26 pieces of lightly varnished cardboard labeled from A to Z.
''I'm feeling generous today so I'll let you choose. M for mutilation or D for disembowelment'' the nasty old man offered
''How about T?'' the boy answered
''...for take a bath. When was the last time you took one?'' he said in an straight, mocking face
The ancient man ignored the little jab and pulled the varnished cardboard labelled ''T''
''So T it is then! A wise choice'' the ancient man said as he read the contents of the piece of cardboard out loud.
''Ah yes, the thousand cut method followed by a very thorough vivisection.'' the torturer flourished
''Let us begin shall we?'' he said with barely contained excitement as he readied his trusty scalpel
As he began to make the first cut, he looked at Naruto's face. He wanted to see the look of pain on his victim's face everytime he administered his ''treatment''. A habit he has had ever since he began his path.
Imagine his surprise as he saw no fear nor anger on the face of his would-be victim. He looked like he was sleeping, he carried with him a relaxed vibe that irked the older man.
'That smug look will be wiped off soon enough' the torturer thought as he let the blade sink into flesh
''Aaaaargghhh! NOOOOO!'' Naruto exclaimed as he sprung to life, thrashing about and drooling uncontrollably.
He looked at the wan torturer and flashed an annoying smile.
''Just kidding, wake me up when you're all done. Okay?'' he said in an annoyingly cheerful tone as he yawned.
Zabuza's eyes flashed, 'What is this kid?' he thought to himself.
The scalpel repeatedly carved into the boy, yet not even a yelp of pain from him.
The torturer was getting unnerved, 'How could flesh mend this quickly?' he thought as he saw the flesh sew back together right in front of him. It wasn't an instantaneous process but it was quick enough to repair a cut after he had finished with it.
'Is this child even human?' he thought as he continued slicing.
He didn't know if it was boredom or Zabuza had to go do some business but the elite ninja left the elder tortured to his devices. Big mistake.
As soon as Naruto was sure Zabuza was far away and he was safe to make a move. he looked at the wan torturer and smiled.
"I wanted to thank you for this opportunity." Naruto said kindly.
The elder man gave the boy a perplexed look. "What?"
Without warning, a clear liquid escaped Naruto's mouth and coated the torturer's eyes. Within seconds, the liquid burned, eliciting shrieks of pain from the older man.
As the old tortured flailed around, he carefully aimed the jets of saliva at the remaining restraints, burning them off and giving him freedom, finally! Although his clothes didn't provide much protection or decency for that matter.
"Well this is nice." the boy said as he looked around, the old man was nowhere to be seen. It would be bad if the others were alerted to his presence, he hasn't recovered much of his strength yet. He navigated the dark room, sampling the air for the old man's scent every few feet. It was a surprisingly large storeroom, warehouse is a more apt word to describe it. He found the old man crawling blindly near the door. He whimpered as he felt around, his eyes eaten away by the corrosive saliva. Naruto approached the pathetic looking old man silently and in one swift motion, twisted his neck.
"Not like he had much long to live. Well, that takes care of that. Now to get out of here." Naruto said as made to salvage some clothing from the corpse of the old man. Yeah, it was pretty disgusting but it was that or running through kami-knows-what with his family jewels dangling and slapping all over.
He was about to take off the trench coat when the door opened. Keiri was on the other side, bearing a tray with some food and water. Naruto looked at her with a surprised look and straightened up to face her. Bad. Idea.
"We...Well hello there Miss Satsujou." Naruto said with a stupid smile.
A shrill scream escaped Keiri as she slammed the tray at Naruto, knocking him out cold.
Sorry for the delay. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
As usual, please leave your comments and reviews. Thanks! keeperoflies Out!
(1) Explosion of a massive star; Wikipedia for more info