A/N: Those of you who are still with the story at this point, Hooray! I am so glad that you have decided to continue on this journey with me through the new world of Puzzle and Dragons. I extend my deepest thanks to all of you readers out there who have taken the time to review my previous chapters. Thanks a bunch!


"I constantly tell them not to look in the box, but they always do anyway. It's rather amusing." -Pandora

Chapter 2- Reversion

Pirugan Continent, Caramoc Cove

May 23, 2020

2:03 AM

2 Days before launch of PADW

The swirling disc slashed dangerously past Leilan as she side-stepped expertly out of harm's way. The remaining five discs of lightning maneuvered strategically around her and seemed to float momentarily, as if they were waiting for her to make the first move. Leilan didn't need to win this battle though, she just needed to buy Pandora enough time to make her escape.

The moon was now completely consumed by the specks of yellow and blazed like a brilliant sun. Streams of silver laced around the circumference of the sphere of light and glided to the ground, seemingly inserting themselves into the land. The sphere began to pulsate much more evenly than before and rings of rainbow light shot outward and disappeared into the distance from all angles.

Leilan turned to Pandora. "Get going. There isn't enough time for you to stay here."

Pandora nodded her assent and retreated to the other end of the cove where a short tunnel promised an escape.

Leilan inspected the spinning rings. One of her eyes conjured a slight flame that burned a scorching blue and orange hue. The eye remained immune to the burn and her pupil narrowed.

"Initiating active skill Flame Lure," Leilan muttered under her breath.


Pandora spared a glance over her shoulder and saw that the spinning rings had become impatient and launched themselves at Leilan in unison. Pandora hated being the one who had to turn tail, but she knew that the box needed to be kept safe at all costs.

At the end of the tunnel, she was halted by a cliff that overlooked the expanse of the glowing ocean. She stared down and could see the gentle lapping of the waves below upon the rocky shore. To her left was a natural staircase that led downwards.

What stood before the staircase was the real problem. Pandora let out a stream of curses as she noticed an armored warrior draw a broadsword from the long scabbard on his back. The sword's length was as long as he was tall, and a small iron shield with intricate, swirling symbols was attached to his left forearm. Gold spikes protruded from his helmet and narrow slits were left open for the eyes. His gauntlets were multilayered and jagged upon the knuckles.

He took an intimidating, heavy step forward and cracked the knuckles on one of his hands. The smooth rock beneath his feet showed signs of thin cracks with his passing.

Pandora took a struggled step back to put as much distance between her and the black knight as possible. She needed to hold on for just a little bit longer. The Reversion was about to take place. Just a little longer...

She found herself at the edge of the cliff, the heel of her foot no longer resting on solid ground. Her foot rose and fell a few times as if it was refusing to believe that it had reached the end of the line.

Pandora eyed her enemy and set the box down beside her. She attempted to mentally prepare herself for the inevitable encounter, despite the aching resistance of her body. The knight was now only a few yards away and he could easily close the distance between them, even with his bulky armor. The armored monster took a shorter step forward and lowered himself into a crouch, preparing to charge forward, with sword drawn parallel to the ground. Pandora took a fighting stance of her own and conjured a sphere of darkness that was a materialization of her own malice. It swirled calmly at first, and then increased in speed as she forced her hate to rise. It was the source of her power; the manifestation of dark emotions.

Just as both combatants leaned to ease weight on their back legs, a high-pitched voice pierced the silence from above.

"Unnecessary dramatic entrance PUNCH!" the enthusiastic voice shouted.

The black knight looked up in time for his face to be met with a spiked, metal fist that drove his head into the ground in a splash of rock and dirt that concealed both him and his assailant. The female who struck him drew back her other fist for a second attack, but the knight recovered faster than anticipated and drew a hidden dagger concealed in the waste of his armor. He slashed outwards in an upper arc, just barely missing the female, who had reared her upper body back to avoid the sneak attack. She pushed off the recovering knight and landed a few yards away, driving one of her fists into the ground to ease the landing for the rest of her body.

The girl stood straight and threw her long, black hair back over her shoulder, revealing a wide grin on her face. She had what appeared to be small fins extending near her ears and jagged horns growing from her head. She wore an aqua, silk kungfu suit that extended to her thighs, which were covered by elaborately crafted body armor of similar hue. Her white leggings and suit matched the shape of her body for increased mobility. The armor on her wrists were also of the same blue color as the rest of the armor, and sharp fins extended out of these as well, making them versatile for offense and defense in combat. What was most peculiar about her human-like appearance was the long, cerulean tail that extended from her lower back that barely brushed against the ground at its end.

She smashed her armored fists together dramatically and the metallic clang echoed throughout the cove. The girl turned to Pandora with the same winning grin.

"Heya Pandora! Just thought I'd drop in to lend a hand." She pumped her fist in the air for emphasis.

Pandora's shock instantly transformed into a relieved sighed. "What is with you Chinese gods showing up at the last minute?"

The girl pretended to consider the question for a moment before answering. Finally, she simply shrugged with the same happy expression. "I dunno, makes things more exciting I guess."

The conversation between the two girls was interrupted by the sound of scraping metal from where the knight had been dealt his brief beating. He rose out of the wide crater that had formed around him from the heavy blow the girl dealt. His hand rested on the flat of his sword and he drew it across the blade. At first, it seemed as if this motion was some sort of battle ritual, but upon further inspection, one could discern a faint, dull glow that emanated from the edges of the sword. The two females could tell that he was reinforcing the blade with one of his active skills.

"Any idea what that active skill is Karin?" Pandora inquired.

The enthusiastic girl, Karin, shook her head without a shred of concern. "Nope, but reinforcement isn't all that special." She brought her fists together again, this time in a controlled manner, as she prepared her defensive stance. "I got this."


Leilan batted aside the first disc and angled her halberd diagonally towards the ground to catch the second. The first disc smashed into a third which lost course and buried itself deep into the rock; however, it didn't seem to lose its momentum and continued cutting through the stone in an awkward arc that passed Leilan at a safe distance from behind. The disc eating into the blade of the halberd was stubborn and attempted to slice through, but Leilan angled her grip downward so the disc also began to cut into the rock. She centered her hands on the staff of the weapon and a fourth disc drove into the top portion of the staff. This extra force pushed Leilan back and she felt her feet begin to slide. The final disc was now on its way, and Leilan was fully aware of the fact that her options were now limited with the two discs spinning against the opposite ends of the halberd, preventing her from moving to either side.

She readjusted her grip once again so that the driving force of each disc on either side of the halberd was distributed equally. As the final disc was nearly upon her, she forced her hands upwards towards the sky and allowed her feet to leave the ground. She shot upward now that the two opposing forces of the discs no longer had any counterweight. By lifting her hands, she was able to change the angle of the discs so that she shot at an angle upwards rather than being pushed horizontally back along the ground. The final disc flew harmlessly below her and drove into one of the cliffs, utterly decimating the top half. The wall collapsed, and the resulting blast contributed to Leilan's now forward motion and allowed her to flip over the two discs still attached to her halberd. These two soon disconnected and flew into the sky and disappeared into the bright light of the moon.

Leilan landed right where she had begun, with not a single scratch to be seen on her body. She allowed the arm supporting her halberd to fall slightly so that its blade cut into the ground to relax her muscles.

Satan let out a grunt of disappointment. "Looks like the bird managed to fly."

He sat back against one of the walls of the cove and allowed his arms to rest easily at his side. The Reversion was at hand, and he knew now that there was no time to defeat Leilan and catch Pandora with such a constraint.

As the two warriors stared each other down, a bright pillar of yellow light descended from the sky and planted itself into the ground. Sparks erupted from the rock and small lights like fireflies encircled the pillar that signaled the official arrival of The Reversion.

Leilan side-stepped so she could get a full view of Satan who was now leaning back against a boulder completely at ease. She frowned at this. Satan had clearly lost this battle, a crucial battle at that, and yet, he seemed to be unfazed. As a matter of fact, he actually looked confident. Pandora's box was one of the keys to winning the war between the monsters. So why was he so nonchalant about what should have been a devastating defeat?

"What are you up to?" Leilan asked, masking the concern in her voice.

Satan regarded her as if he had just seen her for the first time. He leaned forward and clasped two of his hands together. "Nothing at all," his deep voice boomed throughout the cove despite his even tone. "I only just realized that this defeat is a minor hindrance in the whole scheme of things."

"Explain."

"I see no reason to," Satan replied. He decided to let those words sink in as he clasped two other hands behind his head.

He regarded the dark knights that stood around them. He had noticed during Pandora's retreat that they had not made any attempt to pursue her. They just stood there, staring vacantly into the distance with their weapons held at their side. He figured that perhaps another one of Leilan's active skills was in effect that caused minor monsters to enter a state of paralysis. He had to admit, it was a nifty little active skill. So was the first one that turned the attention of the discs away from the intended target.

He closed his eyes and still sensed the presence of Pandora and another individual that was just a short distance outside of the cove. One of his own was there as well, but it was clear that his opponent was still in peak condition. With that in mind, he concluded that the battle was now officially over. He was not accustomed to defeat, but he took it as a learning experience.

Two more pillars of light appeared. These two engulfed both Leilan and Satan. Satan glanced down at his hand and felt a soft tingling sensation creep along his fingertips that were now pixelated and flaky. As his fingers began to disappear and disintegrate, tiny flecks, no more the size of a grain of sand, floated up the pillar towards the moon in a lazy ascent.

Leilan's was overcome by a similar effect, and her whole body took on a strange sepia tone with a grayscale aura that outlined her form. She stared at her hands calmly as they were the first to disintegrate. Her weapon was next, and she felt naked without it even though her hands could not have held the weapon at this point.

When only their upper bodies remained, Satan gave her a slow nod and vanished. Leilan didn't know what that motion meant, but she hated to admit to herself that a sense of dread had creeped into her thoughts.


Karin landed deftly against the rock wall and launched herself just as the blade of her enemy's sword embedded itself deeply into the stone. The dark knight jerked his arm back and the blade bent at an awkward angle as he whipped it around towards Karin. The sudden change in direction caught Karin off guard, and she was barely able to deflect the whip-like sword with a shower of water. The end of the blade cut her shoulder and she fell expertly into a roll that broke her fall.

The knight retracted the bladed whip with the flick of his wrist and it became a broadsword once more.

It can change shape? Interesting, Karin thought, retaining her composure.

The water that she utilized to block the blade began to swirl around her and took the shape of a dragon serpent. The water dragon was incredibly detailed and even its sapphire scales were discernible on its liquid form. It settled around Karin and rested its head on her shoulder, awaiting her next command.

Pandora observed the battle from behind Karin and cursed herself for her weakened state. Just creating that tiny sphere of malice had drained nearly all of what little energy she had left. She still felt the parasitical aftereffects of the box from sealing it with the magic stones. The stones were still in their pure state, but she needed them to reach a certain level of corruption before the box was fully sealed. Extra energy was necessary, so she had to allow the box to continue feeding off of her until it was satisfied.

She watched helplessly as the black figure pointed his sword at Karin. It was as if he was daring her to make the first move.

Karin was accustomed to initiation, so she decided to humor him. The dragon resting on her shoulder creeped down her arm, swirled around it, and tightened, all while retaining a watery form. Karin snapped her fingers and, accepting the signal, the dragon charged forward, pulling Karin along with it. She beat her feet against the ground to increase speed and to launch herself in a multitude of directions to make herself a challenging target. It was clever due to the fact that the water dragon also changed direction as she formed signals with the bending of her fingers.

The knight stood there, sword still pointed in the same stance, save for his knees that now bent slightly. His other arm hung relaxed at his side, swaying no more than an inch in either direction, forward and then back.

As his opponent drew near, the blade, with astounding speed, extended to what should have been an impossible length. The blade was now nearly fifteen yards long and reached Karin in less than a fraction of a second.

Karin saw the blade right before her face, right between the eyes. It was as if everything had entered a state of slow motion. The tip of the blade crept closer and closer, the flat of the blade reflecting the yellow light of the moon. That brilliant light was what prevented her from flinching. That flinch was what prevented a crucial, slight twitch of a muscle that could respond to danger. She would not allow herself to flinch.

She let that trained, instinctive twitch take her when she noticed the second slight bend of her opponent's knees.

Karin relaxed her neck and gave her water dragon another quick sign that was executed relatively simultaneous with the previous one. Her dragon was trained well, for it immediately canceled the former sign and processed the latter just in time to pull Karin to the side. The tip of the long blade sliced along her cheek, drawing blood that the blade hungrily accepted.

It locked onto a new target: Pandora. Even in her weakened state Pandora had noticed the water dragon's last-second shift in direction. She rolled sideways and the blade extended past her head dealing no damage.

Karin detached the water dragon and skid along the rock, planting her fist into the ground to slow her to a halt.

She glanced up at her enemy. Her eyes widened when she noticed his extended arm. Karin saw his fingers forming familiar signs.

He figured out my commands already?

Immediately following that thought, The Reversion initiated its final stage.

The armored warrior stood calmly as a pillar of light enveloped his body and began the same process that was dealt to Leilan and Satan. Karin and Pandora were admitted soon after. Karin forced a wink at Pandora, who responded with a weak, yet relieved smile as their bodies began to disintegrate. Their adversary stood silent and sheathed his blade into the scabbard on his back. It slid in easily and locked at the elegant pommel with a metallic click.

Karin saluted her opponent before her hands disappeared. "Nice battle there friend, even if you aren't much of a conversationalist, " she added.

The knight remained silent, but to Karin's surprise, returned a similar swift salute. As the last of their bodies disappeared, the pillars extended into the sky, along with hundreds of others that extended all over the virtual world. As the last of the pillars retracted, a silence fell over the world that would be short-lived.


A hooded figure wearing a dark cloak stepped into Caramoc Cove once the last of the pillars disappeared from sight. He examined the aftermath of the battle that had recently taken place. Debris was scattered everywhere and the individual noted the sliced rock that Satan's discs had punished.

They were impressive to say the least. They had completely exceeded his expectations.

I hope the Players show as much promise.

The cloaked figure examined a teal, banded device that encircled his wrist. It was covered with an array of small lights that were currently faded. It was akin to a wristband that extended nearly to his elbows with three thin slots that could be observed upon closer examination of its underside.

One of the lights lit up as the dark figure ran a gloved finger over it and a holographic screen appeared before his eyes. He scrolled with his fingertips through the menus that were listed. After a brief moment of searching, he settled upon the one he was looking for and pressed it gently.

A list of categories appeared and he happened upon the one he was searching for instantly.

"Continue to entertain us," he whispered.

He wiped his hand over the category and pressed the holographic button that was presented to him.