Everlasting Hope: Spirits and Demons

by UK-Underworld King

Mild-AU. The demons of Niflheim invaded and conquered the world of Aselia as a consequence of the Kharlan War. Fifty years latter, a group of special souls try to fight back the otherworldly invaders as their world slowly crumbles. Full summary inside.

58. Abyss

And it's here!

...

GOD! This took way to long for my tastes, but here it is: the (grand) finale of this act. As of this, the rewriting starts. I'll leave updates on my profile on the progress, so stay tuned there.

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Chapter 57

Abyss

The truth is…

This world… it's not worth protecting… not when its inhabitants would so gladly put it into danger to satisfy their unmeasured greed and petty grudges.

You can end a war, stop a dispute and save it from an invasion by otherworldly beings. But, in the end, the problem remains… the one problem that directly causes most, if not all, tragedies: the people.

So… what do you do?

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

They could see Lloyd and his father together with a bunch of geared up men walking around a ruin where the Luin Human Ranch would be located in the real world. The two looked quite happy, talking amongst themselves.

And Marta and Emil were there to put an end to that…

"Do you think those people are real?" Marta asked. She could swear she saw some of those people back when they visited Luin, but it was so long ago. It felt like a lifetime since then.

Emil didn't answer. He hadn't spoken much since they arrived on this dream and searched for Lloyd and Kratos. When they entered the dream, they arrived at some kind of blank space, an infinite white all around them. It was only after following the only specs of color visible through the void that they were able to find their companions.

In the end, it seemed that Tenebrae and the others were right: all of this was just a dream. Emil and Marta actually felt something pulling them to Kratos and Lloyd, urging them to ignore what they left behind. Both ignored the feeling and were now looking over what to do.

The silence from the Lord of the Monsters besides her was unnerving Marta. It was almost like back when Ratatosk killed Verius.

He's already regretting this. Marta thought.

The blond then looked up and to the side.

"I can sense… monsters nearby," Emil spoke.

"Really? I thought everything around here was fake."

"Not really, but either way, I don't think I could make a pact or control them…" Emil stopped and looked at her. "Marta… are you sure you…"

"Let's go," she said, not letting him continue.

Emil looked like he wanted to argue (again), but one look from the brunette was enough to silence him. She had already made it abundantly clear; if he was going to stain his hands with blood, so would she. She wasn't going to let him deal with this alone.

Not that it gave her any kind of pleasure doing this. She was frankly disgusted with what they were going to do…with what had to be done.

Emil seemed to finally give up and lead the way.

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

The forest had been mostly quiet as they walked and inspected it. No monster tried to attack them and Lloyd and his father were even able to chat with some of the other guards. The day was also pleasant as they patrolled.

The group then arrived at a meadow in the center of the trees. Strangely, nothing ever grew there, even though it was no different from the rest of the forest around. There was also no wildlife around.

"We'll make this our rendezvous point," Kratos announced, his tone becoming professional, which automatically made the guards and Lloyd pay attention to him. "Pietro and Aifread, you go east. Marty and Orwen, you go north. Lloyd and I will take south.

"Come back here in an hour. In case you find anything, don't engage it right away. Call for back up with the flare signals the City's Guard gave you."

Everybody saluted their superior and dispersed to their assigned routes. Lloyd didn't know why, but he was suddenly feeling quite tense as he and his father left the others. Walking down their route with their eyes wide open for anything out of the norm, the brunette asked his father:

"What do you think we may be facing, da- I mean Commander Kratos."

"Not sure. The reports only stated some beast monsters and insects, but those aren't strong enough to warrant a full patrol," Kratos sounded worried. Lloyd knew that when you simply said "monsters", it could mean anything from a simple wolf to giant, men-eating, plant monsters.

Still Lloyd was confident in his father's abilities to dispatch any threat. Kratos wasn't hailed as the strongest Commander of the City Guard's history for nothing. He was about to say something else, when they heard a shot and saw an orange flash behind them.

"Seems they found something," Lloyd remarked.

Kratos merely nodded and told his son to hurry his pace as the two shot through the woods in the direction of the signal. As they approached, they could hear the sounds of battle and flesh being slashed. When the two arrived at the point from where the signal parted they saw the corpses of small monsters and one of the guards, holding a bloody right arm as he sat on the ground.

Lloyd looked around and located Pietro fending off two giant wasps. Unsheathing his swords, he went to help his comrade as his father looked over the injured Aifread.

"Pietro! Behind you!" Lloyd called as he saw one of the wasps circulate around the guard and position its stinger behind him. The paralyzing sting would have rendered Aifread helpless against the other insect, but Lloyd managed to arrive just in time to cut the lower section of the wasp and follow up with a thrust on its wings.

Pietro looked behind, surprised at seeing he hadn`t noticed the monster and thanked Lloyd while he dispatched the other wasp.

"What happened here?" Kratos asked as he helped Pietro get up.

"Dunno. We were walking and suddenly these monsters showed up practically out of nowhere," Aifread answered. "We barely had enough time to the send signal to you and..."

Before their comrade could continue they heard the sound of trees rustling somewhere nearby, followed by Aifread screaming as he was suddenly thrown into the air and pulled to the trees nearby. Lloyd only had time to see that there was something holding Aifread's leg before the trees fell and a massive plant monster appeared.

It didn't have eyes. The main body looked like a thick bush and the head had some kind of large, bulbous... bag-thing dangling from the bottom of a mouth. Aifread was pulled into the mouth, by an overly long, red tentacle that seemed to be the monster's tongue. It gobbled up their companion in one bite.

It was all so sudden that Lloyd had no time to react at all and once the shock wore off, he felt intense anger at letting this happen. He was going to rescue their companion and...

The ground below them burst upward, throwing the members of the group in different directions. When the newly instated Private regained his bearings he saw some kind of tree monster that looked like a humanoid, animated trunk. Before any of them could react, it took a step to the side and kept walking, heedless of who was nearby, crushing Pietro, who only had time to look up and see the thing's foot coming down on him.

Lloyd yelled and turned to the giant, carnivorous plant monster behind him. He barely noticed Kratos getting up and rushing to the thing as well, while it tried to attack them with its sac and devour father and son. The tree monster seemed to notice the two and slowly walked to engage in the fight...

- / - / - / - / - / - / -

Emil honestly didn't know how to feel. On one hand, it wasn't the real Aifread and Pietro. On the other, he still planned and executed murder in cold blood by manipulating the surrounding mana and attracting the monsters forth.

Lloyd and Kratos were winning their fight against the two biggest monsters in the area. Even two experienced warriors alone could take down a Man Eater and a Trent.

"It isn't enough. They're not gonna wake up only from this." he told Marta, who had been observing everything in silence.

"So... should we go and confront them ourselves?" she asked.

Emil remained quiet. He didn't think he could do it, not in person. It was one thing manipulate the events behind the scenes, but showing his face as the one that would ruin their "dream"... what would happen if they retained their memories from here? Would they hate him?

"You're too soft," a voice said to his other side, startling the blond and Marta.

A perfect copy of Emil stood there. However, instead of his emerald green eyes, it had crimson ones. Emil was surprised by it until he remembered Ratatosk had also appeared on his "dream". His alter-ego looked at him and answered the unasked question:

"We are not on Aselia, technically speaking. Our bodies were left behind in the Dark Abyss, so there are no limitations to which consciousness would manifest itself.

"Either way, you need something a bit more shocking than having their companions die."

With that he turned and a spark of a thought came to Emil. It didn't felt like an idea to him, rather it was a foreign thought that was sent into his mind. It seemed he and Ratatosk were still connected even here.

"Wait. Where's he going?" Marta asked,

Emil wondered if he really should answer…

- / - / - / - / - / -

Lloyd fell on his bottom as he panted. His adrenaline was wearing off and he started to feel horrible. Still that was nothing compared to how his father must have been feeling considering the fact he stabbed the already downed, monster tree again.

They had failed to protect their comrades… everything had been so sudden and violent they barely had a chance to react. One minute Aifread and Pietro were there and in the next…

"What should we do now?" Marty asked as he grimaced at what was left of his friends' corpses.

Aifread had been partially digested by the plant's acid, few shreds of skin left on his body and his bones showing on several points. He probably had been immersed in the thing while in a panic. Pietro had been completely crushed and if it wasn't for the fact they knew he had been there it would be impossible to tell that the mass of blood and… other things was him.

Still his father had to calm himself and look at what was left of the group. He gave the order for them to go back to Luin as further recognizance on this state would be suicide if the monsters attacked again. The group nodded and started making their way back to town.

As Lloyd trekked back he could only think on what had happened. He never saw the monsters behaving like that. It was as if they were coordinating the attack in some fashion.

Stop. Thinking about it isn't going to help. They're dead… Lloyd thought, his expression becoming somber.

Ahead of the group, Lloyd saw his father cast him an apologetic gaze before looking back. The brunette wanted to go to his father and tell him he didn't need to apologize for anything, but it wouldn't be proper in front of the group.

As they finally arrived at the plains and out of the forest, Noishe suddenly jumped in front of the group and started barking in a manner that Lloyd had never seen before.

"What's up boy?" Lloyd asked. "What's got you in…" it was then he saw it.

Smoke. Thick, black smoke raising to the skies coming from Luin's direction. That wouldn't be enough motive to alarm if it wasn't for the fact that, as the light of the day gave away, the group noticed there was an orange glow coming from the town…

Lloyd and Kratos' eyes widened as they came to the same, horrifying conclusion. As one, they mounted Noishe, who surprisingly didn't protest at having two people on him, and Kratos warned Marty and Orwen to stay behind as they went ahead and saw what was happening. The two only nodded, seeming confused by the instructions.

The whole day has been so crazy... it's no surprise they don't know how to react.

Father and son rode the giant dog to the town and, as they got closer, prayed that they were wrong. That it wasn't what they thought.

Unfortunately, their fears were soon confirmed.

- / - / - / - / - / - / -

Luin was burning.

The entire city looked like some kind of pyre from up close as Lloyd and Kratos arrived. All color gone from their faces as they saw the buildings set aflame.

Worse yet were the streets. Bodies and blood stains were everywhere. What wasn't burning had blood or a body draped over it. There were no screams and that worried father and son all the more.

"This… t-this is…" Lloyd mumbled.

Kratos didn't want to say what it was, because he felt that would be like a death sentence. Instead he ran inside the city, dodging burning debris and inspecting the bodies with Lloyd right behind. The auburn haired swordsman tried to feel a pulse, but no one he checked had one (he tried not to look on their eyes).

They heard something that wasn't the fire crackling or one of the buildings giving in. A scream in a very familiar voice. If there had been any blood on their faces it most surely have been completely drained by now.

"ANNA/MOTHER!" father and son shouted as they went to the direction of the scream.

They found Anna clutching a bloodied leg as she grit her teeth in pain. When the woman saw the two she paled.

"STAY BACK! IT'S STILL HERE!" she warned, but the two were deaf to her voice as they approached.

Steps sounded and Lloyd and Kratos looked ahead, seeing a figure illuminated by the lights of the fire burning in the shop that Anna always frequented.

It looked like a man and certainly stood like one, but its body was full of fur and it had animal ears on top of its head. It also had two, thin horns sprouting out of its waist's back and a strange, golden, halo-like ornament that seemed sprout from the same place and ended up with two prongs above the thing's head. However, at the moment, they could only focus on one thing:

"Who are you? Are you the one that did this?!" Kratos questioned, rage burning in his eyes as he questioned the… thing.

"What if I am?" the thing that was not human spoke in a harsh and mocking tone as it's crimson eyes seemed to reflect the fire. "So, are you willing to leave yet?"

"Leave? LEAVE?!" Kratos seemed like he wanted to jump and murder it. Lloyd would have done that if he wasn't supporting his mother.

Anna called Kratos:

"Don't do it! It's too strong! Run away!" but Kratos wouldn't budge. He would die before he let any harm come to his wife and son.

The thing seemed to sigh as if… disappointed? Kratos was having a really hard time suppressing his desire to murder that monster right then and there.

"If you're still not able to see past this dream then I may need to take more drastic measures," it spoke.

"What the hell are you talking about?! Start making sense already! WHY DID YOU KILL EVERYBODY?!" Lloyd shouted, but the monster with human appearance regarded him with a bored look.

Instead of answering, the thing put its hands on two of the thin horns coming out of its back. These glowed and transformed into blades that the creature wielded in a reverse grip, crossing its arms and dashing to meet Kratos head on. Seeing there was no more use in talking, Kratos decided to finally give in to his urge and make this monster suffer.

What followed could hardly be called a fight.

Kratos' blade, although finely made, simply wasn't up to the job. He and Lloyd came to that conclusion as the thing's blade took out chips from his as each strike hit with the strength of a charging carriage. The strange, talking monster was ungodly strong.

"Kratos! Please, leave!" Anna begged as the man struggled to hold his ground. "This thing killed the entire Guard by itself!"

He could already guess that. His blade was already cracking and about to break. He had to think on something fast or…

That was when Lloyd got into the fight. Swinging his sword from the side, as the thing seemed distracted while assaulting Kratos. However, with a slight turn of its body, it put the ornaments on its back in the way of Lloyd's blades, which simply bounced off the strange material.

The young man was surprised long enough for the thing to turn faster than he could follow and slash his belly open. To add insult to the injury, the thing punched him with the blade's hand guard on his right ear, making his skull rattle and bringing him to the floor instantly.

Kratos screamed. Anna screamed. But Lloyd could only hear a ringing in his ears and feel a burning pain on his midsection. Was he going to die here? It all felt so… surreal.

His father attacked the thing, now going for the offensive in a frenzied state of pure anger. It lasted for about half a minute before his blade finally broke in half and the thing kicked him down while jumping back, bringing its two swords to its back as the air around it seemed to vibrate.

The blades of the monster ignited in multicolored flames. Lloyd tried to get up, but his head was still ringing from the blow. He noticed his mother frantically getting up while using the wall as a support, ignoring her bloodied leg.

"Ain Soph Aur!" the thing spoke, slashing the blades in the air in a scissor move and unleashing a torrent of multicolored flames in the direction of Kratos, who was just getting up. The flames were closing in too fast for him to dodge.

That's when Anna threw herself in front of her husband and took the full brunt of the attack. Some flames licked around her body and burnt the auburn haired man, but he was otherwise fine. His wife, however, fell over him, her back a horrid, blackened mass of flesh and muscle.

"… A-Anna?" Kratos asked as he caught his wife, who had slumped over him. "Anna," he called her again, trying to ignore the fact that her eyes were wide open, unfocused and completely devoid of their normal glint. "ANNA!"

Lloyd and Kratos could only stare in shock at the corpse that had been Anna. She was gone and none of them were able to do anything to stop that. She was there one moment and in the next…

"YOU BASTARD!" Lloyd got up and tried to attack the thing again, ignoring both the ringing and the pain on his stomach.

The monster simply cast a look his way and swung its sword upward in Lloyd's direction. The dual swordsman felt like he had hit a brick wall as he went down for the second time in that fight. The blade hadn't even connected. It simply felt like the air itself had repelled him before he could even touch the monster. For the first time in his life, Lloyd could only look up helplessly as a creature posing like a man approached his father.

This… this can't be happening! He tried to get up, only for his whole body to protest as he felt his life bleeding out from his earlier overexertion.

Kratos had given up on shaking his wife awake, finally coming to the realization that he had been too late. He had left that happen to her and he and his son would pay for his mistakes. He should have taken Anna and run out of the village instead of choosing to face an enemy that annihilated an entire town's armed force by itself.

He condemned his family to death due to his hubris.

The creature pointed a blade at him. Kratos looked up at those blood-colored eyes as the monster spoke:

"Since you don't seem to get it, let me spell some 'truths' for you. Your wife is dead and you're going to watch your son bleed to death. You can try to attack me, but you wouldn't be able to touch me even if you had a weapon," there was no warm or inflection in the monster's tone. It simply stated the facts as they were, detached from any sentiment.

The whole scene felt like he was living in a nightmare. His worst fears, things that he only dreamed about were happening right before him. Anna dead, Lloyd dying and he there, watching it all and completely powerless to do anything. He felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest and crushed as he came to this realization.

Lloyd wasn't any better as he could feel his energy leaving him. A pool of his own blood beneath him as the thing spoke to his father, who had a look of complete and utter defeat Lloyd never saw on his face. Kratos looked like a cornered, scared child. It all felt so surreal.

This… this is just like a bad dream! Lloyd and Kratos thought at the same time, wanting nothing more than to wake up and…

That was when Kratos felt something running through his hands, the sensation making him think of mud. He looked down and almost felt like jumping away. Where once there was Anna, now was a mass of tar-like substance.

"Huh… about time," the thing said as father and son could only look on in horror as the mass that once was the figure of Anna slipped through Kratos' fingers to the ground, splashing on it as he and Lloyd started to sink on the earth as if they were on quicksand.

Lloyd tried to get up, but as he was laying down he was the first to be swallowed whole, leaving his father to scream for him before Kratos also got "eaten" by the very earth itself.

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

The two took a big breath, as if they had resurfaced after almost drowning. Kratos immediately looked around in terror and confusion and… he had to stop to take in where they were. Lloyd didn't seem much better in that regard as the exact same expressions passed through his face.

"Welcome back, Sir Lloyd," Ignis said as the two looked at the draconian-woman Centurion.

"Where… ?" Lloyd let out. "What… ?"

Kratos wanted to let out some questions of his own, but he was still reeling from everything that happened. Suddenly he remembered.

An Aselia that was more akin to a hell on earth. Anna being killed by Kvar. Entering in a war against beings from another realm of existence. Awakening as one of the guardian entities of this world. The memories seemed to mix and clash against those he had taken as being true in that… other place. Two lives so glaringly opposite that just thinking about it made his head hurt.

And there was that feeling on his heart; a wound just opened that seemed to pulse and shoot pain throughout his entire being, like part of him was just ripped out and stomped into nothingness. Looking to his side, he guessed Lloyd must be feeling the same as the face of the young man showed a multitude of emotions with every now and then a grimace of pain.

"What the hell was that?" Lloyd finally asked.

"A dream…" Ignis said in a sad tone that actually gave pause to the group. "I… don't understand it, honestly. Tenebrae and Ventus can explain it, but… they've said you would be hurting when you got out. And Lord Ratatosk and Lady Marta still have to go through the others."

"The others?" Kratos asked, not linking the sound of it. Not in the least…

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

The inspection had gone mostly alright. The mines were working at full capacity and the machinery running smoothly. Regal and his attendant were satisfied with the Toize Valley Mines' operations.

However, Regal felt a strange sensation throughout the entire visit, like somebody was watching him. He tried to ignore it, as he was sure the security system would have picked up any invaders. Instead, he concentrated on one of the several lifts that were used as a means of transporting people and materials.

"Doesn't seem to safe for me," the President's attendant spoke as he eyed the large platform with metal fences as its only means of protecting the ones using it.

"Relax. We've been using it since the mine opened. And we have fail safes in case of any mechanical problems," the head of the mining operations that had been accompanying them spoke.

As if to defy his statement, the platform suddenly stalled and the lights went off, the emergency ones coming up. Their guide went to the console to see what was wrong. That's when Regal heard the sound of metal crying, like it was being strained.

"What's happening?" he asked. They had been handed standard, safety equipment upon entry, but even that wouldn't protect them in case of a several feet fall into one of many abyss present in the mine.

The blue haired man started to feel fear.

"Seems a power outage, but that's impossible. We've checked the generator this morning and they were all working," their guide spoke. "I dunno, but this seems more like…"

The cry of metal was heard again, silencing the worker with them. He seemed suddenly afraid of the sound.

That was when a snapping noise was heard. The rail shook to the side and suddenly the three man were falling into the abyss…

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

Ratatosk observed Regal and two other man fall. In his hand were fragments of the metal railing he had been twisting until it finally gave in.

He wondered if he should be feeling bad, but all he could register was how hollow he felt on the inside.

Just another day on the job, huh? Seems I've become quite adept at hurting other people. Including those I care about. while he thought that, he used his powers to project mana on the abyss Regal and others fell, calling the monsters he sensed upon entering this "dream" forth…

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

Colette was silent, thinking on Presea's questions and explanation. The pink haired woman, meanwhile seemed impatient, looking to the side and clutching her hands as if she was seeing something she didn't like.

The blond didn't want to believe it, but when looking at the evidence right in front of her… Presea had been very forthcoming with everything, using that same neutral tone she used when explaining things. Colette could admit she could even see some of the logic behind it.

Aselia was a horrible place right now and people were suffering, so why not simply take them somewhere they wouldn't suffer. It was simple like that.

That didn't mean it make it right.

"I… I can't agree with… this. It's wrong," Colette finally spoke.

"Wrong?" Presea looked back at her, sounding confused.

The scenario changed again. They were back at the base of that tree Colette had woken to.

"Presea, you can't simply force them like this. I know you just want us to be happy, but this is not the way," Colette explained as best as she could.

"I had several different ideas of how to do this," Presea said, looking down. "I admit this was the easiest one to implement given the circumstances and that showed most promise of keeping you all safe."

"But you can't simply take away our freedom like that. Even if it's for safety, it wouldn't…" Colette started, but was interrupted.

"Who said I took it?"

That made the blonde pause. Presea's tone was one of genuine confusion.

"You can still choose inside the worlds I put you in. In fact, you have even more freedom on them than you would on Aselia."

"But… we have to protect this Aselia. We can save it from the demons, so we should…"

"Why?" Presea interrupted again, her eyes still showed honest confusion at what Colette was saying, like the words didn't make sense to the pink haired woman. "What exactly do you need so much on this Aselia? Is it your family? I can take them here, so you can all be safe and happy together. I don't mind. This is my mission after all."

Colette didn't like the way Presea spoke that last part. She said it with such a tone of finality, like there was nothing else that mattered besides that. The blond gulped, thinking on how she could defuse the situation and bring Presea back to normal. It was clear to her that whatever happened, her crush wasn't thinking clearly.

"Presea… we are the Summon Spirits of Aselia, right? Guardians of that world. So we should use our powers to help it and everybody that lives on it. I don't know what happened to you, but you need to remember that. We can save the people and stop all these tragedies from happening."

"I don't understand," Presea replied, looking down like she was trying to process Colette's words. The blond only got more worried as she could see her words have clearly reached Presea, but it was like she was unable to process them. "You say it like we still are those beings from before," Presea looked at Colette, the iris on here eyes gone as there was some strange shadow on them. The Keeper of Terra's Oath took a step back. "But we aren't. I already have a mission; to protect you and our other friends from everything that wishes you harm.

"I can extend it to the people important to you, after all they are part of your happiness, but why should I do so for every single person on Aselia? You don't even know half of them, so why should you have any duty for with them? Is it your mission? But you haven't even awakened properly yet."

Colette started to shake. Those eyes Presea was making were unnerving her. She had an argument ready, but her mouth didn't seem to want to properly work anymore. She felt like Presea was invading her space without even moving from her spot. Like the Warrior of the Deep Abyss was… violating her in some way.

"Oh, I see. You're confused," Presea suddenly said, startling Colette. "Because your friend died in your arms, you think you should avoid this happening to other people."

That ringed several alarms on Colette's mind. She was positive she never told Presea about the true extend of the impact Maki's death had on her, or even about the event itself. How did Presea know about… ? Wait.

"You… you can see into my mind?!"

"No. Only your secrets, those you bury in the dark recesses of your heart and those moments you want to forget. I also can look into the dark desires that you deny having or hid from others. That's how I chose the scenario around us."

The fact that Presea could look into her desires and thoughts that easily worried Colette, although she also blushed at the fact. It meant she essentially wasn't able to hide anything from Presea. Shaking her head, the blond tried to get back on track:

"I don't think you should do that, Presea. It's not… nice to invade people's thoughts like that."

"Why? If I have the ability of seeing when something will try to hurt you, why shouldn't I use it?"

"Because other people might not like it, if you invade their minds and hearts like that!"

"Why do you care so much what others think?" Presea's tone was sounding frustrated now. "Why should you care about what somebody you never saw before on your life think about the actions you take to protect those dear to you? I can't understand why you give so much thought to complete strangers that would sooner take advantage of you."

"You can't judge everybody like that. Not everybody wants to hurt us, Presea!"

"That's why I'll look into their darkness and judge them based on their intentions," Presea's tone never rose, but Colette could feel it getting colder and her blue eyes seemed to get darker. "My mission is to protect you and our friends, Colette. All those that wish to use you for their own gain and consequently harm you are to be considered a threat."

"So you would let somebody die just because of that?!" Colette's voice was almost hysterical at this point. Why wouldn't Presea listen? Why was she acting so cold?

"Yes!"

The Warrior of the Dark Abyss finally raised her tone and with it came an echo around the hill. Colette's eyes widened and she took a step back, as if Presea had physically threatened her.

"Why do you insist on these people when all they ever did was to shun you?! When all they have to themselves is greed and apathy towards others!? You shouldn't care about them, because they surely don't care about your suffering. They'll actually take advantage of that and don't bother denying it because I can see it!

"The people that are deserving of your compassion are few. You ask me if I would sacrifice the people that would only bring you more pain? Yes, yes I would! Because in the end they would do the same if given the chance. For them there can only be nightmares!"

This was the first time Colette saw Presea's cool facade break into anger and bitterness. She couldn't understand it. Presea's tone broke no doubt that she would do exactly as she said and kill anybody that she perceived as a threat to Colette and the others. The pink haired woman never joked about these kind of things.

Is… is this how she always thought? I… I don't want to believe it. "I can't believe it. You... you would never say something like this," Colette spoke in an almost desperate tone.

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

He couldn't get up.

When he fell one of the steel bars from the lift's fences crushed his leg, trapping him. Even so, it was a miracle Regal had survived the fall at all.

The same couldn't be said about the rest of his entourage. The bleeding indicated they either had a concussion or probably had their bodies impaled by debris and the stalagmites on this pit.

"SOMEBODY! HELP!" Regal called with all his strength, but he couldn't even see the lights anymore. How deep had he fallen? Was the power not back up? How long would it take before the others realized he was missing?

That was when he heard the sound of something moving. Looking around Regal saw, to his horror, gelatinous masses slowly moving towards his unconscious or dead employees. They were of a purple color that seemed to glow in the darkness and inside the mass he could see…

Bones?! These are Men Eaters!

Regal had taken biology and taxonomy classes and knew about most monsters around the company sites. Amongst them Men Eaters were regarded as one of the mild threats due to being slow and easy to detect.

That is, unless it managed to sneak up on you and trap your body inside its gelatinous mass. Once that happened there was no escape. The amorphous creature would completely envelop your body, starting the agonizingly slow process of dissolving it for the proteins contained on the skin and organs. Worse, according to the taxonomists, the victim could live through the first stages of the process, feeling every bit of pain as their body was decomposed down to the bones if their head and brain weren't the first to go.

The monsters reached his coworkers first, enveloping their bodies completely in a matter of seconds before seeming to notice his presence. Regal never felt more terrified in his entire life.

He would die here. Nobody would know until probably weeks later, as they mounted a rescue operation to descend to the bowels of the mines. Alicia would already be back home, wondering why he wasn't back already.

That hurt the most. Alicia would only know about his demise much later and their child would grow without ever knowing his or her father. Regal would never hold his child, never play with or feel the joy of having a family of his own.

The monsters were getting closer now and the President tried to move the piece of metal crushing his leg, but even if he did that, there was the risk of him bleeding to death down here.

This… shouldn't be… happening! Regal desperately thought as he tried his best to move. We… we combed the mines entirely for monsters. There shouldn't be any left!

He wanted to deny this was happening. Deny the reality of the situation as he felt one of the monsters finally reach him and start to envelop his head.

This can only be a bad dream! Regal desperately thought as his life flashed before his eyes.

And suddenly he was suffocating. Strange, he remembered his lessons stating that these monsters weren't made out of water or any kind of liquid that could drown you and- when did they turn black?

Before Regal could think about the situation further, he felt himself being submerged…

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

Stop!

You're hurting them!

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

Presea looked to the side again.

Colette could see her face contort into a grimace as she mumbled:

"Why are they doing that?" the Warrior of the Deep Abyss turned to Colette and said. "I have to go and take care of something. We can discuss things later."

"What? But… ?" the change was so sudden that when Colette could finally organize her thoughts Presea had already phased out of her view, leaving the blonde alone below that tree.

… What now?

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

They decided to accelerate the process of releasing their friends, so Marta and Emil went into separate "dreams". They left Regal with the Centurions although they wished they had been there as they saw the man crying when he came out. That was the first time they saw the strong adult so broken.

Marta went into Sheena's dream and there she saw them going to the Temple of Lightning. As she kept her distance, she heard something about "pact" and "summoning". Knowing this was the temple Volt, the Summon Spirit of Lightning, hang around, Marta could take a good guess at what they were speaking of.

Transforming, she managed to fly to the temple and arrive in the altar before any of them. As she thought on how to attract Volt, the air crackled with electricity, making her hair stand on its end as the charges all concentrated on a single point, gaining visibility and expanding until they became a giant, electric sphere roughly a head taller than Marta.

Volt looked…weird was the only nice word Marta could think of. She had been so used to Regal whenever the Summon Spirit of Lightning was mentioned that she never stopped to reflect on what the Spirit looked like before.

…

A voice came to her. Marta knew it was Volt speaking and while she didn't understood his words the meaning somehow became clear on her head:

Who are you, outsider? Your presence feels like Sylph, yet it does not.

"I… come from another world," Marta honestly didn't know how to explain the situation so she decided that honesty would be better in this case. Besides, Volt was making her quite nervous. He felt just like Regal. Wasn't this supposed to be a dream?

…

The words sounded again and once more Marta's brain seemed to automatically decipher what the general message was:

I can see that. No two beings with such similar auras could exist at the same time. How did you find your way here?

"A friend of mine is here. I'm trying to take her home, but to do so…"

"Hey! Who are you?! How did you get here?!"

Marta's eyes widened in surprise as she turned and saw Sheena and the other members of her village, all with their weapons drawn. They arrived faster than she expected.

Before the brunette could say anything, Volt spoke:

I see. I can sense a power similar to Shadow shrouding her being. An outside soul thrust into their counterpart in this world.

Sheena and the others looked between themselves. It seemed that, unlike Marta, they couldn't understand what Volt was saying. She even heard the female ninja ask an elderly man besides her what Volt was saying. He looked at her with just as much confusion.

Volt then neared them, looking intently to Sheena with its intimidating red eyes. Marta could hear her gulping at being put right under the Spirit's sight.

I cannot identify the making of the spell. What kind is it, outsider?

Volt looked back at the Whirlwind Rider as he spoke that, prompting Marta to answer. Maybe the Summon Spirit could help her?

While this was going on, Sheena looked at the members of her village, obviously confused at what was happening. When they shrugged, she sighed and turned to Volt, speaking at the same time as Marta:

"Volt, I came here seeking a pact with you."

"She is under some sort of 'dream' spell."

Marta felt Sheena shoot a glare at her, but ignored it in favor of looking at Volt, who turned back at the ninja. She was unsure the Summon Spirit had heard her until the Hammer of Godly Lightning spoke:

How unfortunate… yet it seems destiny has given you the tools for your task, outsider. This one shall not dream for long.

Sheena looked confused once more as the others behind her shuffled. Marta didn't know what to expect, but she knew it probably wouldn't be anything good, considering the state the last attempts at "helping" her friends had left them in.

"Um…did you hear me?" Sheena asked the Spirit as it turned its red gaze towards her, making the woman gulp involuntarily. "I-I said I'm seeking a p-pact with you."

First, you must awaken… your soul does not belong in this world.

Before anybody could do anything else, the air around Volt vibrated with power, electricity gathering around the Summon Spirit until it was released in a flash. Screams of pain sounded and the smell of burnt skin slowly come to Marta's nose. When the flash faded away and the two females could see once more, Marta saw Sheena's eyes widen in horror.

All those that accompanied the ninja were on the floor, smoking as their clothes and skin were charred and blackened. She took two steps behind, before being repelled by the electric currents that composed Volt's body as she touched him. The warrior from Mizuho seemed to want to speak something, but the shock of what she was seeing killed any words before they reached her mouth.

Marta felt sick to her stomach, seeing the burnt corpses of what were formerly citizens of Mizuho and Sheena's reaction to it. She had seen bodies on that state before (some even not quite dead) and the smell was something she could hardly forget. Still didn't mean she got used to it.

It's only a dream. This is Sheena's dream. They probably aren't real. Marta told herself, trying to ignore the accusations her conscience was throwing at her for being an accomplice in this.

"WHY?!" Sheena finally managed to voice something, directing her cry at Volt, who looked impassively at her.

It was necessary. Even if you were not from another world, I have no interest in making a pact. But judging your intentions, this would be all but inevitable.

Sheena looked around, not paying attention to a word coming from Volt. Considering she couldn't understand him, Marta didn't blame her.

"YOU!" Sheena practically roared as her eyes fell over Marta. "YOU WERE THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS, WEREN`T YOU?!" Marta didn't say anything. What was there to say? Sheena got up and drew several seal cards of different colors. "I'LL KILL YOU! THIS IS FOR MY GRANDPA!"

The woman lunged at Marta, who stood her ground, not leaving that position.

I'm sorry Sheena, but I can't die to you. Marta closed her eyes as her friend approached her. The wind compressed around her, pressure building and being released in a burst of air that threw the ninja back to the stairs before she could do so much as touch Marta.

Sheena righted herself in midair and tried to retaliate with a Cyclone Seal. Marta simply canceled that without even moving. Sheena's eyes widened again before setting them in a hateful frown and trying to lunge for Marta again.

Enough.

Lightning striked once more and Sheena found herself falling face first in the ground, her limbs twitching as her muscles started to spasm. She looked up at Volt, seeing the giant sphere of sentient electricity looming over her.

If you do not awaken, then severe measures will have to be taken.

"Hey what's the- CHIEF!" another voice sounded from the stairs.

Sheena's heart was beating so fast she thought she was going to suffer a cardiac arrest as Volt turned to look at the backup contingency of Mizuho agents that were to wait over the entrance. Her eyes seemed to plead for the Summon Spirit not to attack them.

It was in vain as Volt unleashed his mighty lightning bolts over them, starting what Sheena knew was a one-sided fight. None of them had enough power to stop a rampaging Summon Spirit. All of them would die here, all because Sheena couldn't even understand what the hell that thing was saying.

"No. Nononono! STOP!" she tried to plead with Volt, but the entity either didn't listen to her over the sounds of battle, or didn't pay any attention. "Why?! Why did this had to happen?! I..." she just wanted to wake up in her house and find out it had all been a bad dream.

Marta felt the ground shifting like it was made of quicksand as the scenery melted into that tar-like substance and Volt and the others disappeared. Sheena screamed as she was dragged into a veritable ocean of tar and Marta held her breath...

- / - / - / - / - / - / -

Why are you hurting yourselves like this?

I gave you dreams and that is how you act?

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

Sybak burned.

Amongst the flames Raine held the corpse of her brother as a creature walking like a man glared down at her, taunting the Professor about how impotent she was. Before she could reply, it grabbed her by the hair and threw her into the stream that passed in front of the Academy.

Raine didn't know how to swim and even if she did the stream would take her to the cliffs to be dropped onto the sea where she would certainly drown, considering she survived the drop in the first place.

The half-elf could only look the city that had been her brother's and her home burn as she tried to stay afloat in her panic.

She only wanted to wake up and find out this was all a bad dream...

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

You're safe in your dreams.

To leave would mean going back to this dangerous, unjust world...

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

It was snowing red.

At first it had been normal, now the flakes were tinted into a red color. Zelos couldn't take his eyes off the scene as he saw his sister falling, a hole in her chest where her heart should have been.

He never saw Marta in the bushes, her hand aiming at the girl who should be about one or two years younger than her. If he did, he would see the brunette gritting her teeth as if she had just done something unpleasant.

Zelos didn't care. He only cared for the sibling he begged to stay with him as her life bleed away. A hand raised to his tearful face and he held it as he looked at the Seles' face, who tried to smile to him as if saying it would be alright.

That was when he felt a sense of déjà vu...

He... he had done this before... he had lived through this before. The memories of that moment – of that life – rushed back to him. And then he remembered one important thing; something he always thought he should have done. If only he could have gone back in time...

- I'm... I'm sorry... little sister. I love you, Seles. – he said to his sister in this place. She smiled a bright smile that spoke more than if she were able to vocalize the words. – Goodbye...

He didn't even fight as the body he was cradling turned into something resembling tar and he was submerged...

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

I only want you to be happy... I only want you to be safe...

So why is it that you insist in seeking pain?

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

A big gulp of breath and Zelos opened his eyes to see Glacius before him. Normally he would be saying something about "waking up to such a lovely, female visage", but after living through that moment a second time he only wanted to lie down and never get up again.

From what he could see, he wasn't the only one.

"Lord Zelos. It's good to see you awake again," Glacius said.

"Yeah... awake. Great..." he mumbled with none of his usual tone. He would normally have cracked a joke about the bizarre experience, but honestly he was just... tired.

Looking around he saw Raine shivering as Aqua talked with her. Lloyd and Kratos looked like him during Seles' burial, but were overall "ok" (at least compared to the others). Marta was walking away from him with a somber and defeated look on her face. Emil had an unreadable expression on his face.

Sheena looked like she was about to snap anytime soon, whether from anger or emotional turmoil he couldn't tell. When he looked at Regal, Zelos was actually surprised.

Regal looked, for the first time since Zelos knew him, livid. His arms were crossed, his jaw clenched so strongly he was sure if he put a rock on the President's mouth and told him to bite it, it would be reduced to fragments. He also looked quite impatient, like there was something he wanted to be done. As Glacius told him exactly what he and the others went through, Zelos wondered what Regal saw to get him like this.

"Well that was... a trip," Lumen said as the group conferred on the center of the dark, stony valley they were in. His attempt to lighten mood was pathetic to say the least.

"Now... what?" Lloyd asked. Nobody answered back, all seeming too lost in their thoughts to reply. The Centurions looked like they wanted to talk, but the heavy mood made them hesitant.

A voice finally broke the ice:

"Why did you do that?"

The entire group turned in the direction of the sound and saw Presea looking at them with a grave expression. Marta was the one to take a step ahead and talk, her tone completely neutral:

"Do what?"

"Broke the dreams I gave them."

Most of the party seemed shocked at that bold confession. Marta frowned. She had suspected Presea had been the one that put them there since the beginning. What with the fact they were in Shadow's domain? However, she had hoped that maybe she had been wrong.

"You… you…" Sheena spluttered. "You did… WHY?!" her tone became one of anger as she shot a death glare at the pink haired woman.

"I only wanted to give you the lives you deserved. The happiness you should have, free from the costs that this world would demand."

"And for that you needed to cage us in our minds like that?" Raine asked, her tone acidic. She still shook every now and then.

"That wasn't an illusion."

The guilt came back with a vengeance as Marta heard that solemn statement. So all those deaths were real. She could feel Emil's gaze upon her, but did her best not to let anything show on her face. She had practice with it anyway.

"Even worse, then! How could you do that?!" Lloyd exclaimed feeling the pain at seeing his mom alive again, just to have her taken away once more.

"I already told you; all I wanted was to give you happiness. A good life, different from the one you live in this hell of a world called Aselia," Presea spoke, her tone never changing.

"You think that excuse is good enough of an explanation?" Sheena spoke up.

"'Explanation'? 'Excuse'?" Presea tilted her head at hearing the words. "What do you mean with that? I've already told you why I did it. There's nothing else to it. I understand you don't like the fact you could only leave those worlds by those means, but…"

"Then you certainly understand why we are so angry with you, Presea," Kratos interrupted. "You wanted to give us a happy live on those worlds. We understand it. But what about the people here? We have friends and loved ones in this world too."

The Centurions stood to the side, watching the argument escalate. They tried to think on a way to defuse the situation, but nothing was coming to them. Presea then answered:

"If that was your wish, I would have simply taken them here. At least those that wouldn't threaten your happiness."

"So you would imprison others just like you've done us?" Zelos finally asked, his tone and look neutral.

"Why would you call giving them a better life 'imprisonment'?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because we belong to this Aselia."

"Why should you care about Aselia? I would understand the people that you've made friends with, but what is it that you have in this world worth coming back to?"

That made the Centurions give a mute exclamation. They knew Presea wasn't like the others. Trauma, a harsh life and awakening to the power of a Summon Spirit far sooner than any of the others did certainly took their tool on the girl's psyche. Her almost blind devotion to Colette and the way she didn't hesitate to go after the blonde even when the situation presented a grave danger for herself showed somebody that didn't care about their own well-being.

However, Presea was a Summon Spirit. One of the guardian entities of Aselia. She couldn't just dismiss the world like that. Her mission should be… unless.

"Lady Presea, what is your mission?" Tenebrae asked, interrupting the argument and making Presea turn to him. When she spoke, her voice took a different tone, an almost militaristic one:

"My mission is to protect. Protect those dear to me and, by extension, those dear to them."

"Protect them from what?"

"Everything that may threaten them."

The tone with which the pink haired woman said "everything" left the group no doubts about what she was speaking about. They all discreetly put their hands on their weapons, just in case.

"And throwing them into another world, essentially rewiring their memories, was the best you could come up with?" Aqua queried.

"I'll admit it wasn't the best idea I had, but it was the one option available at the moment. I understand it was not to your liking…"

"Quite the understatement," Sheena piped in. Presea continued, disregarding the insult.

"But I judge that we can make amendments. Just tell me what is it that you didn't like and I'll adjust things accordingly."

"Ok. For starters: get us out of here and back on the surface!"

Presea looked at Sheena again. The Radiant Maiden did her best not to show how the Warrior of the Deep Abyss unnerved her. Especially after she learned what Presea could do, like that Mystic Arte of hers.

"You all want that? Why? What is there back at that world that I can't give you here?"

"It's not simply about us," Kratos spoke up. "We have a duty for with the people out there. With our powers we can..."

"'Duty'? What 'duty'?" Presea interrupted him. "You have no obligation towards those people. Even if you count your mission as a Summon Spirit in the past, if you had to sacrifice them to guarantee the safety of the world you could do so. Isn't that right, Ratatosk?"

The entire group looked at Emil, who had stayed quiet throughout the entire argument. He simply locked his gaze at Presea as she continued to speak:

"Mercy was a choice Origin took and asked for the others to do. It was never a rule. Were it true, you wouldn't have taken those extreme measures you did at the end of the Kharlan War."

"Yes... I did," Emil said. To the group it almost sounded like his voice and Ratatosk's were overlapping. "And you're right. Preservation of the humans was never a real part of the duty."

That made the rest of the party's eyes widen. Some felt disgusted at that. Even though they already knew what Ratatosk did, they didn't know that it was considered an actual, valid alternative. Emil then continued:

"But that doesn't mean I don't regret what I did."

"What you did was to save Aselia. If it weren't for your actions, none of us would be born."

"Wha... ?" Emil finally looked up, surprised at hearing that. The group saw his eyes becoming crimson.

"It's true that it can be interpreted as you having betrayed us, but I understand now. After seeing the depths of depravity and greed others are capable of, I understand your pain. Your fear, your darkness... I can safely say there are worse ways to direct them, but without your actions, none of us would be here today.

"Colette, Marta, Lloyd... none of them would be born. And, though I know you don't consider it worth anything, if I was Shadow, I would forgive you. For without you, I wouldn't be here today. Without you, your family would be well and truly dead."

Ratatosk took a few steps ahead as the group only looked between the two Summon Spirits. The Centurions seemed somewhat nervous as they looked between their lord and Presea.

"You... forgive me? Even knowing what I... ?"

"That's ENOUGH!"

A burst of light and Presea was enveloped by a Shinning Shackles spell. The woman took the attack and didn't even seem shaken by it once the runes exploded around her. Sheena interposed herself between Ratatosk and Presea, extending her arm. She turned her look back at him:

"She's manipulating you again, don't you see?! It's just another trick!"

"Ma... nipulating me?" Ratatosk mumbled as he looked down.

Marta decided she had had enough and took his hand, prompting Ratatosk to look at her. The brunette didn't give him one of her smiles or anything, just a serious look that spoke of how determined she was.

"I don't care what your past was like or what you did. I told you before, I know what feels like to ruin people's lives. I won't leave you to face that alone again," she turned to Presea and transformed in her Spirit Form. "Besides, did you already forget I told you I forgive you? Or was my forgiveness so unimportant that would rather accept it from this psycho?"

Ratatosk stood speechless at that. He honestly had forgotten that. It felt like a lifetime ago, ever since Marta got to know the true extent of his treason. Even so, this girl... no. Woman, declared she would stay by his side no matter what consequences his actions brought.

"I think it's safe to say that this isn't Presea anymore. Whatever this... creature in front of us is, it's not the same girl we knew," Raine said.

"Yeah. Presea wouldn't try to manipulate us like that for the sake of 'protecting' us," Lloyd supported her, the two transforming in their Spirit form.

Presea simply tilted her head to the side, as if curious that they were wielding their weapons against her. Ratatosk wanted to say something, but he couldn't. Instead he was having a horrible feeling of déjà vu.

It's Verius all over again. I can't live through that a second time! "Wait! Please! Let's not go right that way. We can still tal..."

Surprisingly, Regal was the first to advance against the pink haired woman, his bracelets and greaves humming with power. He looked every bit as angry as when he got out of his "dream". With a war cry he jumped at her, rearing his fist back, ready to drive it through the Warrior of the Deep Abyss' face...only for her to "dive" into the liquid-looking floor in the blink of an eye, with Regal hitting only empty space.

Lloyd and the others were ready to start the battle as they looked around, trying to find the reincarnated Shadow. Presea's voice then sounded, seeming to come from everywhere:

Do you really think you have some kind of duty to return to that world? What does it have to offer? What will you do about all those that will hurt you? That will break order to satisfy their selfishness? Why should we guard those people?

"And you think we should do what? Off them?" Zelos asked as he looked around.

"Who do you think you are?! What right do you have to do things like that?!" Sheena spoke.

Aren't I a guardian entity like you? I think that gives me plenty of right to decide who is a threat or not.

"If that's the case then we're going to stop you and make you come to your senses Presea," Lloyd said as he too tried to locate their friend.

Why are you all like that? I know your darkness is different from those that I saw. Not the kind of filth that would endanger those around them, but surely you can understand it.

They heard something in the distance and looked at the source. The party then widened their eyes in fear as they saw a gigantic shadow come out of the ground. A shadow with voluminous pink hair.

If you insist on this naive route... if you try to go back to that condemned world… then I'll stop you.

The shadow had to be at least the size of Altamira's hotel and was different from the other shadows that Presea summoned when using Nightmare Swarm. Its hair was the woman's pink tone, completely free from the pigtails she generally had it in. It was also using Presea's armor, scaled up to size for the thing, and the eyes were a glowing red.

Even if I have to pose as your enemy… I'll carry that burden… so that you can safely dream.

A mouth seemed to rip itself open as the giant Shadow-Presea let out a thunderous roar and the party charged at it.

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

Colette impatiently walked around the place as she waited for Presea to come back.

While there was no real hurry, the blonde was starting to get nervous as she remembered the state in which Presea left. It was obvious something was wrong with her pink haired crush. Her nervousness then turned into fear as she remembered Presea's words:

"You ask me if I would sacrifice the people that would only bring you more pain? Yes, yes I would!"

The Presea that Colette knew would never say something like that. She wouldn't simply condone mass murder like that. True, there were rotten people in this world, but that didn't mean-

"Even people like Nebilim and Mithos?"

-they didn't deserve a chance. Presea couldn't just judge them based on the past. It was not like she was capable of seeing into the future or anything.

No. It was probably all of that power and coming back from the… dead. Yeah. That was probably it.

"There's no way she truly thought that. It's probably Shadow's powers messing with her head."

After all, it already happened in the past, when she first received those powers. Presea had only been a child back then, so of course receiving another boost like this would affect her. Still, Colette needed to find a way to leave this place.

She remembered when Presea was talking to her and the illusion faltered. Presea said Colette had tried to dispel it, but how? What did she do back then?

"Maybe if I..." Colette closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.

Two minutes and nothing came. Maybe if she tried to emulate the feeling back then- Shock and fear… she wanted to know if that was really true, or just some really bad joke. - Colette gasps and opens her eyes.

The scenery changed completely. Instead of a luscious, green field with a great tree in the middle, the Keeper of Terra's Oath was in some kind of dark dimension. The floor was made of some black liquid akin to the water floor on the Twilight Palace. There were rock formations around, like she was in some sort of canyon.

Presea. I have to find Presea. Colette thought, trying to ignore the shivers this place was giving her as she started to walk.

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

Ratatosk quickly retracted his previous statement; this was not going to be like Verius.

They were on Shadow's terrain, which Presea had complete control over. Why she was simply sending her shadow copies after the grounded members of the party, he didn't know. But considering said shadows only tried to grab and dunk them on the liquid floor, maybe Presea really didn't want to hurt them.

The same could not be said for the rest of the group.

Sheena, Lloyd and Regal were bombarding the giant Shadow-Presea with all they had while it only defended and tried to swat them out of the air. But it was so big and slow that the airborne couple easily dodged any attempts it made.

Maybe she's not yet used to her powers. Ratatosk mused as he jumped and dodged the several shadows that tried to grab him, until one got too close. It was frozen solid by Zelos, who was skating on the ground, his shoes giving off a light-blue glow.

A transformed Raine attacked the nearby shadows with water and light blasts, her own body working as a magical focus despite her not having her staff. Marta bombarded anything that got too close with cutting air blasts and Kratos used what powers he had to vanquish other shadows from existence.

There was no end in sight.

If they wanted to win, they would have to stop the giant Shadow-Presea, who reacted to all blows like if they were mosquito bites. Lloyd and Sheena soon realized that and decided something stronger was in order. The two aligned back-to-back and released more of their powers, soon shooting at the giant that was being pounded by a raging Regal. The man seemed to have abandoned any pretenses or restraints in this fight and simply punched the giant form as hard as he could, which was enough to push it back, although it didn't seem to make any damage.

Lloyd and Sheena flew in high speeds at Presea. Fire and light merged, forming a pillar of power akin to a shooting star. Shadow-Presea saw that and put its hand up, a black hole forming on it and stopping the advance of the two even as they tried to force it. They felt their powers being absorbed by the black hole.

That was when Regal jumped really high in the air, his greaves humming as they empowered his feet. He joined his hands and conjured a blade made out of electricity twice his size. With a war cry, he started to fall and swung the blade at the giant shadow's wrist, cutting its hand off, the black hole disappearing. This made the giant let out a wail of pain before being hit by Lloyd and Sheena.

Shadow-Presea was pushed back as wisps of darkness left its body at the point the couple's attack was hitting it. The pillar of power then converted into a sphere, releasing an explosion that engulfed the giant, making it scream once more as it finally lost its footing and started to fall on its back. The shadows attacking the rest of the group dissipated as their bigger copy let out its cry of pain.

Lloyd and Sheena flew back and saw the giant hitting the liquid floor and sinking on it, creating a tsunami of the dark liquid. The eyes of the couple widened as the gigantic wave seemed to stretch into the endless expanse of the Dark Abyss. A monstrous rendition of Presea's face formed on the wave, opening a fanged mouth as if to swallow them whole.

"SHEENA!" Raine called. The couple flew to her and the two women exchanged a glance before nodding. "Tidal Wave!"

"Ring Beam!"

The two cries of spells being launched at the same time echoed in the Abyss as a counter tsunami followed by a beam of light rushed to meet the dark sea. Regal, Lloyd, Emil and Kratos put their hands on Sheena`s shoulders, lending their powers and making the beam widen until it was bigger than her body. Marta and Zelos lent theirs to Raine, the size and width of her wave increasing as it was also empowered by the beam of light behind it.

The two waves met. There was a boom loud enough as not only physical forces, but also magical attacks, entered in collision. A bright flash and the dark wave lost some of its size, but did not stop.

The party growled, but now they could at least fly over it. The flight capable members held the grounded ones and took to the air, going above the height of the tsunami… until the giant Shadow-Presea appeared, as if sprouting out of the ground, its maw open as it slammed its hands together, releasing winds so strong they forced the group back to the ground and on the path of the dark wave. Marta tried to correct her course, but the giant pointed at her and the lesser shadows formed on its hand, jumping at the girl and grabbing her before she could avoid them.

The entire party fell on the ground and started to be dragged into the tar-like substance, more shadows appearing and grabbing them.

Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you…

Sheena tried to vaporize the shadows around her, but one grabbed her face and she could feel her strength being drained. She still managed to release an explosion of light around her, but other shadows soon came out of the dark sea below and grabbed her, repeating the process.

Nothing is going to hurt you here. All you have to do is to dream…

"PRESEA!"

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

The cry of the Warrior of the Deep Abyss' name made everything stop. Good part of the group had only their heads above the liquid. Still, they looked and saw somebody on one of the rock formations that dotted the Dark Abyss.

The giant Shadow-Presea looked at Colette, who stood with a shocked expression on her face at seeing her friends and surrogate sister being assaulted by the several shadows with Presea's likeness, apparently trying to drown them.

I told you to wait for me.

Colette looked up and suddenly Presea was in front of her. The pink haired woman still sported her new looked as she started at Colette with a serious expression. The blonde spoke up:

"What is this?! Why are you doing this to our friends?!"

Colette pointed at the scene she had arrived to. Presea at least looked ashamed that her crush had to see this.

"I did not intent for things to escalate to this," the pink haired woman said.

"Did not…Presea. What is happening to you? Why are you acting like this?!" Colette couldn't understand. What was going on? Did Presea really…

"They wouldn't listen. They forced my hand. I couldn't simply let you all go back to a world where all that awaits you is more suffering."

Colette felt like someone had punched the air out of her. Her crush didn't even try to deny what was happening. She was justifying it.

"Th-that's… b-but… why?!" Colette couldn't even find the right words to describe what she was feeling.

"I told you my motives," Presea simply stated. "But if you don't want to, I can enact my other plan. I've counted and at least more than two-thirds of Aselia's current population will be left..."

"Two-thirds of-?!" Colette couldn't even finish that sentence. "No. Nononono! This isn't you, Presea! You're not like this. You can't protect us if that is going to result in you killing a lot of people over..."

"Why can't I?" Presea raised her voice, the pressure that had been building up seeming to take an effect on her mood. "It's my mission: to protect you and our friends from anything that will seek to harm you. And I know who would do so, so why shouldn't I act accordingly and eliminate a future threat?"

"You can't tell that!" Colette tried to insist. She couldn't let Presea become a murderer, she just couldn't. "People can change. They can-"

"NO, THEY CAN'T!" Presea finally seemed to explode her once beautiful visage seeming to contort into something terrifying. Her eyes seemed to glow and an oppressive and dark aura emanated from her body. "What makes you think they will act any better than they do now once peace is achieved?! People in life or death situations tend to show their true selves, but in times of peace they can easily hide it, so what makes you think they will get better?!

"The world isn't white and black Colette! There's no black and white! The sooner you understand that, the sooner you will be able to think clearly and do what is necessary to preserve both yourself and this world. So stop thinking on some empty, useless human morality and start looking at things LIKE. THEY. ARE!"

There was complete silence after that. No one dared to utter a word or make a sound as Presea seemed to finally wind down. Colette was positively shocked at what she just heard. Part of her wanted to deny this, to close her eyes and wake up from this nightmare. The other part started to worry that maybe this was...

"I... I can't believe this... I... I don't want to believe it. The Presea that I knew..." the blonde started, only to be interrupted as the pink haired woman spoke again.

"Stop pegging me as a saint! I was never that. Not before and certainly not now. I was hollow. That's what I was. You gave a reason for my empty existence. You gave me purpose and you still do now. My mission is to protect you and our friends. Everything else is secondary to it."

"Even if it makes you a monster?"

"Why should I care what others call me?" there was a pause as Presea sighed, as if she had spoken her piece. "Colette... I understand you and the others didn't like my plan. I'm not so unreasonable as to not listen to your complains. I'm doing what I judge is necessary, but if you can present me an acceptable alternative we can..." Presea tried to touch Colette's shoulder, only for the blond to take a hasty step back.

Colette looked up to the pink haired woman, tears in her eyes and apparently confusing Presea. Through her blurred vision she saw the Warrior of the Deep Abyss finally show some reaction other than anger or confusion. Presea looked at her with fear and worry.

"I can't... I can't accept this... I can't accept what you're becoming," Colette whispered, just loud enough for the pink haired woman to listen.

"Why... why are you crying? What do you... ?"

"If that's how you truly think... what you truly thought this entire time... then I can't accept you."

Colette felt like a part of her was dying as she spoke that. She looked up to see that Presea now looked downright panicked at her words. So much the girl grabbed her by her shoulders without caring for the fact that Colette was trying to avoid her touch.

"But... why are you saying that? I'm only trying to..." she stopped for a moment and then spoke again. "You're... heartbroken? But I..."

"I can't accept somebody that would kill others just for my sake. I have enough bodies on my conscience for..."

"But you don't have to. I'll do it for you, so you don't need to feel guilty about..."

"If that's what you truly think... then you don't know me."

Presea stopped and let go of Colette. She looked like the blonde had punched her in the face.

"I can't accept somebody cold enough to commit murder in the name of 'protecting me'. It... it disgusts me."

"Disgusts... you..." Presea took a step back at those words. She looked down as she mumbled. "But... all that I did... I just wanted to..."

"Presea..." the pink haired woman looked up at Colette, there was a certain glint of hope in her eyes. "Did you... ever threaten somebody for my sake?"

Colette needed to know. She needed to know if what she thought of that woman-in-a-child's-body she met at Ozette was just her projecting herself on Presea.

That had been something that came to her mind once Presea finally spoke what she truly thought and admitted she was completely fine with killing complete strangers so long as it was for "protecting her friends".

"Only Mithos, I swear! And you know what kind of backstabbing traitor that worm w..."

"Were you really planning to kill hundreds of people because you think they would try to harm me? Even though we never even met some of them?" Colette interrupted her.

"But I told you I can see their darkness. I can see their filthy desires and the thoughts they harbor. They are threats! They will only..."

"Then do me a favor," Colette interrupted her again. "Can you take us back to the surface?"

Presea's look turned into that of somebody whose heart had shattered. Colette felt like that too. They never even did anything as a couple, but... maybe that was for the better? If she was only attracted to Presea's situation and never saw the girl for what she was, then she was probably just setting herself up for more pain and disappointment.

"But... Colette... I only want to-"

"I DON'T WANT YOUR PROTECTION!" Colette finally yelled. Why was it so hard for Presea to get that? "I DON'T WANT IT! I DON'T WANT MORE PEOPLE DYING BECAUSE OF ME, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE OR WHAT YOU THINK THEY WOULD DO!"

Presea's eyes became unfocused, her entire face an expression of shock and despair. She looked down, bringing her hands to her head as she mumbled.

"But... but... all that I did was for you. I only wanted you not to suffer... if you refuse that then... then what is my purpose?!" her tone raised at the end. "I'm lost in time. I don't age. I don't die. All that I do only makes things worse! You were the only one that actually tried to reach me. The only one that stayed there. Even my sister is eventually going to die and leave me alone.

"My mission is to protect you. I came back only because of that. You're one of the few I can actually stand without your darkness repulsing me. If I can't do that, then WHY DO I EVEN EXIST?!"

Presea looked up to Colette, her last line sounding like a wail. She wasn't crying, but Colette was sure she wanted to. Maybe she couldn't? Did Summon Spirits even cry? Still, she thought it was cruel to leave without speaking as Presea clearly was tormented by that thought.

"You don't need me to exist," Colette started. "You're you, Presea. You're your own person. You can find your own reason to exist without me. You shouldn't depend on others for something like this."

There was some silence as Colette said that while trying to dry her tears. Then she heard laughter coming from Presea. But it wasn't simple laughter. It was actually a sort of snickering that soon evolved into some twisted laughter. Colette didn't know why, but she felt like something had broken.

"'My own person'. 'find my own reason to exist'?" Presea started, her tone completely different. Colette never heard her talk like that. "You do realize that means you simply said for me to do whatever I want, without considering your thoughts, right?"

The Keeper of Terra's Oath was about to ask what Presea meant with that until it clicked to her. She gulped in fear. Did she just unintentionally suggest that Presea should carry on with her plans of mass murder without even realizing it?

Colette transformed and prepared to fight Presea. But when the Warrior of the Deep Abyss looked up, her gaze was back to its emotionless state.

"But I'm not so stupid as to do that," she spoke, her tone cold and devoid of any emotion. "I'm not as insane as Verius, but I'm not as desperate as Ratatosk," she shot a look at the Lord of Monsters, as he and the others were finally freed from the shadows and allowed to stand. "I can wait. I can wait until you realize I'm right," she then looked back to Colette.

The blonde gulped as Presea's expression suddenly seemed to shift again. It wasn't noticeable unless you were looking directly at it. Presea cocked her head to the side, her eyes wide and staring emptily at Colette as if not really seeing the blond. There was no discernible expression on her face as she simply stated things with some sort of detached tone.

"Yes... I can wait. I can wait."

"P-Presea... ?" Colette started, unsure of what was happening.

A magic circle appeared beneath her and the others. Surprising them, until most realized it was actually a teleport rune.

"I'm a Summon Spirit. I'm immortal. You'll see I am right. I can wait."

Lloyd, Kratos, Regal and Sheena disappeared as their circles glowed. Colette ignored that in favor of looking with a worried expression at Presea as she kept mumbling:

"I can wait. I have nothing else to do. I can wait. Time is nothing to somebody like me. I can wait."

"Presea, you're scaring me," Colette said, but the pink haired woman didn't seem to be paying attention.

The rest of the group was teleported away. Presea continued to mumble "I can wait" as if reciting some sort of mantra:

"You'll find out how rotten everything is and once you do, you'll look for me. I can wait. I don't even need you to love me... but I want you to. But I can wait."

Colette was about to reach to the mumbling and broken Presea, but her circle activated and everything went black as she heard Presea's voice one last time:

"I can wait... I can wait until you decide I'm not a monster. If you don't... I can wait... I've waited twenty years as an empty shell. What's twenty... fifty... a hundred more?"

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

I will wait.

I will wait for you to crumble. For when the world decides you are the next one to break as a tribute for humanity's sins.

This is not a wish, nor a curse.

It's a fact.

I will wait...

I will wait and I will be there for you...

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

They woke up in the Temple of Darkness' altar. None of them hurt in the least.

That was one of the few consolations the party had as they wordlessly got up and walked out of the temple. No demons or monsters bothered them on the way to the surface.

Nobody spoke about what happened. Actually, they would be happy to never speak of it again. That experience had been... They couldn't find a word to describe it.

Lloyd could only wonder at what Presea did.

Kratos could somewhat understand, but wouldn't agree with her on principle.

Sheena was still somewhat angry, but was more worried about how her surrogate sister was taking all of that, considering she had been with Presea since the beginning.

Marta felt she could empathize with Presea on some level, but also wouldn't agree on her methods.

Regal would be happy to forget this ever happened, but knew he would never be able to. He just hoped Alicia wouldn't ask him about her sister. He didn't want to blow up in front of her.

Raine was deathly worried as her mind distracted itself by analyzing the facts surrounding Presea's... change. Is this what would happen to them once they truly awoke as Summon Spirits?

Zelos had absolutely no opinion on anything. For once, he was actually stumped on what to think.

Emil and the Centurions were quiet. While they understood some of what was said, they were worried for what the group would do once they found out exactly why Presea acted like this.

And Colette... she didn't know why, but she kinda expected to come out of the temple and see Presea there, back in her young form and waiting for them. As if it had all been some kind of bad dream or illusion and their friend never became... whatever it is that she was now.

Alas, nobody was there when they exited the temple...

- / - / - / - / - / - / - / -

A thunderstorm was raging on the seas of Altamira.

Alicia was taking care to close all the windows before retreating for the night. As she went back to her room, her mind wandered to her husband and her sister. She wondered how they were doing and if they were fine.

She was also worried if Regal had finally broken the news to Presea. She honestly didn't know how to tell her sister that she was married, especially after just reconciling with her. How did you break that kind of news to somebody that, until a month back, you thought hated you?

As she approached her door, she felt a draft. Had somebody left her room's windows open? Alicia sighed as she opened her door and-

"You never told me you married."

She almost jumped at seeing somebody looking at the photos on her work desk. It was a woman with pink hair, the same tone as hers. She... looked familiar.

"Who are you? How did you get in?" Alicia was ready to scream for the security until the stranger turned.

That face... it was identical to her late mother's, but the chin and height were that of her father's. And- what was this feeling creeping up her spine?

"P... Presea?" Alicia asked, somewhat fearful as her sister smiled (again, just like in her mother's photos).

"Did you think I would be angry?"

"I... I..."

Alicia blushed in embarrassment, avoiding the gaze from her older sister... and when did Presea get this big?

"It's ok. I understand. It pained you to hide this and it would sound strange to just come up and suddenly speak 'by the way, I'm married to an older man'."

"I... I wanted to tell you. I just..."

"It's alright. I can wait. But there's one thing I want to know," she walked to a nearby chair and sat down, motioning for her sister to do the same. "How was the ceremony?"

End of Act V

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