Disclaimer, I do not own any characters or places in this story except for the original characters. This story is written for fun and may contain spoilers.
Chapter 29
The Gameboard
Lucas watched as Amu, Pan and several others were carried through the corridors of the Elle Ciel, Amu was unconscious yet breathing but everyone wasn't sure for how much longer and Pan had a huge hole through her chest and was fighting for her life. Both Amu and Pan were lifted onto a bed as doctors and nurses were rushed off their feet trying to treat the injured. Syaoran was once again in the hospital but this time it wasn't as serious, Lucas sat on the bed watching as his friends were treated for their wounds. He clutched his fists as he saw the pain his friends had gone through all due to his weakness. It was around this time that Ikuto's group burst into the room and were shocked by what they saw. Ikuto rushed to Amu's bedside and watched in horror as the doctors tried to keep her stable, it wasn't long before he ran towards Lucas and punched him in the face, an attack Lucas saw coming and did not try to stop. Lucas fell to the floor as everyone stopped what they were doing and watched in shock.
"You were supposed to keep her safe" said Ikuto.
Lucas kept silent, he wanted to say something but he couldn't, a bad taste filled his mouth as Lucas thought that he deserved to be punished for what had happened to everyone who was in his care. Ikuto tried to hit Lucas again, this time grabbing him by his collar and pulling him up to receive the punch to the face. He launched his attack only to be effortlessly stopped by Project H who seemed to have come to Lucas' defence.
"Fighting amongst each other gains us nothing, you need to cool off, one of my friends was hurt too but you don't see me beating him up, besides he is not the one responsible for this" said Project H.
"Then who is, I rip them apart" said Ikuto as he let go of Lucas.
"The Lords of Chaos and before you go off gallivanting know that as you are now you will never beat them" said Project H.
"Just what is going on here, you said that you would tell us the truth" said Syaoran.
"That I will so if everyone will kindly shut up I shall begin my story however know this, none of what I am about to tell any of you is your fault but I am afraid the die has been cast" said Project H.
"What are you talking about?" asked Snow.
"We are all caught up in a game; a somewhat cruel game that has been hidden in plain sight for years" said Project H.
The whole room became dark as if it had been swallowed by a black void; in fact the group now found themselves drifting through space as if they had left their bodies. Soon familiar faces filled up the room, Amu who had been in a coma and Pan who was practically on death's door stood next to them completely unharmed. Then slowly their friends appeared around them, Negi and his students, the Persona users, everyone they had met while several somewhat phantom like spectator floated with them. These spectators looked completely blank and almost invisible as if they did not belong in the current time and space.
"What the hell" said Lucas.
"Hey it's Lucas, where are we?" asked Chie.
"Lucas, its Lucas and the others" said Spyro.
"Spyro, what the hell are you doing here?" asked Mir.
"More to the point where is here?" asked Mana.
"Settle down now children, this is simply a dimension I created specifically for myself and my explanations, it is like clay so I can make it any shape I want and the rules of time and space do not apply here" said Project H.
"Okay but what the hell are we doing here, last thing I remember was that I was in a bed getting my wounds treated" said Ichigo.
"How thick are you, I pulled your subconscious into this place to speak privately with all of you, in the real world you are all probably just standing in one place drooling like a bunch of twits, no change there then" said Project H.
"Why did you bring us all here?" asked Negi.
"You are all involved now, I shall raise the curtain on this mystery and to be respectful I decided to tell you all this information, all those who have helped these idiots and all those who will, yes I have pulled people who we shall met in the future into this dimension but I don't want to spoil anything because that might be a tiny bit bad" said Project H.
"Lady H can manipulate time and so these grey blobs you see are the people you will meet but we can't reveal who they are or their voices because if we do we could mess up the time stream" said Kuja.
"So it's sort of stupid to bring them here anyway" said Kotarou.
"Oh shut up, just tick me off today Kotarou and see what happens" said Project H.
"What the hell is wrong with you, you're bitchier then usual" said Kotarou.
"Fai's dead, Kotarou" said Sargent Fenix.
There was a slight pause, Kurogane and the other Syaoran and Sakura were shocked but what they heard, L's face became blank, Zangetsu gave an emotionless stare, Tsukuyomi's expression was stuck between a smile and shocked and furious gesture of her lips. Kuja gazed into the distance while Kotarou didn't move an inch like what he had learned had just killed him. A faint tear appeared in Project H's eye and slowly fell down her cheek, everyone else who had witnessed Fai's passing looked away in shame.
"What are you talking about, who is this Fai?" asked Forte.
"A good friend of mine and someone who died saving your sorry hides, so you lot better shut up and listen to me or else I'll rip you a new one, I won't allow that man's death be in vain" said Project H.
"Then tell us what you need to so we can go get revenge for that man's last breath said Shelke.
"Very well, now listen you punks, I am about to reveal to you a secret that could change all of your lives forever" said Project H.
"What secret?" asked Eve.
"The lives and past events of all those present are all a lie and are irrelevant" said Project H.
Everyone was struck with a mixture of shock and confusion, no one understood what Project H had meant but still they felt like a large part of their life had been drained from them. Her words although confusing left a great impact on them as if one by one their precious lives that they hold dear would be shattered and a dark secret that had been long buried would arise to torment them.
"What do you mean by that exactly?" asked Yukkio.
"Oh come on, don't tell me you didn't think it was just a little bizarre" said Project H.
"What was?" asked Lightning.
"So SEES and the Investigation Team, don't you think it was odd that Lucas and the others landed in your world the very moment when you needed them and on top of your old headquarters no less" said Kuja.
"Okay...so that is a little odd if you put it that way" said Junpei.
"What about the time when Malefor went looking for that ring and they just happened to be in the right place at the right time to hear about it" said Kotarou.
"What of it?" asked Etna.
"The other Sakura, Syaoran and Kruogane entered your ship at the very moment when everything should have been settled and you were set to go home, which resulted in you meeting The Doctor, the Daleks and learning that Michel is still alive, odd coincidence don't you think" said L.
"Well that's just a coincidence isn't it?" asked Snow.
"Think about it though, you have always arrived just before or just after a problem has occurred, just in time to save the day" said Tsukuyomi.
"Remember that gap in the sky, the one that threatened to destroy two worlds, you had just enough time to stop it from happening but did you ever think about the other world you saw, which one it was, why do you thin Takaya was there" said Project H.
"No...I thought it looked familiar but I never realised..." said Lucas.
"Are you talking about that weird place that appeared in the sky over Inaba?" asked Kanji.
This caused the entire group to jump with shock, on the other side of that portal they had closed was the world of the Persona users but also the world that Takaya wanted destroyed.
"That's right, it was there world, getting it now Lucas oh but it doesn't end there" said Project H.
"Think about all the times you have nearly died, Light's Death Note won't work on you, why" said Sargent Fenix.
"That's because of the gauntlets" said Sakura.
"The Death Note can kill anything regardless, even Ikuto and his group, there are no exceptions but it won't kill you, odd isn't it" said L.
This left everyone speechless for words, Lucas tried to grasp the situation but he couldn't ignore all these coincidences, it was like someone had them all on a leash to pull them along wherever they liked.
"You once crashed on a world with people that were about to get attacked, you appeared just before the Galaxy Angels got whacked and stopped it from happening and let's not mention that you Lucas used to be a warrior for the Order of Chaos until you became ashamed and guilt-ridden and asked to have all your memories erased, what are the chances that you would be summoned by the Demi known as Joy" said Sargent Fenix.
"How do you know all this?" questioned Maria.
"All of the miraculous times you have survived when anyone else would have given up or died, why do you think I warned you or I helped you, all of your chance encounters such as what happened in the World of Trio" said Project H.
"You meeting Maria and all of your allies in such mysterious ways, Mir, Amu, Train, Shelke, Mint, Sakura and Syaoran, you even met Lyner here after falling from the sky" said Kuja.
"Just what the hell are you saying, that everything we know has been planned, that every moment of our lives was all staged like some kind of sick game, that all the blood we have lost and tears we have cried was all for someone's own personal entertainment" said Mir.
"…...you hit the nail on the head actually" said Project H.
This shocked everyone, throughout all of their lives they had just been dancing in the palm of someone's hand and playing their sick game.
"Well to be truthful not exactly, Lucas, ever since you lost your memories you have been nothing but a chess piece and as for the rest of you, ever since Joy called Lucas to help her you have been playing a game with fate and death, the original path you chose may have been yours but it is true that you have been manipulated" said Project H.
"So you kind of lied huh, not every moment was a lie...you can be heartless sometimes" said Kotarou.
"I wanted their attention and now I have it, shame they have to know but I want this one to be different" said Project H.
"What do you mean by this one, what is going on?" asked The Doctor.
Project H let out a sigh, she turned around and as she did the whole place changed into some kind of museum with large murals on the walls depicting a war between two sides in a bloodied battlefield while six large beings looked on.
"It all started years ago, so long that no one alive today and clearly remember how it happened, at the beginning of the universe there was a world or worlds, a place that governed everything in all dimensions" said Project H.
"They governed things far and wide like emotions that people could feel and events that would happen they lit the fuse that allowed everyone to get to where they are today" said Kuja.
"But then something happened, the governing beings which became known my many names such as Gods or Lords had split into two factions, one known as Order which sought only peace and order, unification between species and then there was Chaos" said Project H.
"They themselves were those who had lost their way in life and all had their own goals and ideals, an organisation that was in disarray that wished to spread disaster and misery, something that they fed off" said Kotarou.
"Naturally these two opposing forces would do fight each other, The Order of Chaos who sought to cause the ultimate disaster and The Order who were equally as bad, both wanted control over the worlds and so each created a band of warriors to fight for them in an endless war and you Lucas were part of this war" said Project H.
"What?" questioned Lucas.
"It's true, my oldest memories were of that vicious war and you and me fighting side by side, two creations of Chaos that fought their war while they looked on and smiled" said Maria.
"Yet you know not of what happened next" said Kuja.
"There was no winner as disorder continued for what seemed like an eternity, eventually both sides realised that a war would not be able to end the conflict and so came to an agreement and this was how the Gameboard was born" said Kotarou.
"The Gameboard was created to settle the long depute between the two sides, like chess where one side would have to remove the other to win, the prize is that the winning side would be able to do as they wished to whatever and whoever they pleased, Chaos would destroy it while Order would control it" said Kuja.
"What is this Gameboard, is it some kind of cursed item?" asked Train.
"No, the Gameboard is the world, the universe; every universe in which the game is played" said Project H.
"What was that?" questioned The Doctor.
"Your lives are the Gameboard and you are the pieces in place, your actions determine the way this all ends" said Tsukuyomi.
"It happens nearly every fifty years or so, warriors representing the two sides are handpicked to fight against each other to determine which side will win, it has always ended in a tie until now" said Project H.
"So what changed?" asked Minato.
"Everything, firstly the rules of the Gameboard were altered due to Michel's releasing of Pandora, that was the whole point of that plan to allow them a way to extend the game so the other side had to alter your contract with the Demis" said Kuja.
"Lucas stands as an interesting point to change, he was a member of Chaos but managed to switch sides, he broke all rules of the Gameboard and gained control of his own fate, it was the same with Maria, although Lucas lost all his memories in the process and Maria lost all the important details about the Gameboard" said Kotarou.
"There were three lords to each side, each waged a war known as the gauntlet war, those lords were sealed as one of the rules of the game, but now that two of these lords have been released everything has changed" said Tsukuyomi.
"A third final lord exists, if he awakens then there will be no end to the destruction that will befall everyone, all living thing will either become empty husk that wander the worlds for no reason other than to kill or be burnt out of existence forever" said Kuja.
"Which is why I wanted you to stop Michel, now it is too late to reverse the damage" said Project H.
"So what do we do?" asked Mir.
"We now have only one choice, kill the three lords" said Project H.
"…..hey, isn't that a little extreme, I doubt we are in a dire situation that we have to resort to cold blooded murder" said The Doctor.
"This is the only way to put an end to everything, the game board will end but if Chaos wins then all will be destroyed, so your choice, kill three monsters or damn every living thing" said Project H.
"I have no problem with killing them, in fact I'm sure I would enjoy it" said Ikuto.
"Still, is it right to just kill them like that" said Negi.
"Don't question whether it's right or wrong, they won't" said Kuja.
"Sad to say but the end decision is not yours, I am afraid it belongs to two people in general, Lucas and Maria, the masters of fate" said Project H.
"What?" questioned Maria.
"Due to certain conditions you two are the only ones who can make this decision, weather you fight or run" said Kotarou.
"Personally I'd like to keep living so I'm waiting on you chief" said Tsukuyomi.
"Now you know the truth, we are all but pawns in this game, what is your decision Lucas Murphy and Maria?" asked Project H.
"I...I will stand by whatever choice Lucas makes, I believe this decision is not one I have the right to make, I'll put all my faith in Lucas, he altered my fate, he has never let me down" said Maria.
"Interesting, so what is your decision Lucas Murphy?" asked Project H.
Lucas thought long and hard about his decision, he wasn't sure he knew exactly what he was getting himself into and the responsibility that would come with it.
"What is it that I am to decide, what does this decision initial?" asked Lucas.
"If you chose to fight then your friends will become your army that you will lead to end this tiresome game but if you run then the three lords would be left to do as the please" said Kuja.
"They would be like a plague wandering through each world with a seemingly unstoppable army, killing at will, their plan will ensure that all that remains is ashes and dust" said Project H.
"Well that's a tough choice, if I am to pick one then I shall have to pick fight, I would rather fight this war and play the ridiculous and cruel game then run and hide like a coward" said Lucas.
"Really, even with your past now know you are still willing to fight, you saw the power of the lords, are you not afraid?" asked Project H.
"My past is meaningless, all that matters is the road ahead of me, if I am to redeem myself for all the wrong I have caused then I have no other choice but to fight to make sure the suffering ends, those creatures are tremendously strong and although I am afraid I cannot let that stop me, besides I have these guys here to give me a hand when I need it" said Lucas.
"Is that so" said Project H who was shocked by Lucas' reaction.
Lucas turned to face his allies; he looked at his friends from far and wide and knew what he must do to make his decision right.
"My friends, you all have your own problems and to get you involved in this would be cruel of me, but I ask you to please lend me your strength and knowledge in order to win this battle, to all of you I place all of my trust and my own life and if you do not wish to fight I would understand" said Lucas.
He then got down on one knee and proceeded to enter a begging position.
"I am sorry for including you all in this madness and I am sorry for all that you have suffered because of my weakness, but please grant me one more favour and fight alongside me to end this once and for all" said Lucas.
The others were shocked by his plea, many of them talked amongst each other, trying to decide what to do, Ikuto then decided on the proper course of action, he walked over to Lucas calmly and lifted him to his feet.
"Lucas you idiot" said Ikuto.
Ikuto then decked Lucas sending him flying to the floor; everyone was shocked by Ikuto's actions although some chuckled at the sight of Lucas being smacked to the ground. Calmly Ikuto grabbed him and pulled Lucas to his feet with a smirk across his face, clearly have enjoyed smacking Lucas he gently tapped him on the shoulder with his hand before speaking.
"You always have to make it all about you huh, like you even need to ask for our help, you've made some pretty good friends ya know, like we would let you go into the lion's den alone" said Ikuto.
"He has a point, Lucas has always gotten us through thick and thin, when we needed him he was there, it would be an honour to fight by your side" said Syaoran.
"What kind of hero would I be if I turned tail and ran, no way, I am seeing this through to the end so I guess you're stuck with me" said Snow.
"Sounds like a chore but what the hell, I'm in" said Mir.
"Like hell am I going to back out now, that punk has really pissed me off and I want some pay back for that damned dragon he sent after us" said Etna
"I made my choice when I signed that contract, as long as you're in charge I'll gladly follow you anyway" said Mint.
"I'll stick around for a while longer kid, after all it has just started getting interesting" said Train.
"I will never walk out on my friends when they need me most, whatever the danger you can count me in" said Lyner.
"Well seems like I have got no choice in the matter so I'll do all that I am able" said Amu.
"My job is to help you, this has not changed, I swear that Michel will pay" said Joy.
"I am bound by this gauntlet, where you go I go, so I will follow you into the fiercest battle if necessary" said Shelke.
"I will not abandon you, my honour as a knight will not allow it" said Flynn.
"I want to end this before any more people get hurt" said Sakura.
"My mission is to assist you I will not return until it is finished" said Aigis.
"That's right, if it wasn't for Lucas then where would we all be right now" said Takuto.
"We do owe you a few favours, you can count on me, I won't let you down" said Negi.
"There is no way I will ever accept killing, but if there is anything you need then I'll help you out" said the Doctor.
"Together we'll put an end to this, you're not alone here" said Soji.
"Guess that shut you up huh kid, we're not going to run away and just let you deal with this crap all on your own" said Dante.
"But you could all die; I could let you all die" said Lucas.
"Is that what you are so freaked out about, relax will ya, no one really dies in the game" said Project H.
"WHAT!" shouted everyone in the room.
"What, did I forget to mention it, after a shall we say player is defeated and seemingly killed they are turned into data which is kept until the true end of the game, how do you think Michel brought back your previous enemies" said Project H.
"So then what happens when the game is over?" asked The Doctor.
"Well depending on which side wins of course, if we win I would assume that the data of all our fallen friends will be reassembled, they will be brought back to life and everything will be set back to as if the game never happened" said Project H.
"But if they win then what will happen?" asked Shelke.
"Like a computer the data would become corrupt, you know what happens next right, a complete and total system crash, most likely everything would be destroyed" said Project H.
"It doesn't mean that this death is in anyway not real of the same as a true death, you'll need to focus, for now Michel will be unable to retrieve the last lord but he is tightening his grip and working out a plan, it won't be long before he executes it, be careful" said Kuja.
"This meeting is now over" said Project H.
"Wait a minute" said Lucas.
Project H did not listen and simply waved her hand, the room returned to normal as if they had never left yet Project H and her companions had disappeared. Lucas gazed through the room looking for them in the hope that he could question them further but it was pointless, Project H had left the building. Lucas turned his gaze to his friends who all stood behind him waiting for their leader's next move. Amu lay unconscious on the bed and Joy held Pan's hand as Pan tried desperately to cling to life.
"Whether or not I deserve the title of leader can wait, for now Michel and the three lords must pay for what they have done" said Lucas.
He faced Ikuto and looked deep into his eyes as if to show his soul to him, Lucas came face to face with him and Ikuto was unsure as weather to punch Lucas or not.
"It was my fault Amu got hurt, but I promise you I am going to get her back, if we win then she'll come back so I won't stop, not even if it kills me I won't stop until I have won this fight" said Lucas.
Ikuto looked deep into his eyes, he let out a breath of air and in doing so let all his rage drift away so that he could focus on more important matters.
"You are not responsible for what happened to her, I was just looking for someone to blame, I'm sorry, but what matters most now is that we work together to win this game" said Ikuto.
"You can count on it partner, we are going to win and we will bring everyone back" said Lucas.
The two shook hand, to them this was a vow, it was a vow that they would work together and end this, it was a vow that they would save everyone no matter what the cost. The vile taste that had been in Lucas' mouth had vanished, his chest felt somewhat lighter as if some baggage had been lifted, the feeling he had before, despair and guilt had all but vanished now replaced with hope, hope for the future.
"So then let's hurry up and win this game" said Snow.
Everyone glowed with confidence, they all shared the hope that both Lucas and Ikuto had, it would be hard, victory would not be easy, there would be much bloodshed and there would be a long and bitter road to walk, yet somehow they all knew they would be able to pull each other through it. They small and fragile joy and hope however would soon be shattered, their hearts sank as a high pitched beeping sound filled the room, it was the sound of dread and misery where nothing good could be caused by it.
"Her vitals are dropping" said a Nurse.
Lucas spun round on the spot to see the frightened face of Joy as tears slowly slipped down her cheeks, her heart sank and she could only clench Pan's tiny hand as her life faded. Everyone rushed to the scene as doctors and nurses gathered around Pan trying to help. They did the best they could but no matter what they tried Pan's vitals would not change.
"No, not again please" said Lucas.
"Please no, please someone do something" said Joy.
Sakura used her magic to try to heal her but it only seemed to make matters worse, even Vanilla who tried her best efforts could not help, Pan simply smile and turned slowly to face everyone.
"I'm glad your….safe, do not blame yourselves, no matter what happens, especially you Lucas…this was…my choice" said Pan as she coughed up some blood.
"Stop talking like this is the end, it isn't you're going to be fine, what would we do without you, we need you remember" said Joy.
"Indeed…..Joy I give that role to you know…they need you now…..I grant you all my powers, all of them…..your now a fully-fledged Demi" said Pan.
"No, I don't want to be, not if it means losing you" said Joy.
"Don't worry….you'll do fine without me….. just promise to stop them and whatever happens….make sure you are happy and …live with no regrets" said Pan.
Pan slowly shut her eyes her breathing died; her arm went limp as Joy tightened her grip hoping that it would help her sister, that it was all a bad dream. However this was no dream, a long line filled the screen of Pan's vital monitor, her pulse faded, her breathing stopped and dread filled the faces of all those nearby. Pan's limp hand slipped out of Joy's tight grip and landed deathly still on the bed. Doctors rushed in trying to desperately revive Pan yet to no effect, Vanilla and Sakura tried to heal her but nothing happened, her heart would not start. Within a few minutes everyone knew it was too late, Lucas couldn't accept it as the doctor pulled a white sheet over pan's body. Lucas clenched his fist with anger as he gazed at Amu's unconscious form and Pan's lifeless corpse. He gently put his hand on Joy's shoulder as a tear fell down his face. Many were stunned by Pan's death, Sakura burst into tears while Etna and Train tried in vain to hide their sadness and anger.
"Joy I'm sorry" said Lucas.
Joy slowly turned to them her eyes filled with tears and sadness, she gently whipped away the tears in her eyes and replaced them with a fury and anger that Lucas was surprised to see in someone so tiny.
"Lucas, this wasn't anyone's fault but theirs and it was defiantly not yours, so you have no reason to be sorry, just promise me that you'll slaughter the bastards that did this, I help you no matter the cost as long as you promise me this" said Joy.
Lucas paused for a second before he pulled himself together and a smirk appeared across his face.
"Of course, I give you my word that I will rip them apart" said Lucas.
"Good, because we're not going to give up, not now or ever" said Pan.
"Got that right, about time we taught those guys what happens when they mess with a hero" said Snow.
"So what is our next course of action?" asked Shelke.
Just then an alarm sounded throughout the ship, Lucas and the others rushed to the bridge to see what was going on. Once they reached the bridge they were shocked to see every weapon primed and ready to fire. Not far off in space was an enemy ship, the same ship that once tried to shoot them down and kill them. Everyone was rushing about preparing for the worst yet something was odd, one ship, just one not a hundred. Why send only one ship when they could easily end them with a large armada, something was not right.
"About time you got here" said Takuto.
"What's going on?" asked Train.
"No idea, they haven't opened fire yet but they have been trying to get in contact for a while now" said Takuto.
"We just received another incoming transmission sir" said one of the pilots.
"Alright, put them through" said Takuto.
The screen lit up and showed the ship's bridge; sitting in the commander's chair like some kind of king was Eonia Transbaal.
"You" said Lucas.
"Greetings Gauntlet users" said Eonia.
"What the hell does he want?" questioned Mir.
Aftermath
"Hello this is Project H, sorry Joy isn't here right now but our guest star is, introduce yourself why don't you"
"Hello, I'm the Doctor making my appearance as a guest" he said.
"So then genius, what do you think of the latest chapter"
"Other than it took forever, the author apologises, he had some issues to take care of but he is back now" said The Doctor.
"Well that's good news, the answer to last times riddle is simple, it's a coin"
"That's way too easy" said The Doctor.
"You think you can do better alien boy"
"Watch me, what goes round the house and in the house but never touches the house?" said The Doctor.
"…okay that is pretty good, until next time, see ya"