Moonlit Destiny

Author's Note: Wrote this eighteen years ago. It's full of cringe and OOC moments, but I'm preserving it for posterity. Enjoy the story and R&R.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of the Rockman EXE series.

Pairing: Established Netto x Tohru.

Summary:

Dark Chip Syndicate Nebula begins production on a reality-altering weapon. Amidst the chaos, Hikari Netto and his friends must battle countless Darkloids and creatures of another world to save their own.

Chapter 17: Samael

"Long time no see, Hikari Netto."

"Tohru-kun?"

As he walked out from behind the curtain, Netto could tell that it wasn't Tohru he was looking at anymore.

"You're –!" Netto backed away.

"Welcome to my realm!"

Although at first glance he looked similar to Tohru, the creature was far from human. He wore a tasselled robe that trailed down to the floor. His hair had a greenish tinge, and each strand looked as sharp as a knife. Two curved horns fell on either side of his head, and metal chains were wrapped around his arms, they too trailing to the floor. On his back were two angelic wings, their outstretched feathers coloured every possible hue of red and orange.

"What are you?" Netto took another step back.

The creature laughed, tilting his head to one side. "I am the god of this world. The truest form of chaos, hate and pain."

Netto was disgusted at that voice. It seemed to mimic Tohru's voice, yet with the hiss of a snake added.

"This is my world! A world of silence! The lost dreams, failures, and darkness of your world sleep here! This…is Paradise Lost!"

Paradise Lost? The name sent shivers down Netto's spine.

"Eons ago when God first brought man into existence, a great plane was created to support him. God found that man needed a companion, so he created a woman. He named them Adam and Eve, and they found their happiness within the Garden of Eden, a place of complete paradise…"

Netto wanted to run, but his feet were lead.

"Happiness did not last for Adam and Eve, as Eve was tricked by the Devil into eating the forbidden fruit in God's sanctuary. They were banished from Eden, but because of their misery and sadness, Paradise collapsed…becoming the basis of a new realm steeped in darkness and ritual, where a new god would rule. Adam's anger empowered a great evil. A demon of unreality who existed only to destroy God's creations. This demon soon invaded what remained of Paradise, making it the home of the vilest and most frightening nightmares. Paradise was desolate. Paradise was lost."

"This world was once Paradise?" Netto tried his best to stall. "And you're that demon?"

"Yes, I am the demon who brought Paradise Lost into existence! And this castle! The castle of Pandemonium"

Netto was sweating.

"But God finally found a way to subdue my power, locking my realm away from the human world. However, the efforts of Nebula changed all that!" he laughed.

"Nebula!" Netto's eyes opened wide.

"The creation of the weapon that only your Hikawa Tohru caught a glimpse of! Darkness incarnate! The S-Dark Chip!"

"S-Dark Chip? Tohru-kun never told us about anything like that!"

"The S-Dark Chip's energy could not be contained within a metal shell. Its power leaked, releasing Paradise Lost from the ancient seal! It twisted reality and set us free!"

"No…"

"Paradise Lost is the very pain that each human feels. I tapped into the painful memories of such a human, bringing forth the dark soul! That foolish human was Hikawa Tohru!"

"Tohru-kun!" Netto gasped. "So that's why he attacked me!"

"His negative feelings fuelled my resurrection! The god was reborn!"

Netto dropped to the floor, tears running down the sides of his face. "Tohru-kun was –!"

"Yessss! Hikawa Tohru's body became the feast for the dark god! The feast for me, Samael!"

"So your name is Samael?" Netto stood up, wiping the tears from his eyes. "So you killed Tohru-kun!"

"With his sacrifice comes the return of Paradise!"

"Return of Paradise? Bastard, what is so great about killing others for such a false vision?" Netto shouted as loud as he could.

"This is my world. And soon, it will be yours as well. Everyone will share the delight of feeling the darkness!" Samael pointed to the window. "Take a look for yourself!"

Netto forced himself to the window, even though his gut was opposed to it. Creatures of all types had gathered in front of the castle, all of them bowing in the fog before their god.

"This is insane! Tohru-kun, what do I do?"

"What you do is join the rest of humankind in your downfall!" Samael stalked Netto around the room. "Become a part of what God denied you!"

"NOOOOOO!" Netto threw Samael's arm aside, running for his life.