Chapter/Tale 7: Diamond and Rebirth: Act 7
Author's Note Intro:
Been a while, hasn't it? Sorry for the wait; enjoy the chapter! Also, there's gonna be a major roast in just a couple of paragraphs, so if you end up being offended, I deeply apologize for that (well, yes but actually no but at the same time yes while it's most likely a no, but maybe 50/50?) as well…
…I suppose that's for you to decide when you reach that point. I advise you read for yourself. Also, I hope you guys are doing well and taking care of yourselves as well! Enjoy!
Knaiva's POV: The Disaster Arises
The darkness that shrouded my vision eventually began to fade away to reveal something even more horrifying. An eruption of black geysers sprouted from all over Central Square and a massive one engulfing the queen viciously.
The crowd, eventually most of them regaining consciousness, gazed in genuine horror upon this menacing sight. The rest of the Star Allies regained their consciousness only to witness this horrible and bizarre sight.
"What the hell?!" Dedede shouted. "What is this aura?! It's unlike anything we've ever dealt with!"
"And it consumed the queen in one fell swoop!" Sirica added.
"SPECTRA!" Taranza cried out, rushing to the bursting geyser out of desperation. Unfortunately, he was blind to notice a manifested tentacle of darkness preparing to strike him on the side.
"Get down!" Ironically, it was Rushgarde who saved him from being impaled with a swift tackle, barely evading the tentacle swing as that same tentacle leveled the surrounding buildings.
"What are you doing?! Let me go! Spectra's-!"
"Cram it with insects, arachnid! You won't survive a minute against that thing right now!"
"Just what is that thing supposed to be anyway?!" Gryll shouted.
As if that wasn't worrisome enough, Zeta the Spark Princess discovered something ever more troubling. "Warning. I'm detecting sabotage within all forms of technology and media at a spontaneous and simultaneous rate globally. Is it this anomaly's doing?!"
"It can hack the whole planet's technology in that short amount of time?!" Vanja gasped. "Shit, this isn't good!"
It seems that the entire world was forced to witness this horrible disaster unfold one way or another. With that, the darkness began to physically manifest into something scary. The swarm of black aura manipulated itself into a face of pure evil, like the devil himself, using Spectra as the key. The mass geyser levitated the queen's body out of reach from everyone nearby within the radius of the center of the square, forcing us all to gaze into the sky.
Followed by that, a voice mixed with a man and a woman that startled and scared everyone.
"THE WILL IS INEVITABLE. YOUR FATE IS SEALED, SINFUL HUMANS."
"Who the hell- no, what the hell are you?!" Taranza demanded.
"…Humans. So simple and naïve. What a surprise to this day that you feeble insects still manage to cling to life to this very point in time. And yet so deaf to reality when they're forced to confront it. How quaint. Glad to know that you humans haven't changed."
"What is it talking about?" A young woman shook in her voice.
"That being said, I can understand that you all would have little to no idea of my existence. Well, it's the least I should do since you will face death soon for your sins. Very well. Allow me to announce the name that shall cleanse this realm of your sinfulness."
"What is this sinfulness you speak of, being?" Zeta demanded.
The mass of darkness paused for a bit, only to eventually cackle out of its own amusement. "I see. So, you wish for another reminder of your sins just so you could have something to deny in front of me… how asinine. Surely I don't need to go into that very detail, but I shall. After all, it would be your disgusting actions that brought me to fruition in the first place."
The crowd was speechless, looking at each other in an understandable state of confusion, murmuring with an obvious tone of fear etched on their voices.
"A shock, I presume… Ha, you all are so adorable, acting as if you were the victims all along. Don't make me laugh. You humans are more than aware of the disgusting things you've done, and you know how deep that scar runs," The feminine apparition of the being scoffed mockingly. "Sure, your individual sins preside with my claim, but the scars I was brought from were from your detestable acts of wickedness that still runs rampant to this day and age."
"Acts of wickedness?" Someone bravely questioned.
"Exactly, wretches. Ever since the beginning of time upon this world, it has been on and off with humanity. To think that it all started with a simple act of disobedience and rebelliousness against God. While it may be questionable on the Creator's part, regardless, their decision ignited the vicious cycle and traits that all species despise about you humans."
Murmurs continued to escalate, although it seemed the being didn't mind. The crowd at the site of this incident, alongside those forced to watch this sight, came to realize what this divine "being" was referring to.
"That's right. If there's one thing that all humans show the best no matter if some are goody-goody, it's their lack of selflessness and their oversupply of selfishness. Their selfishness is the trigger that fires the bullets of other disgusting traits, traits you humans shouldn't have inherited in the first place. It has driven you all to commit disgusting acts, things that no other species had yet to do before their existence. It started with lies and a rebellion, then the first murder in human history… the rest follows, and you know what I'm talking about."
The being goes on a little further as if its point has not sunk in yet. "How ironic. For a species that was made in God's image, you humans are rather nothing more than just immature children in decaying, adult bodies, and it sickens me how you humans would do just about anything to satisfy your egos or more specifically, your desires. Should you require proof, it's just how the wise men say that history is doomed to repeat itself; you only need to take a look back into your history. It's all about your selfishness, humans: the violence is horrid enough that many innocents fear to even step out their front door, you'd charge hefty amounts for cures that only the wealthy can afford while the less fortunate rots away in the alleys, and let's not forget the disease that dwells within all of humanity- discrimination! Yes, the 1960s was quite a time to be such immature pieces of shits to those of a different skin color or nationality; they're the same as you and yet you "superior humans" treat them like shit! You're all humans! Aren't you supposed to be getting along?! I say to hell with those who hold the stupid notion of race as a means to not treat others with respect just because they're different! It sickens me just how you inhumane species would trample on each other just for some fleeting clout! It's a mystery how you people have not went extinct centuries ago!"
While I'm not entirely sure of what it was saying, the reaction from the crowd was enough to confirm that it was at least telling the truth in some way.
Some, however, refuse to acknowledge that claim. "W-what's your deal?! Why are you saying that it's our fault?! Do you think every single one of us relishes that sort of sick thing?! Do you truly think that we're not troubled by these thoughtless actions of the other humans?!"
"Oh, right… I was expecting that claim to come up sometime soon. Don't think for a second that all humans are so innocent. See, given the situation at hand, it would be enough for you fools to make a choice so bad that it eventually or instantly cripples you for life in the future. And when you've screwed up, what irritates me the most is how you humans don't reflect immediately on what you have done, and this is the biggest flaw of human history. Isn't it a damn downer how you all refuse to reflect on yourselves and instead hasten your finger to point the blame on others for your own follies, and for what?
To save your own damn skin?
Just so you would be right when you're actually wrong? Would it kill you all for one moment to talk things out instead of declaring war as a solution to your problems? And yet it seems that's the only way history ever moves forward ironically. All you humans desire is war over every little thing, and when you suffer, you refuse to humble yourselves and blame others, especially when a higher power is "involved" in the crossfire.
Like God, for example. You all are so quick on the uptake to blame him for not doing anything to help you out, but did you ever consider that your disgusting actions and your portrayal of him are the real reason why he never steps in to help any of you? You claim that you don't need him to know right from wrong or to live peaceful lives and you picture him as demanding, restrictive and a tyrant as well in your choices of media and entertainment and so on, so he lets you do what YOU consider is right and wrong because you think you know better than him or anybody who you refuse counsel from and look where that's gotten humanity as a whole!"
The female variant adds to the claim. "The simple truth is that you humans DON'T know right from wrong; your views of right and wrong are limited to you humans as individuals, not as a whole!
You don't consider that what may be good for only you may not be good for the rest of humanity- that's why these debased wars and ongoing violence keeps happening! Not to mention how no one with the power to stop it turns the other cheek to these grave matters in order to indulge themselves in the pleasures that these political powers aim to keep for themselves. And those who truly do care about making the world better are the ones who get out 6 feet under by those who don't care about helping anyone but themselves. Human governments are so pathetic- all bark and no bite the moment they step into power. Even if all of the world's leaders got together to proclaim to the world, "peace and prosperity," the results would only dig mankind into an even deeper grave, perhaps a stunt that would definitely cause instant destruction and extinction. Assuming that they did, death and sickness and the other norm would still linger till the end of time without a solution, and that's assuming humanity even gets to that point at all- without dirtying their hands and stabbing others in the back, of course. At times like those, why rely on your so-called heroes, no matter how powerful they are? After all, heroes are people, and people (mainly you pathetic humans) are generally shitstains, even if they used to be antagonistic and have "reformed", as you all call it."
"A bit too quick on the uptake, are ya?" Marx retorted, under his breath; he ended up taking that back after barely dodging an icicle filled with a malice-laced aura by a hair. "Hey, what the hell?!"
"I heard that, jester. You of all people should be more than agreeable to my claim; did you not attempt once to take over a planet by backstabbing and tricking your brain-dead naïve pink friend into giving you star power so you could attempt a galactic conquest?"
The crowd gave Marx a very piercing glare of shock, surprise and somehow, rage. "Hey, c'mon! I was going through a phase, and no one kept me well-fed! Cut me some slack! And even so, how the hell would you know that… whatever the hell you're supposed to be?"
"Didn't I mention this before? You humans brought me into physical fruition with the sins you've committed, after all. What makes you think I wouldn't know any of what the inhabitants of this planet or those aliens who comes here do?"
"So, you are a memory keeper of this planet's history…" Princess Kailaine shuddered, seemingly as if she had her worst idea come true.
"That's right, I am a product of your actions, humans! Ever since the first couple's rebellion against God to the grand flood to the devastating world wars and even for the massive shootings and the global virus up to this present day, I've been forced to witness it all the gradual decline of humanity in their morals and much more as well as bear the stains of innocent blood spilled caused by the heartless actions of you debased and morally wicked humans! At first, I thought nothing of it in the beginning- it didn't bother me. But as your conflicts got more and more severe and baseless, it soon became nothing but agony as you solved your biggest problems through warfare and senseless violence through the use of nuclear weapons and suicidal strikes that greatly damages the planet, and soon I came into fruition when it did bother me the most- The First World War, the time where humanity has truly gone mad than in any other time period before then."
"All the blood spilled, all the lives lost in a pointless struggle for fame and power, assault on others and killing them out of pure spite and jealousy for something they have that you don't, the crazed power struggle in political matters, mass control with religions who claim to be doing god's will and yet tarnish god's name with the horrible crimes they're supposed to go against while persecuting another who actually does what god requires as well as imprisoning them for their faith, hypocrisy in both word and deed, blackmail, manslaughter, adultery, sexual assault, racism and discrimination, claiming to love one another and yet willingly take up arms with them in war, claiming that words are more important than actions, false peace and security that never gets fulfilled, rebelliousness in adults, teenagers and children alike, pestilence, struggles for gender rights, struggles for fame and fortune, backstabbing and betrayal, struggle for power, thoughtless actions that damages the environment, nuclear warfare and whatever else you humans KNOW you've done- I felt it all as you advance forward in your pathetic lives on the need to act on your desires as your reason for doing these morally debased acts, and you have the nerve to blame others, god included, for the sins that only YOU committed, afraid to or unwilling to take responsibility for yourselves! It's a miracle how you humans survived for this long!"
"Well, that's not untrue…" Whistled Marx, in which the general response was nothing but malice and anger towards Marx. "Whatcha mad at me for?! You're pretty much proving that thing's point right now!"
"Amusing to have someone who is not afraid to admit their wrongdoings after doing a similar thing themselves. Unfortunately, it's all overshadowed by all this unyielding rage and fury that I have been forced to bear by you humans, and I've had enough of it the moment the crash of the clockwork star took place, so that's when I devised a plan to strike back at you humans in that moment. Since your world symbolically grows colder with every generation, I thought it would fitting to end your heartless race the same way you ended the innocents- by giving you all more than just the average cold shoulder. A project was being constructed at that time, and throughout your world's history, I had stored memories of your innovations and ideas that you brought to life through reality or fiction. Combining both had allowed me to be able to do the same- except it would be more practical this time. Just as God gave life to this world, I realized I could do the same. Only this time, it was to assert fear and chaos into all of you humans before it went off and did its job for me."
Everyone was confused at first, understandably as they tried to recall the crash of back then. But as they gave it more thought, their body response was to direct their eyes on a single individual once they realized what The Will was referring to, and they gasped upon that realization and when they gazed at her.
"Why are you all staring at me?" Those words of confusion belonged to none other than Celsius.
"Celsius… it's talking about you," answered Kazela.
"…wha?! ME?!" The Godbeast was taken aback.
"Well, considering that YOU of all beings came out of the crater that the nova's crash made and caused mayhem moments afterwards, that can be the only explanation as to how it accomplished part of its goal," Teyren summarized, confirming the being's claim.
"…you mean, that "thing" is my maker?! You can't be serious!" Celsius exclaimed, clearly in denial.
"I'm afraid it's the truth, Celsius Shiverflake. You were the chess piece I created in order to overthrow the hubris of humanity little by little, of course, with the involuntary help of the ones who were crafting the project using that Elejewel. And once you were born from the energy of that jewel, all I had to do was sit back and let you wreak havoc in your savage state while I continued to plan my next move. And regardless of you slaving for these imperfect humans after being tamed by the mother of the Dragon Princess, it was enough to fulfill a massive fraction of my goal, although the virus could be considered a bonus for me thanks to your rampage, Celsius."
"You…! Y-you can't be… serious…!" The Godbeast was shook upon hearing the dark revelation that she was to realize, losing all feeling in her legs to drop down on her knees, much to the surprise of all who only perceived the Godbeast as a being of senseless destruction. Of course, none had the right words nor the words at all to even give comfort, which is understandable.
Vanja seemed in a trance as her mother was mentioned. Perhaps that memory was too painful for her…
The thing continued to escalate in its grand scheme, ignoring the emotional damage it caused Celsius. "Moving on, some time has passed since the virus ravaged this planet, and soon I had caught wind of your attempt to jettison children off to nearby or neighboring planet stars. That threw me for a loop a little while, but I wasn't deterred. Of course, I had to put a stop to that, only this time-"
The figure made out of pure black mass of energy managed to materialize itself into a silhouette bigger than the vessel it possessed, like a being with evil intentions, crimson blood red eyes and a wicked smile to compliment it as well. It continued to finish its transformation with this line:
"It was going to be up and personal, as you humans would say."
The masses quickly shrieked and backed away as far as possible upon witnessing the transformation. "Whoa! What the hell?!"
"It can materialize itself?!"
"That's right, humans! In fact, it was I who caused the destruction of the station those many years ago! Since the virus hasn't yet afflicted the younger humans, I had planned to strike while the iron's hot and thwart your efforts to keep your race alive. Unfortunately, I met with a meddler, an unexpected one at that, too. And thanks to that meddler, you humans who remained got to see another day as well as the children you jettisoned off into space too."
The Will spat at the latter half of its statement, seemingly glaring daggers at someone within the crowd. It eventually receded into mere chuckling. "It matters not. You may have eluded death back then, but this time, your luck has finally run out, humans! Now that I've claimed a body suited to maximize my powers, you all won't have a snowball's chance in hell in opposing me!"
At this point, Taranza was getting more and more frustrated and on edge as well. "Enough of this crap!" Taranza shouted, pointing at The Will, keeping Spectra captive. "I don't care what your deal is, all I know is that I'm about to tear your sorry self a new one if you don't let Spectra go right now!"
"Damn it, arachnid! Did you not hear what I told you earlier?!" Rushgarde shouts at him.
The Will was unamused. "Oho, I suppose stupidity is what still drives humanity after all. You of all people should know that Taranza. You continue to struggle for this woman who failed to contain the chaos that has erupted before me? You couldn't get over your grievance, could you? Your stupidity knows no bounds."
"Shut the hell up, you demon spawned dreck! You don't know jack about what I've been through; stop acting like you're some sort of all-knowing god when you're just a cluster of human mistakes with no soul whatsoever!"
"Aw, did I strike a nerve or something, your highness? Frankly, you're starting to sound like all of those "JRPG" protagonists at the endgame- all about giving "God" the middle finger as they kill said-god, make a speech about making their own futures and then proceeds to go back to their normal lives without no effort made for their futures whatsoever. Perhaps you may have a point…"
"Yeah, if I'm being honest here, that whole "kill god" theme in JRPGs is starting to become more cliché. RPGs back then had more originality aside from that trope, imho," Espera admitted in a whisper to the rest of the group. "Not that it isn't fun, but I feel it's starting to become stale these days."
"Not now, Espera," Susie growls in a whisper.
The Will pauses for a moment. Then, it smiles wickedly. "So, if that's how you really feel, then of course I'll agree! In fact, I'll take care of your little god problem as well. I'll simply dethrone him along with his allies! Of course, that'll only be after I cleanse this filthy world along with him! Once I do that, I'll ascend to an existence beyond God and cleanse more worlds than your feeble minds could comprehend! And the best part is that if God goes down, you're all going down with him!"
The spectators were taken aback. "What the hell?!"
"Is it for real?!"
"Why the shock? After all, it's you humans who desire to see God fall and the Devil to prevail considering that you've been doing what the Devil wanted throughout your history as I stated previously before. And these are your words and your desires in the first place- I'm acting in accordance to those desires as well as my own, combined with rage and fury. Don't blame God- blame yourselves for even conceiving such a notion in the first place! God started the universe, but it began with you humans, and so I shall see to it that the world ends with you humans! If you keep persisting on getting in my way, well…"
YOU SHALL KNOW THE TRUE MEANING OF PAIN!
(Nightmare- Tales of Destiny)
With those words, instant destruction swiftly befell all those within the vicinity. Thunderbolts mixed hail and dark energy struck the area without any sort of warning whatsoever. None of us were prepared to defend ourselves from the incoming barrage of attacks.
The crowd reacted as expected- in fear as some of the attacks struck some of the bystanders in the mix. Their cries could be heard all over the world as well as our own.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Everyone screamed.
"Cower, you miserable excuse of a species! This is indeed the wrath of a being unbeknownst to even God himself!" The Will was enjoying itself with the senseless destruction it was causing. "It's true what you humans say: revenge is sweet!"
"Keh! Damn you! Take this!" Taranza howled, concentrating a sphere of energy to fire at The Will and fired away.
The anomaly was unfazed. "So predictable, arachnid!" It manifested a physical hand of darkness and easily clamped the energy ball like a toy. "Hope you have your gloves ready so you can catch THESE HANDS!"
"What?!" Taranza shouted.
In response, The Will, using the same attack, clenched it within its false palms and recklessly tossed the projectiles back at Taranza, except that the projectile multiplied by a lot, enough to wipe out a town!
"Aw, crapbaskets!" Marx exclaimed.
"Get down!" Magolor roared, conjuring a summoning circle and chanting an incantation at the same time. "Slash through! ULTRA SWORD: DUAL TERMINATION!"
At once, the summoning circle quickly hovered into the air, dividing into two separate circles, yet producing massive twin swords that seemed like they could cut through planets. In retaliation, they swiftly dulled through the rain of energy blasts at once, also attempting to get a hit in on The Will.
Unfortunately, The Will didn't budge once after taking both the swords. "That's it? I was expecting more from the one who sought the power of the Master Crown, you know." The Will manifested gigantic hands and fiercely tensed its grip on both swords without much effort. The swords shattered.
"What?!"
"Allow me to demonstrate!" The Will conjured two identical swords that of Magolor's, only engrossed in dark energy. It swung them both at the same time to crack the outer boundaries of the town, which caused the ground to be riddled with faults and cracks. "Have a sample… of my merciless indignation! Fell Tremor!"
The tremors multiplied, causing many to stumble tremendously as glaives began to sprout as a result. All within the vicinity were severely damaged by the tremor, launching the victims into the air helplessly.
"I'm not done yet! Taste this dish best served cold! Realm Hail!" The Will cackled, manipulating the clouds into a darkened state as thunderbolts began to strike down to the ground at an incalculable speed.
The result was just as expected- a rubble of debris and unconscious, tattered bodies were flung about over the area, helpless to their tormentor. It was like being under its mercy, I think they say.
I cannot think straight after that last attack. Everything became so disjointed, a blur in that way. I could barely keep myself stable above the ground and it was a struggle. "Tch…!"
The Will was amused, cackling at his tattered and bruised opponents like they were nothing but maggots. "What's the matter, maggots? Out of juice already?" The cockiness that echoed out from this anomaly clearly was mocking the terrible side of humanity; perhaps a blow through everyone's morale.
"Damn it…!" Rushgarde gasped, tattered and bruised with blood. "You won't get away with this, you freak!"
"Oh really? As if you can do anything in the state you're in, Alzen," The Will retorted. "Unfortunately for you, I've grown weary of this childish act. Playtime is officially over. This won't be like the last time, Royal Knight. You may have kept me at bay those past couple of years ago at the shuttle with those two accompanying you, but this time you will fall like the maggot race you are! After all, it was because of those two that you're still standing right here; your life would've been forfeited back then."
The Will cocks its head to the side out of arrogance and cockiness, now switching to its female variant of voice. "No matter. I suppose this is what you would call a blessing in disguise, was it not the expression? Either way, you will get what's coming to you humans in the end. And since you seem so fond of this woman, I'll be sure to utilize her dark energy to the fullest!"
"Spectra!" Taranza shouted desperately, gazing upon the queen's figure, consumed and devoid of life. "You… you MONSTER! How could you do such a thing?!"
"Me, a monster? I'm no monster…" The Will replied with a haughty and arrogant laughter. "I'M A GOD! AND I'LL CRUSH ANYONE WHO STANDS IN MY WAY!"
"You little-!"
"What's the matter, spider boy?" The Will happily mocked Taranza. "Gonna cry? Good, because you ain't scoring with her anytime at all! How fitting for a pathetic excuse of a living being like you who mopes around depressed that his first love was killed for who knows how long! How are you gonna live now, you worthless maggot?!"
"Yo, Taranza!" Marx shouted. "Personally, I would not let that slide! Don't let that bastard cook you!"
Even though Marx said that, it was clear as day that Taranza was not going to take this lying down helplessly. The way he stood up and continued to furiously glare at the being of sin says it all. The rest of us shared that same resolution as well.
"Kehehehehehe… So, you maggot humans still intend on defying me, huh? That is to be expected, after all. Tell you humans what- I'll entertain your commitment by giving you all a fighting chance. Obviously that won't happen, but then again you can't expect to reach your goal without some sort of opposition present to test your commitment, much like the people that your governments persecuted just because they "threatened" the peace that was obviously nonexistent. Typical humans."
"What are you trying to suggest to us here?" Teyren demanded. "Some sort of challenge for your own amusement?"
"That IS exactly what I meant, yes. Not like you'll even survive. My purpose still stands- I intend to make you humans suffer, but if you believe that you don't deserve this outcome even though you do deserve it, then all you have to do is prove that. Today will be your one and only chance to show that humanity deserves another chance as you all claim. Will you rise to the challenge, or will your wings burn up and fall from flying too close to the sun like poor Icarus? That'll be something for you humans to consider, won't it?"
No one uttered a single word after that statement, visibly exhausted and wounded, trying to stabilize their wellbeing before it plummets.
The Will tossed a brief laughter before continuing. "Looks like we're all in agreement then. Perfect. You humans have this whole day to come at me, so you better pull your robust asses out of the rubble, or your fate will be sealed in ice! The same goes for your precious queen here as well if you value her safety, Taranza and Rushguarde! Same for you too, Star Warriors!"
"Damn you!" Rushguarde scowls in pure frustration. "I swear, I'll tear you apart if it's the last thing I ever do, you bloody freak!"
"Hehehehehehe, I sure hope you can, Alzen. Try to back that up if you can." The Will then motions its body for a leave with the queen encaged in its clutches as more dark energy begins to seep from the ground around it. "With that, I'll be preparing to eradicate you humans in the meantime, so I'll be taking my leave with her Highness."
"No! Spectra!" Taranza shouted, yet too wounded to even move a muscle.
"…T-Ta-Taran…za…" A soft, innocent voice echoed woundedly from the queen's lip who was about to be consumed by the darkness in due time.
The whole world could only watch in horror as the deity of physical human malice was about to vanish from the mess it created.
"Oh, one more thing I forgot to mention. It's imperative that you disgusting human maggots ingrain this into your feeble, imperfect brains." The Will's face manifested a wicked smile, almost as if he was the devil himself as he prepared to deliver this line-
THE WILL IS INEVITABLE. YOUR FATE IS SEALES, SINFUL HUMANS. WITNESS THE HAND OF JUDGEMENT, AND JUDGE YOU I SHALL. FOR I MAKE MYSELF KNOWN AS THE RESULT OF YOUR SINS, HUMANS!
I AM SIN GRIGORIA! BURN THAT IN THE BRIEF MOMENTS THAT EXIST TO YOU!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
And with that… The Will- no, SIN GRIGORIA vanished, taking the innocent queen with it.
The shameless laughter constantly banged on my head, almost as if it was reminding me of something. But whatever it was, it can wait.
Taranza was left speechless, trying to grasp hold of the dire situation.
"Spectra…" was all he could say. I feel bad for him.
I feel bad that I couldn't do anything to stop this from happening. Perhaps everyone else here felt the same way. And it turns out that they do feel that way.
"Please tell me this is just a dream…" Karly stuttered from shock.
"Tch… I'm afraid not, Karly," coughed Meta Knight, struggling to stand with his blade.
"Oh man, we're in some deep shit this time," Dash hacked his voice due to the physical trauma from the attack. Dylan had to support him to get up. "Not that it'll be even worse if we do encounter Dark Matter themselves…"
"No… damn it!" Kailaine crushed the ground with her fist, making a decent-sized crater. "I saw this coming, yet I stood there like a dumbass!"
"Hey, so did we! Besides," Espera tried to console the princess. "The Will, or rather, Sin Grigoria, was one step ahead of us that we anticipated. No one is necessarily at fault here."
"Of course not," added Marx with tone suddenly going the other way. "Except for these Zenoxia Guards over here."
The crowd was baffled by what Marx had claimed.
"Goddamn it, Marx!" Marxanae groaned and scowled in frustration and shock. "Not the time, my god!"
"Marx! What the hell?!" Knuckle Joe shouted. "You can't be serious!"
"For God's sake, Marx! Just drop it!" Sirica demanded. "We're in enough trouble already!"
"Why are you trying to make this worse than it already is?!" Gryll growled. "This is NOT the time for this nonsense!"
"Oh dear, down between a rock and a hard place, and yet you're attempting to dig a bigger hole already?" Pandora sighed.
"Am I wrong, though?!" The jester pointed his finger at them and then continued. "This all happened because these guards were too stupid to even come out clean about this whole situation and instead wasted time by chasing us down after accusing us of treason! That thing could've been killed a long time ago, but noooo, they had to go and be stupid. Now the queen is kidnapped, Taranza is depressed again, and now we're all going to die thanks to these poor excuses of knights! I mean, look at them! Celsius here literally was created to start this whole mess in the first place by Sin Grigoria!"
"What was that?!" Alzen growled. "You stupid jester! This isn't the sort of thing you could just casually tell the whole damn planet and expect them to be so understanding about it! If anything, if we had told them this when we didn't have a means to quell the threat at the time, it would cause panic! And you have the nerve to give us lip about it?! You insufferable dick!"
"Oh, you wanna go there, huh? You treated us like criminals and placed massive bounties on our heads! That ain't cool, bro! What are we, cannon fodder?!" The jester angrily barked. "Then again, maybe that Sin Gogory fellow or whatever the hell it called itself was onto something earlier…"
Rushgarde suddenly got aggressive upon hearing that line. "Don't you dare-!" He threatened Marx with his blade, holding him still at the neck that pierced a little through the skin, causing a light stream of blood to leak.
The spectators were once again taken aback, tensing on edge after being shaken from earlier. I guess Sin Grigoria had a point if this quarrel was taking place after a massive disaster that happened a while ago.
Talk about bad timing. That aside, I suddenly recalled what Sin Grigoria was saying earlier regarding Rushguarde's encounter with it. Seems like they had history with each other before. What kind, though?
Nonetheless, things were getting heated up between those two.
"Great, just our luck…" Magolor groaned. "Please, universe. Give us more headaches!"
And it was about to get even worse. A sudden chill began to travel down my spine, I think that's what it's called, and throughout my entire body as well. Suddenly, the warm air started to fade away to match the atmosphere of this planet.
I could feel my knees shaking in stiffness; it was very unpleasant. At the same time, I noticed Pandora wasn't shaking in response to this. I supposed that might be because of her control over ice, it seems.
"I was being sarcastic, damn it!" Magolor shouted angrily.
"Oh crap, did it suddenly get colder here or is it just me?!" Shivered Marx. "I thought the snow was supposed to be warm!"
"This can't be good…" Rushgarde gasped, glancing his eyes around him.
Teyren rushes over to Alzen, dragging a despondent Celsius with him. "Alzen, this is-!"
"I'm afraid so…" Alzen agrees.
"What's going on?!" Someone shouted worriedly. "Why is it getting cold for the first time in freaking years?!"
Vanja glances around, apparently unaffected since her natural affinity is ice like Pandora and Celsius. "…I see, so that's what Sin Grigoria's up to. This isn't good… it plans to end humanity symbolically by freezing the whole planet over!"
The crowd gasped while Vanja continued. "But that's only the tip of the iceberg. Now that Spectra is in its grasp, I'm afraid it won't end by freezing to death. It may appear that the end result will be more destructive if you catch my drift."
"Then if that's the case, why don't we get Celsius to simply fix all of this?!" Marx countered, but was smacked upside the head by Gooey, who appears to have taken the whole thing much more seriously compared to the previous times. "Ow! What the hell, Gooey?!"
"Marx, I'm pretty sure the Royal Guard probably had that same idea at some point earlier! Apparently, Sin Grigoria was way ahead of them in that regard! Even though she created this eternal winter, it's obvious that she doesn't have the power to reverse it considering that she was just created to cause this havoc in the first place!"
"As embarrassing as it is to agree with him, Googly eyes is right, jester," Teyren added. "It was not as simple as the idea sounded when it was on paper. We tried anyway, but to no avail. Besides, Celsius has attempted this in her normal state, but the least she could do when we had tamed her was to make the temperature warm enough for getting by. Now that Sin Grigoria has shown up, it appears it has usurped control that only God should have over this planet. The least we can do is to stabilize the temperature for as long as possible until we can come up with a plan."
Marx was not amused. "Are you suggesting that we, the Star Allies, work together with you, the guys who jumpstarted this shit in the first place?! Hell no to that!"
"Oh my nova, Marx," facepalmed Bandana Dee. "What other choice do we have?! We need to come up with a plan, and after experiencing firsthand how badly that anomaly grassed us, we need to work together!"
"With those freaks? No way! I mean, look at them! They're guilty of a lot of things, with Alzen being the one who holds the guilty crown, hearing how Sin Grigoria's dialogue with Rushguarde sounds like they've had history with each other before. I bet he's guilty of something, that's for sure!"
Rushguarde did not take that lightly as he grabbed Marx by the collar and had him suspended in midair. "BASTARD! I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW?!"
Marx smirked in a mocking tone. "Enough to know that you're somehow responsible for this crap happening, you goddamn failure of a-!"
At once, Marx found himself suddenly unable to voice out the rest of his words. A painted Red X was taped over his mouth without any warning, even throwing off Alzen who was holding him by the neck as well as the rest of the crowd.
"That X… is this your doing, girl?" Alzen questioned, dropping Marx in the process. He turned his gaze over to the one responsible.
"Sorry, he said some unnecessary things at a time like this, and I should apologize as well," It was none other than Adeline, who seems rather neutral calm about what just happened.
"You, apologize to me? I don't think that's necessary. I mean, not everything this jester said was a lie. In some ways, he does relay the truth. I might as well be guilty."
"Alzen, what are you talking about?" asked Teyren.
"It's exactly what it sounds like," answered a defeated Rushguarde. "I am responsible for what took place. While you may think it's what had just occurred regarding her majesty, what plagues me to this day is what took place those couple of years ago…"
"…so you were involved somehow…" Teyren could only say. The bystanders were on edge upon hearing this surface level confirmation, being treated by the healers of our party in the meantime. Even Celsius managed to wake herself from the revelation that she was struck with long enough to get herself to listen to the knight's plight.
Alzen then turns to Adeline. "I am aware that our time is limited, but since the matter has gotten to where it is right now, there isn't any point of trying to conceal it anymore. In more ways than one, I did have something to do with what took place at the station many years ago…"
Alzen then took a deep sigh, struggling to keep his composure from being dismantled any further than it already was due to being provoked by Marx.
As for him, Marxanae's giving him a hard lesson alongside Gryll and Pandora, being a resting place for the pointy ends of their fancier shoes.
Adeline, now seeming to let go of her initial rage from before, calmly glanced at Alzen to hear what he has to say. "Tell me, what really happened those many years ago?"
The knight at first hesitated, the guilt most likely making him feel choked. A few moments later, he was able to breathe once more before answering. "…I shall tell you what took place. Hopefully it won't take too much time considering the predicament we're in right now."
The crowd was eager to learn this as well, as this was also their concern as it seems some of them were quite familiar with Adeline's parents. I think they do need the closure.
I was no exception to this. I knew who they were because of what we saw in the Memory Hall. It seems like there was a bit more to the story than we initially saw. After all, the memory stopped after Adeline left within the shuttle, so I did feel that something was a bit off.
As for me, there was… a hollow feeling within myself. I had no clue what it was nor how I could sate it. It's just… whenever I recall what Adeline's been through, my chest begins to ache, like there was something missing.
But how would I know that? I don't even know who I really am. However, I knew that was a matter to be saved for another day.
Right now, there were more pressing concerns to be dealt with. Hopefully what we learn from the Zenoxia Knight may help us figure out a way to deal with our current situation. And fast. It won't be long before the entire world will end up with a major brain freeze, like the ice cream I had earlier morning.
As I shoved aside those thoughts for now, the rest of the Star Allies and the bystanders desperately and eagerly listen in to what Alzen has to unveil regarding the truth behind what took place those many years ago- his first encounter with Sin Grigoria.
"Listen well, it was moments before Sin Grigoria had even attacked the shuttle station years ago… I went in there, not knowing what outcome that cruel fate had in store for me. It was the day I truly wish I had done things differently…"
"The day that two innocent people had lost their lives… your parents, Adeline… and how I was involved in it…"
The truth behind what's really going on… I hope it can help us…
Now Saving… Save Complete!
To be continued…
End of Diamond & Rebirth Act 7 Part 1!
Next Chapter: Diamond & Rebirth Part 2- Lacrimosa of a Failed Knight
Author's Note Summary:
Ok, it's been a while and I'm pretty sure I've stretched everybody's patience long enough for months since the last upload. And for that, I'm terribly sorry for that. But I thank you for sticking with me long enough to get to this point! So first thing to address is chapter frequency. Due to how lengthy the end boss chapters are, for this one I may have to split this act into at least 2-3 parts due to what I have planned for this one. God forgive me for what I'm about to do for this one. Anyway, this chapter's climax has several versions and alterations for how crap's gonna turn out. So hopefully, I'll have that sorted out in my outlines (which took me months to get back to).
That aside, on a personal note, I'm trying to get into a program that requires some complex necessities to qualify, so that one's gonna take a bit of my time aside from work and family matters, so yeah. I'm also trying to use my phone more often to write the chapters, so that'll take a bit of getting used to. Hopefully it'll work out.
With story content, part of the reason for delay was because of me trying to make this come out the way I had envisioned. The true villain of this arc is rather a unique one, at least to my knowledge. I've had to do a bit of research for a villain that manifests from the actions of human sin and decided that it had enough. If any of what it said hits home to reality, then that's how you know it works! And that's the whole point since Shiver Star is supposed to be Earth in a way. Also, I was trying to put a bit of a spin on the clichés that are normal common when it comes to this sort of thing such as politics, religion, morality and whatever else you dig deep into, and also God as portrayed in JRPGS mainly Shin Megami Tensei or things involving "God" to be the villain. Honestly and admittedly, I do enjoy the trope, but I feel that JRPGs are relying on that trope way too much nowadays at least in MY opinion. Maybe let's deviate from that trope and go for something that's hardly touched upon in JRPGs. Again, all my opinion. That being said, if you happened to be offended by what Sin Grigoria said, I truly apologize for that. Ironically though, Sin Grigoria speaks the truth if you look up everything it said, although most things aren't worth looking up because we've all seen or hear those things with our own eyes. For things you may not know, look it up. You'd be surprised. Grigoria kinda Bully Maguire'd Taranza a bit, don't ya think? Regardless, what do you think of Sin Grigoria so far? Lemme know that as well!
Other than that, if you've seen that Nintendo Direct, the next few months of Oct-Nov are gonna be great ones! A great direct for Mario Fans with Wonder and RPG, A remake of Star Ocean: The Second Story and Sonic Superstars and much more! My wallet's gonna be crying after this. Oh, also if you're more of a Steam person, then I should introduce you all to a very fun game that I've been playing recently these long months called Your Only Move Is Hustle! Ever watched anime and played fighting games but can't seem to get the hang of it? Well, Your Only Move Is Hustle (YOMI Hustle for short) got you covered! YOMI Hustle is a Tool Assisted, Turn-based Tactical fighting game that allows for strategic turn-based combat in real time, as time will pause when it's your turn. Predict your opponent's moves and outwit them and once your opponent is beaten, the fight plays out in real time like an actual anime fight scene! You can also practice and get a feel of the characters and construct epic fight scenes in Single Player or you could put those skills to the test against actual players in Online Multiplayer! It's pretty amazing! You can get it on Steam for $5 or on for the open beta version if you'd like. There's also a Discord Community where you can get updates and share ideas for characters and modes and also you can download custom stages, modes, tweaks and characters by fans of the game on the YOMI Workshop on Steam or you can make your own desired character from any media or original idea and upload them for all to play with in their matches if you're good at programming and have the available time as well! Oh, there's also Story scripted YOMI videos on YouTube so check those out as well! Yeah, I've been addicted to this game which also contributed to my delayed writing time. I hope you give this game a try! Be sure to support the developer of YOMI Hustle Ivy Sly too!
On a side note, if you've seen the Super Mario Bros Movie, that was worth all the money in my pocket for! And Chris Pratt did a great job playing Mario! Jack Black was the biggest highlight, of course he'd be as Bowser. Hope the sequel's nails it even better!
With that, look forward to the next chapter which hopefully will come out shorter than this one (don't hold me to this claim at the same time though. Wish Gwain Saga Episode 009 comes out sometime this year; check it out). Hopefully, the gang will be able to learn something that could help them take down the anomaly Sin Grigoria for good and rescue Spectra as well. As usual let me know your thoughts, theories and whatever else in the comments and hopefully I'll see you next time! Take care!