The essence of life… is change.

Changes come to all of us, at one time or another. It can be subtle, it can abrupt. It can be good, it can be bad. Change is never welcomed. It is feared, it is abhorred, it is misunderstood. Though eventually it takes place, there is a brief of confusion… then outrage, followed by a repression, an analysis, an understanding… and then quiet acceptance.

Change needs change. The people of your world cry for it, in one way or another: humans starve at the other end of the world, some die out of disgust and hatred with their own lives, drowning in the cesspool that they have inevitably found themselves flung into by that mysterious, ambiguous and non-existent higher being that is simply called "fate". And others try to change it… and fail.

And to the same extent, so do some people of my world cry for change.

Do you hear them? Their voices… They are so loud… they reach us too.

No harm will come to you ever again… my child.

I promised I would change the world… and not even you will stop me, brother.

I will expose vile creatures like you for what you are: wolves in sheep's clothing

To defend those in need, and to destroy those that do ill… that is my duty.

Look at yourselves in a mirror and reflect: how can you call yourselves heroes?

Evil and a disdain for life is a sign of weakness… and the weak are unfit to change the world.

People need a leader, an icon they can follow… and I'll be the one that guides them through this.

We all live in a world of masters and servants, but I aim to break those chains.

We all have someone we care about, and we'll move mountains if that means protecting them.

The poor suffer while the rich gain… but I aim to turn this world on its head.

You live in a false world, a world where you stare at shadows projected by a crude puppet show… I'll show you the truth.

Destiny is unavoidable… and the destiny of this world is to change.

But I digress: Change comes. And one must be ready for it. One must be ready for things to change. Whether they like it, or not.

This simple concept is the basis of the story I will tell you. For this reason, I must urge you to reconsider: if you desire for change, for things to not remain the same, and for everything to take a turn, either for the better or worse, then you are free to stay. If, however, you don't desire change, or are simply afraid of it, leave, and do not come back, but do know that one day, change will catch up to you.

To those that have made your decision and have decided to stay… we must go back now.

The duo embraced themselves on the beach, having reunited, and bowing to never, never let go…

Heart warming… but we must go further back.

"This book… these artifacts what are they all about? What is their purpose?"

Soon enough you shall know. Further. Back to the beginning of it all.

The sky was pitch black. No stars, no moon, no clouds. Nothing. It felt as if he was staring into a void of never-ending darkness.

Further…

"You… you can't call yourself a guide… when you've lost sight of what is right!"

The beginning…

The two brothers faced each other, the moon shining behind them, their rings glowing in the pale light as the stood amidst the ruins of the ruined castle, the corpses of those they had known throughout their lives scattered about like lifeless dolls…

Of it all…

Yes. After all these years, plain as day I can see it, it still lies in front of me, as real as the air we breathe, as despairing as the sight of the one you love tumbling down and spiralling downwards toward their doom, and as convoluted and complicated as the web of lies that has been carefully laid out for you all.

Careful, careful… you don't dare snap the carefully crafted strings, now do you? One by one, they have been made and gently, almost tenderly laid out, put together like a delicate and elaborate machine. A machine that spews out nothing but fetid and rank tar-like liquids that slips into your body through every open pore, seeping into your soul and changing your views of the world: lies, the product of the corrupt and the food of the simpleton. That is the image of a world that demands change, is it not? It yearns for it… cries for it… screams and kicks like a newborn baby that refuses to accept the hard facts: you're no longer in the safety of the womb. You have been thrust out into the wild, unpredictable, violent and disgusting world that you now belong to.

Is this really the lives that you want to lead? The lives that you want your children to have? And the ones who come after? A never-ending cycle of manipulative propaganda, turning brothers against brothers, uprooting families, killing innocents, destroying lives and ruining whatever dreams and hopes that one may have had.

Do you still not desire change?

But please, let us not get ahead of ourselves… there is much to tell, and so little time for us to interact. But like with every good story, we shall start from the beginning… the beginning of it all… yes… That pale, silvery moon smiling down to the world, chunks of carefully cut out and crafted marble and stone floating upward alongside me… or were we descending? My memory fails me at times, sadly, for it has been far too long. Too many things on my mind…

(One of a Kind - Bayonetta)

Ah yes, we fell, but at the same time we ascended. We wouldn't give up, now would we? That pale, snow white, pure fur of his, in more ways than one an indication of what he was, or rather what he could've become, hadn't it been for the circumstances. Our gazes exchanged a knowing look. We both knew. Why wouldn't we? Time had seemingly frozen around us during that fleeting instant, our souls and minds mingling together for the first and only time: respect, anger, a slight hint of fear, but overall an overwhelming and intoxicating amount of determination… I let them go. Did I do wrong? You're incapable of judging, but yet again, one day you will be able to understand. Understand why I did it. And why change is ultimately necessary.

But now I return my attention to the hell below: black creatures run rampant below, a streak of silver catches my eye, and the pain is blinding. How long had it been? Eons perhaps, millennia? What does it matter, really? The fact was that my vision went white, for an instant I lost consciousness even, or maybe I am wrong… after all, I cannot feel pain anymore. That's right… that wasn't what I was doing at that time… that was him. He was still besides me… why? He had fallen, of course, how could I forget?

We were both upside down, falling to our deaths, but I quickly recovered and landed on a chunk of falling rock, setting him on the slab as he regained his consciousness. His powers still worked, he could fend for himself, that I knew very well. The Rebscura were right on time too, winged abominations, almost like harpies but with a horrendous and anti-natural twist. We dispatched them as quickly as they appeared. You've fought, have you not? We covered each other's backs: his, furry and glistening from the sweat, tears and blood, mine covered by the black fabric that hid not only my real shape, but also my true identity, hidden as always under a veil of shadows.

The streak of silver returned, as vicious as ever, slicing the slab in half. He jumped away to deal with his own affairs. I merely had to stand still, the rock spinning and then I leapt across the void underneath, landing on another and running along it's length, grabbing to a maimed and crumbled pillar and jumping off the side of the massive tower to another chunk, where a maimed and mutilated corpse awaited, soon to be squashed by the massive claw of yet another one of those abominations. Friends and dear family one moment, gone the next. But who am I referring to?

As I dispatched these creatures with ease and grace, and descended further down, down into that hellish realm, preparing it all for the battle that was to come, I must explain something: the change I defend is honest and truthful. The world is in pain, a type of suffering that it had never deserved, and all of it was provoked by the actions of a single selfish individual, whose name and intentions you will later on learn about… I merely want this world to return to its original peaceful state, before they came here and destroyed all that I had come to love and defend… things that they themselves had taught me. To bring me up, only to destroy me afterwards… a disgusting, apathetic excuse for a sentient being.

And as I faded into the still raging war down below, you may wonder: why? Why all of this? Who are you? This is not a beginning, but rather an end. And yes, I have to agree: this is the end, and it also serves as a middle point and a beginning. It is all, and it is none of them.

And as for me… As of now I am just a mere Watcher.

(Stop the music)

But soon you shall find that I am the true hero of this tale.