Die of Destiny

by RebelShardCaster

Everyone has heard the story about the man who bet his soul and lost, what you don't usually hear is a story about the ones who win. And win, and win, but when it comes to luck it has to dry out eventually. For Greg Veder he learns that there are worst things to bet than your soul. Can he use his winnings to survive in a world just two years away from destruction? Luck Based Story!

15. Chapter 15: Suspension Training Arc 2

Die of Destiny Chapter 15: Suspension Training Arc Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Worm nor any other works mentioned as they belong to their respective owners.

Thursday, February 10th 2011

Brockton Bay was burning. I looked to the heavens, The eclipse in the sky was choked by a curtain of smoke and ash so thick that the only light was from the charred carcass of a city I once called home.

I looked down to the Earth, The buildings ablaze and melting like candles, asphalt turning into rivers of molten tar dragging whatever fell into it into the boiling depths, and lava seeped out of cracks in the concrete.

And lastly, I heard nothing. No screaming, no crying, no talking. Just the sound of flowing magma and the roar of fire.

I was standing on Captain's Hill in my shadow form, magma pouring forth from where I stood like a red carpet welcoming a celebrity at the Oscars.

I was not confused about what was going on. It was obvious. I arrived, and they died. Their bodies were reduced to mere kindling. Pathetic. I expected more of them.

I commenced my march forward in a straight line. I did not turn when a wall appeared I just melted it till it no longer hindered me. Nor did I diverge when a chasm opened before me I just filled it with magma, hardened it, and continued. Always forward. Never back.

My destination was soon made clear as I arrived at the beach, footsteps of glass left in my wake. I gazed forward, my eyes narrow triangles as cold winds blew towards me. I could see it, far in the ocean it was freezing solid. It was a straight line of Ice the same width as the Bay and from that path, SHE Arrived. A horned six-eyed equine form forged from teal steel and wings of golden blades. With her powerful 6 legs, she pulled behind her snow clouds like a chariot that warred with my own that snowing and dropping hail the size of apples while mine did the same but with burning ash and small meteors of the same size. The Boat Graveyard was turning into a winter Wasteland due to her encroachment that clashed against my volcanic hellscape, the dramatic difference in temperatures causing cyclones and tornados to tear through the collapsing city.

Neither of us cared as why would we? The works of mortals were just like their makers. Temporary, always destined to fade away. Just like we were destined to clash. The Stage, Story, and Actors might have changed but our struggle is Eternal.

But as we converged, ready to begin our cycle anew an unexpected third party made their presence known.

The clouds of ash and snow were violently blown away, the clouds eaten away as if by millions of termites revealing not the Eclipse but blinding golden light that threatened to consume us both.

The traitorous stars have descended to consume both Sun and Moon in order to claim the heavens for their own.

In response to their betrayal, my Foe and I both reacted, our horns alight as I launched a miniature Sun the size of a car, while she made a bus-sized crystal Rip saw shaped like a Crescent Moon spinning it so fast it looked like a full moon she then fired as well.

The Light grew brighter, destroying both our attacks with contemptuous ease and both the World and my vision collapsed under their might.

And they succeeded.

Consciousness came to me in painful pulses as I had the mother of all migraines.

"Ow, my head. What the hell happened?" I opened my eyes to see the familiar ceiling of my bedroom which instantly told me something had gone wrong as even if I died I would have woken up still in that frozen wasteland a week later and yet, I was in my bedroom. I was sleeping in my new metal framed bed with a white mattress and my old sheets that my Mom got while I was traveling the world yesterday.

I sat up, rubbing my temples trying to get the pain to stop to no avail as I tried to recall what happened.

"Okay, ow, I remember about to fight Grogar when I turned on the madness but after that nothing. Augh. The only other thing I remember is that freaky dream."

One of the downsides of Perfect Recollection was that I fully remembered my dreams meaning whatever absurd nonsense happened I remembered it all. So I shelved it as another weird dream yawned, and got out of bed, my feet making contact with the cool floor.

"I need a drink of water." My throat was feeling parched and my head was cloudy so I decided to solve both problems by going into my bathroom where I turned on the lights and turned on the sink. I pooled the water in my hands, took a sip then splashed it on my face.

Feeling a bit more awake I turned off the faucet and happened to glance at my face when-

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO MY FACE!?"

I touched my horrifed face, Feeling the changes that had encroached on it during my sleep.

I had scales! And a Horn! Why do I have scales and a horn!? The horn was red, about 6 inches long curving inward and upward partially over my scalp ending in two tips like it was about to split in a Y shape, and engraved in it was a Vertical eye similar to the eyes on aspen trees. It sprouted from my forehead which was now covered in purple scales that went to the tip of my nose, traveling up the ridge and expanding to cover just the front of my head up to the scalp leaving the sides of my face, and ears untouched explaining why I didn't notice it when rubbing my temples.

Worse I freaking recognized these mutations. They were from my Kirin form! But why the hell were they on my face!?

Were there any other mutations!? I had to check!

I looked at my feet, I wiggled my toes. they were the same, I yanked down my pants, Oh my god my ass! My beautiful, luscious ass! It was covered in the same purple scales!

I stripped off my shirt next, freezing a moment as my back felt oddly rough when I was taking off the shirt. I turned around and then looked in the mirror and to my growing dismay, my entire back was covered in the same purple scales starting at my shoulders, and ending at my butt! Why!? They felt like an alligator skin purse but starting at the lower back the further I went down the smoother they became like a snake?! Wait, this feels just like the scales on my face!

Why?-How? I didn't roll anything so how did this happen!? How am I supposed to hide a horn and scales?

"THIS IS SO FUCKING STUPID!"

My fear turned into rage and before I could think not to I was briefly engulfed in my mist flames and when it ended I was in my Shadow form or was it my Nirraak form? Who cares! And to my growing frustration, even my shadow form wasn't spared.

Then again.

I leaned towards the mirror, triangles narrowed as I first held my chin in my right hand, turning my face side to side. I ran my fingers through my short hair now made of purple flames, my pencil-thin flaming eyebrows, the pitch-black horn, the glowing yellow scales trailing down the tip of my nose, the fiery cuffs around my wrists, and ankles and lastly, I turned my back. seeing the same glowing yellow scales on my back. The scales on the shoulders tipped with spikes pointing to my left and right, and then as they traveled down those same spikes emerged slowly lying down more and more until by the halfway point the spikes no longer exist.

All in all it seemed my new form was a mix of my Nirrak form and the Sire's Shadow retaining the 2D aspect but gaining the Nirrakks key features.

"Damn, there's no real way to deny this anymore isn't there?" my voice sounded defeated yet I was not sad.

I took a few steps back, My left hand was on my hips while I held out my open right hand at chest level and let the flames on my wrist engulf my hand.

"I'm a demon."

In the past every time I thought this I would get angry at the ROB, angry for him screwing me over and making me evil with my winnings, or I would be terrified of the implications of my powers and how people would react to them but as I stared at the devil in the mirror. The Devil that was ME. That would always be me. I had an epiphany.

"He wasn't the one who chose this. He wasn't the one who gave me Windigos, or the Sire's Shadow, or even the Black blood."

I should have made the connection earlier but I was so confused, grieving over my loss, in denial over my situation, and lashing out wildly at the world driven by the mental effects of my powers but that time had passed. That dream, That nonsensical dream. I was so calm, but more importantly. ACCEPTING. Yeah, what I was accepting in the dream was kind of fucked up but the point still stood. It also helped that I now looked the same as I did in the dream allowing me to even more easily follow it's example.

I looked myself in the eyes as I accepted the truth. "I did."

These powers weren't random. They weren't chosen to mess with me and make my life harder than it already was. They were the things that when I gambled away literally everything else I held onto with drunken stubbornness.

So I was done. Done with blaming the ROB, Done bemoaning my situation. I am the Patriarch. The head of the family. and I made stupid decisions and gambled away what mattered to keep what didn't. And now I had to live with it.

Clatter

I glanced to the sink, snorting in derision as I saw the Die sitting to the right of the sink on top of a folded-up piece of white paper.

"Of course, this would give me another one. But this time I am going to play this smart."

I sighed in annoyance as I reached for it with my now extinguished right hand. I would take it and put it in the Casino somewhere where there was no risk of it rolling and wait until I was ready for another of my past self's obsessions as I needed to get a grip on what I already had. In fact, I need to focus on my Mist Flames exclusively so I can go to school on Monday and not reveal my true appearance.

"Greg! I heard you shouting is everything O-OH My God! Greg! What happened to you!?"

I flinched at my Mother's intrusion as she barged into the room wearing her pink pajamas only to scream in terror and in an ironic repeat of when I stabbed myself with the Arrow that felt like months ago but was just Monday. Her intrusion made me turn quickly to face her and in doing so scooped the die and sent it tumbling into the sink.

"Here we go again," I grumbled just as an image appeared in my mind.

It was the number 17 with the 1 being a Pickle? And the 7 was an overly muscled, veiny flexing black Bicep with the background being a heavily muscled white back bearing a tattoo resembling a smiling red demon disfigured by dozens of long scars

Badump!

The pain came right afterward, I groaned in pain holding my head in my hands, hunching over the sink as my body was once again changed against my will.

"Greg!" What's wrong!? Talk to me!"

My mom was calling out to me but all I could do was growl (An inhuman sound.) as my fingernails and toenails calcified, growing longer, thicker, and sharper becoming claws, the hands attached to said claws were swelling, the fingers gaining a grip strength that could tear a chunk out of a deck of playing cards, my neck thickened alongside my skull changing shape slightly to better make use of my thicker central vertebrae preventing concussion, my muscles bulged, straining against my skin and fat bubbling away as my bones grew and shifted from a purely bipedal build to one that could switch between Quadrupedal and bipedal with ease.

My top and bottom canines burned making me howl in pain and to my mom's mounting horror my mouth was illuminated by an internal yellow light letting her easily see them grow to twice their previous size, It wasn't the only thing to grow as I gained a staggering 4 inches of height and 6 in width.

When it ended I was gasping for breath, my clawed hands shattering the ceramic like fragile glass, water pouring out of the destroyed fixture with little remaining.

"Greg? Is, Is that really you?"

My mother's terrified, trembling voice made me turn to look at her, and my heart broke when she screamed in Horror.

She had tears in her eyes and she looked like she was face to face with Lung himself.

I almost reflexively blamed ROB but I adjusted and just thought. 'Fuck you past me. Fuck you and your edgy bullshit.'

I would have dismissed my shadow to let her see her boy but I was wearing my best Birthday Suit and only the loss of all details on my body kept her from seeing me naked so I kept it on, choosing instead to put myself between her and the letter laying on what remained of the sink. It had come with the Die so It must be from the ROB and I didn't want to risk her learning the fact that I am not the original Greg Veder.

To that end, I decided to cut straight to the point and share with her the truth of my new existence.

"I changed while I was sleeping and I have finally become what I was always meant to be. A Demon."

She had tears in her eyes as she shook her head, still in denial like I once was, and grabbed my shoulders with desperate strength, trying to snap me out of it only to flinch back when her hands made contact with my scaled shoulders. This didn't stop her from pleading with her arms clasped together.

"No! Don't talk like that! You aren't a Devil! You aren't evil! You're my baby boy!"

I chuckled darkly as I walked forward, making her instinctively move backward as I kept her attention on me while enlightening her on my revelation.

"Who said I was Evil? I just stated the simple fact that I am no longer a human. Look at me."

I gestured to my horn, the scales, the claws, and began counting on my fingers, walking her further and further backward from the bathroom and towards my bedroom door with my aggressive body language.

The thumb.

"Let's go over the facts. Number 1. I have a horn-like those Japanese demons with a single horn on their foreheads. I think they were called Oni?"

A thought occurred mid-explanation making me stop to smirk, though it was hidden and I had no intention of letting her see it via Mist Flames as I once again chuckled mid-explanation. It wasn't a kind sound, mixed with self-deprecation and irony making my mother shiver.

I tilted my head back, my eyes in raised amused circles.

"Then again. Considering my new biology granted to me just now perhaps Ogre is a more accurate description. Oni are just Japanese Ogres after all and I have no interest in being compared to Oni Lee, so yes, let's go with Ogre."

Ogre would suit me just fine.

She tried to interrupt, to speak out but I just spoke over and continued my counting and approach as if nothing happened looking down at her.

The index.

"I am the Master of a Casino called the [Devil's Advocate] where imps offer every sin in the world and can use said Casino to take people's souls.

The middle Finger.

"I am a literal shadow born of domination and anger who commands the fires of hell itself. Pretty demon like don't ya think?"

And last the ring finger.

"And last but certainly not least I command frozen horse versions of the three Furies of Greek Mythology who feed on the despair of their prey to grow in strength. Though Hades was a God he was the devil in all but name."

She was now standing in my doorway, her tears flowing more and more as she tried to deny my words. I kindly put my hand on her shoulder, my eyes still half circles and my voice gentle.

"Face it, mother. I am Greg Herran Veder, The Ogre Patriarch of the Veder Family. And that is okay."

She shook her head, tears in her eyes even as she continued to deny the truth.

"How can that be okay!? You can't throw away your humanity! Capes who begin thinking like this always go insane and become raving lunatics!"

"HAH!" I laughed harshly making her flinch and back away from her but that was fine, my goal was achieved. She was now outside my room and I was standing in the doorway.

"Mom, what part of 'Liquid Madness' did you not understand? That ship sailed months ago. As for why I am acting like this, calling myself a demon is. Well."

My tone turned frustrated, my eyes becoming upside down half circles with my flaming eyebrows lowering to create a vague impression of grief taking my hand off her.

"Mom, I will never be what I once was ever again. These scales, claws, and horn? They're on my actual body as well. And these might not be the end of my Mutations. And do you know what I would have to call myself if I wasn't calling myself an Ogre?"

Even as terrified as she was she was also smart, she got what I was really saying, her eyes widening and then narrowing and her voice tinged with sad understanding. "A Case 53?"

I snapped my finger ending the snap pointing at her with a right-hand finger gun, my tone trying to improve the mood a bit by injecting some levity.

"Bingo! And if I have to choose between being something people pity, something looked DOWN on and reviled, or a demon who commands fear and respect then I will accept that moniker gladly."

I took a step back into my room and put my hand on the doorknob.

"I know you want to talk more about this, to discuss and debate this with me and I want to as well but I would like to shower and put on some damn clothes before we do that so could you please wait for me to come downstairs?"

My mom looked hella reluctant but she nodded with a scowl.

"Okay, But we are not done with this conversation do you understand me!?"

I held up my hand in mock surrender. "I understand. Love ya Mom."

"I love you too Greg. I'll make some eggs and bacon."

She closed the door, and once I heard her go down the stairs I wasted no time going to the bathroom, intent on seeing the results of my new Geneology and what the letter ROB left for me said.

Looking at the broken Sink the fact that it didn't start spewing water everywhere was a small blessing as while the outer edge of the sink was destroyed the bowl itself was intact.

I took care of the leaking pipe by using fire and my ungodly finger strength to weld it shut and then I took a shuddering breath, psyching myself up to see the damage that becoming a Hybrid of the four strongest monsters of the Bakiverse.

Even before I dropped the shadow I knew my appearance had changed in a major way as my jaw was wider alongside my shoulders

I let go of the shadow, letting me get a good look at myself in the mirror and I felt my heart freeze even as I cursed up a storm, though quietly as I could NOT let Mom see this.

Who the fuck was I looking at?!

I made a good call in not dropping the Shadow because the stranger in the mirror looked nothing like me! If my Mom saw this? Oh ROB, what if the E88 saw this!?

Where do I even begin with this? Let's rip off the Bandaid.

I'm black. Yep, Black, African American negro , whatever the fuck you call it I was no longer Caucasian which will make dealing with my cousin and the E88 impossible if I don't master my Mist flames enough to hide my new ethnicity. But the changes didn't stop there oh no, that would of been too merciful, My eyes were slanted, making me oriental, I had a square jaw gifted by God himself, and my short yellow hair had been replaced with the long flowing red locks of the Strongest Creature on Earth Yujiro Hanma. Otherwise known as the Ogre he was from the anime Baki The Grappler.

It was a fighting Anime with all sorts of bullshit that was well-known for it's absurd and brutal fight scenes.. Thanks to my winning I had become a biological petri dish of the 4 greatest monsters of the setting of which I have inherited all their potential, strengths, and abilities. A side effect of this is apparently me inheriting genetic markers from each.

The first is Yujiro Hanma who was the strongest in the entire setting able to fight entire armies on his own and stop earthquakes with a single punch to the ground. I had inherited his hair.

The Second was the Japanese Yakuza Kaoru Hanayama. Who at fucking 15 looked like a giant of pure muscle and 30. He could tear chunks out of basically anything that wasn't steel with his bare hands. The word to describe him would be 'Durable.' he could have his knees blown out, several bullets going off in his mouth, losing his cheeks exposing his teeth, and his head slammed into the ground several times hard enough to shatter stone and he STILL got up and won the fight. I had inherited his wide solid frame.

From both of these Japanese men, I gained my Asian eyes.

The third was a Prehistoric caveman known as Pickle. Literally from the time of the dinosaurs he preyed on Tyrannosaurus Rexes and had all sorts of evolutionary advantages from being able to going quadruped, tanking pistol fire from point blank without a sctratch, a neck that was so thick that he was immune to concussions, and just like Yujiro soloed an entire army. I had inherited his overall body shape, hairstyle, and increased height.

The final donor was an African American named Oliver Biscuit, better known as Mr. Unchained. The word to describe him was 'Strength'. Even for the Bakiverse his unnatural strength and physique put him up there with the other 3 monsters. He could also tank bullets like Hanayama and Pickle, but his strength was enough to beat everyone and everything not named Hanma through nothing but raw strength. He could heal from bullet wounds in just an hour if given steak and wine to eat. I had gained his ethnicity and his stupidly dense muscles.

From both Hanazawa and Oliver I inherited my new Jawline.

And for those curious. Yes, even THAT got an upgrade and No I am not going into the details.

The only things I could take relief in were that my voice hadn't changed at all which made the discrepancies even more obvious and that instead of martial knowledge I was instead gifted with the ability to control my new body with the same ease as my old one removing the process of adapting to my new strength.

But, why did my hair grow? I can only blame my past self for being a fanboy cuz it was in the same hairstyle as Pickle's which meant it was more like a mane than hair staying out of my eyes but reaching my clavicle and touching the scales on my shoulders.

I frowned as I ran that phrase back. Taking brief happiness that I sounded the same as before.

"Hmm? More like a Mane? Maybe it's because Kirin have lion-like manes? Was my hair before just too short to notice? Is THAT why it grew? Why then on earth did it not grow when I first woke up?"

Regardless of why the change happened, it was a complete disaster as all of my plans had to be tossed out the window as when added all together instead of looking at the so-called 'Aryan ideal' aka blue eyes, white skin, and yellow hair I was staring at a 6ft tall, giant of a black teenage Ogre, almost looking short due to the width of my body and my slight hunch.

My purple eyes with red irises contracted as he rubbed his chin, his face strangely handsome in a primal way. He wouldn't have looked out of place in the Bakiverse which of course meant that he was ripped AF, every muscle clearly defined and not even a drop of body fat left which in turn made him look slightly older than I really was. His muscles were not super bulky but he wasn't lean either staying in the sweet spot between them.

"What do I do now?"

I had no clue. I wasn't even sure I should let my mother see me as again, I looked nothing like I once did would she even believe me?"

I struggled for a few minutes before deciding to just hide it for now under the shadow until I can think of a better plan.

Now, time to read that note.

I took the note and opened it.

"Greg. If you are reading this then the unthinkable happened and all your teachers in a Zone died. This was always a possibility as some Teachers might become aggressive if treated rudely or perhaps you would kill them for some other reason but the end result is the same. The Zone collapses and not only do you lose access to training with a teacher in your dreams but the backlash can result in mutations and other unforeseen consequences as the connection between you and the teachers are severed. The Silver lining however is that the winning is considered 'complete' so you can now use that Zone's powers in any other Zone. It may be possible to still train the winning but again, I cannot predict what will happen when this occurs as not even I can plot out how a FAILURE will play out other than make sure you don't die from it.

Signed ROB

PS. I may be limited in communicating with you directly but I am glad you stopped blaming me.

The note then turned to ash the moment I finished reading leaving me frowning severely looking at it as it was the exact opposite of Positive.

"Damn it. So this happened cuz Grogar Died? HOW DID HE DIE!? I was certain I would be killed then respawn not kill him!"

I focused on my sleeping Demon Weapons, demanding answers.

"Hey! What the hell happened back there!? Hello!? Why the fuck are you guys still sleeping!?"

Nothing.

"HEY! Are you listening!? WAKE UP!"

Using what little skill I had with manipulating my Soul I forced my Soul Wavelength through them, trying to force them to wake up…

They didn't wake up.

I frowned, worry forming in the pit of my stomach.

"Emnity? Grudge? Spite? What's going on?" Nothing.

Something is wrong. Something is VERY wrong.

"Girls? Seriously, this isn't funny. Come on out!"

Silence.

I then tried ordering Grudge to come on out. She had to obey my commands.

"Grudge, I ORDER you to wake up and give me some fucking answers!"

"What the fuck!? What the FUCK!?"

I was shaking now. Because Grudge still didn't wake up.

That shouldn't be possible! I own her very being!

"Enmity! I use my Once-a-week order! COME OUT!"

"SHIT!" I screamed as I punched my Mirror, shattering it into little pieces, my purple eyes now glowing with Mis Flames before I transformed into my Shadow form. I didn't give a fuck about getting a shower or even putting on clothes as something far more important needed my attention. Like what the hell the collapse of the Zone did to my partners! My friends!

"Greg!" What's going on!? Please don't tell me something else happened!"

I stormed out of my room, walking to my door and my Mom took a step back as I opened the door.

"Yes, something is wrong! I can't contact the Windigos! They are inside me but they aren't responding! Even my direct orders are doing nothing! I'm gonna try to get Spite but if she doesn't show up I don't know what I will do!"

Are they dead!? Did the collapse destroy them or something? Damn it! They can't be dead! They're the only ones who I can talk to while training that is real! I had wanted a break sure but not like this! I can't lose anything more, I can't!

My flames were burning bright while my Mom grabbed my shoulders and somehow managed to remain calm as she stared firmly.

"Greg! Calm down. Take deep breaths. Breathe with me."

How is she being so calm!? Wasn't she terrified just a few minutes ago!?

"Greg! You need to calm down. Release the Shadow. It's boosting your emotions.

I shook my head. "No! I can't!

"I don't care! The last thing you need right now is something affecting your mind while you're panicking! Do it!'

This order gave me even more anxiety as I refused. I couldn't lose her. I would rather die!

I shook my head even faster, closing my eyes and grabbing at my flaming hair with my claws, ruffling the flames.

"I can't! I changed. I changed so much that I don't look like anything like I once did! If you saw it. If you saw it then you would abandon me. I can't lose you too, you're all I have left!"

She slapped me. It didn't hurt but it did stun me. The Sire's shadow calmed down at this. She was the Matriarch and thus I should turn to her in times of crisis so I looked at her in confusion, my eyes circles.

"Wha?"

"Greg Herran Veder!"

I flinched hard at the 'Herran' part but my face was hidden being reduced to only my circles turning into tiny triangles before turning to normal size

She definitely noticed based on the crease on her brow that joined her frown.

"I am your Mother! I don't care if you turned into a toad I would still be your Mother! Do you really think so little of my maternal Pride and love?!"

Grrk! You're playing dirty! The Sire's Shadow is eating this up and now it's trying to deactivate on it's own! Is she targeting it specifically? Doesn't matter. The end result was the same. For as much as I wanted to resist I desperately clung to her words, hoping, betting, praying that her words were true and I would not be tossed aside.

I dropped the shadow The drop in energy making me stumble but my Mom caught me, and while she paused briefly at my appearance, her face full of shock and fearful confusion but she proved her grit when her face returned to her normal scowl as she ordered.

"Breath in."

I breathed in.

"Breath out"

I breathed out.

"Again!"

I did this for several minutes until I was calm enough that I was able to support my weight. I stood tall, looking down at my mother who in turn was studying my new face.

"You okay now?"

I took a shuddering breath as I shook my head.

"No, I'm calm but I am not okay."

"Aren't you horrified at what your son has become?" my anxiety was still there, pulsing and grasping at anything to justify its existence so the words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them.

She hugged me, my head resting on her head due to our height difference.

"Yes. I can hardly recognize you now. But you are my son and I won't abandon you. If I did I would be betraying both you and Mark."

Tears welled up in my eyes as I knelt to more properly hug my mother, my head over her right shoulder. My Mother would never abandon me. And at that moment I swore. That I in turn would never abandon her as well. And if someone made the mistake of harming her or worse killing her?

My grip tightened as tight as I could without harming her, my eyes turning pure red, shining with malevolence, my hair rose on its own, lifting in a wind that wasn't there, and in my mind's eye, I remembered the scene from my dream, me standing in the molten remains of my home.

I would make that dream their NIGHTMARE!

After that bloodthirsty thought, I spent another 2 minutes in my Mom's embrace before she took charge and broke the hug herself.

"Okay, we don't have all day so try summoning Spite and we will go from there."

Right, I have to try summoning Spite but I was doubtful it would work.

"Fuck it. Let's give it a go. Stand back, Mom."

She did so, letting me support my own weight and with a fearful voice shouted.

"Spite! Come out Now!" I then yanked harder than I had ever before on the Familiar contract and when I did I felt it. They were coming out, it was slow, painfully slow but all three of them were coming out so I yanked again.

"Good! Keep going! Come back to me!"

But, what is this? Their souls? They are merging? What the hell is going on!?

Finally, after 60 seconds I felt that familiar pressure on my back, and it surged upward until a giant plume of black blood erupted out of it, bypassing my skin and it began to solidify, taking on a vaguely Equine form.

The mass landed on my bed, still roiling and both me and my Mom ran in to stare at them.

"This isn't right. It shouldn't take them this long to solidify!"

"Keep calm Greg. Just keep focusing on calling them out."

I did so, and with time the blood solidified but as it did it mutated. It expanded in size, growing to be the same size as Grudge in her War Form, its barrel lengthened to make room for two legs that grew between the front and back, it grew wings, its snout and neck extended and lastly, a shattered stump of a horn emerged from its forehead.

With Mounting Dread, I was reminded once again of the dream. But that isn't possible! It was just a dream, right?

The blood fully solidified and I was now staring at the 'foe' from my dream, The only change was that its horn was reduced to a grey stump.

Its body was almost exactly like Grudge's made of teal steel but it no longer had the cross-shaped extensions on its hindquarters giving it a more streamlined look. It had Emnity's Wings which were now large enough to touch both walls of my room with ease if extended. Its face was more serpentine with 6 closed eyes lining the sides in 2 rows of 3. These eyes were smaller than normal eyes following along from where eyes usually are and ending halfway down their muzzle. Its black mane and Tail were ethereal, depicting what looked like a snowstorm in the dead of night with the individual snowflakes floating out of view as they 'fell' through the mane.

The last detail was that they didn't have a Cutiemark.

I looked at my Mom, confusion in my features and she sent me the same.

"Is, is this Spite?" She asked in a whisper and I shook my head also whispering.

"I have no fucking clue but I can't sense Emnity or Grudge anymore, Just…..this."

"Well then, wake it up."

"But I don't even know what that is!

CREAK

My bed made its own decision and collapsed under the full Metal Mare making it groan and its 6 eyes opened to reveal solid orange crystals shining with faint light.

"Oh shit." Both of us said simultaneously

"Confusion, Why am I? Where am I? What's going on?"

Some of my fear faded as I heard Spite's voice!

"Spite! It's me! Greg!"

She lifted her head, resting on her 6 limbs looking into my eyes in confusion before hesitantly asking.

"Greg?"

"Yes! It's me! What's going on!? What happened after I used my Madness?"

Spite shook her head as if trying to clear it.

"You collapsed, then Grogar? Yes, Grogar attempted to break into our minds. We retaliated then….nothing."

Her voice is more coherent. Did she evolve like her sisters?

She looked around, before trying to stand up only to fall over as her limbs got tangled up, making her panic, flapping her wings and smashing what little remained of my bedroom, My computer! Nooo! It took a wing slice to it cleaving it in 2 and both my Mom and I had to back out of the room to avoid being hurt.

"I can't stand up! What is going on?! Greg! Help!"

"Calm down! You're trashing my room!" I tried to pull on the Familiar Bond but it instantly snapped, leaving me no control over the spazzing-out alien mecha horse.

She didn't listen, just kept flailing around.

"Damn it!" I dropped on all fours(An action feeling disturbingly natural) before crawling forward on my belly to avoid the wings, and as soon as I reached her I grabbed her head and forced her to look at me.

"Spite! Stop! Your okay! Just relax. I'm here. Just focus on me."

She did so, her 6 eyes gazing into my two and she stopped her movements.

"I don't understand Greg, Everything feels wrong. My head, I'm thinking differently, my body is too big and I have too many limbs. Where are… Grudge and ….Emnity?"

I shook my head at her delayed responses. "I already told you. They're gone. I tried to summon them too but only you responded. Your souls merged for some reason so try returning to my body, you can still do that right?"

Hesitantly, she nodded. "I'll try." She closed her eyes and after a few tense moments, she turned into Black blood and returned to my body.

Thankfully my control over my body remained intact throughout all of this but Spite wasted no time talking to me mentally.

'What do we do now?'

I stood up, looked at my Mom, and then down at my naked, ripped body.

"First! I need some God Damn Pants."

We spent the rest of the Day in the Casino just trying to understand what had happened while also getting used to our new bodies. Spite was having trouble even walking around so she spent the whole day just getting used to that. While she did so she asked a lot of questions about all sorts of things, some things being things she already knew. Still, Spite wasn't fully sentient before so between that and…whatever the hell happened may have resulted in her memories being fractured so I did my best to answer while I helped her learn how to move as I could now comfortably walk around as Quadraped which even with the difference of limbs helped her along quickly.

My Stomach had been replaced with an Abyss as I ate my weight in food for every meal. If I didn't have my Casino I don't know how we would have afforded all the food.

I chose to keep quiet about both Spite and my new appearance to Taylor during our daily checkups via telepathy as she hadn't even met them in any real capacity and not only was I worried about her rejecting me, but I also didn't want to bother her when she already had enough on her plate. She had started to befriend the E88 members and now All the Bitch trio could do was glare as she got to experience what school was like without their harassment and it was honestly kind of sad.

"I don't have to carry everything in my bookbag anymore or eat in the bathroom since I can keep my stuff in my locker without worry of them being stolen and they keep me safe during lunch. Me and Loue were actually talking about-"

Like, Damn. Being able to put stuff in your locker and chat with a friend during lunch is not something that should be so amazing. If they weren't Nazis I would have been 100% fine with her just being their friend and leaving it at that but I made sure to remind her that while they can be kind and have good traits they are still Neo Nazis and should keep that in mind. She would assure me that she remembered and then talked about her training with her Stand that she called [Varian Valkyrie.] It was a punchy Ghost but it could go her entire range making me insanely jealous as she could beat someone's ass remotely. She didn't dare use it during school as I pointed out early on on the off chance that another Cape is in the school no matter how unlikely as it happened to me so she was limited to using it in her house.

She still hadn't improved much with using her bug's senses annoying me but I had to catch myself remembering that while it had been months to me it had only been a few days making me feel that familiar dread. That my Perception of Time was becoming distorted but even if I knew how to just skip a night I couldn't afford to do so because the End of the World was still coming and I was nowhere near ready. Didn't help that I needed to find out what happened to the Windigo Sisters meaning I had to put learning my mist Flames on Hold one more month to talk to Maka and the others.

The last thing of note was that my Imps had changed. And not just a little but so greatly that when I tried to order some food I was left speechless.

We were in the Club as its open space allowed Spite to try and get used to her new body and also a great place to get some food.

Spite was on the Dance Floor, no music was playing to allow her to focus on learning her new body while I sat on a stool at the Bar and asked for a giant stack of waffles.

But what appeared was not what I expected.

"Yes, Master? What would you like to eat today?"

I stared dumbly at the cute one-horned girl with light green skin and dark green hair in a bob cut dressed in a white blouse and a pleated skirt. She was a foot taller than before, and her body matched the female imp's body type but toned and plush in all the right places without losing the title of 'Shortstack.' her horn was now in my style, shorter, and had the suit carved into it like mine had an eye. Speaking of eyes her face looked far more human than the previous imps with smaller eyes which while still bore the green clubs as pupils were much smaller being the size of a regular pupil.

Her long ears reminded me of goblins with little jade Spade earrings hanging from golden chains twitched as she held her hands behind her back and waited for my response.

"Who the fuck are you?"

She giggled, eyes raised in amusement. "I am your ever-loyal servant. A female Imp of The Club."

I ignited, turning into my shadow form. "Bull Shit! Why are you so… so!"

She remained calm. "Human? It is due to your Winnings. When you unlocked the Legacy of Baki we gained more human forms and your….mutation also caused us to gain some of your new traits specifically your singular horn. We believe this would make you feel more comfortable. Was this a mistake? If so it will take until the fighting mutation is done in 3 days of closed time before we can revert back."

Her ears drooped a bit, and pulling off some baby doll eyes. I shook my head, trying to assure her even as I dropped the shadow revealing that I was now wearing grey sweatpants my dad used to wear as those were the only things that fit me comfortably after my change.

"No! good job. This DOES make me feel better."

It did. With their singular Horns matching my own and bearing a more human appearance made the Sire's Shadow purr like a cat as my HOUSEHOLD was obviously mine. No one who looked at them would ever fail to know that I am the Master of the Casino. For me, It gave a sense of unity. That I wasn't alone and made me even fonder of my hellspawn.

She perked up with a boing, leaning forward over the counter, Her tail wagging like a dog.

"Really!? Then how can I serve you?"

"Uhhhhh."

I gulped as my eyes were locked on a particular part of their anatomy that now that they lacked fur was now VERY interesting to me. It was already distracting when they were covered in fur but now?

Noticing this she gained a saucy smile and smoldering eyes as she hopped onto the counter and began playing with the top button of her blouse while coiling her tail around her hips and thighs sensually.

"You seem stressed Master, would you like me to help with that?"

She said in a teasing sultry voice undoing the button and-

"NOPE!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, turned on the Shadow, and promptly walked away, flaming middle fingers in the air as I GTFO. Damn it, I may be stressed out but I am NOT losing my Virginity to my own power! Wouldn't that be Masturbation or something? Worst still I know the female imps have Taylor's dead Mom's voice and I highly doubt she would like to learn that I had sex with said imps with said voice.

I had the feeling I would get the ORA ORA treatment from [Varian Valkyrie] if she found out so from that moment onward I ordered that only Male Imps attend to me.

This revealed that not even the males were spared as they were also taller and looked ripped.

Basically, they got the BakiVerse treatment and the Males now had noticeable muscles under their dress suits not quite reaching the extremes known in the series but still quite obvious, and the females were more like swimmers with lithe limbs and toned stomachs. These changes made the difference between the males and females painfully obvious making me both grateful and regretful that I gave the order for them to wear clothes before this as there was no way that a Horny Teenager like myself would be able to resist them but that also meant I didn't have a bunch of muscular naked men serving me so I will consider this a fair trade.

When I went to bed that night I found myself in the center chamber and when I looked up I saw something strange.

The giant crystal in the sky was gone. Just….Gone. As if it never existed and seeing it missing did nothing to alleviate my worry as why is it now gone!?

I tried to access the MLP world but its door was gone. only a broken arch remaining.

"Okay, then. Let's talk to the experts. I then entered the DWMA once more."

I entered alone, glancing at my body, and sighed in sad acceptance as my new body minus the caveman traits and supernatural boosts remained. Damn, I had half hoped that they would be gone but no, they were here to stay.

"Tch, Let's hope they don't attack me on site."

I found that my DWMA School uniform had magically grown to fit my new physique which was convenient as I went up the stairs and I didn't even make it to the top before I found myself at the business end of Soul's Blade held by a tense Maka. Crona was behind her, Ragnarok's sword also at the ready.

I froze, fear in my eyes as I looked up into Maka's serious glare.

"Maka! It's me, Greg! You recognize me right?" I asked, a tremor in my Voice before Maka's eyes glowed for a moment before she gasped and lowered Soul while looking me over.

"Greg! What happened to you!? What happened to the Windigo Sisters?!"

I shook my head as I made it to the top of the stairs. "I have no idea. We got into a fight then this happened."

"But what happened man? You might look cool but your Soul aint human anymore."

Soul shared his part even as we all stood in front of the DWMA, Crona keeping his distance still wielding Ragnarok in his sword form.

Damn it what did THAT mean? I have to know now!

"Okay, Maka, Rip off the bandaid and tell me straight. What the fuck happened to me and the Sisters?"

"Can you summon them?"

I shook my head. "Only Spite, it's like their souls merged or something. Spite, Come on out."

My torso bulged out and a Black blob the size of a Doberman burst through and solidified into Spite' before her hooves touched the ground.

"He-hello my name is Spite Windigo. It's nice to meet you." Spite bowed, her head lowered making her broken black horn obvious.

Ragnarok spoke up., bursting from the sword and pointing a finger in accusation.

"Wait! How the hell is that Spite!?"

His reaction is understandable as she changed quite a bit.

She was a teal Alicorn meaning she had both wings and a horn though said black horn was shattered, only the stump remaining. Her dull golden wings were not made of blades like her sister's but instead were like a bat's retaining some edge and metallic sheen but nowhere to the level Emnity's was. Her long Mane and tail were a purple so dark it was almost black with the Mane being styled in a heh, high Ponytail near the scalp with short bangs the tip almost touching her back while the tail was left free, becoming a satin curtain that reached halfway down her legs. Her entire body was covered in a thin layer of translucent crystal which glistened in the morning light.

Her Orange eyes were slitted like a Cat's and her fanged mouth was frowning showing off the same golden tooth Emnity had as she tried to give a first good impression. Though being an Alicorn instead of being made up of Pegasai, Unicorn, and an Earth Pony it seemed she was made up of Thestrals which were bat-like ponies with webbed wings and fangs, Crystal Ponys who were just like Earth Ponys but covered in a layer of translucent crystal and…..I don't know what the third was as her horn was broken but that doesn't matter at the moment as Spite introduced herself in her new form to the others.

Hearing this, however, she gained a tic mark glaring up at Ragnarok and then proceeded to run right up to him snarling and poking Crona with her frontmost right hoof.

"Shut up! How DARE you? It is me of course! I am Spite The Puni-" She lost her fire as she became confused shaking her head as she stood on all sixes

"Wait, that isn't right. Why am I angry? Um. who are you? Yes, You are….Brother! Right?"

Ragnarok and Crona flinched at this and both shook their heads rapidly.

"Nope! Got the wrong guy! Right, Crona?"

He nodded his head so fast it was like a bobblehead.

"Yyeah! Sorry! I can't deal with having a sister."

Spite looked even more lost, ears drooping and sitting on her hindquarters as she questioned herself.

"Oh, I see." She then apologizes, her tone and manner of speaking mimicking Emnity's now.

"Forgive me. It seems that my memory is a bit off. I could have sworn you were Spite's I mean, My brother."

Seeing this HURT. like watching someone with Dementia or Alzheimer's so no, Screw them.

"Oh, they are your brother all right! They are just lying to avoid giving Huggy Wuggies!"

.Ragnarok glared at me screaming.

"DAMN IT Don't tell her that!"

She looked to me for guidance, her face and tone full of uncertainty now talking like she used to. "You sure?"

I nodded with a soft but pained smile on my face.

"Yep! Go give him some snuggles while I talk to Maka okay?"

She Perked up alongside her ears and nodded like a child given candy. "Okay!"

She then got onto her hooves snarling at Ragnarok and Crona now talking like Grudge.

"How dare you lie, Brother! I shall make you pay for your sins by cuddling you for an hour! DON'T RESIST THE SNUGGLES!"

"No! I don't know how to deal with an hour of Snuggles!"

"RUN AWAY! The Bitch is even more crazy now!"

This then resulted in Crona and Ragnarok running around the school with Spite hot on their heels, though every once in a while she tripped over her 6 legs and had to get up to try again getting better with each tumble.

Once they were out of sight I felt a a hand on my shoulder, startling me as well as Soul who felt my scaled shoulders.

"Are you ok- What the hell?"

I chuckled sadly as I took off my shirt, revealing my scaled shoulders.

"No, I'm not. You saw her right? It's like the three of them got blended together and sometimes I can't tell who I'm talking to and now, I'm like this! It's a lot to take in."

Maka hugged me,

"I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how that must feel. You can cry. It's okay."

Cry? I touched my face and yeah, I found that I had tears.

"Damn it."

I have cried enough! I won't cry again!

I rubbed my tears away out and stood tall, making Maka frown but let go.

"I asked you before but I didn't get an answer. What do you mean by my Soul not being human anymore?"

Maka sighed having a conflicted look on her face, as if she was contemplating how to phrase whatever bad news she had delicately.

Soul, however, did not have any fucks and it showed when he told me flat out.

"You're a Witch."

I blinked confused and tilted my head. "Huh?"

"Soul!" Maka scolded him while he put his hands in the air in defense.

"What! He was going to find out anyway so I just told him! No need to sugarcoat things."

"Wait Wait wait! What do you mean a Witch?" I clenched both my fists and widened my stance as I demanded an explanation damn it!

Maka glowered at Soul a moment before steadying herself with a breath closing her eyes then opening them confidently.

"Your Soul was Human when you last left but now your soul Registers as something similar to a witch with Spite is more like Blair the Witch Cat With 4 Souls making her a pseudo Witch."

4 souls? I could only register 1! Guess her senses are sharper than mine but more importantly.

"Yes, but WHY am I a Witch?"

Maka suggested we go into the classroom and I told her everything that occurred between the last time I came here.

Seeing no reason to refuse we did so while Crona and Ragnarok distracted Spite letting us talk in relative peace.

I told them everything including the Dream though I felt extreme reluctance in doing so.

By the time I was done talking, I was standing in front of the teacher's desk of the classroom D20 with Maka behind the desk and Soul leaning against the whiteboard.

"And that's when I came here looking for answers."

Maka frowned, her eyes still glowing as not once did they stop during my info dump finally spoke.

"I think this is due to the collapse of your 'Winning'. You said that Kirin were magical creatures right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, they could use magic, manipulate nature and fire, and turn into monsters known as Nirraaks when angered."

"Change into a Nirraak, please. I need to confirm something."

I shrugged. "Sure, if it means I get a freaking explanation for once I'll do whatever you want.

With contemptuous ease, I transformed into my Nirraak form which was very similar to my Shadow form but lacking the whole '2D' shadow cast on reality angle leaving my body's details quite clear and my eyes glowing purple pools of light.

She touched my chest directly over my heart and closed her eyes, then thin blue wings emerged from her back made of energy and I felt SOMETHING brushing against my Soul making me shiver. I had to fight the instinctive urge to lash out at her as my entire being was screaming I was in danger but I clamped down on it as I was NOT going to lose my explanation! I have had far too many WTF moments and this would not be one of them!

After a stressful 60 seconds, she gasped and frustratingly didn't give me my promised answer as she grabbed my right hand and dragged me outside.

"I need you in the sunlight!"

"Wha? Why?"

"Trust me it's important!"

I grumbled but let her lead me while Soul followed behind with his hands in his pockets.

We got back to the front of the school and she once again did the whole angel thing again but she was touching my ass with both hands!?

"Umm. What the fuck are you doing?" I blushed as a woman, not my mother was touching my butt and Soul also shared my confusion as he stood to the right.

"Um Maka, I never thought I would ever need to say this but don't be like your dad and cheat on me okay? I might be a cool guy but not THAT cool."

Maka blushed at his words and angrily shouted at him.

"It's not like that Okay!?"

She then turned to me and asked a weird question.

"Can you feel the Sun?"

"Um yeah? It's pretty hot out here?"

"No! Not that, Try to focus on it as if you were trying to connect to it as it's Meister! Even though you can't use any Meister techniques you were able to sync your soul with Emnity so just treat it like that."

Connect to it like it's my Demon Weapon?

I looked up to the Sun and found that I had no problems staring right at it without any pain or spots appearing in my eyes. The Sun of the Soul Eater Verse was a giant rocky, spikey orange ball with a pointy-nosed face that was constantly laughing.

HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH.

Today didn't seem any different so Fuck it. Why not? I reached my hand toward the sun, Still in My Nirraak form and tried to connect to it like I did with Emnity.

HEh HEH HEH Heh heh he-

The laughing slowed as it turned towards me until it finally stopped entirely and I found it staring directly into my eyes, its face now serious and snarling at me.

Everyone noticed this including Crona and Ragnarok who shouted loud enough that I could hear them from behind the school.

"What the Fuck happened to the Sun!? Crona! I don't like this."

"The Sun is angry, I don't know how to deal with that!"

I didn't hear Spite but that didn't matter as the longer I stared at the Silent Sun my heart Rate began to race, Getting faster and faster with every moment our gaze was locked. It began to struggle, shaking rapidly like a jackhammer as it tried and failed to look away.

There was a kind of energy coming from this. It felt similar to Hamon. Just another reason to train in all my powers.

It was terrified now, It wasn't laughing anymore no,

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

It was Screaming.

"Um, Maka!? What's going on!?"

Soul was losing his cool even as Maka forced herself to keep her eyes closed, her wings growing bright as she did something I couldn't understand but still knew was happening.

My Horn began to glow displaying the eye's engraving in yellow light as words spilled unbidden from my mouth.

"Sun Sun Flare Flare, Sun Sun Flare Flare. Sun Submission."

I clenched my fist.

And the Sun disappeared, plunging the world into darkness and the sleeping yellow Moon was dragged into the Sky making it wake up confused.

I staggered back, making Maka lose her grip as all my strength left me knocking me out of my Nirraak form and I fell to my hands and knees greedily gasping for air as my ass tingled.

If I was capable of speaking I would have asked Maka WTF just happened but I was too busy reinflating my collapsed lungs to do so.

Thankfully Soul asked for me.

"Maka! What the hell just happened!? Where did the Sun go!?"

Maka was breathing heavily herself, her eyes no longer glowing as she looked up at the night sky and then down to me.

"If I had to guess. He just absorbed it."

"Absorbed it!? How can he EAT the Sun?!"

Yes please answer Teacher cuz I want to know WTF I just did!

"His Soul is a Witch's and each Witch is connected to an animal spirit but I wasn't able to identify which animal which is when I realized that unlike the other Witches I've seen his Magic wasn't with his soul and in fact, for the lack of a better term was 'out of sync' with his magic residing within his hips and when I pushed deeper I saw a vision of the sun so I had him come out here and focus on the Sun while forcing my soul wavelength through the pools of magic as I thought it would draw out his animal but instead, it seems that he just turned the SUN into his Animal. Or at the very least this world's manifestation of the Sun."

"How does that make any sense?"

Maka could only shrug.

"That, I don't know. What I do know for sure however is that his Magic is now synced with his Soul in the same shape as our Sun orbiting around it.

The Sun is orbiting my Soul?

"Bull Cough cough, Shit. I thought you were getting me answers, not more questions!"

I forced myself to my feet, hands on my knees as I glared up at her.

Around this time Spite, Crona, and Ragnarok ran over with the latter demanding answers.

"Hey Flat Chested Pig! What's going on here!?"

"The Sun is gone! I don't know how to deal with Eternal Night!"

I froze when I heard him say that while at the same time, Maka ran over to them and slammed them with her signature 'Maka Chop'.

'Eternal Night' I was reminded again of my dream. This was from the MLP universe, right? I took over the 'Sun' and had thought the Stars had rebelled against the SUN and MOON before I launched a miniature sun at the light. And the new Spite shot-

!?

"SPITE! Don't you fucking Dare!"

I shouted at her, startling all the humans but I didn't care as I began stumbling towards Spite and just as I suspected She was staring up at the yellow moon, Wings spread out and her eyes dilated like a cat's right before it pounced.

The Moon for its part was also looking down, but unlike the Sun it was laughing even louder almost looking EAGER.

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE

If she was like Grudge was when she found the Cross then.

"It's calling me. Do I know you? Yes?, No? You are a part of me? Or are you not? Your Designation is unclear, Hmm? You feel like Brother? No, a piece, a fragment? No, a reflection. If I eat you will I be complete?"

Shit! "We need to stop her! She's gonna try and Eat the Moon!"

"She's gonna what!?"

Maka shouted even as the Moon nodded, black blood dripping from its maw.

Soul transformed, ready to be wielded but he was too far away from Maka and Grudge was already flapping her wings, taking flight.

Thankfully there was someone close to her who was more than capable of shutting her down.

"Screech Gamma!"

"PYAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."

"GUH!" She spat black Blood as Crona came from above with the metal chair!- I mean, with Ragnarok and slammed a purple blast made of Destructive sound right into her back folding her like the same theoretical metal chair sending her back to earth so hard that it created a massive crater in the ground.

"Maka! Use your Anti-Demon Wavelength to shut her down!"

"On it!"

I shouted towards Maka but she was already there and with both hands on Spite's barrel, she flared with blue power and caused the still struggling to stand Spite to go limp and pass out. This resulted in her returning to my body making me fall on my ass in relief.

"Whew! That was a close one!"

Maka walked over to me with Soul in her hands.

"How did you know she was going to do that?"

I glanced up, looking at her then the Moon which was glaring at me, its smile turned into a frown and the blood stopped flowing. After a couple of moments, It reluctantly returned to its default look.

"I realized something when Crona talked about 'Eternal Night.' In her homeland, there were 2 Alicorn sisters just like her named Celestia and Luna."

Soul returned to human form to help me up as I continued.

"Celestia was the oldest and her job was the raise the Sun at Dawn and lower it at Dusk while Luna rose the Moon at Dusk and Lowered it at Dawn. One day Luna, the younger one went crazy and turned into a demon like being known as Nightmare Moon. She refused to lower the Moon and bring Eternal Night. Her sister sealed her away in the moon for 1000 years until she was saved by I guess you could call an Anti Demon Wavelength wielded by 6 other ponies turning her back to Luna."

"But what does that have to do with what just happened?" Soul wasn't understanding though Maka looked slightly more aware as she was collecting the pieces I was laying out.

"I just ate the Sun and in my Dream, I was about to fight her before the 'Stars' rebelled against the Sun and Moon with both of us retaliating in response. I used a sun and her a giant moon blade. So I put two and two together and rightly believed she would do the same thing Grudge did with the Punishing cross and use the moon to become 'complete."

Maka was now touching my stomach, doing the exact thing she did with me but towards the unconscious Spite.

"But why did you stop her then? Wouldn't it be a good thing?" Crona was the one asking, their eyes narrowed as I suspected he already knew.

"Because unlike the Sun I know for a damn fact that your Moon has a fucking Kishin in it!

And on the off chance that it was contagious, I didn't want to have her lose her mind completely."

Maka nodded, stepping away from me and talking to the others.

"He was right to be worried. Her Souls are unstable, barely holding together. If she had tried to absorb the Moon like Greg who knows what could have happened? She could have died."

I looked at her, a grimace on my face as my fears were confirmed. "Then what do we do? I know the Windigo's and she won't stop, she will try again and again until she devours the Moon and becomes 'whole'."

Maka frowned. "Then we will have to keep her Tranquilized. I will use my Anti Demon Wavelength every 6 hours to keep her asleep. Unfortunately, due to your nature as a Witch, this will weaken you as well but we can spend the Month improving your Soul's Endurance and Soul Perception while also teaching you everything you will need to know to manage her condition."

I sighed, already mentally preparing to feel like shit for a month.

"But then what? Once I come back She'll instantly try again."

Maka looked sad as well. "Which is why you need to know when it is safe to return."

I didn't like the sound of that. "Safe to return? Why does it sound like you are kicking me out?"

"Because I am."

I stared at her in disbelief. The others were dead silent just watching.

"What?"

She put her hands on her hips.

"Once this Month is done you are not allowed to return until her soul is stable enough to survive the merging process. While you are doing that I will do research into witches and how they use magic so that when you return we can work on that as well. Unfortunately."

She grimaced. "The constant sedation will keep her Soul from stabilizing at all so it may be quite some time till we speak again."

I felt a pit in my stomach which surprised me. Why was I feeling abandoned?

Something must have shown on my face as Crona of all people approached and put a hand on my shoulder.

"You aren't being abandoned. We will be here when you get back."

How the fuck did he read me so easily? I thought he had no social skills.

"I, how did you?"

He didn't answer, he just walked away, Ragnarok returning to his body without saying a word.

With that exchange over I spent an entire month feeling sick and weak which sucked when you were trying to learn things. Maybe this was how people going through Chemo felt? I'm just glad my Hair didn't fall out. Crona never elaborated on what he said and I didn't ask. It didn't feel right. I learned a lot about Soul Theory and about the Soul Perception technique. It was all about using your Soul to see instead of your eyes. I wasn't able to do that at first with how weak my Wavelength was and even though I was constantly having it drained away it grew rapidly and by the end of it it had gotten quite a lot stronger.

I was worried I would have a cutie mark or something on my butt but thankfully that didn't come to be as they were just covered in scales like usual. Part of me was disappointed but hey, at least I avoided having 'tramp stamps'

I also finally got to perceive my own Soul and well,

"This is stupid," I muttered as I gazed at the Purple D20 the size of a Watermelon wearing a witch's hat of the same color with a small yellow flame burning in the center with that laughing sun orbiting it like the Moon did the Earth. It made eye contact with me, then it just smiled wider as if in mockery, its laughs more deliberate.

"Heh, Heh, HEH,"

Tch! "Screw you Sun!"

"HEH"

Yeah, I'm not gonna argue with it. I then moved on to Spite's Souls and what I saw worried me.

Her Soul was a basketball-sized scuffed-up Orange Square Tesseract with too many chipped corners and sides holding within it 3 smaller teal souls that slowly spun around each other in a circle but they were in tatters barely holding together. From Time to Time dark purple lightning would spark between them, then hit the interiors of the Tesseract.

All and all it looked like shit.

Maka told me that when the three Souls within the Tesseract were healed and the chipped corners of the Teseract were fixed would be when it would be safe to let her absorb the Moon but it didn't look like that would be happening anytime soon.

Around the same time after I was able to see my Soul for the first time, I noticed a trend in my dreams. It wasn't something mindblowing and I made sure to consult Maka every time but there was always fire in my dreams. Campfires, burning buildings, ads on televisions, even people arguing on the internet there was always a fire burning somewhere in some form or another. At first, we thought it meant something but after the 10th dream which involved FireFighters and Nuns, we finally wrote them off as just normal dreams.

The Month ended with a teary Farewell to Maka and Soul a, curt nod to Crona, and a middle finger to Ragnarok.

Friday, February 11th, 2011.

I wasted no time when I woke up in my bed in the Spade Suites to summon a legion of imps armed to the Teeth when Spite woke up.

She instantly got angry, demanding to be given the Moon and I firmly told her no. It took a tense hour where I thought I would have to mow her down with Imps before she reluctantly accepted this and to reward her for her compliance I preyed on Emnity's desires for luxury hoping that part still remained.

We spent the day being pampered and it was GREAT. A perfect de-stressor and my Mom joined us later resulting in us inside a yellow black honeycomb-themed salon laying on our chests with towels covering us while my imps gave us professional massages sipping on 200-year-old French wine for her and smoking cigars for me. Spite for her part also was getting massaged taking big bites out of all sorts of exotic fruits from durians to pomegranates.

We had face masks on with Cucombers covering our eyes as my Mom asked.

"How are you feeling now Greg?"

"Pretty good all things considered. Just getting used to things. Like how I know the Sun set 2 hours ago though I haven't stepped foot outside."

Mom chuckled. "An internal Sun dial isn't the worst trade-off. Are you sure about not cutting your hair? It's a bit wild."

I touched my crimson hair letting the smooth locks go through my fingers as they had been hand washed and shampooed earlier.

"Yeah, it's badass!"

She chuckled. "Of course, For boys your age that is reason enough. Have you decided what your Cape name will be?"

I smiled wide, my green cream-covered face doing nothing to hide my fanged grin.

"It hasn't changed. I will be Void Cowboy!"

I think my mom frowned at this and had a disapproving tone making me tense.

"I did some research online and that happens to be the name of a certain Degenerate on the PRT Forums."

Shit! She found out!?

"Oh, really now? What a coincidence. hahaha. You aren't buying this for a second are you?"

"No, I'm not."

I sighed, my head leaning over the massage table.

"And?"

"Excuse me?"

"And? So what? I'm not that guy anymore whether I want to be or not."

She seemed a bit put off by my words judging from her tone.

"So? You should leave it behind and pick a name more respectable."

I gritted my teeth and growled.

"No. I will be Void Cowboy."

She looked towards me removing her cucumbers to glare at me. I could feel it.

"Greg, As your Mother and a Member of the Herran Clan I highly recommend you drop that name and take something better as once you are named it is almost impossible to change it later."

And there goes my relaxation. I ignited. My Towel and cucumbers turned to ash as I leaped from my table and landed in a crouch right in front of my startled Mom.

"No." I stood straight, arms crossed, legs apart, my Triangles narrowed glaring down at her.

"Listen, Mom, I love you and want to work with you as I respect you but this is not negotiable. Void Cowboy is the last thing I have from my past life that is irrevocably MINE. I will use it because it is MINE and what is MINE I will use as I see FIT is that clear Mother?"

She regained her nerve rather quickly judging from the frown and Glare, probably because I hadn't harmed her once since the Shadow incident. I both liked that and didn't as she stood up, holding her towel to keep her decency which was good as I was in no mood to be traumatized.

"I understand Greg but I will NOT be intimated by you! I am the Matriarch of the Family and you WILL listen to my advice! What you do with it is up to you but I will not be silenced!"

I growled, but in the end, huffed and turned around, my back to her. "Fine. Imps, get us some bathrobes. Matriarch Veder, As the Ogre Patriarch I will Listen to your reasoning.

I was given a fluffy yellow and black honeycomb print bathrobe with a fluffy collar, sleeves, and bottom resembling a fuzzy bee that I promptly pulled on. I was given a Cigar that I singed the tip off and took a puff to steady my nerves and keep my anger in check. The Sires Shadow is sometimes quite the pain but I refuse to give up and avoid using it. I WILL make it MINE! I exhaled sparkly purple smoke as My Mom started speaking.

"Greg, I understand that you want to keep the name as a connection to your past self as true, it is something only you have but you don't want to bring shame to the House of Veder do you?"

I turned around, taking note of her wearing the same kind of bathrobe I was, apparently, it was standard issue.

"It is true that my handle has become the laughing stock of the web, the village fool even but that is even more a reason for me to do it!"

"But why? Why would you put yourself at such a disadvantage?"

I grinned a sharp grin, using my flames to make the yellow outline of my fanged mouth visible lit up by an internal light of the same color.

"Because I want to see their reactions!"

"Their Reactions?"

Spite was watching us now, seemingly content to enjoy the show and I was ready to entertain.

"Yes! They looked down on me, Mocked me, ridiculed me!"

I clenched my right fist.

"So I want to see their faces, their faces when they realize that that same fool is now a Cape! And not just any Cape no, I will make my Name reach the same heights as the Triumvirate! My Pride would accept nothing less!"

A man needs Ambition so why not aim for the top? I've had plenty of time to think about this and this is a goal that my Sire's Shadow agreed with so that would be my official reasoning while hiding the fact I was trying to save the world to myself.

She had a pondering look as she digested my words. I, of course, said nothing as to show the proper respect to the Matriarch, I mean, My Mom. Dang, I need to keep my mind clear when using the Shadow.

"Then how about using it for your Team Name Instead?"

"Hmm? Team Name?"

I raised an eyebrow.

Where was she going with this?

She nodded. "Yes, a Team name. You don't have a name for your team yet, right? And the 'Void Cowboys' sounds like a team name. So pick a different Cape name, show how strong and capable you are, make them place you in their minds as a force to be reckoned with then after some time reveal the name and you can watch them gape in shock as they struggle to compare the fool they once knew with the mighty Lord you become."

She was obviously trying to appeal to not just me but the Sire's Shadow proving without a shadow of a doubt that she was exploiting the Sire's Shadow to win arguments against me!

Clever girl. Hell, the fact that I know that she is doing this is just making the Sire's Shadow MORE approving as a true Matriarch understands the Patriarch and does her best to support him and in turn, he must listen to her and take her words into consideration.

"There is no way that my partner would be okay with this I would have to clear it with them."

"Then do so, I know you have given them a Key so ask them right now."

"Fine. I'll ask."

I contacted Taylor, putting my right hand's first two fingers on my right ear as if I had an earbud.

'Taylor, I have a serious question for you.'

She responded quickly.

'What is it? Did you mutate again?'

She sounded a bit worried but I lied to her, my mental words smooth like butter as I asked my question.

'Yes I have but it isn't too bad. My Question relates to our Team Name.'

"Our team Name? You have an idea already?" She was curious. Good.

'Yes, I planned on calling myself Void Cowboy as that was my internet Handle but my Mom is insistent that I have that as our Team name instead as it has a bad reputation and she thinks the first impression is extremely important but it is one of the last things I have that is still the same after so many months-shit I mean Days and so I am quite attached to it so I won't abandon it. If you aren't okay with it I'll understand and I'll use it as my cape name instead.'

'How bad of a Reputation are we talking about?' her worry was back. Understandable.

'The Villiage idiot on Parahuman's Online. Search for Void Cowboy though I want you to keep in mind that I am no longer the same naive fool I was before.'

She was silent for about 5 minutes which was enough time for Spite to walk up to me and give her two cents.

"I say we use it as the Team Name."

"Oh? You agree with my Mom?"

She nodded. "Yeah. It is important to you but it isn't who you are now and besides." She gave a sadistic smile. "Just imagine how terrified everyone would be if you brought up your old Alias in conversation and they started talking all sorts of Horse Apples about you only for you to calmly tell them that it was you? They would shit bricks as they scrambled to backpedal desperate to save their sorry hides."

She licked her lips.

"It would be DELICIOUS."

I chuckled. "That does sound appetizing. But in the end, it's my partner's choice so we will have to wait and see."

She huffed, losing interest, and hopped back onto her table demanding for her fur to be brushed and her teeth flossed.

As this happened My Mom had gotten a nice yellow armchair and was sipping on another wine glass of the good stuff.

I also sat in a blue chair acquired for me facing my Mom with an Imp massaging my shoulders puffing smoke as I waited.

About 5 minutes later Taylor got back to me and her voice was disgusted.

'Greg! That can't be you right?! Void Cowboy was a degenerative Jackass and you're nothing like that.'

I blew a purple smoke ring.

'True, that was me months ago before I got my powers it's just that I have been forced to grow up in the face of my new existence. So? I assume that I will be having that as my Cape Name?'

I had expected this outcome. I had honestly only humored my mother as there was no way she would be okay with this.

'That being said, I think I can live with it.'

I blinked, my eyes now circles.

'I'm sorry, I think I misheard, you're okay with it?'

'No! Not exactly but I've been trying to make a costume out of Spider Silk and my Dad has some old Cowboy clothes from a square Dance he and my Mom went to years ago so we could use them as a reference in making the costumes.'

'I see, and spider silk? Why spider silk.'

'It is extremely durable, stretchy, and lightweight. I can have my Spiders weave it at will so I should have no problem making them. I just need to learn how to do it well enough to make our costumes look good.'

Hmm. She can make enough Silk to do that? That gives me an idea.

'Say, What do you think about having the Imps make our costumes using your Silk? Nothing made in the Casino can leave but the Silk would be from Spiders outside the casino so they should stick around. We would have to get the Dye ourselves but they can do all the work.'

I glanced to one of the 2 imps pampering Spite.

"You guys CAN make our clothes if we give you the materials right?"

The male Yellow imp nodded without stopping his movements for even a second. "Of course. As long as the materials are from the outside world we will easily be able to make you and the Manager anything you desire."

I relayed their answers to Taylor who seemed to like the idea.

'Really?! That would make things so much easier but to finish my explanation you are the one in charge, the one with all the manpower and are stronger than me by a large margin so if you want to do that then I am fine with it. I'm just glad to have a partner.'

Well, damn. Didn't expect to get her approval. Okay then.

"Shit, Guess you Win Mom. We will be the Void Cowboys."

My Mom looked so damn Smug about this.

"Good. Now, What will you call yourself?"

I shrugged. "No clue. That was my only idea."

I then said to Taylor.

'Then that will be our name. It's the weekend Tomorrow so how about you bring your spiders into the Casino and let's try making our Costumes. You can help me pick a name as I honestly have no clue what to do for myself.'

Might as well let her give input into my name to make her feel more important and foster some more comradery.

'That sounds great! I'll tell my Dad I am hanging at a friend's house and be there at 9 AM Is that good for you?'

'Fine by me. Just don't freak out when you see how much I've changed okay?'

'Don't worry. I'll make sure to keep calm.'

She tried to sound confident but I could tell from her slight tremor that she wasn't sure herself but that was good enough for me. I had fibbed on the severity of my changes as I honestly wanted to see her response compared to my Mom. Was it petty? Yes. Was it smart? Hell no. Did she deserve it. No again. Was I gonna do it anyway to see her squirm? To enjoy the shock? Absolutely. I'm an S just like Spite and I want to get SOME enjoyment from these stupid changes.

'See you then.'

'Bye Greg.'

"Mom."

"Yes, Greg?"

"My partner will be coming over tomorrow via their Key so don't enter the Casino until I tell you they're gone."

"Of course. I'll respect your privacy. Now, what should we eat tonight? I'm thinking New York style Pizza pies-"

After some delicious Pizza tasting straight from the Bronx, I went to bed and found myself in the Zero Zone once more. I glanced down to see I was wearing the large grey hoodie sweatpant combo my Mom bought me today to use as sleepwear. It cost money to buy myself a whole new wardrobe but thanks to the Casino all the money that used to go into food could be diverted to fix this problem. Since I was getting a new Wardrobe I asked her to focus on clothing that won't restrict my movements and she had delivered. I was so glad that the spikes from my Shadow form only existed in said form or wearing shirts would be an nightmare. Perhaps that's why Lung doesn't wear shirts either? Food for thought.

I glanced briefly at the DWMA Door before I steeled myself and approached the #7 Door. It was my second power I ever got and yet this was the first time I would be going inside.

"Since I have Mist Flames then the Most obvious candidate for my Teacher would be Rokudo Mukuro or maybe Daemon Spade? Oh well, I'll find out soon enough."

I entered the portal.

And instantly tripped over Spite who manifested right in front of me out of nowhere making both of us tumble to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

"Ow."

"Ugh, Greg, I feel weird. My body is stiff." She grumbled as we disentangled ourselves.

"Yeah, Probably cuz you aint made of Black BLood anymore. Can you still transform?"

We both stood up, she tensed but then shook her head. "No, I can't. All I have is my natural abilities. Where are we?"

I looked around trying to figure it out but could only say.

"I have no idea."

She gave me a deadpan look, her Grudge showing.

"Well, aren't you helpful."

"Screw you Gru- I mean Spite."

I had responded out of habit but realized my fuck up halfway and thankfully Spite didn't notice my mistake.

We were in what looked like a hospital. The whole place could be summed up in a single word. 'Sterile.' The lights were an eye-watering white, the walls were blue, the Ceiling grey, the floor was brown laminated wood, and there were patient rooms with white doors with only numbers giving them any distinction. We were on floor 4 if the numbers on the doors were anything to go by. There was a reception desk made of light brown wood with a blue countertop and all sorts of trolleys and stations you would expect to see in a modern hospital. The whole place smelled of antiseptic and if there were any people it wouldn't look out of place in the real world.

Which then begs the question.

"Query, Where is everyone?" Spite asked confused.

I glanced at her. Was that normal? Did any of the Windigo's talk like that? I had only spent 2 days with the new Spite and I had noticed an odd verbal tic that showed up after she woke up from her forced Sedation. Anytime she asked a question at the start of a sentence she would say 'Query' She did this over and over again and it made me uneasy. Why was that? I'm supposed to have perfect Recollection but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't recall WHY it bothered me. But, even so, it's my fault this happened so I will just ignore it. Everyone at DWMA scolded me for relying on my Madness just because the damage would be reversed but due to that same factor I had no idea how Grogar died and because of that both me and Spite have been forever changed by that mistake.

I have no idea the extent of the damage to Spite's Mind after merging with her sisters or worse, after EATING them. That was a theory that I told no one. Grudge talked about eating her siblings when she attacked us so maybe Spite did the same but the question would then be 'Why?' Why would she eat them? How did she do it if she was the weakest of the trio due to not being 'complete'? Or maybe she survived BECAUSE she was incomplete? Was that why she lived and her sisters died? I just didn't know! All due to me being an idiot. So I had to accept the new Spite. It's the least I can do to make up for my fuck up.

"I have no idea. But I am pretty sure I know who is my Teacher given the context."

"Query, And who would that be?"

I decided to take a gamble. If it was who I thought it was then he would definitely be listening.

"I would, but it's rude to talk about someone as if they weren't there. Isn't that right? Mukuro Rokudo?"

"Kuh Kuh Kuh Oh? So you do know me. This really is an interesting situation."

The 404 patient door 20 feet in front of us opened revealing a black void and outstepped a teenager with purple hair done up like a pineapple with bangs. He was wearing a dark green Japanese student uniform with a camo undershirt and black leather gloves. In his right hand was a trident with a black haft and a silver head. His left eye was blue but his right eye was red with the Kanji for '5' replacing the pupil.

This guy was Mukuro Rokudo. Mist Guardian of the 10th Vongola Boss, bearer of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, and my Teacher in Mist Flames.

I wasn't going to make the same mistake as Grogar. Even if he pisses me off, I won't pick a fight.

I bowed at the waist. "It is a pleasure to meet you Teacher I am Greg Veder."

After only a moment of confusion, Spite mirrored me by lowering her head and talking like Emnity. "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Spite Windigo."

He walked towards us. "So polite. I had expected more fire than this. Let me guess, you screwed up with a previous teacher….didn't you?"

I tensed but answered. "Yes, I picked a fight when I shouldn't of and both of us have suffered for it."

He smirked his signature smirk of superiority. "So upfront. Very well. The fact you know your place will make this easier. We will begin immediately."

I blinked at this and stood up straight. "Um, really? Just like that?"

Wait.

"Query? Where did he go?"

Spite asked as he was gone! Just fucking vanished without a trace!

Then his voice began to ring out from everywhere and nowhere like your typical horror movie antagonist.

"Ku Ku Ku I know you can use Mist Flames at a beginner level so your first lesson is simple. Find me within this neverending Hospital. Good luck, ku ku ku."

Spite's ears drooped as the lights all went out.

"Query, why do I get the feeling this is gonna suck?"

"Because it's gonna suck."

"I thought as much."

I drew upon my Mist Flames which to my surprise flowed the most easily through my horn with it serving as my medium, my eye engraving glowing purple.

"Huh, Convenient." I made a simple light and…..0_0

"Fuck me I was kidding about the Horror Antagonist thing!"

The once spotless hospital was now straight out of a horror film with blood on the walls, holes in the ground, wires, webs, and other shit hanging from the ceiling and the whole place reeked of blood.

And that, was my first interaction with my Teacher in Mist Flames Mukuro Rokudo.

The entire Month sucked as I kept getting burned, zapped, doused in ungodly smelling goop, jumpscared, and so many other unpleasant things with my only company being Spite's constant amusement at my suffering. Is it strange that I felt comforted by that? To know that their Sadism survived? Perhaps that's why I took equal delight when SHE was the one on the receiving end of Mukuro's Hospital of Jumpscares. Just finding food was difficult as moldy food appeared normal until it was in your mouth and the actual good food appeared to be bad.

The only good thing was that due being constantly under assault by these illusions forced me to learn how to not just tell the differences between illusions and reality but also gain tolerance for mental attacks as being exposed to so many illusions was 'contaminating' me as the constant exposure to them in quick succession was poisoning my mind and I actually died once from said exposure when I stubbornly tried to push through instead of taking my time to recuperate which taught me that just 'muscling through it' is NOT a viable option when dealing with damage unlike how it is usually portrayed in anime. The symptoms of this were nausea, loss of balance, splitting migraines, hallucinations, blackouts, and finally death.

To survive I had to develop a sense to let me know when my mind was being influenced by an outside force and just how much I was being affected so as to not die again. This also resulted in me creating my Second real Mist Flame technique! I call it 'Brain Wash'! ™ '. I had the idea while recovering from an especially bad case of poisoning that if Mist Flames were poisoning my mind due to oversaturation then couldn't I use Mist Flames to expel it from my brain and thus cure my poisoning? It took some work and I worked on the technique for most of the month but by the time I finally found the Bastard I had mostly perfected the technique.

I think the reason why I managed to create the technique and refine it so quickly was due to the fact that my Mist Focus was literally growing from my head and man, My horn came in clutch so many times. Usually Dying Will flames need a focus to be used with any real strength but my horn was the perfect Focus and I don't mean just right now. When I first used one of my Keys as a focus I thought it was good. Then, when my blood turned black though my level of control didn't get a boost it made me even more aware of my body allowing for my 'Animation Rig' technique to work. But my horn? It was as if my Mist flames were now a physical part of my body, like a third arm only I could sense. Doing this also helped me learn how to use telekinesis as it just took using the magic within me the same way I did my Mist Flames. When I used my magic my horn glowed yellow contrasting sharply with my flames.

"Finally! I found you you piece of shit!" I yelled at him in Nirraak form making him raise an eyebrow in amusement from his position lounging on the green medical bed in the EXACT SAME ROOM HE STEPPED OUT OF! Room 404. He just made an illusion of an empty black void to throw us off but it was only an inch thick. Oh I was so pissed when I figured out his little trick!

"Oy ya ya? Such harsh words. What happened to showing me proper respect?"

Spite answered that time, stomping hard on the ground with her middle right hoof while pointing accusingly with her frontmost left.

"That went out the window when you made all the fruit taste like shit!"

He shrugged, still lounging on his bed with his trident leaning against the bed and his arms behind his head.

"Good. Then the training worked."

We both blinked dumbly at this making me turn back to normal.

"Wait wat?" "Query, Wait wat?"

He sat up from the bed, lazily swinging his legs over, and stood, taking the trident as he laughed.

"Ku ku ku ku. Respect is dangerous when dealing with Illusions. That subconscious submission makes it easier for those you respect to pull you into their illusions. And once that happens then it is quite hard to escape. The trick is to retain respect on a conscious level but treat everyone as a threat on a subconscious level to keep that from happening."

I hesitated, looking unsure. "Wait, so, this was all to teach me that?" If that was the case then damn is he a good teacher!

He shook his head, smirking like a jackass.

"Oh no, I mainly did this cuz it was fun to watch you squirm."

TCH I gained a tic mark as I stalked over to him. Intent on giving him a piece of mind when I froze, glared, transformed, and cursed.

"Damn it! This is just another illusion!"

The illusion faded, leaving us alone in the hospital room.

The real Mukuro was leaning against the doorway behind us.

"How did you figure that out?"

I pointed in accusation to the bed. "The pillow! It isn't compressed like it should be if you were laying on it and the sheets aren't wrinkled in the slightest which doesn't make sense since you first sat up, turned, THEN stood up. At the very least the covers should be pulled to the side but they aren't!"

The timer that represented I was about to wake up started the same moment he spoke.

"Congratulations. You have successfully learned how to tell illusions from reality. Next time you come we will begin the real training. See ya Ku ku ku"

"Wait! Come back here you Whorse!" Spite ran at him, clearly displeased with him but he just stepped to the left out of the room, and when Spite turned the corner he was already gone.

"I Bucking hate that guy!"

I nodded in agreement as I stood next to her once again in human form. "I agree but he's my only chance of ever stepping foot out of the Casino again so we are stuck with him."

She looked at me.

"Query, we ARE going to get him back for this…Right?"

"Oh absolutely. But don't talk about it here. We can discuss it when we wake up.

We both shared bloodthirsty grins as the Timer hit zero and we both woke up.

Die Gained! Criteria: Stopped blaming the ROB for his past self's actions and accepting that truth.

#17 Legacy of Baki. He is transformed into a hybrid of 4 of the bakiverse's greatest warriors. Requirement: Win 100 battles using only your body.(Comes with Imagination power).

Author's Note: Damn, Chapter so THICC I had to cut it in half.

Yeah, you read right. This is just half of what I wrote. I had wanted to finish up the Training Arc in one go so we could get into the juicy stuff but it JUST, KEPT, GOING! 15K I'm almost done, let's keep going. 20K. Sure, it's a lot but I'm getting done soon! 25K This is the biggest chapter ever but it's almost done right? RIGHT!? 28K. Alright, fine, It still isn't' done so I'll cut it in half so you guys can read something.

Also, WOOOOOOOOH! This is my first story to ever pass the 100k mark! I had been reading fanfiction for over a decade now and I had always wanted to give back to the community that brought me so much joy and comfort when things got rough which is part of the reason why I publish besides it being fun. But I had never thought I would get this far and it is only thanks to you guys and your reviews that have driven me to accomplish this dream. So thank you, thank you all!

Now, let's get to business as a lot has happened in this Chapter.

Let's talk about the Elephant in the Room. The Consequences of the Zone Collapsing.

From the moment Grogar was killed last chapter I was playing around in my head just what would happen to our MC and after a couple of rewrites, I settled on this. He thought he could exploit the Madness, He thought that since it reset that there was no problem using a power that took his hands off the steering wheel and where did that get him? His body disfigured and his companions mutilated. Isn't it ironic? He again made a gamble he shouldn't have but this time someone else also paid the price. Worst still, just like the ROB said it is hard to control how something will 'Fail' so any and all deviations that seem out of place is due to the collapse and the interference of a third party.

I wanted to drive the point home that these powers are NOT just fun toys and tricks for him to use. They have real, legitimate dangers to them and if he isn't careful WILL hurt him and those around him.

Moving on, Hallelujah! Greg has finally stopped blaming the ROB for everything! As pointed out by several reviewers his constant blaming was getting Stale and thanks to a certain dream he has finally realized the truth and put the blame where it really belongs. With his past self who got him into this whole mess.

Next subject. The Windigo's. I didn't plan on them dying. I mean it, Grudge and Enmity had their own little subplots I had figured out, friends to make, enemies to piss off, and character development to have. But that didn't happen. They died abruptly leaving everything in the air and I think that is how it should be. When I was doing my first real attempt at reading the series the thing that stood out more than anything was Leviathan. Gallant, Kaiser, Dauntless, and Aegis. Characters that I was so certain would be recurring characters, The Big bad leader of the E88, one of the big shots of the PRT, and 2 Teenage heroes. But they died. (Well Dauntless got Chrono locked but my point still stands!). I was shocked. How could the kid heroes be killed? How could such an important villain go out like that? This is what truly drove home the idea that this series is not afraid to kill ANYONE who is not the MC and even if they don't die they suffer plenty enough to make death seem like a mercy. (See Dauntless)

So to further illustrate the consequences of his actions they have died and he will always know that they died because of him.

Before we end this Author's Note I want to address one last thing. Though the next chapter is 80% done it might be a bit till I publish it as there are some things I am still unsure about and the feedback I get from this chapter will probably play a role in how the next goes down.. And who knows, maybe it'll grow another 10K or something. I hope not!