"I can sense his presence. How is the progress going?"
"He already found us?! W-well, the process is already at 97%. It's almost done but I can't believe how quickly he was able to find us here."
"It only makes sense that he can trace its location all the way over here. He's been looking for it for so long now after all."
The incorporeal winds were howling, signifying the advent of something incredibly powerful approaching. In the darkness of the void stood two conceptual entities that transcend the barriers of space and time but even they felt fear grip their very being as they await his impending arrival.
A purpled-haired woman with a small white top hat, a watch locket on her neck, and a white cloak with numerous zippers around it kept her gaze at the horizon with a look of uncertainty. She tried her best to remain calm, her bunny ears and her cloak fluttering from the intangible breeze.
"He sure is angry, huh? Think the firewall can hold him?"
"It's doing its job now, though I doubt it can withstand for long."
The White Rabbit glanced at the person beside her who kept an expressionless demeanor accompanied by her stoic purple eyes, large black robes, and an eldritch-looking scythe on her hand.
"Do you think we did enough?" The White Rabbit asked, her face showing more signs of nervousness.
Her companion remained silent, closing her eyes before sighing exasperatedly. "We did the best we could."
Reaper wondered if they truly did everything they could. Though generally impassive, deep down she wished things ended differently. She wished she had done more. She wished she could've helped more.
And she knew that the White Rabbit felt the same. Reaper wasn't one for wallowing in guilt as she rarely felt emotions but all she could do was accept things as they were now and hope for a better outcome.
An audible beeping noise temporarily caught their attention as they turned to face the machine behind them. The White Rabbit quickly composed herself, approaching the machine with haste as she stared at the computer monitor.
"The process is complete!"
"Good. Hurry and input the universe's coordinates."
The White Rabbit proceeded to type the characters on the keyboard as fast as she could. "Maverick better be right about this!"
With a press of the enter key, a bright beam of light emerged from the computer as it glowed with otherworldly energy. Flashes of different colors surrounded the entirety of the machine, whirling chaotically.
Finally, a compacted ball of energy burst out of the machine accompanied by a loud sound as it traveled outside the void at incomprehensible speeds. Reaper observed the ball of energy slowly disappearing from the total blackness of the void before turning her attention back to the machine.
"Now destroy it! Leave no traces of its existence."
The White Rabbit nodded silently as she conjured a controlled temporal energy blast, disintegrating the machine out of existence. She then appeared in front of Reaper, looking at her with ambivalence.
Without warning, the White Rabbit felt her body freeze in place. She was confused until she noticed Reaper's sorrowful eyes and her scythe that was emanating a faint red glow.
"Wha... what are you doing?!"
"Sending you away."
"What?! You... no! You can't do this!" The White Rabbit exclaimed, struggling against her hold but no matter what she did, Reaper's grasp over her remained firm.
"I'm sorry but the Omnicodex must remain hidden by any means necessary. I have already erased my memories of it. You're the only one left who still remembers the coordinates."
"Huh?! This wasn't part of the plan! We were supposed to alter both our memories!"
"I know... but if we both perish today, no one would be able to stand up against him."
"But you... you can't face him alone!"
"And neither can you nor the both of us combined. But with the high probability of our inevitable demise, we can at least ensure that he does not obtain strong governance over time."
"And you'd let him govern the dead? If you plan for only one of us to survive, why make the sacrifice?!"
"The dead no longer need my guidance and I highly doubt he'd utilize anything in Hades, given his current objective. The universe will still function in my absence and you play a more pivotal role than I do," Reaper spoke in a stoic tone before showing a brief expression of pain and regret. "Besides, I think it's time I finally repent for my sins."
The White Rabbit felt devastated, fully aware of why Reaper was really doing this. She felt ethereal tears falling from her eyes as she stared at the defeated expression of her long-time companion.
"You selfish bastard! You think I don't feel guilty too, after what we did?!"
Reaper then gave a strained smile. "I'm entrusting you once more to safeguard the remaining worlds. If you manage to locate the coordinates, find as many allies as you can. It is unfortunate that I will no longer be there to keep you in check but I have great faith in you, partner. Now wipe those unsightly tears off your face. Crying doesn't suit you."
"NO! S-stop! Let me go! Don't do this! It doesn't have to end this way! We can both escape right now if—"
"Goodbye, old friend. If destiny wills it, I hope to cross paths with you again."
Before she could respond, Reaper slashed the invisible air with a swing of her scythe, creating a dimensional rift that transported the White Rabbit out of the void. The rift quickly closed, leaving the guardian of Hades alone in the darkness. She looked at where the White Rabbit once was before sighing in resignation.
The timing couldn't have been more coincidental as suddenly, a burst of powerful energy manifested in front of her. The explosion appeared out of nowhere as a lone figure made its presence known in the void through the smoke that was generated from the impact.
The figure stood up from a kneeling position, facing Reaper directly. Both of them acknowledged the silent conflict that manifested within in each other's eyes; reflecting pain, sorrow, and regret.
Reaper gazed at the young man before her. Her mind flashed a brief memory of the once young and innocent boy who was full of life, hopes, and aspirations. She'd reprimand him whenever he succumbed to the fleshly desires offered to him that would result in his predictable demise.
Though despite his general naivety, he never gave up and always stood strong in the face of failure and adversity. But now, she could only look at him with sad eyes at what he had become.
No longer was he the same happy boy who always remained optimistic. The worst part was that Reaper was aware that she was one of those who were at fault for what happened to him.
Presently, she stared at the intimidating figure that exuded an immensely powerful aura. He wore a platinum and gem-crested crown and a plated half-face mask that covered his mouth.
He wore various mechanical and magically-armored enhancements on his body that had numerous attachments. Adorning his armor was a long red cape and his eyes were cold, unwavering, and determined with a hint of the familiar pain that Reaper also felt.
"So you were able to finally bypass the firewall. The technician programmed it using the Omniscript but I suppose that even that cannot stop you."
Reaper recognized his eyes which were filled with eons of pain, suffering, and lament. But deep within those cold eyes was the fierce determination and tenacity that she had always admired from him. He carried the undying resolve of accomplishing his duty despite the conflicts in himself.
"So White Rabbit's no longer here..." he finally spoke, his voice carrying a dynamic force that contrasted his once gentle demeanor. "And the machine that you used to transport the Omnicodex away is gone. I see..."
Reaper flinched inwardly as he spoke. The thought that someone like him could still detect the faint presence of the machine that was erased from all of time sent shivers down her spine. His transcendental perception would put even the strongest version of Goddess Ilias to shame.
Reaper then raised her scythe and slammed it on the invisible ground, the impact resonated through the entire void. The man quickly sensed the firewall he destroyed to enter the void reassemble, encasing the two of them inside the infinite space. He gazed back at Reaper, noticing her determination through her signature stoic gaze.
"You recreated the firewall..."
"I, too, have studied a few concepts of the Omniscript," Reaper said with a small smile. "You may find it more difficult to break out of than to break in, especially with me in here."
"You're not running away?"
"I don't have reasons to."
The man nodded silently, acknowledging her reasons to stay despite the inevitability.
"It's not too late to stop this and turn back."
"You already know my answer to that. You know why I'm here..."
"Yes, I do." Reaper sighed once more, slowly positioning her scythe in a combative stance. "Do you truly believe that this is your destiny?"
"You wanted me to save the world, didn't you? To save the universe, to save everyone. Then I will do what I must."
"Even if it means turning everything back into chaos?" When Reaper didn't get a response, she asked him another question. "Is that your definition of 'saving' everything and everyone?"
"You have not witnessed the truth like I have, the truth that was revealed to me from outside our reality."
"That doesn't give you the right to dictate the fate of us all."
"And you do?" He counterargued. "Only I have the power and the determination to do what must be done. And once I have full knowledge of the Omniscript, I will finally save us all. I will achieve what you and the White Rabbit couldn't, what Luka and his companions failed to do!"
Reaper clicked her tongue, frowning sadly at his obstinacy. She wasn't going to pretend that she could understand what he saw outside their reality but she refused to acknowledge that this was his only way to accomplish true salvation.
"Enough of this! I did not come here to parley. I am here to save everyone from a dark fate filled with nothing but a lifetime of torment and humiliation. And you will not stop me."
"It is you who is in need of saving!"
"Isn't that ironic coming from you?"
His words made Reaper flinch as her grip on her scythe tightened, feeling the guilt and regret wash over her more intensely than before. She fought the urge to cry, feeling slightly surprised that she was even capable of shedding tears. But then again, so many things have changed over the past years.
"I was hoping we could just talk but I know that there's nothing I can do to change your mind. That doesn't mean I won't keep trying," Reaper's robes glowed a faint red color.
The man didn't respond. He raised his arm, manifesting a grand-looking staff that radiated enormous amounts of primordial energy on his hand. Reaper prepared herself for what was about to happen as they both stood their ground.
"Before we proceed, I just want to say that..." Reaper slightly hesitated but she quickly composed herself, wearing her usual impassive expression that masked what she truly felt. "I'm sorry for everything I did."
"Me too," the man replied plainly.
Faster than a blink of an eye, their weapons clashed against each other. The impact from the two metaphysical weapons caused powerful reverberations that shook the entire void.
Unfathomable and reality-warping energies collided with each other in a chaotic frenzy as the two god-like beings battled. Reaper's scythe clashed with his staff as they buzzed around the empty void at incomprehensible speeds.
They were evenly matched with neither party waning in strength nor gaining any form of advantage. Reaper would conjure chaos-induced spells and attacks to overwhelm him while utilizing her scythe but the armored man would use his own mastery over the powers of chaos to cancel her attacks and parry her swings with his staff.
With how the battle progressed, it was unclear who emerge victorious. However, Reaper acknowledged that her opponent was more determined to win this fight and accomplish his goals. With one last sigh, she steadied herself, ready to face whatever challenge that would come her way in this momentous battle that would decide the future of all.
But in her conflicted mind, there was a part of her that knew that her final curtains drew near.
Long story short, the preview version kept showing this weird error about the story being unavailable for reading and I tried to delete and recover it many times but the error wasn't going away. The website most likely thought it was trash and that I got kicked out of the kitchen for burning the food I was cooking so yeah xD
Anyway, here's the official story (no longer a preview). I honestly don't know how much I'd be working on this as the draft for this story is far from done. Hopefully, I don't burn or overcook this one too. But perhaps I already did, I dunno.