Chapter 30
Countdown to Chaos
Coming to, I found myself in a room with a sinister dark red glare. "Wait, is this the Negative Speed Force?", I asked. "Not exactly.", Iri's voice said. Walking forward, I saw a pathway formed from black red flesh. Stepping onto it, I then found myself in a strange temple. In front of me was the red Chaos Emerald. "Wait, is this-?", I asked before Iri's voice said, "That is correct. This is the region of the Depths underneath Death Mountain, where the Fire Temple is.". Reaching out to the red Emerald, I then found myself facing a strange forest similar to where I fought Cu. Walking inside, I noticed that the leaves and branches were shifting as though the forest was sentient. Running forwards, I passed by a statue of Alastor that seemed as though it was looking at me. Having no time to stop, I then found myself in a strange forest temple. "I've been waiting for you to show up.", said a young man with red hair and blue eyes wearing a sailor uniform. "Adol, we don't need to do this.", I said. "Oh, but we do. If only to remind you of your duty.", Adol said as he turned around to face me, sword in hand. He rushed at me as I summoned Gram to my right hand. Dodging Adol's attack like a boss, I then retaliated with a furious onslaught of slashes that Adol just managed to keep up with. Firing a blast of dark energy from my left hand, I then deftly evaded a red slash of energy that Adol unleashed from his sword, responding in kind with a blast of dark energy from Gram that Adol managed to dodge just in time. Warping behind him, I then formed a demonic dagger in my left hand that Adol just managed to parry. Undeterred, I then saw a purple aura cover me causing me to move at a blindingly fast speed. Taking advantage of the power surrounding me, I unleashed a fast onslaught that Adol could barely just keep up with, his only retort being a slash that I easily dodged, promptly responding with a blast of darkness channelled through Gram that easily defeated Adol, sending him plunging into a wall. As the purple aura around me faded, I dismissed both Gram and the demonic dagger before continuing to the altar where the green Chaos Emerald was waiting.
Reaching out to the green Emerald, I then saw the area around me glitch out, only to find myself in a strange cybernetic space. "Am I back in Cyber Space already?", I asked. "No. This is a computer system used by the Guardian Units of Nations.", Sage said. "Still, where's that damn fourth Chaos Emerald?", I asked, walking along the digital path that had formed in front of me. Running forward, I felt strangely lighter than air. As I approached a giant metal cylinder, I saw various digital soldiers manifest in an attempt to stop me – some wielding swords, some wielding axes, some wielding lances and some wielding bows; undeterred, I unleashed a blast of black and dark red energy in the shape of the Black Beast's head that promptly deleted them all, returning them to ones and zeroes. Entering the cylinder, I then saw a cyan pyramid that suddenly teleported me to a mysterious arena. "You get it now? If you do not ascend as Sovereign, all of reality will be destroyed. After all, if the Ascension Project is completed, the physical, mental, spiritual, digital and astral worlds will all fuse and combine into each other, destroying all of reality.", Kiritsugu said. "But why insist on completing the Ascension Project at all? What do the Chosen even have to gain?", I asked. "That is a question for the Chosen to answer and not me.", Kiritsugu said as he walked away.
Taking a moment to breathe, I then found myself in the chamber where I had met Rassilon. Looking out of the window, I saw a strange white and gold crack, the crack itself vaguely looking like some sort of smile. "Strange.", I thought. "Still, you need to ascend as the Sovereign so Aionios may be preserved. And after your accession, you shall have all of eternity to rule as you please.", Alastor said. I then found myself in a strange white void with a strange stone pillar in the distance; as I approached it, I saw a vision of myself fighting against a squad of 7 strange Power Rangers – one of them was wielding a sword, one of them was wielding a bow, one of them was wielding a lance, one of them was mounted on a horse, one of them was wielding a spell book, one of them was wielding a pair of daggers and one of them was wielding a large axe. As the vision faded much to my confusion, I received the white Chaos Emerald. "OK, that now makes 4 Chaos Emeralds.", I said. "Indeed it does.", said a hedgehog with silver fur and yellow eyes. "Silver, what are you doing here?", I asked the hedgehog. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to find the Chaos Emeralds to help empower the Waxing Moon Vessel and complete the Ascension Project.", Silver replied. "Why complete the Ascension Project at all? You know even better than everyone that the Ascension Project will destroy everything and collapse all of time.", I said. "That may be so but as per our pact with YHVH we will help him complete the Ascension Project and create a world in eternal peace.", Silver said. As I stormed off in response to his words, I then felt my body strangely freeze. Noticing a strange turquoise glow cover my body, I then heard Silver say, "It's no use! Take this!", before he then threw me into a strange dark portal.
Finding myself in an expansive desert, I then looked around for anything that could help me find the yellow Emerald, only to see a strange yellow light in the distance. Running forward in the direction of the light, I then found myself enter a strange underground passage only to find myself in a large underground room. Suddenly, I felt a strange surge of dark energy surge out from my body. As I screamed out in pain, I saw a giant boulder roll towards me. "You know the incantation.", a strange voice in my head said. Holding out my right hand, I said, "Chaos Control!", watching as the boulder stopped in its tracks. Walking over to the boulder, I then kicked it, causing time to resume and the boulder to roll back, causing it to crash into a wall, causing it to break. Rushing over, I saw an altar; climbing down, I then saw the yellow Emerald. Reaching out to it, I then found myself back on Ouranos Island again. Walking back inside the pyramid, I saw the white Emerald there had been replaced by the blue Emerald. Strolling up to the altar, I saw another vision – this time of a golden knight wielding a golden sword and fighting against a queenly monster composed of darkness. The vision then turned to another – this time of me (or what seemed to be me, anyway) fighting against a giant fire demon which gave way to another vision of 13 heroes fighting against YHVH and using their powers to kill it. As the vision faded, I then felt a burst of static from the blue Emerald that knocked me onto my back. Getting up, I then held out my right arm, causing the black and dark red sphere surrounding the Emerald to disappear, allowing me to claim it. "Now, I have 6 Emeralds. Wonder where the seventh one is.", I said to myself as I walked out of the pyramid.
Gazing upon Ouranos Island's landscape, I then saw a strange comet in the sky. It had a black and dark red aura around it, giving it an ominous feel, not to mention having a thick dark grey material covering it and tentacle like parts coming out of the side, making it look somewhat like a jellyfish. "The Black Comet, where the cyan Emerald lies. Are you ready to go there now?", Alvis asked. "Yeah. I guess I'll have to go there eventually.", I said. At this, I then found myself in a cave with a sinister purple hue and grey stone walls alongside a lavender coloured floor with a canary coloured material interwoven into it. Walking forward, I then saw a vision of Odin fighting against a giant sea monster as well as Phoenix, Garuda, Ramuh, Titan, Bahamut and Shiva. The scene then changed to me (or someone who looked like me, anyway) wielding the power of a sword of light that seemed to burn the very sky away. The vision then faded, leaving me facing a strange fleshy altar with the cyan Emerald. Reaching out, I watched as the cyan Emerald flew out of its altar and entered my body. Suddenly, all 7 Emeralds appeared, surrounding me like a circle. "Finally, they're all here. Prime Minister? King of Hell? I have all this power at my fingertips yet I don't know what to do with it.", I said. Suddenly, Black Doom warped in, saying, "Hey, it's me – the Devil!". "Stop!", I shouted in exasperation. My vision then strangely started to grow red as I then found myself back in the castle's living room. Noticing the seven Chaos Emeralds on the sofa next to me, I reached out to them only for the Emeralds to disappear inside me. "Weird.", I thought. Walking out of the living room, I then found myself on the Space Colony ARK again.
As I strolled over to the Eclipse Cannon's core, I passed by a giant mural depicting Odin fighting against Phoenix, Garuda, Ramuh, Titan, Bahamut, Shiva and Leviathan as well as a giant walking castle. The mural also looked like it was also burning. "Wait, is this another depiction of the past?", I asked. "No. Suffice to say it is actually a depiction of what may happen in the future. I highly suggest you do not let it come to pass.", Alvis said. "Whatever.", I said, walking on. Approaching the cannon's core, I saw that it resembled a strange shrine with 8 slots- one each for the seven Chaos Emeralds and a central eighth slot for a larger Emerald. Wondering what 8th Emerald could fit in the centre, I saw the seven Chaos Emeralds fly out of me and slot themselves in the 7 smaller slots. Hearing a strange earthquake, I then rushed to the observation deck, fearing for the worst. Seeing a strange dark portal form, I braced myself for anything to see Mash walk out of it. "Wait, Mash? Why are you here on the Space Colony ARK?", I asked. Looking up to my face, Mash's face then lit up as she rushed over to me, hugging me very tightly. "O…K.", I said, confused. "Oh, you're finally starting to remember your purpose, aren't you? You're finally starting to remember why you were brought to Aionios, aren't you? You're finally starting to remember your true nature, aren't you?", Mash asked, a manic look in her eyes and a dissonant smile on her face. "What do you mean by my true nature? And what do you mean by my purpose?", I asked. "Oh, you'll remember eventually whether you want to or not but I fear the time is short. For tis not the time to hesitate and tis the time for action most decisive.", Mash said, suddenly dragging me through the portal causing me to become very groggy.
Regaining consciousness, I found myself in a strange bed with Mash happily sleeping next to me, her head resting on my shoulder. "OK, where am I now?", I thought. Getting out of the bed (an action that was easily said than done due to Mash also placing her arm around my body), I then looked out of the window to see several strange colours in the sky, many of them not meshing well together at all. Rushing outside, I saw a strange monster that seemed to be made of pointy grey rocks and yellow-green crystals with nothing but a miniature black hole for a head with the event horizon being very colourful. It also had a sword for a right arm and a shield for a left arm. As I looked at the monster, I felt a strange feeling of dread, only for it to strangely kneel before me. "Huh?", I asked. Suddenly, I saw a flash of light blue electricity vaporise the monster as a saw a woman rush right in front of me. She had short silver hair and yellow eyes and was wearing a green breastplate with a white crop top underneath it, a black miniskirt, long black stockings and green trainers as well as a green box on her back. Turning to face me, her stoic glare lightened up considerably. "Do I know you?", I asked. Then, the woman sheathed the dagger in her hand by placing it in the box on her back before hugging me tight. "I-I can't believe it! You really did come back to us!", she said, crying. "But still, do I know you from somewhere?", I asked. "Wait, you don't remember me? Your beloved girlfriend, Anby?", the woman asked. "Wait, who are you again?", I asked, confused. "Oh, I'm a member of the odd jobs agency, the Cunning Hares. My name is Anby Demara.", the woman said. "Still, I guess it can't be helped. After all, you were 7 when you came to Aionios first.", said a bear with a scar over his left eye wearing a white jacket like a cape, a black t-shirt, a gold necklace and a belt with several construction tools affixed to it. "Regardless, it seems Jack still doesn't remember us completely, Ben.", Anby said to the bear.
Running away as fast as I could in order to determine where I was, I saw several more of the monster that kneeled before me before Anby destroyed it. "To think that you have already gained the loyalty of various Dullahans already; impressive.", said a werewolf with white fur and robotic legs wearing a butler uniform. "And you are…?", I asked. "Oh, my name is Lycaon.", the werewolf said. "Anyway, where are we?", I asked. "Why, we in the Grand Hollow, created when Hollow Zero expanded from its position in the old capital and grew to cover all of New Eridu. When it did so, it also absorbed all of the other Hollows within it including the Cretan Hollow and the Dead End Hollow and will now cover all of Aionios, provided we can find the seven Class Relics and the thirteen Legendary Weapon Relics and use their power alongside the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald to finally break down the foundations of space and time.", Lycaon said, a nauseously bright aura surrounding him. Bracing myself, I then found myself facing a strange stone temple, the gate open as though it was begging me to come in. Turning back around, I saw a giant black hole on the ground with a multicoloured event horizon with space itself distorted by the black hole's presence. Concerned by how large the black hole seemed to be, I braced myself and walked into the temple, preparing myself for anything.
The story continues in the next chapter.