No one could imagine what was actually happening, not even the villagers. Jaune and his teammate ran through the tiny streets, intending to find out. Everyone whom they saw had a look of uncertainty or horror. What they thought, the duo did not know. Their ears picked up the sound of an engine running. It must have been a really big engine because it definitely wasn't close to the walls. "Where are we going?" Ren asked his team leader. Jaune opened his mouth to speak but closed it right after. It came to him that he really had no idea what was he supposed to do. Should they go out and fight, there would be the possibility of Ren ending up just like Pyrrha or Nora… or even worse. Jaune blinked and shook his head. It wasn't the time to think of such things. He had people to protect.

"We'll..." he said between breaths "we'll reach the gate… and..."

Boom.

They all heard it. A sound that came from the outside world. Jaune, startled, jumped like a scared cat. It was akin to something being fired. Silence reigned supreme for a moment as the sky quickly grew brighter, grew greener. He heard Ren shouting his name, before something pushed him violently to the ground. The ringing in his ears was louder than everything else. Luckily, he wasn't hurt. Ren helped his teammate stand up. Jaune failed to understand anything he tried to tell him. That ringing was still loud and his vision was kinda blurry. Why was everything glowing green all of a sudden? He couldn't see well but he noticed people panicking and running. Moments later, Jaune found out why were they all acting like this. A house was burning. Set on fire. Green fire.

The roar of the engines wasn't a good sign, Braylon thought as he climbed up the ladder. It meant one thing and one thing only; shit was about to get real. Hesitantly, he materialized his trusty Omni-Cannon and used its scope to check the hill. He spotted a large silhouette moving in the fog. The PDA tried to measure its distance and size based on what his eyes could see. But, when the thing became fully visible, his sniper rifle almost fell from his hands in utter terror. A storm of curses passed through his mind as he desperately tried to comprehend what he was looking at. He tried to give it a meaning, a shape and a name. He tried a lot. His brain, on the other hand, decided to shut down, thinking it had finally seen too much.

For a moment he though he was insane. That his mind broke after so much pressure and horror he endured for quite some time. Now that insanity manifested in a fusion of flesh and metal that a mortal was never meant to see. Deep down, however, he knew this was nothing but an attempt at rationalizing away the problem he had to face. Mortal reason was worthless in such situations, even deadly should it be in wrong hands. No, the best way he could describe it is the following; a giant machine that moved on tracks like a bulldozer, where two thirds were entirely made out of flesh and skin, all mismatched and of different attributes. While on some sides it looked like a pile of half-melted, half-rotten muscle tissue, on others one could see living, anguished, terrorized faces stitched together to form a desultory-made blanket that covered some metallic surfaces or parts. The most overwhelming piece was, without a doubt, the tank-like turret on top of it all. While the whole structure looked like it stuck out of a huge tumour, the turret was another story entirely, for Braylon could clearly see people, living people at that, tied all over its surface with barbed wire, wriggling in pain like the hundreds of mouths, eyes and limbs scattered all over that cursed abomination. The cannon was short but large, similar to the 890mm Tsar Cannon, but unbelievably big. There were also two giant hands at the turret's sides, made entirely out of flesh, with pieces of wet skin hanging loosely from the muscles. And naturally, the crystal clusters. Dozens of them. Everywhere. *

(Dark Souls – Manus, Father of the Abyss)

What the hell am I looking at, Braylon thought. He wanted to open his mouth, he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs as the cannon rose slightly upwards, he wanted to warn everyone of the gigantic, aetherial green comet that was fired from it. But his mouth simply refused to budge. The eyes were solely focused on the bullet that flew high up in the sky, acting like a twisted version of Remnant's sun, completely ignoring the wave of other monstrosities that rushed out from the fog, including several new types and some he encountered before, like the Flesh Artists and their creations. It stayed up there for a few moments, before suddenly falling down on the village like an asteroid. One house was set on fire. People began screaming.

Oh, he was aware that others noticed the same thing he did. It's just that others occupied themselves with the monsters that were far too close to the walls for their liking. No one saw the creature that fired at the house before, as evidenced by shouts like "what the fuck" or "by the gods". However, they seemed to be less frightened by the others that followed. One of the recent additions to the horde was rather unique. It looked like a tall humanoid with large hands but tiny feet. It had no head but a giant mouth and a single eye were on it's abdomen. The mouth was big and hid several rows of tiny, sharp teeth. It's skin was ashen gray. There was only one cluster of crystals present on its body and it was located where the head was supposed to be. People called it "Gigantes" **.

Another type was also present. Unlike the Gigantes, it was the size of a human. This type of monster had two legs and the head of a horse attached to a human abdomen. They were all charcoal black in color, sporting a tiny cannon for a left hand, flesh overgrowing most of the surface. The aetherial crystals were a replacement for the mane that one would usually find on a horse. A tiny cluster could be seen glowing in their hollow abdomens. The most disturbing was the fact that the legs and head behaved erratically while the arms and abdomen were like a ragdoll, thrashing around like dead meat while the legs and head spun, ran and jumped without reason or strategy, their cannons constantly releasing normal fire on their surroundings. These ones were known as "Firestarters" by the locals. ***

Doubt began creeping upon Braylon's mind. His abilities wouldn't be enough to save the village from a horrible fate. But would he abandon the sinking ship as a captain or would he be the first coward to run for safety? That thought came before an Amalgamation crashed into the wooden wall. Its monstrous roar woke him up from his sea of thoughts. Two out of three mantis-like hands pierced through the wall, tearing huge chunks away from it. Braylon quickly switched Omni-Cannon with Fornax and held the trigger. The monster, deprived of everything but rage, kept tearing at the wall, with a few Aetherial Troopers metaphorically lending their hands. When Braylon was able to see its head, he released the trigger, unleashing a powerful beam that vaporized said head away. Before death could embrace it completely, it threw itself at the wall, creating a hole huge enough for others to exploit.

It was then that Braylon knew he and JNPR had to escape. They simply lacked firepower necessary to bring the whole army down, despite having so many weapons. So he jumped down from the watch tower, killed few Troopers and ran. "Where are they?! Jaune! Ren!" He shot another Trooper. "Jaune! Ren! Where are you?!" Braylon passed by a group of villagers. He wanted to turn around and ask them if they saw the two boys from team JNPR. He wanted. He couldn't. A Firestarter was faster than him. It jumped out from nowhere and set the villagers on fire, neighing like a mad horse. A few shots with Fornax melted it enough to make it stationary. Cursing once more, he spun around and continued his search.

He found both Jaune and Ren ten minutes later. They were fighting against a Gigantes, who swung its hands like two giant clubs ready to smash them to bits. At one moment, the creature brought down its hands, but Ren slid under its legs, reached the cluster of aetherial crystals and destroyed it. The Gigantes fell instantly.

"We need to run!" Braylon shouted.

"Where?!"

"We must leave this town! Take Nora and Pyrrha and let's get out of here!"

"What?!"

"This is place is a deathtrap, Jaune! There's way too many monsters!"

"But the villagers…!"

"It's too late for them!"

"No!"

Their conversation stopped when they reached the house where the female members of JNPR lay safe. Braylon kicked down the door, allowing them to come inside. They picked up both Pyrrha and Nora and rushed out. The Vault Hunter glanced slightly at Jaune. He could see a conflict of emotions on his face. But there simply was no time for ethical dilemmas.

"We'll go on the opposite side, away from monsters. Stay behind me, I'll take care of everything. You make sure they aren't harmed. Ok? Let's go!" Another house blew up in the distance. Another victim of the giant on the hill. Did it plan to level the whole village like that? "Shit! We have to get moving!"

It wasn't unusual to find stragglers on their path. Braylon killed several Troopers, two Abominations and one Gigantes. Fornax's plasma easily melted away their flesh or turned them to cinders. Some survived, but were so damaged they were limited to expressing their rage in the form of roars or infuriating, animalistic screams. Finding the wall wasn't hard. It wasn't easy either due to chaos that reigned around them. People were slaughtered, buildings burned, monsters were killed. Over and over. Then, when they were about to escape, the group heard a man shouting not far from them.

"Quick! Over here! Hurry up!" Braylon and others were at a conflict. Should they reach the man or abandon him along with the others? Jaune and Ren chose the former, much to Braylon's frustration. "Come inside!" The man, a Faunus, led them to small room where he pulled a hidden switch which revealed a secret staircase that led down into a cellar. Braylon, Jaune and Ren noticed several children huddled together in a corner, frightened. There was also a woman with them. A red-haired Faunus which tried to comfort them. Before anyone could ask, the Faunus man closed the door behind them, opened another secret door and said: "Come on, let's go through this tunnel. We'll reach a safe house near the shore. Those monsters won't be able to reach us."

(Phillip Wesley – Dark Night of the Soul)

"Wait, hold on," Braylon said, "I don't know who you are or why are you helping these children. But why are you helping us?"

"You are the Huntsmen-in-training everyone talked about, right?"

"Yes. So?"

"Well, you helped us repel the creatures before. This is the least we can do. I'm sorry others weren't able to thank you for your troubles."

"But we failed."

"You tried your best. It's the gesture that counts. No one expected you would actually succeed. Uh, no offense."

Half an hour later, they reached the safe house without anything bothering them. It was made of wood with five rooms of different sizes, including the bathroom. As soon as they entered, the female Faunus told the children she would cook a meal for them and that she was sorry for what happened back at the village. Some children cried, the youngest ones, others were angry while few were silent. Jaune and Ren went to the bedroom where they put their partners on a bed. Nora and Pyrrha were still unconscious. Only Jaune cam back, as Ren decided to remain by their side.

"I'm sorry for what happened. For the loss." Jaune slumped against a chair, "We were unable to help you out."

"What are you saying?" the man shook his head, "You did help us out. True, many probably died or… worse. But we managed to save the children. They have a life to live." Braylon scratched his chin. He was silent for a short period of time. "Why don't you take something to eat with the children? I'm sure you are hungry." The man said as if trying to lighten up the collective mood. While the voice was warm, his expression was that of sadness. Braylon thought he was lucky he wasn't in the man's shoes. "I'll ask Ren if he wants to come." Jaune said and left.

After eating their meal, the three teenagers gathered around a small table with a map, courtesy of the Faunus couple. The map displayed the whole island. Braylon's PDA played the song Easy Living by Billie Holiday. Before they started the discussion, Braylon told them everything he told Azuli that was related to the monsters and who made them. Fighting an enemy this powerful without knowing anything about them would be suicide. Their reactions surprised him, for they took it better than he expected. Of course, he didn't know what Ren thought because he was mostly stoic, though he did raise his eyebrows few times. He doubted Jaune even heard him. The blond knight was probably far away with his thoughts. Although he did saw Jaune squeezing his fists when Braylon told them about the demons and how those monsters were made. As proof, he explained all pieces of technology he had on himself and showed them the symbol on his left hand. Naturally, he explained several times about the importance of it being one big secret shared between them. No one outside of their circle had to know any detail about it, not even the female members of JNPR. To make sure they would keep their mouths shut, Braylon made up a story about what catastrophes would fall on Remnant if everything he told them fell into the wrong hands.

"The plan is simple." Braylon started, "We go back to the village and from there we head towards the city. I bet that's the place they come from, judging by their movements. One thing. Jaune." he turned to the knight. "Take this gun." he gave him the Energy Pistol, "It has no recoil so it's perfect for you. I doubt you will be able to use the sword a lot, so I suggest you combine the Pistol with your shield. Get used to it, 'cause it won't get better."

"Who will take care of Nora and Pyrrha?"

"We can leave them here. From what I saw, they weren't in shape good enough for the task." he sighed, "Be careful out there. This is nothing like Grimm. They don't have brains. They aren't cunning. Eyes open at all times. If you see something, alert others immediately. Also, stay close to others. One wrong step and we are all dead. Got it?" they nodded, "Good. Let's go. And remember; out there, we won't find friends or neutrals. Bring down everything that moves."

After warning the Faunus couple, the trio returned to the village. Nothing could have prepared them for what they were about to witness.

(Cryo Chamber – Shub-Niggurath 1)

Upon their return, they found an environment much different than they had remembered. It was shocking how it changed so much in such a short time. Even Braylon was freaked out by the drastic changes. Let's remind ourselves that this used to be a battlefield between Man and monster only a few hours ago. Now it looked like it was abandoned for centuries. Almost no structure was left standing. Those who did, now were a pitiful effigy to rot and death. Few plants that added a sense of beauty were gone, sick or dead. Earth under their feat became a pile lifeless ash. What scared them the most was the air. It was utterly contaminated with a dense, blood red fog. So dense, in fact, that not only it hid the sky in a blanket of red, it was actually harder to see the more one looked in the distance. There was no sound. Nothing. Just emptiness. Pure, simple emptiness.

They coughed.

"Shit." Braylon cursed "The air must be poisoned! Take a piece of cloth and wrap it around your face. We need to get out of here as soon as possible!" Interestingly enough, his PDA failed to recognize any chemical agents in the air. Whatever floated in the air, it wasn't known to his database. A fact that scared him even more. If he couldn't know what it was, there would be no way to counter it. The only clues he had were the disgusting taste it left in his mouth and the burning sensation in his lungs. Could it be corrosive?

"Hey," Jaune coughed, "does anyone feel like their lungs are burning?"

"Yes. There might be something corrosive in the air. Though I don't understand why this smell is so prevalent even with the cloth."

"My skin is itchy." Ren commented.

"Don't talk too much. Who knows what-"

"Hey." the blonde warned Braylon and Ren "There's someone there."

Braylon immediately grabbed Unforgiven: "Where? Just show me."

Indeed, someone was nearby. Some fifteen meters away from the teenagers, there stood a man dressed in camo pants and a tank top, their back turned to them. Braylon pointed his revolver in their direction. He tried to move closer, but the floor under his feet creaked. Immediately, the figure turned around, revealing its rifle. A pair of bright red eyes stared at them with a kind of hatred mortals could never muster. It was a Huntsman. A Posessed Huntsman. ****

"Surrender your souls!"

Despite its shaky hands, it was capable to hold down the trigger long enough for Ren and Braylon to seek cover. Jaune raised his shield for protection. "Fire, Fire! God damn it!" The Vault Hunter screamed at the confused blond Huntsman-in-training. Those few shots he fired with the Energy Pistol missed the target, who also searched for cover. A behavior that wasn't seen before with those taken by demonic forces. "Why didn't you act sooner?!"

"I-I..."

It took a moment for Braylon to understand why Jaune failed to attack. When he looked closely, he could see the legs trembling. There was also a tiny stain between them. It was definitely a side-effect from encountering a demon. That is a type of fear one can never forget. Mentally scolding himself, Braylon took the risk of leaving the cover to bring his temporary partner to safety. The Possessed Huntsman was nowhere in sight, but in his place came a tiny horde of Posessed Corpses.

"Ack!"

Jaune gasped. Something squeezed around his throat. It also lifted him up. "Jaune!" the other two shouted, watching the third teenager coming closer and closer to a Flesh Artist. As if some kind of agreement had passed between them, Ren began shooting at the horde while Braylon ran towards the Flesh Artist, shooting down a Lost Soul that stood in his path. The demon let out a throaty chuckle before running off into the fog. "Motherfucker!" Braylon had to chase the Flesh Artist, passing through the ruins of a house and following the street. He was well aware that this might have been a strategy to separate them. Like Hell he would let that happen!

The Possessed Huntsman jumped out from behind the ruins of a wall the moment Braylon came closer. It scared him, though the adrenaline and the anger he felt were enough to numb the effects it would otherwise have. It screamed profanities in his face as he grabbed the rifle's barrel and pushed it away from himself. Not wasting the opportunity, he materialized Holo Ripper straight through its head and, with a swing, sliced it in half.

"I have to be careful around these ones! They are far more dangerous than the others I've faced!"

Finally, after a long chase, the demon stopped in front of a small house. It turned its head and seethed. Jaune, whose hands were tied to prevent excessive resistance, kicked its head sideways, which turned its attention back to him. Braylon quickly materialized Omni-Cannon and fired a shot. The Flesh Artist growled, sending a spiked tentacle towards him. But before said tentacle could reach its target, Jaune freed one of his hands, grabbed his sword and shoved it into its neck. He fell down, grabbed his pistol and with a cry fired eight times into its chest. The Flesh Artist fell with a disturbing laugh that devolved into gurgles.

"Huh, guess I'm not the only one who can hurt them… the more you know. You alright?"

"Yeah…" The look on his face told a different story. Braylon refused to inquire Jaune's current mental state further. "Come on." he coughed, "We have to go back and find Ren." He pulled the blond knight by the shoulder, who remained transfixed on the demonic corpse. "I just hope we'll find the way."

Another horde fell. The Possessed Corpses came by the dozen. They were easily dispatched thanks to his training and SMGs, what he called StormFlower. Still, he felt the urge to puke, so he removed the cloth and let himself free of that disgusting feeling. Their resemblance to the monsters he saw in horror movies with Nora and the nasty red fog were too much even for someone like him. His throat and lungs were burning as if he had pneumonia or something like that. He wasn't well informed when it came to medicine.

Nora. His heart threatened to stop beating when he saw her getting hurt by one of those monsters. The mere thought caused him such pain and rage. Nevertheless, he had to stay calm. Like Braylon said, they are far more dangerous than the Grimm, even if they don't look like it. As evidenced by the state of the village after they returned. No Grimm could do that.

As he shot an Aetherial Pygmy to death, his mind went back to what Braylon told them. He had mixed feelings about it. On one side, his mind was skeptical, searching for another answer. But now he doubted himself. It looked like Braylon said the truth. It was hard to believe that the Grimm, as well as the monsters he currently fought, were a product of some beings who were extremely evil and destructive. Truth to be told, just thinking about it sent a shiver down his spine. Could really beings this evil exist? Reality said yes. Maybe it was a good thing to keep it a secret between the three of them. He just hoped Nora would never find out. Death would be more preferable.

Someone jumped out from the ruins. It was the woman with two sickles. Her eyes were bright red.

"I will devour your heart, mortal!" She roared in a voice that scared Ren. He had no idea what was going on, but he was sure she wasn't her normal self. She acted just like that man Braylon wanted to shoot. With her sickle-like blades in hand, she ran forward at a surprising speed. It caught Ren off guard, so he jumped away before she could hurt him. The moment her feet touched the ground, Azuli jumped at him with the same speed, something that shouldn't be possible even with Semblance powers. Dodging that was impossible. He had to defend himself with the blades mounted on his SMGs. Azuli brought down her blades, which clashed with Ren's.

"You will rot in the deepest pits of Hell!"

Her head exploded.

"Wha-?!"

Warm blood stained his face and clothes. Her brutal and sudden death left him breathless.

"Ren!" Jaune shouted as he ran towards him. Braylon walked calmly.

"You alright?"

He nodded.

Braylon whistled. "Someone was busy." He coughed. "Damn it! We have to get out of this place."

"Easier said than done. Where do we go?"

"Let's follow the road. Once again, shoot everything that moves. Those that could have been an ally are either dead or corrupted beyond salvation."

The only thing they could hear while they walked were their own footsteps. It was unnatural how quiet the whole place was, considering it was so lively when they came. Not even the most cliché horror sounds, like faint whispers or doors creaking, were present. Only emptiness. No signs of life whatsoever. Just the red fog that seemed infinite. Their breathing became more labored and their skin developed rashes. The fog was the culprit, no doubt about that. Braylon tried to figure out what it was, but his brain was getting tired. The remains of the village looked like a maze, unlike before where it was easy to figure out things. He glanced at his PDA, which still gave no results.

"What the…?"

He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, then checked his PDA once again.

"What the fuck?"

"Is something wrong?" Jaune asked. He was in an even worse state than him.

"T… there is rust on my device. It's impossible. This thing is made of material… it can't oxidize like that! What the fuck is this fog made of?!"

"Look, over there!" Ren warned his two companions, pointing his finger at something on their left. What they saw shocked them. It resembled a tall statue of an upside-down teardrop, completely made of some black stone-like material, enveloped around a massive orange crystal shaped like a cuboid. A portion of the crystal could be seen sticking out from the top, surrounded by a crown made of human skulls laying on the black material. The lower portion of the crystal was buried in the ground below. The whole structure stood straight thanks to four spider-like legs located on each side. It had four tiny tubes sticking out from above the legs, which pumped out the red fog rhythmically. *****

"What the hell is that?" Braylon thought, "A new plaything for the demons?"

"That thing's pumping out the red stuff! We must destroy it!"

"You crazy, Jaune? We can barely stand. If we don't get out in time..."

"Braylon! Who knows what kind of damage it will do if we keep it in one piece!"

"It's no use knowing that if we will be dead!" he coughed multiple times, "Shit! We don't have time for that! There! Let's go through that hole in the stockade! Quick!"

"But..."

"Forget it!"

"Argh! Damn it!" Jaune wanted to punch something.

"Save your rage for the monsters. You will need it."

They managed to escape through the stockade and uphill, following the road. The moment they stepped outside the fog, they all gasped for fresh air as one would for life itself. It was such a relief that their legs gave in and they all fell down. The presence of green grass and other plant life under their legs sent a chill down their spine. Braylon looked back into the fog. All life touched by the blood red gas was snuffed out. Everything out of its reach, even for a centimeter, was as pristine as when it was created. Shaking his head, he returned his concentration back at the duo.

"You both alright?"

"I… I want to puke my lungs out." Jaune complained before coughing some more. "But at least I can breathe again. Thank the gods."

"I'm alright. My throat hurts. But I'm alright."

The trip through the infested village exhausted their strength. Nevertheless, they decided that the best course of action was to move as far away as they could from it, to avoid attracting more monsters towards them. No Grimm or monster appeared while they followed the road. When they reached the base of the mountain, Braylon proposed to find a place where they could sit down and take a nap. The area was filled with rocks of various shapes and sizes. Their choice was to hide behind three large rocks that formed a circle, along with some smaller ones, so they could have some kind of protection if someone wanted to ambush them. As always, Braylon offered himself to stand on guard duty because he wasn't as tired as Jaune and Ren were. When they fell asleep, Braylon sat on one of the giant rocks and scouted the area with his eyes. Apart from few trees dispersed across the land, there really was nothing interesting or worthy of his attention.

Then, without a warning, a giant shadow blocked the sunlight from behind him. He immediately stood up and materialized Striker. Turning around, he gasped. Two massive butterflies flew in the sky, their beautiful wings producing short bursts of air that felt like a warm breeze on his skin. Confused and amazed, he tried to understand why were such big butterflies existing on such an island and why he didn't see them in the Emerald Forest or Forever Fall.

"Could… could it be that they are not from this world?"

It was entirely possible. Sturgs were the living proof. Now that he thought about it, he wondered if more creatures would eventually pop up across Remnant. A new, scarier thought appeared in his mind as he saw the butterflies flying away. If the animals could cross over through the rifts, could there be a chance of land transportation? Could an island or a continent from a different reality suddenly materialize on Remnant, should the rift be big enough? Did the size of the rift even matter? He had no answer. But the sight of those butterflies scared him as much as it warmed his heart. For all he knew, they could be carnivorous or another invasive species, like the Sturgs seem to be. The total ecological damage would definitely be astronomical, no matter what he did. Closing his eyes, he spun his head and neck, trying to ease the pain and relax himself.

He opened his eyes.

…

"W… w… what?"

Approximately twenty meters away from his position, near a tree, reality began acting weird. It stretched, then elongated, then stretched again, then it tore itself apart, forming the typical purple light and black electricity he saw back in Hell.

A rift!

"What? Why? How?!"

He was surprised as everyone would be in his situation. For something so supernatural as a rift to appear so suddenly and without anything that could trigger its activation, Braylon resisted the urge to scream "watch out" to his temporary comrades Jaune and Ren. A rift, he figured, was always bad news. He prepared himself to give a welcome to whatever would eventually crawl out of it from the other side. He went so far as to switch Striker for Leviathan, despite being short on ammo he wanted to test on actual demons. Steadying his breath, tightening his grip on the weapon as if his own life depended on it, crouching and clearing his head of any thoughts that could distract him, the Vault Hunter waited. He waited and waited and waited some more, but only gray dust flew out. Should he keep waiting or should he go closer? He wanted to investigate that dust, to find out what it was. Cursing himself for being stupid, Braylon went closer to the rift and grabbed a handful of dust, letting his PDA to scan it properly.

"Ash? No, wait. Sand similar to ash?! The hell?"

There was only one way to know for sure. He needed to go through the rift. There was always the fear that it would close the moment he crossed over, but it seemed stable enough for travel. Much more stable than the ones he saw before. Even more bad news.

(Enmarta - Nekrosis)

The first thing he did when he arrived in the new reality was to curse. He cursed himself for being so curious about things that could kill him. He cursed his mother and father for bringing him into the world. He cursed his life because he felt it was miserable. He even cursed his fate for being, and we quote, "shitty". But most importantly, he cursed the sand that tickled his face. It was the second time he fell on sand due to a stupid rift. It was gray like the one that went to Remnant. Removing the sand from his clothes, Braylon sighed and raised his head.

"Now let's see what's this reality about… whoa…"

Unlike the previous realities, this one was bland. All he could see was one giant desert that extended for miles, a pitch black sky, a wind that transported the sand everywhere and a sun that seemed to have a solar eclipse going on. It was dark, but not enough to make it hard to move. The only anomaly he could find was the amount of rifts that were scattered everywhere. He was able to count five. Nothing came out of them. Like the one from which he came, those rifts remained open.

He was able to breathe. That was a plus. The first thought was him landing on a moon of some planet. But there was no planet he could see in the sky and it looked like it was night, probably due to the eclipse.

"And here I was, thinking I would find something interesting. Oh well, at least I can search the area around the rift. Let's see… I'm on a dune, it seems. Really big one at that. There's nothing in this God-damned world. Not even a scorpion or some shit."

Feelings of despair and depression were something he wasn't able to remove from his consciousness. All he could see were dunes of ashen gray sand. Yet his heart felt like it would burst into tears.

"This place… it feels… lonely. Abandoned. Hopeless. Fuck, it's messing with my head. Better keep quiet…" Braylon gasped. "Hold on. Who's that?"

Braylon quickly descended into the valley. It wasn't the fact that the figure in the distance stood still like a statue, nor were dozens of swords that seemed to be stuck in the sand in front of it, like some graveyard. It was the desert itself. Something was definitely wrong with that reality. Some dunes were bigger than others and the eclipse seemed to go on for an eternity. Even the valley he reached was strange, especially with all the wind that was spreading the sand everywhere. The figure's strangely light-colored hair and attire, a light gray two-piece suit with metallic pauldrons and metal boots, were a stark contrast to the environment around them. It also wore a cape of sorts, which was severely damaged.

"Another one came back to haunt me in my final moments." The figure's voice was feminine. He didn't understand a word she said. It sounded like a really strange version of latin. "I've done all I could to help and yet here you are, tormenting me in my final moments."

It was only after the figure turned around that Braylon felt sorry for her. She was definitely the warrior type, he concluded after he was able to see her completely. He thought she, in her better days, must have been an unparalleled beauty, judging by her body, which now looked malnourished like her face. What struck him as odd were her silvery eyes. They weren't like Ruby's. More dull and "fake", like they weren't that at birth. Her long, dirty hair flipped in the wind. Her faint smile was a facade, as evidenced by the look in her eyes.

"Hm… you are a young one, but you are not Clare. Not the first, however. I've seen many die, just as I've seen many villages crumble into nothingness." Braylon still remained silent. Even with her obvious sickness, she was remarkably elegant in her movements. "I'm sorry it turned out the way it did. I really am. Who could've thought that similar monsters existed? Not even the Yoma were that evil." She raised her hands. "This is what they left behind them. Everyone's dead. I am the only one left. It looks like the goddess of Rabona wants me to stay here some more. Heh, perhaps this is atonement for my sins. But..." She picked up a sword. It was similar to medieval German big swords, a kind of weapon used to counter the then-popular chain mail. "It's been long since I had a fight. So what do you say, brat? Want to make this old girl happy?"

"What is she doing? I have a bad feeling about this." She appeared in front of him before he could blink. Luckily, he was able to jump away before she could hit him. "Holy shit! That speed!"

"Hmph. I'm really getting old." She turned to him, smiling as he said, "Don't stop now. You piqued my interest." She jumped and swung her sword again. He replied by jumping away. "My, my. You are quick with those legs."

"Why is she attacking me?! Does she think I'm an enemy? Fuck!"

There was no way to evade her attack, so he just raised his hands in front of him defensively. While the Shield absorbed the damage the sword would do to him, it didn't stop the force behind the attack, which sent him flying several meters back.

"Damn it!" he thought as he got up "Despite looking weak, she is both strong and fast! Stop it! I am not your enemy."

"Hm? What kind of language is that? I haven't heard it in any village I visited… Could it be?..."

"Did she understand?"

She chuckled, "Look at me, speaking to a brat who is not even there. It seems I lost my head."

Raising her sword, she reappeared in front of him again. This time, things changed. Braylon was quicker with his Unforgiven, injuring her left shoulder. Her smile vanished, replaced with a look of pure shock.

"My shoulder…?"

"I guess that's a no. She doesn't look like she feels pain."

"You don't have a sword, yet you injured my shoulder. And what might that thing in your hands be? Guess I'll see it after I cut your hands off." She brought down her sword, but the Vault Hunter used his Holo Sabre to chop it in half. "What?!" He then kicked her away and fired two bullets into her chest. She didn't fall. Her face was covered with her hair.

"I see it now. You are no phantom. You are one of them." she dropped her sword and, somehow, reached the pile of swords stabbed into the sand "Just like a Yoma, you take the form of a Human to blend in, then strike like a snake that you are."

"This woman looks insane. What's she even saying?"

"Clare… Clare, stay back. I promised you I would be alright. Don't worry about me. It's time to finish this." Before she did anything, she buried her sword in front of her. Then, a powerful gust of air appeared around her, sending sand everywhere. "I promised you I would be fine, Clare! No Yoma or monster will ever lay a finger on you! I'm a warrior, remember? Teresa is my name and I'm the number one warrior of the organization!******"

"Dear God! Where did this wind come from?!"

The wind continued for a few more moments, covering the woman from his sight. After it died down, Braylon was able to see the same woman, only now she looked different. Very different. She had four wings, two big and two small. Her uniform was gone and she emitted a bright light. Everything else was same as before.

"What the fuck?! Is that… an angel?! No, wait. It's… a demon! Maybe? Oh boy, she looks pissed! Do I fight?!"

(Dark Souls – Great Grey Wolf Sif)

She took flight for few moments before hitting the ground with her sword, producing an earthquake. Braylon covered his face to avoid getting sand in his eyes. A gust of wind that blew at him made him realize it was better to roll away. His instincts were proven right when her sword missed him and hit the sand, blowing it everywhere as if a grenade had exploded. Braylon took aim with his Unforgiven. He wanted to fire a shot, but he noticed something strange. Her wounds disappeared, although the plume-covered garment that hid her chest was stained with blood.

"Fast healing, huh?" Braylon fired three shots, she deflected them with her sword "This is getting tiresome. Why are we even fighting? Guess I won't know the answer until one of us dies." A single swing of her sword was so powerful it sent Braylon flying backwards, despite the distance between them. She was near his body before he could even fall down.

"Your sorcery is useless against me. Die."

But Braylon wasn't ready to die yet. That's why he materialized Orphan Maker and fired immediately. Teresa, expecting she would deflect the pellets, used her sword again. Unfortunately for her, she missed a small portion of said pellets, which buried in her flesh. Braylon used Holo Sabre and cut one of her legs. Teresa fell, allowing Braylon to stand up and reload his weapon.

"I don't want to hurt you anymore… whatever you are. What is your name? Teresa? Clare? We can..."

Teresa's head immediately stood straight. The lost leg she held in her hands was tossed away. Legs were unnecessary when one could fly. However, Braylon noticed something strange as she flew towards him multiple times, attacking without giving him a chance to act back.

"Her speed…! She's… slowing down?"

Indeed, the first few attacks were so fast even his enhanced senses weren't enough to spot them, which ended in his Shield taking the burden of damage. But gradually, her speed became noticeable. It was still fast, but not enough that he couldn't dodge. He even managed to hit one of her smaller wings with the Orphan Maker, blowing it away. She didn't heal this time.

"Curse you, fiend! I'll drag you down with me!"

He could feel it. That would be the final exchange between them. She was reaching her limits. Waiting for her move, Braylon prepared his Orphan maker for one last shot. It had to be perfect, nothing could go to waste. And so, when she came close enough, the Vault Hunter ducked under her sword, aimed at her large left wing and fired. The blast tore it away, throwing her off-balance. The woman crashed into the sand few meters away from him. There was no need for the fight to continue further. It was over. The woman coughed multiple times.

"Hmph. What a pathetic display from my part. If only I weren't so damn hungry." she noticed his shadow coming closer to her, "Came to finish me off? Well, then do it. I can't even stand up anymore. Too tired."

For all he knew, the whole fight could be just one big misunderstanding between the two. She probably thought he came to kill her or something, which would explain the hostility. Whatever the reason, there end was inevitable. He knew from her movements that she would loose before the fight even started. The speed and agility caught him by surprise, but he was in better shape. He felt no supernatural emotions when seeing her, meaning she was no demon or angel or whatever. A monster, maybe. But what did he knew. Maybe it was a thing in that reality.

(Atrium Carceri – A Memory Lost)

Perhaps it was out of respect, perhaps out of pity. Braylon picked her up, earning a "put me down, brat" that he never understood. Spinning around, he walked towards the swords stuck in the sand. Only when he came close to them did he realize their meaning. Those were tombstones. Possibly of warriors just like her. She began speaking quietly, as if her lucidity came for a brief moment.

"We were unprepared when they came. For a moment, we thought they were a type of Yoma, maybe Voracious Eaters. But no Yoma could be so savage, so evil. They had no mercy towards anything. Other warriors fought and fought, but all they did was die in nightmarish ways. I doubt any of them met any kind of happiness. I, on the other hand, did. I was the lucky one. Why did I have to meet her, boy? Why did I meet Clare? Why did she follow me?" two teardrops fell down her cheeks, "It was thanks to her that I learned..." she coughed blood, "I learned that even these silver eyes can shed tears. And now I lost everything. Everything… is gone. Even my sanity."

He placed her near the swords, "Thanks, boy. Before you came I thought I was the only one alive on this world. Are you even real? Did I imagine the whole battle? Are these just visions of a dying, insane mind? I can't tell. In any case, please her me out." she coughed again, "Please, if you are real, avenge this world. Avenge every soul that was taken that day. But most importantly, avenge my dear Clare. She didn't deserve to end like she did… torn apart by them, trying to protect me." the woman began crying, "Everyone. Please forgive me. I was weak. Clare… oh, my dear Clare… I..."

She was dead.

Braylon's eyes were hidden by his hair, his face calm and collected. He didn't understand a word of what she said, but he was able to recognize her emotions. She was sad and grieving for something or someone that was lost. As he dug her grave with his hands, he tried to come up with an explanation for the lack of life in that reality. In some past times, he would try to find a rational explanation for something so strange. Now he judged based on his experience with the supernatural. Was that desert a carcass left behind by a demonic crusade? Could they do something like that? Could they make the sky so dark and trap the sun in an eternal eclipse? Yes. They probably could. If they could, they most likely did. Misery for the sake of misery.

Turning around, he glanced at the unmarked grave. Another victim of the greatest threat imaginable. With a silent nod, Braylon went towards the rift that brought him there. He would never tell anyone about the despair and the lack of life he witnessed that day. It would be a burden for his soul and his soul only, for some things were better left forgotten, stored as yet another memory file in the vastness that is the PDA's database.

On this day, December 23rd, exactly one year ago, I began writing this story from basically nothing. It came to me as a thought in one single evening, when I suddenly decided that I wasn't happy with the predecessor, no matter how much fun I had writing it. Although fun, it was far from an actual effort and/or story. I was basically making stuff up along the way just to see where would my creativity lead me. But then I decided it was time to get serious. It was time to take this creativity and begin writing seriously, with actual effort. The first ever scene of this story was written in just few hours. I felt amazing writing it. This was the key moment that made me think I finally made it. Of course, I still make stuff up on the spot, but now I try to add more sense to it.

One biggest part that kept me going were the readers, who always left interesting/encouraging comments, as well as actually took some time from their lives to read it all. Well, if any of you followers/readers are still here, thank you. I hope this story may be as interesting as the other one. This time, I will make sure to write it to the end. I have many plans for this story. More action, more drama, more horror, more everything. Thanks, merry Christmas and happy New Year!

PDA Biopedia:

*Entry #84: Aetherial Siege Engine

Type: Demonic Corruption – Construct

Faction: Legions of Hell

Description: "In the grim darkness that is the mind of the Fleshmenders, one construct stands apart from all the others. The Siege Engine, a device created with the sole purpose of destroying any kind of fortification that stands on its path, is a thing built to last, capable to survive damage that would destroy lesser creations several times over. The souls that fuel its relentless crusade, free of the mortal compassion that would only be a hindrance in combat and further conditioned to focus their hatred on anything that a Fleshmender would like to exterminate, keep piling up with each kill, making its already impressive strength even bigger. The Fleshmenders will always try to preserve the worst mortal filth they are able to find, so that they can stitch their bodies and souls to this infernal thing. Should a Siege Engine suffer damage, the flesh will begin replacing metal, which will act as a perfect substitute just to keep the Engine going. Despite having no mind of its own, it has desires shared by the conglomerate of Condemned souls. Those desires are the secondary source of fuel. And while they share the same negative spectrum, they all have in common the need to be known throughout the multiverse as bloodthirsty marauders who want revenge against Anathema for the eternal punishment they have to suffer." (Deals bonus aetherial damage)

**Entry #85: Aetherial Gigantes

Type: Demonic Corruption – Aetherial

Faction: Forces of Hell

Description: "No war can be won if it lacks crucial components. Brutes indifferent to the targets that lie before them, whose rage increases the more damage they receive, is one of them. The horrible (for mortals) reality about facing a Gigantes is that he enjoys causing as much pain to his victims as he does tearing them apart with his teeth or hands. For someone of such size, they are extremely efficient in finding that one artery or that one bone which, when bitten, will make the enemy beg for a swift end. Limbs can be severed just to leave someone bleeding to their death. Heads can be twisted and ripped from the body with just enough force to strip out even the spinal columns. Even the teeth are a danger in itself, for if should someone suffer damage because of them, they would receive a cocktail of chemicals that would make them unable to die until they loose all blood or are killed off by the Gigantes." (Deals bonus aetherial Damage)

***Entry #86: Aetherial Firestarter

Type: Demonic Corruption – Aetherial

Faction: Forces of Hell

Description: "Sewing corpses together can be a gruesome experience for many. But what happens when you chop an animal into (living) pieces and fuse them to dead remains of another being? I don't know. What I do know is that the animal that serves to create these things is definitely alive and well, thanks to the Aetherial crystals. It knows perfectly well what happened to its head and legs and it is totally freaked out by that. That is why it is such a wild card that sets everything on fire."

****Entry #87: Possessed – Huntsman

Type: Demonic Corruption

Faction: Forces of Hell

Description: "Looks like some possessions produced high quality results this time. Probably a Dark Soul or a Forgotten One is the culprit. These aren't your standard cannon fodder type of threats. As you were able to see, they can use the agility and brains of their hosts to their advantage. I wonder what will happen when you will, inevitably, encounter one that is better than you."

*****Entry #88: Contaminator

Type: Construct – Hellspawn

Faction: Forces of Hell

Description: "The Contaminator is one of the three constructs used for purposes other than warfare, the other two being the Terraformer and the Teleporter. Unlike them, the Contaminator can be regarded as the most dangerous one due to its ability. As its name implies, it contaminates the environment around itself in a radius that can go anywhere from five hundred meters to fifty kilometers, depending on its proximity to other Contaminators. The first thing it does when the desired target becomes a piece of land is to burrow its core, the crystal, into the ground, which then spreads out like the roots of a tree. These roots will gradually absorb every precious mineral from the earth, turning it into what is known as "dead ash", gray sand that is absolutely useless for supporting life. If there is water nearby, it will become undrinkable. This is the first stage of contamination. The second stage starts when said minerals return to the Contaminator, which will create powerful toxins that will later be released into the air, killing everything alive and decaying that which isn't. After this stage is complete, the land becomes uninhabitable forever. Mortals have no means needed to remove the gas or to save the earth. If the process envelopes a whole planet, it becomes a giant gray desert no matter how habitable it was before. A Contaminator can be used underwater or in the air as well. Even the toxins it releases can be altered at will, sometimes "borrowing" the recipes from mortal worlds, which turn out to be useful most of the time."

******Entry #89: Teresa of The Faint Smile

Type: Presumed Human

Faction: Unknown

Description: "There are things you never learn in schools, no matter how good they are. One of them is how to live a life. Ironic, since schools are supposed to "prepare you for the life". But how can one prepare themselves for moments when despair crushes their own soul without even knowing why? I don't know what happened to that world and yet I felt so hopeless like I've never felt before, not even in the most life-threatening situations I experienced. The only sign of life I found was this woman, whom I was unable to understand due to the language barrier. I'm not stupid. I know when someone wants to die, wants to end it all. They become suicidal because they have nothing left to loose. God only knows what she has been through. And God help me too, because I have a feeling that this is my fault… I should've never open that fucking Vault."