After the battle against the Vylons, there was still uneasiness going on in each tribe, especially after the war between the Gusto and the Gishki resumed. Additionally, while the Gem-Knights decided to ally with the Gusto, the Laval ended up banding together with the Gishki, the playing field was now evenly matched.
Issei could see Yaldabaoth, currently under the alias of Gem-Knight Pearl, visiting the Gusto Tribe alongside a few other Gem-Knights, though they didn't talk as much as they used to, furthermore, the attempts to communicate through their minds was met with silence from Yaldabaoth's side.
He looked at Emerald who was walking with Caam. After Avance informed everyone about Musto's sacrifice, Kamui ended up in a terrible state from hearing that, having Reeze attempt everything she could to cheer him up, but losing people he held dearly broke the teenager.
Meanwhile Caam took the situation better, especially after Emerald had expressed his feelings for her, she moved on thanks to Emerald's help, as she knew that her father wouldn't want her to let go of others around her, she knew that she had to continue forward as the head of the Priest House, for everyone here, and for her relationship with Emerald.
The tribe now simply spent the days much more tranquil than before, waiting for when the Gishki would play their first move.
Issei looked back at Winda, who was currently talking, both of them had grown to enjoy each other's company, the same went for when Lazuli came to talk with them, but, it did feel as the young Gem-Knight was starting to lose some innocence, especially after seeing that dark Vylon. They were currently talking about Winda's sister, Wynn, as she had sent them letters of her journey.
"Are you sure it's not a lookalike your sister got to know?" Asked Issei, in response, Winda denied such possibility. "I know my sister, she doesn't go around assuming people are related to others, she probably got to know her and found out about it, she and her other five friends are exploring the outsides together." Winda then looked at the sky. "To think that Ariel had a sister..."
Issei scratched the back of his head, still unsure about it. "It's honestly more of a surprise the fact that your sister hasn't gotten into any problems with the Vylons or the Steelswarms." Issei wondered just how far that group was from the tribes. "Well they told me they were very far from the territories of each tribe, they were able to see a mountain range that glowed." Responded the green haired girl, they were nowhere to be seen after all.
"So there was a lot more that I didn't know about this world..." He wondered if Yaldabaoth had information of the outside from where the tribes were ubicated. Winda then changed the topic. "Oh! By the way, the book you gave me was quite interesting!" She pulled out the poem that he wrote way back when he was in the Literature Club
"You mean Color of the Electric Sheep?" Guessed Issei, to which Winda nodded. "It's pretty sad, but I do wonder, the name doesn't really make sense compared to the contents, though after rereading it again I questioned myself about something."
"What would an electric sheep look like?" Asked Winda. Issei then started thinking about it, normally one would think a mechanical sheep of some sorts, if you wanted to think realistically that would be it, yet would that truly be a sheep? It may look like one, it may make the same sounds or even feel the same, but in the end it isn't a living being, it isn't a sheep but an imitation of it. "That's actually a good question, even if it looks identical, would an electric sheep truly be a sheep?" Responded Issei with another question. "Maybe if the Gusto had sheeps it would count as an electric sheep." Winda said while giggling a bit.
"Then what about the color?" Issei asked, Winda immediately said. "Probably green... or maybe yellow, what about you?" Issei thought about it a bit, well, usually thunder and electricity was related to yellow, but it could also be off another color. Before he could respond, a loud thud could be heard in the distance, birds could be seen flying as they fled the scene.
"Uh? What was that?" But before he could respond a sudden smell of fire came from nowhere, they were on high alert as they thought a forest fire had been started. Both of them saw as Windaar got onto Egul with speed, the chieftain went to explore the scene together with a few others, in the meantime the others started to come out of their house, some even started to evacuate.
"Could the Lavals be attacking us?!" A member of the tribe insinuated, none of them knew if the Lavals truly attacked them but it was to be expected given the fact they had an alliance with the Gishki. Issei was unsure of this given the fact that the Lavals had lost most of their forces and Laval the Greater was known to be incredibly careful when it came to diplomatic matters.
He looked at Winda. "Winda, I'll go check too, tell the others to evacuate the scene for now." Instructed Issei. He spread his wings following behind Windaar to scout as well. When he got over the bushy top of the trees, all he saw was a giant magma serpent completely surrounded by fire. It was definitely a Gishki, but what in the world happened for a Gishki to become that?
Windaar was coming back as he noticed Issei, he then told him. "Tell everyone to evacuate to the Shrine at the Mist Valley!" Issei nodded, both of them went towards the tribe. Issei then smelled something weird, yet it was recognizable, it was the same smell from when that Steelswarm general spread a deadly mist, he didn't know how the Gishki obtained the same poison but right now they needed to evacuate everyone.
When he finally landed he saw everyone running towards the Mist Valley, he followed them from behind in case any enemy tried to attack them there, even instructing those that were struggling to move quickly to catch up the pace. When they finally got to the Shrine he approached Windaar.
But Windaar looked incredibly stunned about something, Issei didn't want to ask about it since right now there were more important things going on. Winda, who had finished helping the elderly over the stairs, then asked her father. "What do we do now father?" Windaar looked at her daughter. "I instruct you to pass through the Naturia forest and inform the Gem-Knights of the current situation, they will come to help us, especially given the fact that a few Gem-Knights are here." Ordered Windaar. "For every other warrior, I want you to protect the shrine no matter what."
He then reached for his pocket. "Take this letter, I've explained the current situation inside it, no matter what happens, you must make sure it reaches its destination." He handed the letter to Winda, as she nodded, she proceeded to get onto Gulldo, she went immediately towards the Naturia Tribe while making sure she was unnoticed by the Gishki, Issei noticed that some of the tribe members started to cough, Caam on the other hand started to cast a shield that would block off the poison as well as winds to make them go away.
Windaar looked at Issei again and said. "I will be going towards the Gishki to keep them busy alongside some of the warriors, in the meantime I want you and Emerald to protect everyone here." Issei understood and simply bid farewell to the Gusto warriors that would go to war against the Gishki.
He sat down near Kamui and Reeze who were also asked to stay, while Reeze still had her Vylon augmentations, she wasn't in the mood to fight, seeing her childhood friend look so defeated made her usually tough personality melt as she tried everything to make sure Kamui didn't do anything rash.
Emerald didn't seem affected by the mist, just like with most Gem-Knights in the place, they didn't seem worried for themselves, but rather for everyone else. Due to the fact that they had no way to directly attack the Gishki, they were forced to stay in the defensive within the shrine, Emerald was by Caam's side as he made sure she didn't push herself too hard.
It was a battle against time, they just needed to survive long enough until the rest of the Gem-Knights finally came to help them.
Winda flew towards the Gem-Knight Tribe, she didn't know how much time had passed, but she knew that she made it. no Gishki noticed her, but that was thanks to the Naturia, as they had shown her a better route to get to the Gem-Knights unnoticed. As she finally landed, she quickly ran towards Crystal and screamed. "The Gishki and Lavals are attacking the Great Marshlands!"
"What?!" Yelled a Gem-Knight, they all immediately stood up as many of them already went towards the Great Marshlands, Ruby and Amethyst were the first ones to lead the charge. As Crystal was about to stand up, Winda pulled out the message that her father wanted her to give. "Crystal! Before you go, my father also asked me to give you this letter."
As she handed it to Crystal he took out the paper and started reading, as he did, his hands started to shake. "This... How could the Gishki be so cruel?!" The reaction of Crystal shocked many, as they didn't expect the calm warrior to express such fury against the Gishki.
Lazuli, who was worried, asked. "What's the matter? What happened with the Gishki?" Crystal turned around, he debated whether he should show them the letter or not. He ended up telling them about what happened to the Lavals.
"The Gishki have committed genocide! They have turned all the Laval into an amalgamation! The Laval Tribe has been completely whipped out of existence by the Gishki!" The outburst and the message that Crystal said made everyone stop immediately.
The Gishki had broken the laws of war.
"I am going to have to take extreme measures to make sure our victory over the Gishki is guaranteed, we cannot let those monsters get away for what they've done!"
He then started to try and rip his own gem out, making everyone else panic over it. "Crystal what are you doing?!" Sapphire was incredibly shocked over this sudden change of attitude. "I am exchanging my gem and abilities to seek pure combat prowess! By doing so, I will make sure that I can even resist the attacks of the creature. Each one of you should not be targeted by it as long as it only pays attention to me."
Winda, slowly recuperating from the initial shock, wished to believe that this situation wasn't as it seemed, as the extinction of the Laval Tribe would mean that Avance and Ariel taken part in such an atrocity, they themselves could have had a say in this plan, and they either gave the green light, or ignored it. Winda was unsure about that prospect, she wanted to believe they had nothing to do with it, but given the fact that Avance was the strategist, it meant that he made that choice by himself, it hurt her to admit it, but there was no way any of the Gishki didn't know about the atrocities against the Lavals.
As Crystal finally ripped his gem out, various pieces of other minerals started to surround him, up to the point he was surrounded by them, the bubble expanded as more and more minerals came to him, then, they all fell, only to reveal the Gem-Knight who had gained a new pair of arms, a bigger body and a cape.
Crystal looked at his new body but then said. "This should do, I hope that the Fragment Fusion doesn't backfire later on." Topaz went up to him and said. "The troops are all ready, we are awaiting your command Sir Zirconia."
Zirconia... That was the name he would be using from now on. An imperfect being that had to transform for the sake of others, and he accepted that fact. Fragment Fusion was a last resort for the Gem-Knights, as it would kill the user if they were to use it for someone else, but in the case it was used for themselves, it could lead to various problems, as their core would be damaged, doing further fusions would result in an unstable core, one susceptible to being corrupted.
The now named Zirconia nodded. "I may say, I am not used to having a bigger body, this might become troublesome." Mentioned Zirconia. Amethyst then commented. "You'll get used to it, those who have used any form of fusion always need to get used to it first."
"In that case, let us move onward to defeat the Gishki." Declared Zirconia. All of the Gem-Knights didn't feel like they had to hold back anymore, what the Gishki did was unforgivable, the tribe needed to disappear if they wanted peace to reign.
Ariel was currently leading the Gishki against the Gusto, just like last time, she was currently in front of Windaar, the chieftain was blocking their way. She looked at the father of someone she got to know well when she was young, she had no choice but to battle yet again.
She was unsure of her adoptive mother's decisions, just what was she looking for in the Great Marshlands? All the siblings knew was that her mother needed something that was in there, the excuse was that they needed resources, but all of them knew it was a lie.
Avance was forced to make a strategy to conquer the other tribes, Emilia was forced to stay by her mother's side, and finding out what her mother had done to her made her sick to her stomach, she was unsure if she even wanted to continue helping the Gishki. Alas, She was forced to lead the Gishki in this battle, it was such a cruel one given the fact she used to visit this land when she was young.
"I advise you to fall back, let us conquer the lands of the Great Marshland and we will spare your tribe." Proposed the blue haired girl, she didn't want to battle Windaar again. But he refused to surrender. "I won't let you take hold of the lands that the Mist Valley used to live in, we cannot let you taint the legacy that our former protectors had left."
She sighed, there was no way to peacefully end this confrontation. "So be it." The fish creature that she was currently riding shot a stream of water, Windaar deflected it with a giant gust of wind. Which made the sorceress grab onto her witch hat with strength.
The aerial battle that they currently had kept both of them busy, yet she knew that Windaar was slowly succumbing to the poison, she continued to cast water streams and ice attacks against Windaar who dodged them while riding Egul, even deflecting the attacks with his weapon.
Windaar casted a dust storm that went towards Ariel, it was blocked by the Gishki mount who created a wall made of water that negated the storm. Ariel kept getting closer to Windaar who was struggling to stay alive given the fact he was still poisoned.
"Give up, there is no way for you to come out victorious from this battle." Ariel was sad that she had to slay someone, if she even attempted to injure him, she knew that he would later on succumb to his wounds. This was war and it was either her or the opponent. "It may be the end for me." Windaar tried to gasp for air, the poison mist had damaged him and he knew that this was his end.
"But it was never my plan to defeat you." Windaar smiled for the last time, Ariel, confused at this comment was about to question him, but she noticed that the Gem-Knights had already come, Gishki troops made contact with said tribe, trying to fend them off while they pushed forward, she made a blunder, and now she was inside a pincer attack.
Ariel now realized that their plan was not to defeat them. It was to stall for enough time for the Gem-Knights to come.
She looked at Windaar who looked like he was about to pass out. Ariel decided that the best thing to do was to take him out of his misery, as at that point there was no going back, the poison was irreversible, and so, Windaar was dying a slow pain. She shot an ice spear that pierced through Windaar's heart, he fell off his companion as little by little each one of the Gusto warriors died.
She needed to press forward as, if she were to continue staying there, then the Gem-Knights would certainly catch up to them. Though she feared that she would have to fight against Issei, she had let Winda go, in hopes of her not seeing what she was doing, she dreaded having to face either of them, the calm boy was one that captivated her attention, as he was kind enough to talk to her, even when the others weren't as keen on talking to her due to her difficulty of her expressing herself.
In fact, she wondered, did she feel something for him? If so, she knew that Winda would be a bit of a problem, she didn't know if she also loved him, but given the fact they were so close to each other, it made her wonder if they would one day end up marrying to one another, as Kamui seemed to have completely given up hope on becoming the chieftain of the Gusto Tribe, and the only one left that had a companion with them was Winda, this meant that she was the only candidate worthy of becoming the leader of the tribe.
Pushing back those thoughts, she needed to move onward as to not let the Gem-Knights catch up to them. But before she could do anything, a green haired girl immediately tackled her. Ariel immediately recognized her, it was Winda. Her look of anger was accompanied by small tears that slowly fell onto Ariel's face. To which, Ariel knew why.
"You... Why... HOW COULD YOU!" Yelled Winda, she lifted her staff and casted thunder, the thunder completely electrocuted the Gishki that they both were on top of, but Gulldo was able to pick both of them before they also got shocked by the thunder.
Ariel used her staff to push back Winda, they were both on top of Gulldo, neither of them was going to back down, the childhood friend that she used to hang out with before just saw her kill her father.
They indeed had done something unforgivable.
"Please, I don't want to hurt anyone anymore..." Pleaded Ariel, she had killed Windaar out of mercy, but that didn't erase her previous actions against the Laval Tribe, and she knew that Winda only now saw her as someone who had broken the laws of war, right now she had to find a way to get out of this situation, but she couldn't kill her childhood friend, not after she had done so much harm in this stupid war, she went on the defensive as she summoned walls of ice that surrounded her.
Meanwhile Winda casted many wind blasts that chipped the wall little by little, the intensity of these attacks continued, she screamed with rage as she wanted to annihilate the one who killed her father.
In the meantime, the Gem-Knights were taking care of the Gishki Laval hybrid creature, together with the Gishki troops, Zirconia led as it completely bashed the Laval monster with its giant arms, it tried to shoot chains of hot iron as it they burrowed themselves into the land, lifting the terrain up as the ones on top of it went flying. Zirconia moved from boulder to boulder until it got in front of the creature's face, punching it and making it flinch at the power of the impact.
The noise outside was enough to get the attention of those inside the Shrine that could move, Issei looked at the battle, the Gem-Knights had come as a few of them were even going up the stairs towards the shrine, at this point he decided to that it was time for him to join the fray. "Sir Sapphire, I would like to ask you to defend the shrine while I aid the others in the battlefield." Requested Issei, in response, Sapphire simply nodded.
Issei spread his wings as he took flight, going around it was sort of strange to him that there was a lack of flying troops, as he continued, he was about to approach the Gishki Laval hybrid, only to notice that on another side, Winda was battling against Ariel, trying to get near them he realized that Winda was about to defeat her. Though it didn't look like Winda was in the right state of mind, he got worried as this didn't seem like something normal for her to do, the calm yet cheerful composure that Winda had was completely gone, and he knew that she wouldn't want to kill her childhood friend.
He hastily tried to get closer, to try and stop the fight. "Winda! Wait!" Yelled Issei, trying to make her snap out of her anger, yet she didn't stop, he was too far from her, either that or she was blinded and deafened by fury. The ice shield that Ariel created was starting to crack. Issei hurried to try and stop her but he was too late.
The ice barrier shattered as the wind blast broke through, it blew her away from where she was standing as she started falling into the dense forest underneath her at a huge height.
Seeing this, he changed his direction as he plummeted down to go after Ariel, he knew that Winda wouldn't want to kill someone else without reason, not when that person was her friend. He extended his hand as he attempted to grasp Ariel's hand, once he got closer, their fingers started to connect as he was finally able to catch her, however, it was impossible for him to come to a full stop in the air.
With no other option he knew that there was no way to slow down the fall, and so, he hugged Ariel ready to brace for impact. Getting closer to the trees he made sure that she didn't get hit by any, covering both of them with his three pair of wings, as he did, he could feel the sting and the blunt hits he was taking from the branches, at the same time, he felt as the fall was starting to slow down as the bushy trees were able to cushion the fall.
Although the fall came to a halt, the branch that stopped their fall broke as they took another smaller fall onto the ground. Once he knew that was no other way for Ariel to get hurt, Issei let go of her as he slumped on her side, groaning in pain as he took the full hit for her, Ariel was relieved that she was alive, although blushing a bit at how close was to Issei. "Thanks for saving me there, even if we're enemies." Thanked Ariel as she was still breathing fast at being near death's door.
"Urgh, don't mention it, I know that Winda would regret knowing what she would have done." He looked at Ariel who had a look of guilt. "Just, pretend that you've been defeated and have fallen back, I know that this war hurts both sides." Asked Issei, still trying to get up, with varying success.
She laid there, contemplating as to how had things gone so wrong? Not this war, but rather how her mother had come to this decision, Noellia changed over the years, she remembered the days when she was a toddler, the days were Noellia was kind as a leader, a leader who would put her people's lives over hers, yet over the years that personality snuffed out as her mother became the cruel empress of the Gishki.
She wanted to tell Issei about her troubles, about how her imperfect family didn't feel as one, not when she knew that adopting Avance meant that he and Emilia wouldn't be able to express to each other how they truly felt, even as a kid, she knew that those two were far closer with each other than with her, and that was all because they already had history with one another, as they were both childhood friends whose parents were also childhood friends. She was the odd one out, as she didn't have any previous relationship with anyone in the family.
She was the Speaker of the Ice Barriers, the one able to talk to the animals of the Ice Barrier Tribe and for their help, that was the reason why she and Winda got so well back then, because Ariel fit completely in with the philosophy of the Gusto Tribe.
But at the end of the day, she cut ties with the Gusto, especially with the events that happened today, she wouldn't be accepted by them. That small attempt to rekindle that former friendship with Winda was thrown down the drain the moment she pierced Windaar's heart.
It was time for her to get up from the grassy fields, she held out a hand so that Issei could get up faster, as he accepted it, he spread his wings again and looked at Ariel. "I'll check on Winda now if you don't mind, do you think you'll be able to leave the Great Marshlands by yourself?" Getting a nod from her, he was about to start flying again, only to hear the blue haired girl's voice again. "Wait for a second please."
As he looked back, he saw as Ariel got closer, she put her hand on the side of his face, to then kiss his cheek. This action took Issei by surprise as he started to turn red, at the same time, Ariel continued to blush. "This is my thanks for saving me..." She then proceeded to start walking away, leaving a stunned Issei rubbing his cheek as he remembered the feeling.
He then took up flight yet again. Issei went towards Winda who could be found slumped onto Gulldo from exhaustion, as he got closer, Issei sat down at her side making sure she was alright. "Winda, is everything alright?" Asked Issei, he knew that was a dumb question, but he needed to make sure she could reply before saying anything else. She looked at him, not uttering a word, then she looked at her hands, trembling from the battle she had won, and she then started to process what had happened. She started to breathe rapidly as she realized she had killed one of her childhood friends.
Before she could say anything, Issei tried to calm her down first. "Winda... Don't worry, she's alive, you don't need to blame yourself, this is something that just happened to occur." Reassured Issei, but it didn't work as Winda seemed to not be able to hear him.
Issei knew what it felt to kill someone you didn't mean to, he felt the regret the rage at himself and the fear of what happened after, right now he knew that the best course of action was to help her calm down, he saw as she was hyper breathing, Winda could her heartbeat as it was going haywire, he could see how she trembled while holding her staff and Winda started to feel as tears started to come out of her eyes.
Even if she knew that Ariel was safe, that didn't help the situation. She blamed herself for the fact that she had tried to kill her childhood friend in cold blood. He simply stayed by her side, smiling a bit in an attempt to calm her down, his eyes didn't leer at her, but rather showed empathy. "Hey, Winda, could you look at me?" Asked Issei gently.
He waited a bit, seeing if she would react to his request, she finally reacted by looking at him. "Who are you?" He asked with the intention to calm her. "I'm... I'm Winda right?"
"Yes, you are, and what is your current position in the Gusto Tribe?" Asked yet again Issei. She continued to breath heavily as she tried to think of the answer, she ended up by realizing what the answer was. "I'm... the daughter of Windaar, who is the leader of the Gusto." As her breath started to calm down a bit, she continued to tremble while replying to him. "In case of my father's absence... I... I must act as the matriarch of the tribe."
Issei smiled at her as he sat down near her. "That is correct Winda, you're the current leader of the Gusto Tribe, you need to be strong for the tribe..." Winda still felt uneasy about being the current leader of the Gusto, Issei then asked her. "Can I hold your hand? Would... That be alright?"
Winda looked at him, hesitant to say anything, in the end, she gave in. "Y-you can." She replied. Issei slowly took her hand and said. "Look at the Shrine for now, you've saved those who are inside it, so don't worry, everything is going to be alright, you've done more than enough."
He knew this was a lie, he remembered seeing people slowly dying, ceasing to move as those around them tried to get them to get up. But right now, he needed to make Winda feel better, just so that she could continue on as the chieftess of the Gusto Tribe.
"Everything is going to work out fine." Softly said Issei. Issei's assurances made Winda calm down as she noticed how tired she was from her barrage of attacks against Ariel. She supported herself with Issei's shoulder as they both looked at the Shrine of Mist Valley, ignoring the battle that was going on around them as right now all Winda wished was one moment of peace.
Winda then closed her eyes as she was ready to go take a nap, letting a few drops of tears down as she cried herself to sleep, mourning her father. Having her head on Issei's shoulder felt right, as Issei saw that she had finally gone to sleep, he then took his attention towards the bird. "Gulldo, could you bring us to somewhere safe?" Asked Issei. The giant bird nodded as it proceeded to try and find a place to land.
Inside of the shrine, Caam was coughing, she was on the brink of succumbing to the poison mist, as she finally fell, Emerald grabbed her before she hit the floor. "Caam! Hey! Stay with me!"
"I guess my time has come now... It seems... The barrier didn't work..." She breathed, only to cough, she looked around to see the bodies of a few Gusto Tribe members could be seen unmoving, some even hugging as they spent their last moments together, it saddened her, for the loss of her tribe, and for the fact she will never see Emerald again. "I love you Emerald, I wish we could have had more time to know each other more."
"No! You can't die on me!" Yelled Emerald. He looked around, many of the Gusto members were already dead or were dying with the exception of the more experienced members, meanwhile the Gem-Knights that decided to stay could do nothing about it but watch.
Emerald knew that he needed to do something about this. He looked at Caam who was weakly holding his hand and he had decided on what to do.
He was going to use Fragment Fusion.
He started to tightly grasp his own gem, Caam widened her eyes. "Don't... please..." Said she with the remaining strength she had. But Emerald ignored her. The other Gem-Knights looked at Emerald, knowing what he was going to do, but didn't stop him.
"I'm the hope of the Gem-Knights... But I wish to be able to give hope to the Gusto... And to make sure that you live on." Said Emerald gently, he tugged on his own gem a few times. When he finally ripped off his gem, he placed it on Caam's chest. He looked at Caam who had a sad expression on her face, knowing what he had just done.
As a last act, he kissed her, the green haired priestess lifted her arm as she wrapped it around Emerald's neck. Caam was then surrounded by an aura as the gem floated, placing itself on where her heart was, a bright light started to be emitted as Caam closed her eyes.
Kamui saw as her sister was transforming. "Thank you." He whispered as he saw the sacrifice that Emerald had made, he was grateful for what the Gem-Knight had done, and he was glad to see that her sister wouldn't die here.
As the light diminished, a knight with green wings, covered in armor could be seen taking a few steps. Looking at her hands Caam saw as she had the same weapon as Emerald. She never was fit for battle, but right now she had to do something to not only help everyone in the Shrine but to avenge her lover.
She had to become the hope that everyone needed.
Her mastery of wind and the power of the gem allowed her to create a hurricane that absorbed all the poison mist, and she proceeded to summon storms. Rain fell as loud thunder roared, tornados started to whirl as they trapped any Gishki they came into contact with.
She stood outside of the Shrine and looked at the giant reptile, spreading her wings. She went towards the hybrid and punched it with one of the rotating shields. It then started to rotate as it cut the chains that were attached to it as well as its arms.
Powerful thunders struck the Gishki Laval, wind blasts cut away the skin of the reptile as the shields started to burrow themselves deep into the amalgamation's skin, her onslaught massacred any Gishki that even dared to come close to her.
The Gem-Knights were in awe at such power that was being shown in front of them. Zirconia then gave support by grabbing the Gishki Laval by the tail, wrestling with it until it fell to the ground, as the continuous attacks from Caam slowly ripped apart the creature as cries of agony could be heard.
Yaldabaoth on the other hand stood there, watching the battle while the souls of the Lavals slowly flew away as they were being freed from the material cage that was the body of the Laval Gishki. He continued to watch as memories were coming back to him. All he could do was close his eyes as he knew that it was coming to an end. He needed to do something about this world, more specifically about the goddess of this world.
Yet what could he do? Sophia was stronger than him, or at least he believed that to be the case, Issei was the only one he could really think of that could defeat her, and that was simply because of his trait. Right now he was stuck in the body of Pearl, and that was not optimal, he needed to be freed from the body he possessed permanently, there had to be no traces of Gem-Knight Pearl left in this world, because there was nothing worse than having loose ends.
He looked at the clash again, only to see that they had finally defeated the Laval Gishki as Caam cut off the head of the creature, putting it out of its misery, the Gem-Knights present cheered at the victory as Great Marshlands had been defended.
Caam finally calmed down from the attack as she then processed Emerald's sacrifice. Issei who had Winda on his back showed up seeing the others currently crying from victory. "I think we should go help the other Gusto members at the Shrine." Calmly suggested Issei. At the mention of the tribe, the Gem-Knights immediately stopped their victory yell as they proceeded to move towards the shrine. The Gem-Knights that had stayed within the Shrine of Mist Valley helped those who were still alive yet weakened down the stairs, while a few others tried to take the dead bodies of those who fell to the poison.
After the Gishki invasion, Winda had become the leader of the Gusto, taking the mantle that her father had left behind, she was sure of herself, sure that she would be able to lead the tribe. It did however make her feel a bit saddened when she looked at Kamui, the boy, while happier than before, was still mourning the death of his father and companion, the title that would have gone towards Kamui was one that he no longer wished to have.
Under a tree could be seen Issei and Winda conversing. "You haven't been over exerting yourself have you?" Joked Issei, he was sitting next to her, Winda looked at him with a bit of guilt though not enough for him to notice. "I'm sorry for worrying you, I couldn't calm myself down..." Said the green haired girl. "It's alright, you don't need to be sorry about that." Disregarded Issei as he smiled at her, which made her smile back, he then proceeded to ask a question. "So would you like to continue our talk about the color of the electric sheep?"
To which Winda responded. "No... not really, but could I ask you something?" Issei nodded, looking at her curiously. "You've been giving me these poems and books for me to read, and I don't see you doing the same for Lazuli or anyone else... Is there any other reason?"
Issei was unsure himself, was it because he fell in love with her? Probably not, he didn't feel like his heart raced when he was close to her, he in fact acted more like a close friend if anything, yet that didn't stop those around them from teasing them about it. In the end, there was nothing that would come out of their relationship, as he had promised Yaldabaoth to leave behind all of his emotions for the sake of becoming his harbinger.
Though when he got a kiss from Ariel, it did make him react a bit, how much time had passed since he had come to this world? He did not know, nor did he think much of it, it seemed as now was finally time to move on from his last relationship. It was such an abrupt end to it, such a short lived relationship, yet despite that, it had a massive impact in his life and how he acted.
Changing from that topic to another, he still wondered what the two books he had were all about, given that Yaldabaoth wasn't with him currently, he had no way of knowing what the False God had found out about them, he wasn't able to get him to tell everything about the books, nor was he able to contact him, he worried that the memories were too much for him, but he wanted to believe on the god to be able to get everything resolved by himself.
Winda noticed his lack of response and tried to change the topic. "Uhm, Issei could I ask you something else?" Asked Winda with a bit of worry, unsure if the question was a bit weird to begin with, Issei's train of thought was interrupted once he heard Winda mentioned his name. "Sure, what is it that you want to ask?"
"You've been here for less than a few months… I think eight or nine months? And you didn't have proper training with your weapon, you've been plunged in the middle of various battles, yet you've stayed calm the whole time, I've never seen someone act so calmly in any world ending situation like you." Admitted Winda. Issei understood that his attitude was weird in time of battle, but that had an easy explanation, his Sanity bar controlled whether he was calm or not, the lower it was, the more panicked or radical he acted, when it was mostly full, he could suppress his emotion, so that he wouldn't make any mistakes.
Unfortunately, he couldn't tell this to Winda, as he would be seen as a madman. "What happened for you to be so... desensitized about the prospect of war?" Finished Winda. That was a good question, was it because he needed to do so for the sake of Yaldabaoth? or was he trying to still close himself off after what happened with the Literature Club and the Church of Sophia?
He decided to be truthful to what he thought. "I simply don't want to feel helpless in a situation ever again, if I keep everything to myself, there will be a time where I will get used to bottling everything up, I think this will lead to my happiness." Yaldabaoth did tell him that throwing away his emotions was the key to stop hurting, so he wanted to believe in him even after they seemed to cut ties.
"That is... quite sad." Winda said unconsciously. "I- I don't mean to offend you! It's just... wouldn't it be better to cherish every moment before it's gone forever? To live with those you love at your fullest until the day they are gone? You're more than likely to regret not expressing yourself to your loved ones as you may never know if that will be the time you see them." Those words that Winda said certainly made Issei think about it a bit.
Issei hummed, truthfully, that was true, he should be making the most with the people here, however, the prospect of getting close to Ignis, Blaster or any of the other warriors that had to sacrifice themselves would certainly had made him lose his Sanity completely, he was not used to war, a situation were more than likely you would see people you loved die, and so, not having any form of close connection to them was his way of making sure he didn't let his emotions go rampant.
And yet, here he was, talking to Winda, training continuously while having small talks with Crystal whenever they had the chance, practicing light magic with Lazuli each time she visited, and the fact he had saved Ariel from her fall, that last bit was enough proof that he was starting to get attached to them.
He couldn't tell them that, he didn't want to worry them more than before, if he went now and expressed himself to those around him, he knew that they would try to sacrifice themselves so that he could live if the occasion ever arrived, and he would do the same. They were different however, he had the ability of going back in time, and ironically, he never used it, as he was fearful of what the Writer's System's punishment would be.
Would he use it on a dying person? He did that before, and he expected that the cruel system would try anything to make sure he wasn't able to bring them back, it was like a script truthfully, having your life controlled by giving you missions that progressed the plot.
And yet, despite saying that he would never open himself up to anyone, here he was, telling Winda about his past experiences. "I once was a member of a group that liked to write poems, in there I met someone I had a crush on... She unfortunately decided to take matters on her own hand... I was able to get over it quickly oddly enough, and that was all because of my girlfriend, she was my everything, and yet, I was no longer able to see her again... After that I met a group that I cherished closely... But yet again, I am no longer able to see them... After what had occurred, I decided that it would be better to just not have to feel this ever again, I wouldn't try to get into another relationship, I am not ready, and I can't think of any reason to make myself acquainted with anyone... Perhaps the reason why any of this happened was because I am an ill omen..."
Winda looked at him with sadness, those last words struck her, she sympathized with him, he noticed this and tried to cheer her up. "But either way you've got a point, but I do think this is my way of living, plus, if I did take your advice, then that's basically what I am doing right now."
Winda blushed at that comment, Issei didn't realize what he had said as he started to laugh a bit. The green haired girl did think much about those last words... To never get into another relationship, it hurt her, yet she didn't know why. Was there any actual reason? Was she falling for him? She did not know as she didn't feel any of those signs that Caam had when she figured out that she was in love with Emerald.
The conversation was cut short when Reeze showed up, they both noticed her, her hair still loose carrying the same Vylon augmentations, she was the first one to recover and the only survivor of the Warrior House, as everyone else had left together with Windaar. "Winda, since you're the current leader, I should tell you this." Said she with a bit of a tired undertone, the war was starting to have an effect on her. "The Dragunity Tribe has come to talk to you." Winda was surprised about this information. "What? They haven't come into contact with anyone unless it was an emergency!"
She got up hastily from where she was sitting, Issei decided to accompany her as he was curious about the Dragunity Tribe, all he knew was that they were another tribe that lived in the Great Marshlands that was said to be powerful, they helped the Mist Valley Tribe during their war against the Fabled and were the ones to put an end to the Trishula Incident, however, they had lost a great amount of power when they sealed Trishula with the Divine Lance.
He saw a few people with various accessories and features related to birds alongside some dragons. Winda initiated the conversation by saying. "I was not expecting to make contact with the Dragunity Tribe, what may it be that you need?"
The first to talk who he assumed was the leader said. "It is good to meet the chieftess, I am Dux, the leader of the Dragunity Tribe, we have come to inform you of an incoming evil presence." Issei wanted to groan,it was conflict after conflict, from the Steelswarms, to the Vylon to the Gishki attack, there was little to no time through each of them.
"We'd like to make an alliance that includes the Gem-Knights as well, is there any other Tribe that would be willing to cooperate?" Asked Dux, in response, Winda said. "There are the Gishki and the Naturia, however the Gishki have been hostile to all other tribes."
"I see, so we will only have the Naturia beasts and the Gem-Knights to rely on this time." Dux was a bit worried about the situation, unlike with the previous tribes, the X-Sabers, Flamvells, Mist Valley and Ice Barrier and many others, this group of tribes was unable to form a stable alliance between each other for long. Not only that, but there seemed to be a bit of a lack of technological advancement unlike the ones created by the other tribes before.
Those thoughts were erased as they heard a scream, when they looked at where it came from they saw a familiar creature that was attacking a Gusto resident. Issei threw a light spear at it, when he did, he noticed that the victim stood up, only to sprint aggressively towards him, he saw that its skin was darker than before, a gray tint was visible. He lunged at Issei, but was pinned down by the Gusto members.
The rabid sounds that it was making horrified those present, just then the other members got near the dead body of the bird and immediately recognized it. "Wait... that's an Apex Avian! They're supposed to be extinct after the Trishula Incident!"
Dux then said. "It seems like it has started, from what I can tell, this evil can infect others, so I advise all of you to be careful." Explained the bird man. Another Dragunity Tribe member arrived on the scene ready to report. "I have come with the Gem-Knights!"
Low and behold, the whole Gem-Knight Tribe had arrived in their territory. "I was not expecting for us to meet each other so quickly." Said Zirconia, he then looked at the dead bird and the pinned down infected, to then crush the infected, giving it a quick death. "Has it finally started?" Questioned the Dragunity member that had arrived, Dux nodded and then said. "Yes, it has unfortunately started, Legionnaire, do you have any reports from Militum?"
He shook his head. "I have not, after she went to make contact with the Gishki, there has been no information from their first contact." Dux then hummed. "Then I recommend we go towards the Gishki and have them be forced into an alliance." Ordered the leader. There was no way for any of them to take out this disease if the Gishki were not going to help them out, despite the previous incident with the Ice Barrier dragons, they would be great assets to their fight, so long as they didn't release Trishula, everything should be alright. "If it isn't much to ask, I would like for all of you to also come, it is not safe to have people alone, as they will be infected by the disease."
With no other better choice, the whole Gem-Knight and Gusto tribes went along with them, this could possibly be their worst battle yet. Issei, Winda and Lazuli were together talking while marching alongside the others.
"Issei! Winda! it's good to see both of you again!" Exclaimed Lazuli with excitement, to see them both again, it hasn't been long since they last saw each other, but it was good to see they all were safe. "It's good to see you too, Lazuli." Replied Winda with a smile.
"How have things been in the tribe? How does it feel now that you've had a few days to work as a chieftess of the tribe? I have so many questions!" She was quite energetic, and the questions she asked were responded to by Winda, Issei could see as the mood was getting better, with the various Gusto members talking with the Gem-Knights, some of which had started to become very close friends.
Winda then took her turn to ask a question. "And how is Caam? She transferred to the Gem-Knight Tribe just so she could get more practice with hand to hand combat, how has she been?" Her question was met with a very happy reply from the one they had mentioned. "Well, you could have just asked me that Winda, I've been doing great, thanks for asking." Responded Caam, she has finished talking with Kamui and Reeze, the latter wanting to have a duel with her.
They first went to the Naturia Forest, they were currently trying to talk to the habitants of that zone, looking for their aid on the incoming battle. "We cannot leave our position from the Naturia Sacred Tree, it is our duty to protect it no matter what." Replied Leodrake, a lion with various assets of a flower.
"We understand, however, why is the tree so important?" Issei curiously asked, despite having gone to the Naturia a few times with Winda, he never truly knew the importance of the tree.
Leodrake started by explaining its purpose. "The tree here is connected to the core of the world, if it were to be destroyed I cannot think of what would happen to our world." Everyone present took interest in what Leodrake was saying. "This tree was the first thing ever created, it was made by Sophia, most of you may know her as the Goddess of Creation, the tree was made as a device to mend the world as she saw fit."
The mention of Sophia caught Issei a bit off guard, all he could do was glance at Yaldabaoth. "That's a lie, Yaldabaoth was the one to create it." However, he didn't try to refute it, as not only would it be very foolish on his part, but also because this may grant him some idea of what the False God went through.
"Alongside her was Tierra, Source of Destruction, an executive that was also able to use this system within the tree, however she was later defeated by Sophia, her power was scattered around the world and was later turned into the Pyroxene that you Gem-Knights are currently using, but other parts are hidden within the tree itself." Continued Leodrake. "This tree creates the cycle of reincarnation, where one's soul never dies but their physical body does." Issei became intrigued by this comment and then asked. "Is it by any means still flowing with the power of both Sophia and Tierra?" Asked the boy, starting to make sense of what was going on.
Leodrake then responded. "Indeed, from time to time, it grants its powers to those who are worthy of it, however, you are not allowed to try and obtain the power, or else the system inside will come punish you, that is what the Qliphort system is for, as it is a system made to create balance in this world." Issei nodded in understanding.
Yaldabaoth thought more about it, the name Tierra never came into his memory, and yet, he knew it was him, he was close to finally finding the truth of what had happened in the Garden of Eden, all he needed now was to know his relationship with those within the garden.
This did bring up the question.
Was he Tierra or was Tierra him?
Actually, was he originally a girl?
If Sophia had suppressed him… or her, taking the control as the God of Creation, then what was he doing up to this point in actuality? Was he really trying to transform the world into one that only humanity existed, one where they didn't have emotions? Or was his actual plan revenge? Revenge over Sophia, who had taken everything away from him? The incognitas were important, perhaps Tierra was a name he used... Just like Samael.
Samael wasn't him, he for sure knew that now, he was someone close to him, to the point he could call him his other half, hence why he said that Samael was part of him, that blockage of memory was not able to suppress that memory completely.
All he needed now was an excuse to leave the tribe so that he could act without being traced, he needed to learn about Tierra, who she was, and what she did to make Sophia turn her into fragments, it was clear that his current version was a fragment of Tierra.
As the conversation between the tribes and Naturia came to an end, Leodrake bid farewell. "I advise you to head straight to the Gishki Tribe, I'll have Lord Barkion bring you all to the fastest way out of the territory." They left to follow a giant dragon made out of bark and stone.
"Do you think the Naturia will be ok?" Asked Issei, he was a bit curious about how powerful the Naturia were. "I'd say yes, they were able to survive the Trishula Incident so I don't believe they will fall to this new evil that surged." Responded Winda.
Their walk toward the Gishki Tribe was a short one, as the route they had used took them straight to where the Gishki lived, caves and castles could be seen as a few of them were lit up.
However, it started to tremble, a few warriors took a battle stance, ready to attack whatever came after them. The ground below them completely broke as four infected creatures with notable features came out alongside a few smaller ones
A few of the tribes, especially the Dragunity saw as there were a few familiar faces, be it ally or foe, this ordeal would test their willingness to fight against a former ally or a previous fear.
"It can't be... the Worms are back?" Said Dux, but Legionnaire added even more. "I can also see the first perfect machine created by the four tribes, Catastor." A Gusto member even recognized a few of them, a Genex could be seen controlling what looked like a locomotive.
"Wait... is that an Aklys?!" Added a Dragunity soldier. "Then that means that Millitum is..." Before the Dragunity soldier could finish that sentence Dux yelled. "Do not finish that sentence! Just because an Aklys was infected does not mean that Millitum was infected as well!"
They noticed that they were starting to get cornered as more infected creatures came closer. Ready to fight, they were suddenly interrupted as one of the creatures was immediately killed by a glowing arrow. When they looked at the direction of the attack, they saw a group of people they had never seen before, they came down from the small hill where they stood and pushed back every opponent. The Constellarknights had come to the rescue and immediately they went on the offensive, taking care of every infected creature.
In the front of the charge, a man started to introduce himself, giving off a powerful aura that completely pushed back any enemy that was too close to him. "I am Pleiades! The leader of the Constellarknights! I have come to take care of the Evilswarm creatures before it is too late! Constellarknights step forward!" The legends of the Constellarknights have been passed on generation by generation, and seeing them finally make themselves present gave hope to everyone there.
"We will be taking care of the Evilswarm from the outside! Castor, Pollux, Virgo, Rasalhague, all of you accompany them, everyone else, exterminate the Evilswarm!" Commanded Pleiades, every single member did as instructed, the four mentioned went towards the alliance of tribes and everyone else went to fight the infection.
Dux however said. "We would like to assist all of you, we may not have knowledge of the infection, however we ourselves can assist as we know much about the enemies' past." Pleiades looked at the warrior, thinking a bit on what to do, once he finally decided he said. "Very well, you shall assist us, make sure to keep your casualties to a minimum."
The Gem-Knights and Gusto, alongside the few Constellars, went into the castle.
Noellia thought, no, Noellia KNEW that her plans were coming to fruition. But at the same time there was a bigger problem that kept stopping her.
The so-called Evilswarms and Constellars.
Right now all she could do was continue putting her trust on the Steelswarms, she knew that they were her only trusty allies, the other tribes were trying to get to her to kill her, she just knew it, and right now this was her last chance to get Natalia back.
Ever since she purposely injured herself, she worked behind the scenes, unnoticed by the tribes, she had done various actions, one of which was to take the body of the Steelswarms that had died, which included Hercules, the leader of the Steelswarm, the purpose was to have it as a Gishki summon, strengthening their military prowess.
"Shadow, bring me Hercules' body." She was inside the deepest parts of the Gishki castle, alongside her were her adoptive son Avance, her trusted adviser Shadow, and a few of the other Gishkis. "Mother... I know that none of the other tribes want you dead, given the fact that these undead creatures are attacking everything, they are just looking for your cooperation, you could make an alliance with them like we did back when the Vylons were still our allies!" Said Avance, who tried to put some sense into her mother, yet she kept ignoring him.
Noellia continued to not budge, as she had already committed to her mission. "If you truly want Emilia back, then I suggest you listen." Said she, Noellia knew that the only reason her son was still following her was because he wanted to know how to bring back Emilia.
She pulled out a Gishki mirror, one that had many memories accompanying it, especially since it was originally a mirror of the Ice Barrier. "This mirror here, this is the mirror Natalia and I used to try and contact the Steelswarms for the first time." Explained Noellia, it brought many memories, of which made her quite nostalgic. "Not only that, but after using it with Emilia, I think I know how it works." Avance flinched upon hearing her talk so nonchalantly about Emilia's death, he tried to hold back his anger, he knew that his adoptive mother was working with the Steelswarm, yet he was powerless against her, she was far more powerful than he was.
"By sacrificing a soul, you're able to bring anything back with it. I was going to use it to have Natalia inside Emilia's body, but since those Gusto peasants had to ruin it, I will have to deal with her inside Hercules." She threw the mirror to her son. "Now then, to make sure that none of the other tribes end up interrupting the ritual." She then lifted her sleeves, ready to cast a spell.
"Wait, you're not thinking o-" Avance saw as her mother lifted her arms, lighting up the whole place as Avance could see the three ice dragons, Brionac, Gungnir and the dreaded Trishula. The three of them started to move as the seal had been broken yet again.
Noellia had lifted the seal that was keeping them in their slumber, as the leader of the Gishki she was supposed to keep them like that unless it was to unleash them against a bigger threat, in which case the Dragunity would later come with the Divine Lance to defeat them again, but in the current moment, they didn't have enough power to create the Divine Lance, not when the last time it was used was just around 10 years ago.
"Awaken, dragons of the Ice Barrier, for I seek your aid in these troublesome times." She chanted as the three of them started to break out of the pillars that had them contained, they broke out of them as each one of them became visible to the Gishki. A few of those present trembled as they heard tales of the disasters they had produced.
However, something was weird with the dragons, they had black markings on them, they didn't even seem controlled at all, in fact, they acted like salvages, they all broke free from their chains as they broke through the roof, Noellia saw as a few of their mirrors broke hearing the mighty roar of the dragons.
But it didn't matter to her, if they could completely distract them, it was enough.
Proceeding with her plans, she continued. "Shadow, you're willing to use yourself as a sacrifice right?" At the mention of him, Avance looked shocked. "You can't just us-" Before he could finish, Shadow said. "Of course your majesty, I am willing to sacrifice myself for this ritual."
"In which case, your brother, Vision, will replace you after this ritual is done." Finished Noellia. Avance was baffled at Shadow's willingness to end his own life for Noellia, he knew that she was the leader, but he didn't expect Shadow to accept without hesitation. As Noellia cleared her throat, she then started with the ritual. "Everyone, I command all of you to keep the Steelswarm chained until I can have Natalia's soul enter the body."
She pulled a different mirror this time, one that had darker tones to it, the material was actually parts of the Steelswarm. She lifted the mirror like she did with the one she used with Emilia, but this time, it gave off a dark mist, this darkness grasped Shadow as it pierced through his heart, killing him instantly.
The other members started to cast seals onto the floor, the darkness then crept onto Hercules, the Steelswam general, Noellia kept grasping the mirror, waiting to see Natalia's soul enter the dead body.
But she was starting to lose control, the obsession that she had with the Steelswarms kept getting stronger, she prioritized her plan over her mental health so that she could make a right from a wrong, that wrong being that time the ritual took the life of her dearest best friend.
As the constant thoughts of the Steelswarm corrupted her mind overtime, she noticed that she was changing alongside Hercules' body, slowly, she questioned if she truly wanted to save Natalia. Was this truly what she would want? Or maybe if she revived Hercules first and had control of him, she would be able to save her daughter later too.
Yes, that would work right?
Did she truly need to revive Hercules? Was anything she was doing worth it? She knew that she had brought pain to her children. She felt guilty for the first time in awhile, after so many years infatuated with the Steelswamrs, she looked back at when she would take care of the orphaned kids by herself, the laughs she had with them, the times she comforted them. Why couldn't she have used the Lavals as sacrifice to bring back Emilia and Natalia?
Yet she shook her head.
No, this was it, why was she even having second thoughts? This was what she wanted, this was what she needed, she would bring back the Steelswarm, they were the key to fixing everything. All that was needed was the help of the Steelswarm, none of the tribes could help her, not when she had done such atrocities. Her mind had finally been broken by the Steelswarms. She would bring Hercules back instead.
She laughed maniacally as she didn't know what she was truly doing, the Steelswarm that had infected her had completely changed her appearance with Steelswarm features, the body of the dead Steelswarm then rose up, it didn't have Natalia's soul inside it.
Hercules had come back to life.
It swung around, easily breaking the seals that had been casted as Noellia then proceeded to kill the Gishki members there. Avance looked shocked at what her mother, no, whatever had taken control of her mother was doing, he hid behind debris as he saw the massacre going on.
Noellia dropped the mirror and left along with the now revived Hercules, leaving Avance who had taken cover alone. He went up to the mirror and hesitated a bit, thinking a bit as to what to do now, but he ended up using the mirror to bring back Emilia.
He wanted to bring her back, she was always there with him when he was taken in by Noellia, back when Ariel and Emilia were happily smiling as Noellia told them fairy tales, back when she wasn't obsessed with his biological mother.
None of this should have happened, the Gishki were supposed to be a group that had separated from the Ice Barrier after the terrible decisions the Ice Barrier elders made, yet they were now doing the same as them. He wondered how the other tribe was doing, he was curious about the fact that he didn't hear anything from them, had his mother annihilated the Ice Barriers after taking the majority of their territory?
Those thoughts disappeared as he saw Emilia's soul. He could see her red hair, her smile, everything that he missed about her, he could finally have her back.
As she got closer, Avance then held his hand out towards her, when he finally touched her fingers, he felt as the soul of Emilia was being absorbed by him, then he saw her soul was entering through his fingertips. He panicked as he didn't know what he had done, he was supposed to have her revived at the cost of his own life, this wasn't supposed to happen. In despair he screamed as he thought that he had caused Emilia's demise, his jarring screams morphed into pain filled ones.
He cried, realizing that his surroundings had gone dark, he continued to cry, cursing himself and blaming himself for killing Emilia. He hugged himself as he tried to comfort himself from the guilt.
"Avance..." A whisper could be heard. When Avance looked up towards where he heard the voice. "I'm here brother..."
Smiling, he felt relief as he could hear Emilia once again, he was glad that he hadn't killed her. "Sister... I'm... happy to see you again..." He sniffled, the sounds of tear drops that could be heard in the dark chamber continued to echo.
"Take my hand... we can fix this... we can seek redemption and repent for what we have done..." Whispered Emilia.
Avance extended his hand ready to grab Emilia's arm so that they could fix everything, once he finally cleared his vision after wiping his tears, he widened his eyes once he could see the person in front of him.
"You're not Emilia."
Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed Avance's back, he screamed as he felt himself starting to transform, the painful transformation continued as his screams echoed in the dark chamber, where no one else could hear them.
Wings came out of his back, the hair of Emilia had mixed itself with his own as he started to turn into a more reptile like creature similar to those of the warriors of the Gishki, yet not bipedal enough to be seen as humanoid, the screams then turned into roars, roars of a creature that had gone wild.
He was turning into a dragon, a creature filled with the evil that the Gishki had done since its founding. He went berserk as he now wanted nothing but the death of the Gishki, they had done too much damage that they didn't deserve to live.
He would exterminate this tribe that had caused so much pain, only then would he be able to forgive himself.
He was The Engulfing Wave
The Gishki shall be left down in the roaring depths of the ocean, while those innocent shall fly into the clear sky of heaven.
(A/N)
The first draft of this was 5k, and not its 11k, this would have been an incredibly rushed chapter had I not given a bit more of dialogue + description of it. This is still rushed nonetheless as the story is going too fast imo.
I actually finished this one after doing the last one. I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write since I'll be going back to having to study, so I took advantage that it's the start of the year and wrote this as well.
We're like what 4 chapters in? and I'm pretty sure we're not even half way through the first part of the Duel Terminal, this doesn't mean there will be 4 more chapters in the first part, the next section goes much faster... I think, giving us more insight on the events and what happens, so I think I can finish this in 2 more chapters (turned out to be 3)... then we get to Master Guide 5 which is the continuation of the Duel Terminal story.
As you probably have noticed, Yaldabaoth's character has evolved from a cheeky arrogant mf, to one that is finding out more about himself, this was somewhat on purpose, as I wanted him to not be an all powerful being, he was created by another god after all, hence this meant that he isn't omnipotent at all.
Something I want to clear out just in case, no, I don't believe in Yaldabaoth nor any religion. His inclusion is because of the Persona 5 character, and from there I fell into the rabbit hole that is the kabbalah and gnosticism.
We're getting a bit more into non canon territory by the way, since from now on, some of the sources of lore start to mesh a lot and have different endings/events.
At the same time, let's congratulate Avance for being the first character to Distort!
The Engulfing Wave is just basically Evigishki Levianima, but I wanted to dramatize it a bit more, it also has a purpose, which will snowball to what the story will end up about for the next few arcs.
Also yeah, about Winda and Issei, I expect someone to have or want to write a review about that part being just straight me pampering or pushing the relationship to the point it may not make sense and that they could just stay as friends...
You're goddamn right. I need a character to truly become special for Issei, and Winda is the closest to that.
Why not Ariel? You'll see soon enough.
Archetypes that debut in this chapter are the Evilswarm, there is also the Dragunity.
When it comes to scrapped content, the last chapter could have gone so many ways, given the fact that I needed to find a way for 6 (but only 5 important characters) to die. It was really tough especially since I had no idea on how they died aside from Daigusto Falcos, it is a really huge shame that Ignis was not able to get more screen time aside from his interactions with Issei, there is just too little information and I am pretty sure that the Vylon was taken care of in a single day. Killing him off was probably the biggest stab I had since I literally theorized his whole backstory.
Yaldabaoth's personality would have been incredibly different to the one I ended up giving him, he would have become an actual maniac who sought nothing but to destroy this world, I ended up against it, as in this case... it is an actual God's Epiphany.
I didn't want to give convos or make more interactions between the characters as it would simply make the arc longer than it actually was. Perhaps as an extra/what if I'll add some interactions.
Added even more Ariel last chapter, again she was originally an unimportant character, yet I added more development with her and Winda, which culminated into this confrontation.
And that is about it, I'll see y'all in the next update.