Chapter 5
Origins
Walking through the castle, I then felt a strange feeling of dread. "That's strange. Why am I so afraid?", I thought. Hearing the sounds of a large party, I walked toward the sound, wondering where it was coming from. I also smelled a strong hint of rosemary yet again. "What is it with these people and overdosing on rosemary? Why do they do it?", I asked. "It's as that Bayonetta woman said. Rosemary is a demon repellent. The people living here overdo on the rosemary to strengthen their connections to their demonic powers. Think about it.", Fafnir's voice said. "Still gives me a headache.", I said. Approaching a strange door, I noticed that the noise from the party was the loudest behind this door. Reaching out to it, I saw that it was strangely out of my reach even though I was right next to it. "Weird.", I said. "You know it won't open normally. To open it, you must know of your true nature and embrace it, not fight it. You must embrace your true nature to enter the room.", a strange voice said. Suddenly, I then found myself in a strange room with a heavily-bound leather book on a table. Walking up to it, I sensed a strange energy in the room. "Could this be connected to the rosemary?", I thought. Then, Dante entered the room. "Oh, didn't expect to find you here.", Dante said. "That makes two of us.", I said. "Word on the street has it that you're refusing to embrace your true nature and denying yourself your purpose. Well, I'm here to correct that!", Dante said, grabbing the sword on his back. Summoning Gram to my right hand in response, I then dodged a beam of red energy that Dante unleashed before rushing at him and unleashing a violent onslaught that Dante easily parried only for my speed to increase. "No, no! That's not the right way!", Dante said. "So what is the right way?!", I asked angrily before unleashing a beam of darkness that easily crushed through Dante's defences. I followed this up with a series of powerful slashes that Dante struggled to keep up with. "Oh, this is getting interesting now!", Dante said, smirking before transforming into a demonic form.
Rushing at the transformed Dante, I then felt a stronger feeling of rage than before. "Yes, that's it! Unleash your anger and hatred!", Dante said as he gathered a thick red aura around himself. "DIE!", I roared as Gram shifted into a scythe and promptly expelled a thick black and dark red aura. As I prepared to bring my scythe down, I then felt my body briefly shift into that of the Grim Reaper before I unleashed the energy upon the collision of my scythe and Dante's sword. As Dante was pushed back into a bookshelf from the force of the explosion causing him to detransform, I then wondered, "How did I do that?", confused. Getting up, Dante said, "Well, it seems like there might be hope for you just yet. Still, keep immersing yourself in your hatred.", before walking out of the room. "Wait!", I said before collapsing. Violently jerking myself up, I then saw that the book had disappeared. "Weird.", I said, dismissing my scythe. Suddenly, I then found myself in a strange dining room where Hinako was sipping a cup of tea. Walking over to her, I then felt a strange surge of black and dark red energy burst forth from my body. "You keep denying your true nature and your purpose. Typical.", Hinako said. Getting up, she then said, "But still, I guess it can't be helped. Especially when you don't know about the true nature of the System.". "What do you mean by the System?", I asked. "To put it lightly, the System is what the specific World of Aionios is called. In this case, the World is a set of rules that reality on a given planet runs on. Here, on Aionios, the World is called the System is primarily derived from the mechanics of the video games Tales of Vesperia, .hack/G.U., God Eater 3 and Scarlet Nexus mixed in with the mechanics of the video game Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Well, you would think of them as video games, anyway.", Hinako said. "But Alastor told me-.", I said before Hinako said, "Please, the Radio Demon doesn't know shit. Besides, I believe he was trying to manipulate you. Now, you exist outside the rules of the World, or to be more accurate, the System, as I'm sure the Two Brothers told you back when you were in Cyber Space.". "How did you know?", I asked. "When you were injured by Eunie, she placed a tracker on you that Kirschtaria gave her allowing Chaldea to track you in Cyber Space. That's how we knew of the Two Brothers' conversation with you after all.", Hinako said. "To be honest, when I was growing up, I did feel somewhat out of place but I could never really understand why.", I said. "Anyway, your magic is also different in that it is derived from your Semblance and fuelled by your Aura; incidentally, most forms of magic are instead fuelled by mana or one of its offshoots, those offshoots being aer, eleth, fonons, seithr, orbal energy, astral energy or aether. I believe it might not be related to your condition but you never know.", Hinako said. "I see.", I said.
Suddenly, I then found myself facing a strange stone pillar with strange writing on it. "Huh?", I thought. "Oh, you've come to the barrier stone as well.", Shadow said behind me. "Barrier stone?", I asked. "Oh, don't you know? The barrier stones that were used to stop the spread of the Dark Hollow's curse. By the way, the Dark Hollow is the fusion of both Origin and Camelot Castle. The barrier stones need to be destroyed in order to spread the Sovereign Empire's great power across the Multiverse. If not, the Dark Hollow cannot fuse with Dragon Wing Castle and spread darkness throughout all of time and space. Maintaining them is the work of the Sovereign and his loyal subjects and is your duty.", Shadow said as he walked up to me. Turning around apprehensively, I noticed that Shadow was covered by a nauseously bright aura. "But before that, I shall force you to succumb to the holy radiance of the Silent Core!", Shadow said with a maniacal grin on his face, the aura around him growing even brighter and more nauseous. Unleashing a burst of black and dark red energy, I then was overcome by a strange surge of hatred that promptly disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Sad. You're still not in control.", Shadow said disappointedly as he walked away. As I wondered what he meant, I then had a very strange headache. "What? The Space Colony ARK is under attack?", I thought, finding myself in a snowy field. I looked up, noticing that the colony was indeed covered by a strange dark red barrier, prompting me to fly up and travel to the colony.
As I passed through the barrier, I then found myself grinding on a rail that passed through large mechanical rings. Jumping off it, I then landed on a mechanical platform with a dark blue colour. Noticing strange robots in the distance, I ran forward, noticing that they consisted of more traditional robots armed with guns and riot shields and strange blue blobs with mechanical heads that had the ability to greatly extend their limbs. Unleashing the power of the Azure Grimoire, I then fired forth a black and dark red beam that vaporised the robots and cleared my path allowing me to continue on. Fighting my through the colony's defences and the robots fighting against them, I saw a strange visual glitch that caused a large amount of red electricity to erupt from my body, causing me to scream in pain. Running forward still, I then felt strangely weak as a torrent of dark red energy burst forth from my body. "What's happening to me?", I asked. Then, as I came to an open area in the colony, I saw a barrage of missiles be launched at me only for the area to heavily distort as a dark red hologram of Black Doom appeared. "You see now?", Black Doom asked, his strong Brooklyn accent never fading. "See what?", I asked. "You see the consequences of not accepting your true nature? I guess it couldn't be helped in the end but still, quite disappointing indeed.", he replied. Whilst I tried to shake off his words, I then saw the colony twist and warp into a distorted version of Radical Highway. "Where am I?", I asked. "Why, this is one of the Doom Zones I made. I intended them for Shadow but I guess you'll have to do for now.", Black Doom said as I narrowly dodged a laser beam fired by one of the robots with a riot shield.
Proceeding down a twisted road, I then found myself facing a heavily distorted version of the Golden Gate Bridge, the bridge itself seeming to have grown vines and strange dark red fruit with spikes covering them. As I ran to the bridge, I then found myself in a twisted corridor with demonic robots surrounding Black Doom's hologram, which was covered by a dark red spherical barrier. Summoning a demonic scythe to my hands, I carved my way through the robots, each one of their deaths causing the barrier to crack. Screaming with rage, I then attacked Black Doom's hologram, causing the Doom Zone to mysteriously disappear. Dismissing my scythe, I then made my way to the colony's observation deck, noticing that there wasn't anything particularly strange. "Was the attack a false alarm?", I asked before the colony's alarms came on. Looking outside, I saw a dark purple portal open with a black and dark blue wraith violently jerking its way out. As I strangely tensed up, I then saw the wraith unleash a strange dark power that promptly knocked me unconscious. Coming to, I then found myself in a strange white world with white land as far as the eye could see and strange structures in the distance. Looking around, I saw a giant black egg on a dark grey pedestal expelling a sinister black mist and a door sealed tightly shut; behind me was a strange mechanical structure that resembled the infrastructure seen on the Space Colony ARK that also seemed strangely colourless and chalky white. Floating right by it was a strange black and red gear nestled inside a black and purple protective sphere. Looking up to the sky, I saw a strange moon covered by closed eyes. Wondering where I was, I shouted, "Alvis? Atalante? Kingprotea? Anyone?". Feeling strangely weakened, I then tried to manifest my Doom Wings but failed to do so. "It's not going to work.", a strange voice said. "Who are you? Face me!", I said. "Your Doom Powers – how did you think you got them?", the voice asked. "I don't know, really.", I said. "You got temporary access to the Doom Powers when Black Doom transferred his DNA into you; in order to tease you into using them, he also gave you a jolt of his own energy to allow you temporary access. That energy disappeared with Lumera's DNA when Merlin revealed Origin to you but the Black Arm DNA within you still remains. Currently, your natural therion DNA and acquired Black Arm DNA are still somehow completely separate, possibly prevented from combining by your Avenger class; I believe that it is actually weakening you, only exacerbated by your refusal to give in to the darkness and embrace your true nature. That refusal is why you are so weak now.", the voice said. "Then show me how to become strong again!", I said. The voice then chuckled, before saying, "Well, if you truly desire to become strong again, then enter the colony again.", promptly disappearing.
Shrugging, I then reentered the colony, only to feel a strange heaviness in the air. "What is this?", I thought as I various robots wielding riot shields appear. Unleashing the power of the Azure Grimoire yet again, I was then overcome by a strange urge to kill and destroy. Screaming in rage, I carved a swathe through the robots, noticing strange dark red orbs flying from the wreckage into my body. Running forward as fast as my legs could carry me, I then tapped into the power of the Negative Speed Force again and promptly ran as fast as a boulder rolling down a steep incline. As I ran, I then came to a strange gap that I literally ran right over, only for my Doom Wings to suddenly reappear. Strangely empowered by the sudden reappearance of such, I then found myself on solid ground again, my Doom Wings then disappearing. "See? Isn't it wonderful when you tap into such divine power, Mythos?", Ultima's voice asked. "How is Black Doom's power divine?", I asked as my rage suddenly faded. Coming to a strange room, I then saw a mysterious dark red orb. Touching it, I then saw a vision of Alphen, Haseo, Lindow and Yuito surrounding a strange pillar. "So, are we decided?", Alphen asked. "We sure are. It's a shame Jack will have to keep suffering, but it's his choice and not ours.", Haseo said. "Besides, he should proud to suffer under YHVH. After all, Jack had no right at all to be born the way he did and had absolutely no justification for his Sovereign powers manifesting so heretically. If anything, what YHVH is doing to him is righteous punishment.", Yuito said. "Even the rape and sexual assault?", Lindow asked. "Especially the rape and sexual assault.", Yuito said. "I know you'll win the next Sovereign election, Yuito. If Jack had actually given in to the darkness and embraced his true nature right from the start, then we wouldn't have had to go through this in the first place. Still, it gives us a chance to redeem ourselves in the eyes of our Lord.", Alphen said. As I wondered why Yuito would be the prioritised choice for Sovereign over me, I then saw the vision change to another, this time of me being tortured by Revolver Ocelot and interrogated by Kazuhira Miller. "Why are you doing this to me? I don't deserve this!", the other me said. "Don't make me laugh. You know you deserve it as justified punishment for your refusal to give in to the darkness and embrace your true nature.", Miller said derisively. "I lost my childhood to that thing and you side with it instead of me?", the other me asked. "So, this is about your childhood? What about the children whose livelihoods your birth detracted from?", Ocelot asked. "Besides, you know that you have absolutely no right to complain after what you did to YHVH. Makes me sick.", Miller said. "Why are you so adamant about protecting YHVH?", the other me asked. "You know why. We originally thought that you were the one to rule and protect Aionios but we were wrong. And protecting Aionios also involves helping and supporting YHVH in his plans to establish the Millennium Kingdom, a plan that can only succeed through the Ascension Project which you are highly opposed to.", Ocelot said as the vision faded.
Wondering why I was shown those visions, I then found myself back in the white area I found myself in. "Incidentally, this white place is known as White Space.", Ultima's voice said as the structure resembling Space Colony ARK turned back into full colour. This in turn prompted the black and red gear to promptly fly to me, causing the black egg's mist to grow more intense. Walking over to it, I saw the gear fly into the egg, causing it to "hatch" and unleash a glaring red eye as the black mist covering it flew into me, causing my eyes to briefly flash red and me to unleash a volley of black and dark red spears. "Now, you have permanent access to the Doom Spears. Come, use them on the door's protective systems.", Fafnir's voice said. Suddenly, as my body moved on its own, I then unleashed the Doom Spears on the protective circles keeping the door shut, causing it to open. As I walked through it, I saw one of the eyes covering the strange moon open, looking down on me with a derisive glare. It was at this that I finally realised the scope of the White Space, noticing that I had quite a while to go.
The story continues in the next chapter.