Chapter 11
Into the Depths
Landing on the ground, I found myself in a strange dark realm. Not only was it as dark as the night sky, lit only by the dim cyan glow of sparsely placed rocks, but the ground itself was nearly entirely covered in Gloom. "So, this is the Depths, huh? I have to say, it's a lot darker than I imagined.", I said. "Well, we are underground.", Fafnir's voice said. "I'll say.", I said. Summoning my Doom Wings, I flew into the dark sky, noticing a temple guarding a strange purple orb near the centre. "That's got to be the Silent Core.", I said. "Exactly.", Fafnir's voice said. Looking around, I noticed that the Depths also appeared to be strangely empty. "That's odd. I wasn't expecting it to be bustling with life but it is very empty. I guess that's what you get when you set up shop underground.", I said, flying toward a strange obsidian tower. As I got closer, I saw the tower unleash a volley of dark red lasers that I countered with my Doom Spears. Flying closer, I dodged the lasers like a baller before flying above the tower before violently descending, forming a dark red sphere in my right hand that I used to carve through the black stone. Landing down on the ground, I saw three people fighting against an army of skeletons armed with mechanical swords, axes and lances. One of the men, a man with short and spiky orange hair and brown eyes wearing a black yukata and black kimono slashed through a large continent with a black katana, unleashing a beam of black and dark red energy in the shape of a crescent moon. Another one of the men, a man with short and spiky blonde hair wearing an orange tracksuit with a spiral on the left arm followed in suit by forming a blue sphere of energy in his right hand and driving it into a giant skeleton dual wielding mechanical katanas. This in turn was followed by the third man, a man with short black hair and black eyes wearing a straw hat on his head and a red shirt accompanied by a pair of blue trousers with a yellow ribbon tied around the waist punching through a large contingent of skeletal soldiers armed with mechanical maces. "That should be all of them.", the orange-haired man said. "Yeah, it should give us enough time to inquire about the new person who's just arrived.", the blonde-haired man said.
Turning to face me, the orange-haired man studied my face inquisitively. "So, you're back but failing to remember us, I hear.", he said. "I'm sorry but who are you?", I asked. "Typical. Absolutely typical. Well, my name is Ichigo Kurosaki, substitute Shinigami extraordinaire.", the orange-haired man said. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, the man who'll become the next Hokage!", the blonde-haired man said. "And my name is Monkey D. Luffy. I'm gonna become the King of the Pirates!", the black-haired man said. "But if you at least remembered Yoh, Lenny, Horokeu, Lyserg and Maka, maybe there's hope for you yet.", Ichigo said. "What do you mean?", I asked. "Never you mind. Still, you need to be purified by the Silent Core first before you ascend the throne as Sovereign.", Luffy said. Suddenly, I dodged a thin beam of light before hearing Haseo say, "Man, I'd hate to crash this party but duty calls. Besides, Jack, you'll have time to catch up with your friends after your holy purification.". Instinctively summoning Gram, I watched Haseo walk up to me, saying, "Man, I just come to drag you over to the Silent Core and you're already aggressive with me from the start? And I thought I was bad once.". "What's that supposed to mean?", I asked. "Oh, that'll become clear soon.", Haseo said before walking away, prompting me to dismiss Gram and chase after him.
Running out of the tower, I saw the ground around me become strangely distorted. "Does Black Doom's influence extend even here?", I thought as a geyser of Gloom erupted out of the ground. "Where are you, Haseo?", I asked as the geyser turned into a black and dark red inferno that suddenly disappeared to reveal a strange passageway. Walking through it, I was then overcome by a strange headache. "That's right, walk over to the Silent Core, like a good boy.", a strange voice said. "Shut up!", I groaned. "Don't be like that. After all, it is most uncouth for you to not remember us when we remember you.", the voice said. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!", I shouted as I suddenly found myself in a strange chamber with an ominous purple orb in the centre. As I walked over to it, I then felt a strange sense of fear. "Why are you so scared? It's not like you to be so scared.", Tamamo's voice said. "Or maybe you still haven't remembered what your true purpose is. Still, you will in time.", Draco's voice said as the purple orb unleashed a large amount of black tentacles. I unleashed a black and dark red burst of energy in order to stop the tentacles only for them to grab my body and grip me tight anyway. "Don't resist it. Embrace it.", Anby's voice said as a burst of black and dark red electricity surged forth and covered my body. "You know your cyber corruption won't be enough to resist it.", Beryl's voice said. "Still, I have to try.", I said as the electricity turned into fire, burning the tentacles away. Seemingly irked at this, the purple orb then unleashed a strong burst of black and dark purple energy that nearly bowled me over. Suddenly, a horrible realisation came over me. "Wait, this is the Silent Core, isn't it?", I said, inquiring about the purple orb in front of me. "That's right. Shame it took you so long to realise it.", Gawain said behind me as I instinctively dodged a beam of sunlight that somehow missed the Silent Core. Turning around to face him, I noticed that Gawain was also covered in a nauseously bright aura. "So the Silent Core got you too?", I asked. "Please, it was more like a holy rebirth that I had no idea I was waiting for. But you seem to be irreversibly corrupted by the Infinity Core, which is a shame. Honestly, it seems that at this rate, we'll have to force you back into the state you were before you were corrupted by the Infinity Core and then expose you to the Silent Core's majesty. I wish it didn't have to be like this, but desperate times call for desperate measures.", Gawain said.
As I wondered what he meant, I then found myself in a strange room with a red velvet carpet and dark brown leather sofas. "OK, this is strange.", I thought. I also found that my Doom Wings had disappeared. "Where am I?", I asked before four men walked into the room- one of them had short and messy blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, one had short and messy black hair and green eyes, another had brown hair and green eyes and the last had short pink hair and reddish brown eyes and was wearing black rectangular glasses. "Guren was right, you really have returned to us.", the blonde-haired man said. "Do I know you?", I asked. "Oh, you've forgotten us. That too. Anyway, my name is Shiho Kimizuki.", the pink-haired man said. "My name is Yoichi Saotome.", the brown-haired man said. "My name is Yuichiro Hyakuya.", the black-haired man said. "And I am Mikaela Hyakuya.", the blonde-haired man said right before the room became distorted. Finding myself back in the Depths, I noticed that there was also a strange sinister castle in the centre that seemed to be protecting the Silent Core. "Could it be the Dark Hollow?", I thought. Suddenly, a strange feeling of fear came over me as a burst of dark energy surged forth from my body. "You're still resisting what you are. Don't. Embrace your true nature.", Tager said behind me. Turning around to face him, I noticed that dark energy was gathering around him and coalescing into dark rocks. Unnerved, I summoned Gram and gripped it hard. Chuckling, Tager rushed at me and threw a brutal punch that I dodged, retaliating with a beam of darkness that didn't seem to faze Tager much. I followed this up with a brutal onslaught of slashes that Tager matched with his own punches. Frustrated, I then unleashed a powerful series of punches and kicks culminating with a Doom Blast that failed to launch Tager into the air. Undeterred, I then unleashed a volley of Doom Spears that Tager countered with a burst of electricity prompting me to rush forward and unleash a powerful stab that cut through Tager's rocky armour. Promptly rushing in for the kill, I then found myself in a strange temple with what seemed to be a black hole in the centre. Noticing that Gram had been forcibly dismissed, I wondered where I was now.
After a brief silence, I then heard a voice say, "You may have physically returned to us but you don't remember us. I guess it can't be helped but you really must remember now, for all our sakes.". Suddenly, I saw a towering demonic humanoid with golden armour-like skin and pink eyes with a pair of deer antlers on his head walk in. "And you are?", I asked. "My name is Goetia, the King of the Demon Gods, the First Beast and the father of Ushiwakamaru.", the demonic humanoid said. "You're Ushiwakamaru's dad?", I asked. "That's correct. I must thank you for being such a good friend to my daughter; you really have made her happy.", Goetia said. "Then, if you're her father, who's her mother?", I asked. As if answering my question, a woman with long blue hair and pink eyes as well as two dark green horns appeared. "Since you asked so nicely, here I am. My name is Tiamat, the Primordial Mother, the Second Beast and Ushiwakamaru's mother. Would that I been able to raise her, she would have grown up into a fine woman. Alas, she was from my loving arms untimely ripped.", the woman said. "Anyway, where are we?", I asked. "This is the Grand Temple of Time, the Observatory that oversees humanity.", said another voice behind me. Turning around, I saw that the voice belonged to a man with short spiky black hair and blue eyes. "Ritsuka?", I said to the man. "Yes, it's me: Ritsuka Fujimaru.", the black-haired man said. After another brief silence, I asked, "So, what brings the Last Master of Humanity here?". "Oh, you flatter me. Anyway, I was brought here to help reawaken your memories with the aid of my sister.", Ritsuka said. "Sister?", I asked before a woman with red hair and yellow eyes walked in and appeared at Ritsuka's right side. "And you are?", I asked the woman. "Oh, so you remember my brother Ritsuka and not me? I'm hurt. Anyway, my name is Gudako Fujimaru, the sister of Ritsuka Fujimaru and his substitute as the Last Master of Humanity.", the woman said. "Sis, we don't need to go into that much detail.", Ritsuka said. "Oh, we very much do if Jack is going to remember.", Gudako said. "Remember what?", I asked. "Oh, the lost details of your past.", Ritsuka said before Goetia magically made me spin around to face him. As his eyes glowed, a strange feeling came over me. Suddenly, I found myself back in my black and dark orange robes with black Chelsea boots and the Ziku-Driver around my waist. As a black and dark red aura covered him, Goetia said, "Jack Sebastian Arnold, I command you to remember your past and take back what was stolen from you.". Subsequently, I fell into a trance before strangely falling unconscious, trapped in a dark red Cyber Cage. "You think forcibly reintegrating him back into Cyber Space will help?", Ritsuka asked. "It'll have to.", Tiamat said.
The story continues in the next chapter.