Kaine walked up to the closed doors, slamming his fist into one, it clenched as he saw the message.

Your party’s total combat level is insufficient to continue onto the next room.

Gritting his teeth, he turned around to face the rising minions of undeath.

“Again…I lost them.” He said to himself, “Yet again…I’m so weak, powerless not matter how much I try.” Kaine whispered to himself as despair filled his tone and expression.

His expression then suddenly changing, as he slammed his fist into his own cheek. “So you just gonna give up? Again you’re just gonna give in to the loss?” Kaine chided, “Pull yourself together, cause I’m done with this crap.”

Stumbling back from the hit, Kaine’s back rested onto the doors. “And what would you have me do? We’re in a different instance now! We can’t reach them!”

Once more, his fist clenched and hit, plunging itself into his gut. Kaine fell to his knees, belching out spit as he fell. “Stand, fight.” Kaine said, “Or are you just going to hide and whimper? Like you did with her. Like you did with our sister.”

“Do not dare bring her up!” Kaine exclaimed, slamming both fists into the doors behind him.

Your party’s total combat level is insufficient to continue onto the next room. Your party’s total combat level is insufficient to continue onto the next room.

“No, I will bring her up, because it’s time you fucking grew up.” Kaine continued on, as both personalities fought to retain control. “It’s time you snapped out of your self pitying fucking obsession! We’re all partly Kaine, created to reflect part of our state of mind. You, the grief that fills us, you weigh it all on your own back. Nidhogg, an outlet for our stress and loneliness, begging for attention and loving every bit of it.”

Hey…I’m not…

“Yes, you are.” Kaine snapped, “Me, our endurance, the only thing keeping us sane and moving on! For so long I’ve endured your rambling, I’ve endured Nidhogg’s fits and I’ve endured whatever else lies asleep inside us! But no more, cause it’s time you wake up. It’s time we wake up.”

Once more his expression warped, a wide grin taking over as maddened eyes rose to stare head-on at the approaching undead. An aura of terror rose out of Kaine, “Are you two done fucking about?” Kaine asked, as the undead were frozen by fear. “It’s gotten so bad, that even I can take over willingly! Fuck man, get your head out of my ass!”

“He’s right, you know.” His expression returning back to normal, Kaine took a deep breath as he pushed away from the doors. “Do you want to disappoint them too? Just like we let down the others? Just how we let down our sister by ruining the guild? Because it was our fault. Yggdrasil’s fall was our damn fault. And everyone losing hope in us was our fucking fault just the same!”

“Yeah! Let’s finally unleash everything! Ya out of time! So stop holding back ya baffoon!” Kaine exclaimed, stomping his foot down as he took hold of Nova who lay confused around his neck, the demon immediately warping into the demonic dagger.

“You listening?” Kaine asked as he retook over, “Remember, what you and Kaine did, back then? The path of inane destruction you both left behind you as you let out all your anger and frustration on anyone and anything around you? Hunting down every single last competent fighter in Aether Rifts…Not just beating them but…playing with them like a beast plays with its food. Even…our own damn guild mate!” Anger rose within Kaine then, as he remembered every moment, even if he was in the backdrop of their mind, still he had watched it all.

“No that…wasn’t us!” Kaine shouted back, grabbing hold of his head as panic filled his eyes. “That’s when…That’s when!”

“That’s when you stopped trying to keep us together, that’s when we gave in to the hatred.” Kaine cut in, “We created it, and as fucked up as our situation might be, we need it. So let’s use it, let’s use our hatred right!” He exclaimed, watching as the undead snapped out of their stunned daze, Kaine waited.

But no response came.

“Hah…you’ve got to be fucking with me…” He then mused, “Fine then, hide, it’s high time me and Nidhogg took over this shit show anyway!” Kaine exclaimed, clenching Nova within his grasp. “Me the brains, Nidhogg, you the brawn.”

“Hahaha~” He chuckled wickedly as his expression warped back to madness, “I love the sound of that! So…So so no more holding back!?”

Let loose.

Jor thought, and Nidhogg giggled with anticipation.

“Demonic Will” He spoke out, and an aura of demonic energy surrounded his body, pouring out of Nova and into him.

Hold nothing back, fuck his anxiety, fuck his fear, fuck his grief. Kill everything.

He laughed, a wicked cackle as his eyes fully widened, fuelled by insanity Kaine raised his weapon forth. “Demonize!” He chanted, and the illusion upon his body faded, revealing his Dark Elf appearance to its full glory.

The dagger shuddered then.

The serpent’s eye upon it began to glow, and the maw widened further before suddenly rushing forth. What was the blade-less weapon’s hand-guard grew into Nova’s maw and body, now engulfing Kaine’s right hand, it swallowed further until it reached his shoulder.

Biting down, Kaine flinched briefly as Nova’s now enlarged fangs dug into his body.

As a green glow took it over, rushing through his veins.

You feel a horrid energy rush through you.

Kaine’s appearance began to change.

His skin flaking off to give way for pitch-black carapace-like flesh.

His body growing two entire feet taller.

His teeth morphing into needle-like fangs.

You feel yourself change, as the demon takes over.

His clothes tore as he grew, his boots entirely bursting to reveal the demonic feet ending in long fleshy black claws, same as his hands, ending in the same monstrous claws of fleshy black.

The Trial by body, has begun.

Prove yourself persistent,

Prove yourself vicious,

Prove yourself, worthy….

“I’m about to fuck some shit up!”