Kyle felt around his body as he lay on the brink of regaining consciousness, he felt drained and more tired than he had ever felt before. Even as he awoken at first the weariness brought him back down forcing him back to sleep, this happened multiple times over before he finally woke up.

Opening his eyes a dim blue light filled his view, the weariness still there he felt like he could at least hold onto consciousness this time around. (“Where…am I?”) he asked himself as his memory felt hazy, looking around he found himself laying on a cloth surface surrounded by a dimly glowing blue crystal room.

Kyle groaned as he tried to fight off the weight on his body, barely enough energy in him to sit up. He breathed heavily and glanced around, the room was entirely empty other than the strange crystal bed he lay on and a single doorway to his left made of the same blueish crystal as the room.

His head drummed and ached, his muscles weak and worn, his entire body’s weight too much to handle. Kyle didn’t think he could handle standing up.

“Good morning.” Spoke Durin as he suddenly appeared standing in front of the bed, wearing a solemn expression and standing straight with arms behind his back he stared down at his descendant “How do you feel?”.

Kyle slowly turned to look up at Durin “Tired…”

Durin sighed “That comes with no surprise knowing what kind of creature you’ve just faced, truly your generation are a peculiar kind of breed to run head first into a necromancer.”

Kyle briefly looked at him in confusion when his head ache suddenly got worse, as he remembered the events that led up to now. His eyes widened as he rose and grabbed hold of Durin’s shoulders “Where are they!?” he exclaimed as the strength in his legs failed him yet he held on grasping the Spirit Beast’s clothing dragged forwards.

Durin stared down at Kyle retaining his solemn expression “They are alive.” He responded as he bent down and after pulling Kyle’s left arm over his shoulder held him up on both feet “The woman woke up before you, I’ll show you to them”.

Kyle groaned in pain as the numbness in his legs made itself known, yet he carried on taking every step alongside Durin to see his friends for himself. Durin pushed through the crystal door guiding him into a short corridor, with three doors along it they took the second.

Inside was a room just as small as the last, a crystal table lay in the middle with three individuals around and one laying on it. Karnage turned around as she heard them entering, her expression just as pale as Kyle’s she sat on a chair next to the table with worry her only visible emotion “Kyle…”.

Kyle recognised Terrance standing at the front of the table currently giving them his back, his large shell covering who lay on it. To the first founder’s left sat Karnage while to his right stood a Devil, pale white skin, short black hair with green strands, pitch black eyes and a single black horn that grew out of his forehead and bent back over his head.

Dagon nodded at Kyle and Durin as they entered “Never thought I’d be meeting the both of you so soon, alas not in this state.” He said before turning back to the table as it came into Kyle’s view.

His eyes widened in shock as he watched Terrance’s hand engulfed in a greenish mist hover over Sly’s bare back. The Devil’s skin was entirely paper white, his face with eyes closed was just as white and warped in agony as he bit down on a thick piece of cloth. Sly’s back was fleshless, green ooze bubbled around his very visible spine and organs as the skin and flesh around it took a pale green hue.

Kyle watched as Terrance inspected the damage, silently he watched alongside the others as Sly’s muffled screams of pain only grew louder with each second that passed. Joined by Terrance’s sigh the screams subsided as he pulled his hand away from Sly’s back letting the mist settle down “The corruption is strong, his body won’t last.”

“Then we shall pull him back into the other?” asked Dagon.

“That will only prolong the inevitable.” said Terrance while shaking his head “The necrotic curse is not only devouring his flesh but also deteriorating his soul, changing vessels will give him at least a month. A month of decaying and sickening agony as his mind rots alongside.”

“What…do you mean? What happened to him!?” exclaimed Kyle as he pulled away from Durin, holding onto the table he stared at Terrance.

The founder turned to him, a glint of sorrow in his eyes “The necromancer struck at the portal as we changed it’s location, your friend shielded it with his body to cover your escape. The curse is eating away at his flesh and corrupting his soul, we cannot stop it, nobody short of a just as powerful necromancer can.”

“Chaoz has no necromancers.” Dagon added with disdain.

Kyle looked down at his friend, the incarnate meaning of sick he lay half-dead and dying. “Is there nothing…nobody that can do anything about it?!”

Terrance lay his hand over Kyle’s shoulder “Necromancy is a cruel magic, the curse put on your friend was made to induce prolonged pain and agony with an inevitable outcome. The power poured into this spell is something…nothing holy enough exists to purge it.”

“And with the Gods locked away…nothing less than achieving the Grand Quest and begging for the victor’s aid will help him.” Explained Durin.

“The quest…”repeated Kyle.

“Only two heroes remain to take the trials.” Terrance suddenly spoke gaining a look of confusion from Kyle.

“H-How?” he asked in surprise.

“The Heroes of Nature and Reign failed their test of courage while the Heroes of Blood and Dagger failed their test of perception.” Terrance explained.

Kyle glanced down at Sly’s unconscious body “That leaves…me and Light?...Zeeke seriously!? How many tests did he finish?”

“Both of you have one test remaining, the test of alignment. If one Hero completes all the tests their chosen Deity will be the victor of this Grand Quest, if you win then Ymir will be empowered but if this Zeeke wins then his Chooser will be.” Terrance further explained.

“One test…” Kyle repeated as he stared down at his wounded friend “Can Ymir…if made the victor, truly heal this?”.

Terrance nodded “A God’s powers are released if they succeed in a Grand Quest, their subordinates power doubled and reign over Chaoz is all but effort. But you the Dark Hero have a different choice, you can choose another God to be the victor. It doesn’t need to be Ymir.”

(“The Dark Hero…the volatile player...”) Kyle thought before glancing away from Sly’s rotting back and at Karnage, then Dagon, then Durin before turning to Terrance “What does the last test require me to do? Is it similar to the first and the second?”

“No it is not.” Terrance began with a darkened expression “Unlike the test of courage which requires the Hero to defeat their fears and the test of perception which forces the Hero to either understand themselves or break under it’s pressure…The test of alignment, same as the Grand Quest’s requirement is the finality of the Quest. Since no requirement was set to the Quest, the Avatar set his own.”

Terrance glanced at Dagon “This Quest’s requirement, the final requirement…is one of unity. War is approaching, whether for good or bad, war never is either. War is only pain and suffering but war is at this point inevitable. The question is now, will it be war between the factions of Chaoz? Or war against the storm Scythe will bring? This is the final test, the decision whether Chaoz will destroy itself, be destroyed by Scythe or unite and survive.”

The first founder turned back to Kyle “It doesn’t matter which faction owns Chaoz, to complete the test of alignment each faction must become one. To prepare for the storm that is to come, the storm that will eventually come.”

Kyle grimaced “You said Sly has at least a month?”

“A month if we move him to his other vessel currently under Mistress’s care.” Dagon replied in confirmation.

“If Scythe will wait that long, the Quest will fail if Scythe and his allies arrive before that.” Added Durin.

“I have…under a month or Sly will die and Chaoz will be destroyed…I haven’t even begun fixing my soul…” said Kyle with disdain clear in his tone.

“We.” Correct Karnage as she hugged the large blanket that enveloped her close to her face “You aren’t alone in this, idiot.”

“The woman speaks true Dark Hero.” Said Dagon as his sharp bright green eyes focused on him “You have allies, strong and cunning ones. You aren’t in this fight alone, not only do I doubt that your guild will abandon you and him but you and them are part of the Seven Dezol Legions now.” He turned to Sly “He is also family.” Eyes almost burning he grinned “And damn us all if after all we’ve been through we’d just give Chaoz up! Less so to a detested Lich!”

Dagon turned to stare back at Kyle “I shall make sure father and the other lords understand. This war against the Elves is meaningless, if we are to survive we must unite.”

Kyle nodded “Thank you…” he turned to look back at Karnage “Both of you, I’m afraid I’ll have to count on that and just that…” clenching his hands around the table’s edge he glanced at Durin “I’m sorry to keep you waiting, but I’m ready to begin-”

“No you aren’t, not in this state.” Replied Durin with a chuckle as he watched Kyle barely keeping himself standing “Rest some more first.” He glanced at Sly on the table “You have much to think about too.”

Kyle nodded sadly, pushing away from the table he sat down on the chair behind him with a thud. He sighed “How do I explain this to the others…” he wondered out loud.

“I’ll do it, I’ll go back and tell everyone.” said Karnage as she also stared down at Sly’s back, guilt and mild fear painting her expression briefly before she looked up to meet Kyle’s confused expression “My skill, it’s…versatile. When It’s cooldown is over I’ll go back.” she quickly explained with little detail then glanced away from him.

(“He called her a Witch…”) Kyle thought back to what Scythe had called each of them, not feeling in the mood to poke in further he simply nodded after saying “I’ll leave it to you then.” Laying his head to the back of the chair he felt as if a blade had been removed from his chest, not everything was lost…not just yet.

Still drained from the fight, having both his mana and stamina forced out of himself, Kyle felt his consciousness wane away. The rush of panic and anger that he woke up with gone, with his energy still on the low Kyle fell back asleep.

Karnage watched as he dozed off, having only been half a dozen hours since they returned she didn’t blame him for still being tired. After all her own passive skills made her an exception in that regard, as much as she wanted to fall asleep too she already felt full of energy and ready for another fight.

“I shall be returning to the land of the living then.” Said Dagon as he turned to Terrance and Durin “Thank you for having me, Founders of Kori.” Giving them both a military bow he turned away “He will be returned to my-“ he coughed catching himself ”his healthier vessel before the hour.” then dissipated into green smoke.

“Best we move him to a more appropriate resting place?” said Terrance as he gestured at Kyle “How about you?” he then asked Karnage.

She glanced up at him slightly confused “Yeah…sure.”

Terrance nodded, a slight mischievous smirk barely visible through his facial hair “We shall watch the ailed one, rest up.” Before flicking his fingers and both adventurers disappeared into thin air.

“Will you show yourself now?” asked Durin while glancing over at a corner in the room.

“Ever the perceptive one.” Celica groaned in annoyance as she suddenly appeared, walking over to the table she began to inspect Sly’s wounds “This Scythe is…powerful.”

“Which is why we must guide him to a better path than the one he threads.” said Terrance as he watched Sly’s body suddenly glow a mild violet before dimming back “Quick one that Devil…” he mumbled before turning to Durin “Dispose of the ailed body, the curse is attached to both and we mustn’t let it spread.”

Durin nodded respectfully and approached the table, laying both palms over the now soulless body the last founder focused his mana into the corpse. Rapidly, like water freezing over the body was not only engulfed in but changed to blue crystal before condensing and contorting on itself shrinking down into a small blue sphere the size of a fist. Within the sphere a thick green mist floated aimlessly inside.

Durin grasped the sphere carefully with one hand, raising it to eyelevel he sighed and said “To the catacombs with this I fear…” before disappearing into thin air.

Celica turned to Terrance “Tell me truly, what are his chances of finishing his training before it’s too late?”

Terrance briefly glanced at her before glancing away, waving his left palm ahead of them a crystal surface – like a mirror floating in mid-air- formed and shone a bright green shortly. As the mirror’s shine died down a scene displayed itself inside the crystal surface, Ymir sitting on his throne with an aura of frost emanating out from his massive body and oozing down onto the shape of a much much smaller being.

“I am doing my best to keep him whole, yet the child seems to insist on breaking.” Ymir chuckled as his aura of frost enveloped the small creature ahead of himself, a blue fox with long ears and two tails, it’s fur covered in white twisting lines standing on edge as it’s long white claws and sharp fangs bared and frenzied similar to it’s wide open eyes warped in anger and fury. The small fox was completely frozen, seemingly in time as it lay completely immobile within the frost.

“Although after what he’s seen, what he’s been through. I do not blame him.” Ymir added as he looked up from the fox and into the mirror at them both.

“Fixing this will take time.” Said Terrance with a long sigh.

“How long would it take Scythe to find another way out of that realm?” Celica asked as she stared at the projection of Kyle’s soul, unable to look away as the pain and guilt gripped onto her tightly.

Ymir’s eyes hardened as he spoke “If Scythe wishes for a way to travel through realms he will require one of many species, a newly changed Devil would be the easiest to control but those are very rare. He could find Devillings among the discarded and force them to change but he will mostly end up with Hellhounds as a result.

Yet there are creatures in that dump that not even I can remember. The power to travel between realms is not as uncommon as one would think, with enough training even a simple human like Draxxer managed it albeit his short sightedness on his ability to.” Ymir huffed, almost a snort as he held his face “All in all…it only comes down to math. To have enough mana to break through the veil…to have something that can affect the veil and something to work as a connection to your destination. That is all he needs.”

Celica grimaced “So the Devil was only plan A…He has the mana and the artefact so all he really needs, something or someone to act as a connection to Chaoz...”

“Indeed, he needs someone of the realm he wishes to visit. Someone or something that has a connection from there…it can be any summoned that has a body-vessel on Chaoz or…” Terrance stopped briefly, scratching his long moustache “Someone or something that was banished to that realm from Chaoz.”

“A week.” Said Ymir gaining both Terrance and Celica’s attention “We have at most a week.”

In another room, minutes before.

Karnage opened her eyes as reality suddenly shifted before her, teleportation wasn’t something someone got used to easily. As the vision of the room before disappeared a single face came into her view, pale and weary Kyle’s face filled her sight causing her to flinch. With a mild yelp, she suddenly surged back and crashed into the wall sideways, ending up on the floor.

She picked herself up and glanced around, finding herself inside another room made of blue crystal, same as the buildings outside. A single bed lay on the other side of the room, the one Kyle currently lay on, the one she had also appeared on.

“Damn geezer…” she mumbled under her breath as her heart-rate slowly recovered, standing up fully she glanced over at the bed where Kyle slept. She took a step forward but found herself stopping there, unable to approach further. It was as if her body had frozen, as if her very instincts told her to turn away and stay away.

She stared and watched as he slept peacefully, pale and weary yes but still a complete opposite of what he looked like hours before. Kyle looked entirely defenceless now. Yet she still regarded him with caution, remembering as she stood there what she had seen.

Crystal Kingdom of Kori, Library’s front

Karnage’s reminiscing

7 hours ago.

Karnage rolled through the ground after being thrown into the portal, the dirt and grass squashed under her weight as she tumbled to a stop. Drained and powerless, turning herself over was all her body was capable of at this point. She glanced around as people with animalistic features ran over to her and Kyle to her left.

“Close the por-!” exclaimed Durin.

But was hastily cut off by Kyle “Don’t!” he shouted with mana filling his voice. Karnage watched as he pulled himself to standing, barely able to hold himself as his legs trembled below him he stared at the portal. So she did the same, glancing to the side at the white mass of light.

Suddenly a green hue flared out of the portal, a green mist that in several tendrils lashed out randomly. Karnage watched as a tendril struck out at Kyle, swooping down onto him as he stared up at it in surprise.

A flash of red light burst out from the corner of her eyes as Celica suddenly appeared engulfed in crimson flames, pushing Kyle to the side with her shoulder she took the brunt of the mist’s swipe. The front of her clothes were torn apart as a green oozing scar formed over her chest at the tendril’s end passing over and through.

Celica screamed in agony as the scar glowed a dangerous green, she fell to her knees, her expression warped in pain as tears flooded out. Kyle tried to stand up to rush to her side only to fall back as his strength left him, his mana having long run out as he tried to surge his stamina also went down to zero.

Karnage briefly watched as Kyle reached out to an agonized Celica when suddenly the portal flashed again, a massive body of black scales collapsed through as it’s back oozed a green mist. The moment the body hit the ground it exploded into dark violet smoke, immediately dissipating it revealed Sly laying face down on the ground.

His eyes were rolled back into his head, his expression one of sheer agony as his back lay open and fleshless for all to see. Green mist oozed out of the large wound where not only his spine but also organs were fully visible, the skin surrounding it seemed to turn green and grow cracks.

He seemed dead.

A cackling voice came through the portal “Bring him back to me, Blue fox. Only I can save him now.” spoke Scythe “Or is the Devil of no consequence to you? Are your allies that repl-”

Reality trembled forcing everyone to cover their ears and hit the ground, as a shriek so loud reverberated through the air that itself shook. A continuous monstrous scream that brought out a chilling fear into all that heard it, as it slowly changed the shriek became a booming roar now making the ground quake.

Karnage held onto her ears as she trembled on the ground, fear like she had never felt before filling her entirely. She watched from where the sound had come from, she watched as Kyle stood facing the portal completely changed.

Mouth agape like a roaring dragon, Kyle’s skin became covered in white glowing lines, his hair stood on edge and ablaze in Frostfire, his two tails expanded as their white fur also gained a design of blueish lines. His teeth had entirely changed to fangs, his hands and feet warped growing fur becoming beast-like as his claws scraped the ground below him.

His eyes, the whites having turned entirely black as his silver irises turned white while in the very middle of them was a blue flame-like pupil. If it wasn’t apparent yet, once the creature spoke it became so, “I will destroy you…” that Kyle had snapped.

The creature repeated itself this time louder than before “I WILL DESTROY YOU!” sending ripples of blue flame through the air around it, it’s voice a combination of shattering glass and crackling fire. The ground continued to quake as an aura of cold fear continued to envelope it’s surroundings, making it difficult for anybody to stand or act.

Slowly, as if held back by it’s own weight the creature approached the portal “Piece by piece…I will shred you…tear you apart…piece by piece I will enjoy the taste of your soul as I devour it over eternity to come…”

Suddenly as it did so explosions of frost blasted through the ground all around it, through each explosion appeared a white chain seemingly made of ice. The chains engulfed the creature, wrapping themselves around it’s arms, legs, tails and waist before also entangling around themselves.

It shrieked and roared, it’s aura of cold that emanated fear turning into a warm burning aura of hate. “THE TORTURE I SHALL INFLICT UPON WILL BE ENDLESS!” it continued to scream out at the portal “All your fears…ALL YOUR GUILT! All your painful losses…With each bite you will remember it all…WITH EACH MOMENT I SHALL DROWN YOU IN TRUE DESPAIR!”

The chains forced it to the ground yet it continued to resist, it continued to shout “YOU WILL BEG ME TO END YOU!”. It’s expression wasn’t one of hate or anger, not one of sadness or pain. “And instead I shall only put you back together to do it all over again…” it’s expression was one of maddened pleasure “OVER AND OVER AGAIN!”.

Karnage couldn’t stand to watch, having long looked away from the emerged monster and hugged her legs up to her face. As she trembled in fear on the ground, all she could do now was listen. Then suddenly the sound stopped, the screaming ended, the aura of cold dissipated. The fear that had appeared on it’s own disappeared but it didn’t leave her unaffected.

She was still unable to stand, unable to open her eyes. She didn’t want to see, she didn’t want to know. She was too terrified to find out, too afraid of the monster nearby to look around. Even flinching as a warm hand suddenly yet gently grasped her left arm.

“Hey hey, it’s okay now. It’s over.” Spoke Celica from above her.

Karnage cautiously peeked through to see Celica standing above her, her chest bare from the shredded clothing but the scar nowhere to be seen. “H-how?” her voice cracked and stumbled.

Celica smiled as she traced the skin where her injury once lay with her free hand “Being a guide has it’s perks I guess…I’m fine but…” she glanced back and spoke sadly “That was too close….”

Karnage followed Celica’s eyes to see. Misty frost rose all around him as Kyle lay on the ground unconscious, his form returned to normal as the chains and shackles of ice melted around him. By his side stood Durin and several other founders joined by a large cloaked figure, wearing black and green leather armour and a long tattered black cloak very little of the massive man was visible.

“Did he break?” asked Durin with a tired tone, having taken his all to supress the fear from enveloping him “Have we lost him master Loki?”

Loki shook his head as he spoke, his voice everchanging and tone never the same making it hard to understand “No…He is not whole but not scattered just yet. Ymir held him together-”

The door suddenly opened snapping Karnage out of her thoughts, she found herself backed up to the wall hugging her arms around her chest tightly. A cold sweat ran down her back, her hands trembled uncontrollably as she remembered. (“Why…why am I so?...”) lost in her thoughts once again she seemed to have forgotten what had snapped her out the first time.

Celica sighed from where she stood in the doorway, causing Karnage to snap out of her thoughts again and flinch back “I don’t blame you for being afraid child, monsters are at their most horrifying at birth.”

“Huh?” Karnage was staring at her now, the trembling in her hands had stopped but the underlying fear was still there.

Celica approached the bed and sat down next to Kyle’s sleeping form “We almost lost him yet he won’t remember a thing, thanks to Ymir’s intervention he still stands a chance.” Her expression was solemn but she couldn’t hide the pain and guilt in her tone “If I hadn’t let him go…he would of lost his friend and given Scythe what he wanted…but I did and now this…”

Celica chuckled weakly “Tell me child do you believe in fate?”

Karnage stared at her, confused and feeling out of place she couldn’t understand where that question came from “Fate?...”

“Fate, that each one of us is destined to something. That our paths have already been written in stone, that our future has already been determined.” Celica explained as she turned to look at Kyle’s sleeping form “I was once told that this child is fated to crumble, that he’s destined to darkness. I didn’t believe that creature.”

She sighed whilst gently pulling one of Kyle’s tails off his face “Now I’m not so sure…maybe there really is nothing I can do from stopping him, from becoming just like it. Maybe no matter how much I push and pull he cannot stray away from that path…”

“Then why is he still here?” Karnage asked as her stare had fallen to the floor “What’s the point of letting us struggle if we’ve already lost to begin with?”

Celica turned to face Karnage again “I don’t believe in fate, destiny whatever. It’s all bullshit. We choose for ourselves, what actions we take, what decisions we make. Others can and will influence us, others will make us change but in the end it’s our choice, it’s our path to build.” the older woman wore an expression of wise understanding as she listened to Karnage’s response.

“Then why are you leaving?” Celica then asked causing Karnage to flinch again.

“To tell the others...so they can prepar-” Karnage whispered her broken reply.

Celica cut her off “That’s a lie.” causing her to look up in surprise.

“It’s…” Karnage didn’t know how to respond, she hadn’t expected her to be so straight forward.

Celica chuckled “You’re terrified of him, aren’t you?” she asked causing Karnage to flinch back, the Kitsune’s eyes shining a dim red as she spoke “You’re afraid of what he could become, afraid of the monster that lays inside him.”

Karnage couldn’t respond, she simply stared at her speechless as the fear in her chest tightened it’s grasp.

“It is okay to be afraid child, he is terrified of it too.” said Celica as she leaned back and stared down at Kyle’s pale face “Isn’t he?”

Karnage felt like Celica had just slapped her across the face (“He is…he is afraid of it too…”) she thought remembering what he had said and she herself had told him back then, barely a day ago “I won’t end up another corpse…” she whispered.

“What was that?” asked Celica with a raised brow and a knowing smile.

“We’re…both afraid of the same thing…” replied Karnage, the fear in her chest slowly subsiding.

Celica stood up from the bedside and stretched her arms around “And you both don’t want that thing to come out again, right?” she asked after moving to stand by the door.

Karnage shook her head “No…” a weak smile on her face.

“Then go back and tell them all to prepare.” Celica told her as she pushed open the door ”This fool has fought off fate for long enough, it won’t stop him now.” then left the room leaving Karnage to her thoughts.