Kira rested her gun on her shoulder, examining the various pillars that surrounded each side of the walkway. Before her stood Ellie, who held her sword by her side, her left hand clenched in a fist.

"You certainly have weird tastes," Kira said, absorbing herself in the gloomy décor of the room, the various pillars that seemed to have sprung from beneath the earth. "Four years and our reunion's been in a dark ruin at the bottom of a valley and now in a dark forest."

"Sorry. I wasn't expecting you to come," Ellie spoke.

"Cause you sent that crying guy ta kill me." Kira shrugged, "Kinda hurt ya did. If ya wanted ta play hard to get, should'a just come yourself."

"Yes, asking Helpono to sink that ship was desperate on my part," Ellie said, bringing up her left hand. "But.... I was afraid that if I saw you again.... My resolve would waver."

She raised her hand higher, until her view of Kira could be seen between her fingers, "But now... with you right in front of me," her hand clenched into a fist, "I feel..... nothing."

Kira lowered her rifle, looking hurt by Ellie's declaration. But she didn't show it. Part of her knew that this would be the case, that the rift that had grown was so wide that all chances of saving her friend were long gone.

"Kira... I do love you." Ellie said, lowering her arm. "But.... I can't keep living in that world anymore."

She then raised her sword, pointing the tip directly at Kira. "I can't turn back now, not when the key to my freedom finally within reach."

"Ellie....." Kira did not show any signs of her grief, her sadness, "You know I can't let you do this...." Her rifle rose, aiming the barrel at Ellie. In response, Ellie swiped out her sword to her side,

Sorry Allisa.....

Swallowed by the void

"Where... am I?"

Allisa strove forwards. She couldn't remember how or why, but for some reason, she was walking through a deep mist, traveling on a crystal-clear body of water, trading the surface without ever breaching through.

"Hello! Is anyone there?" Allisa called out again, her voice echoing across the empty void. She counted walking forwards, feeling the solid water beneath her boots, recalling the previous time she had ever set foot after being pierced through the heart by Garlahad. The whole thing and how she survived still confounded her.

This time, she was sure she hadn't suffered a fatal wound, or at least she was sure that wasn't the case. Her and Kira had just defeated the demon and were on their way to defeat Yensin and Ellie. All of a sudden, Kira grabbed a hold of her and strangled her.

Kira.... Why did you....?

She couldn't help but think back to the previous night when Kira asked to accompany the party. She couldn't help but remember the look Kira had when she talked about Ellie, how forceful she was in coming with the party despite the danger, and the anger she displayed back in the village.

"..... I have to get out of here,"

Allisa glanced around, "Arthur! Are you there?!" She called out. "Arthur! I know you're there! I need to get back! I have to-"

A strong wind blew against Allisa, causing her to bring up her arms. The mist rolled over her as the winds cascaded around her like an ocean.

As she gently opened her eyes, she saw the mist had cleared to a bizarre, yet beautiful scene that Allisa could not help but gawk. Before her, hanging from a lake that seemed to be suspended in the sky was a large temple, a circular building that looked like a mixture of ancient Greek or Roman on one hand, with the other half being unknown in its sentry with large, emerald crystals jutting from its base. Four pillars of water fell from the inverted lake, connecting the bottom lake that Allisa walked on.

"Whoa...."

Raising from the lake, small rainbow-colored flys began to emerge, lighting the strange scene with their majestic glow. Allisa couldn't help but smile in wonder, watching the small lights fly past her. As she turned her head, she noticed a figure standing a few miles away from her.

"Huh? H-Hey!" Allisa ran up to the figure. As she got close, she saw it was a woman, standing at the water surface, looking up at the inverted temple, downing a long, silky white dress that matched her white hair, pointed ears jutting from the locks.

Looking at this figure, Allisa couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. As she got closer and closer, she realized she had seen her before. The strange figure who had led her and Meracle to Löwe Höhle. "E-Excuse me,"

"This place.... It always brought me solace." The woman spoke, her voice sounding distant. "In a distant memory.... I remember staring at the abyss, the blackest pits of despair. Yet through that, this scene, the sight of what I hold most dear, it kept my sense of self, refusing to give into the darkness."

The woman turned around, showing off her young face, a blue diamond embedded in her forehead, giving Allisa a warm smile. "At last we finally meet, Allisa Reed."

"... You know my name?" Allisa asked.

"But of course," the woman bowed, "You are the successor to the great hero Arthur, one blessed by the goddess herself."

"Uh... Yeah, that's me," Allisa said, not sounding sure of how to feel. At no point in the three months did she ever feel 'blessed,' bar from the times she narrowly escaped death. "Wait.... if someone I don't know is here, then....." Slowly, she glanced then glanced upwards at the inverted temple in the distance, "Is this.... My soul?"

Allisa recalled the last time she was in a strange location after losing consciousness, a fiery inferno overflowing with lava. In comparison, the inverted temple was far more tranquil, yet possessed an aura of sorrow in the atmosphere.

"In a way it is," The woman said, following Allisa's gaze to the inverted temple, "albeit a space influenced my echo, an effect brought on by Excalibur."

Allisa glanced back to the woman, who seemed distant. Looking at her up close, there was a greater sense of familiarity, as she had seen this woman somewhere, through someone's eyes.

"Ah! I apologize, I realize I did not introduce myself." The woman turned to face Allisa, holding her hands together. "My name is Rina, the Lady of the Lake."

"Rina?" Allisa's eyes widened. "Wait... as in the elf from Arthur's memories?"

"Memories?" Rina crooked her head.

"Y-Yeah! You know, the dreams I've been getting." Allisa pointed at her head. "When I was here last time, Arthur told me my dreams are his memories that have been... uh, fragmented,"

"Hmmm," Rina put a hand to her cheek. "Ah, I see now." She reached out slowly with her left hand, gently touching the nervous Allisa in the center of her forehead.

"Wh-What are you-?" Allisa stuttered, taken aback by Rina's strange actions.

"Yes, it must be an effect from Excalibur's power," Rina continued, lowering her hand from the bewildered Allisa. "I had known the weapon had differences from regular spirit weapons, yet I never truly understood."

"Uh... Spirit weapon?" Allisa gently rubbed her forehead. She had recalled Kira telling her about such weapons on the way to Cataka, referring Excalibur as such.

"Wh-Hold on! I don't have time for this!" Eyes suddenly widening, she glanced to the giant temple in the distance.

"I gotta get back," she declared as she charged forwards to the inverted temple. "Everyone.... Is counting on me...."

Kira.... Ellie.... I can't let that.... Huh?

As Allisa ran to the temple hanging above her, something peculiar occurred. It started when Allisa noticed subtly what seemed to be the temple descending down towards her just as a feeling of weightlessness overcame her. Looking down, she noticed her feet were beginning to lift gently from the water at her feet, hovering up into the air.

"I'm.... Floating?"

The distance between Allisa and the water she was walking on began to increase, the speed gently increasing, the ground below getting further and further away.

"No I'm FAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Allisa screamed as she began falling upwards into the sky, flailing her arms as she 'plummeted' towards the water hanging in the sky.

As she squalled, the water below getting closer and closer, another bizarre event occurred. Allisa's ascent began to slow, her center of gravity shifting, forcing her to summersault mid-air, slowing to nearly a halt a few meters from the water's surface before finishing the drop, her boots gently touching down on the water's surface.

Glancing up, she saw the temple she was walking towards was now right before her. Up close, was far larger then Allisa first perceived, the archway that was the entrance towering over her. Connected was a bridge that stretched out from the entrance over a gaping crevasse so deep it was impossible to gaze at the bottom. Surrounding it, the rainbow sparks floated in swarms around the temple, circling around the pillars of water.

"Wh-How?" Allisa back, gazing up (or down) at the water where she fell (or ascended) from. "What with this place?"

Regardless of the bizarre physics of the world, she was now standing at the precipice of the inverted temple, the only building she could see from miles.

With nowhere to go, Allisa strove forwards towards the structure, transitioning off the solid water to the bridge over the dark abyss.

Throb!

It wasn't until Allisa got half way as the sharp pain in her head returned. "N-No... Not..."

Throb!

Collapsing to her knees, Allisa grasped her head, feeling as though it were about to split open at any point.

"I-I... AHHH!!"

A wave of pain shot through her being, the throbbing in her head getting worse and worse. Around her, the scene began to weave and distort, an eiry blackness flowing like ink, looking like a burn in a photograph. At the archway, the darkness began to spill forth like ink, swerving like a vestige of darkness.

"Wh-What's...." Allisa gritted her teeth, unaware of the distortion around her. Voices began to bombard around her, sounds she could not hope to identify in a deafening crescendo. All she could do was curl up, mouth wide, hands over her ears in a silent scream as the noise became louder, the pain became worse, unbearable. The noise unbearable, loud, the pain-the pain-pain-pahagjgieonafidknaioerjuerneowufiodsnfao-

"Yee se na tooshife, nnneshii fe forrr daaa,"

"?!" Allisa gasped, the pain she felt suddenly subsided. The noise began to die out by a gentle melody sung in a tongue unfamiliar to her. The distorted world around her began to subside, returning to its tranquil state.

Still gasping for air, Allisa turned around to see the source of the mysterious song. Walking up to her was a concerned Rina, letting out a sigh of relief. "That was close. It seems those episodes are getting far worse,"

"R-Rina...?" Allisa stood up, still clutching her head. "Wh-What's happening to me?"

Rina bowed her head. "It seems to be an effect from Excalibur."

Allisa slowly stood up, still clutching her head.

"A part of Excalibur's ability is to absorb mana, using it as a base of the weapon's power. That is a key characteristic of the weapon. However, there are risks," Rina gently walked past Allisa, striving towards the edge of the bridge. "Mana is more than just energy, it is the very essence of the soul. To take in a foreign entity means absorbing parts of another's soul,"

"Another's soul?" Allisa said, sounding confused. "Y-You mean.... The dreams?"

"Precisely." Rina's gaze drifted towards the temple, "Even this soul scape, a place which should form after your own experience and memories, is one influenced by my echo."

"This is.... your's?" Allisa glanced at the temple. Thinking back on the situation, she recalled where she met Arthur, a plain of water and clear skies. She recalled Azure Flame, a blazing inferno of flame and lava. She recalled the horrible battlefield with a swamp of bodies.

"But gathering power from foreign mana poses a risk," Rina continued. "It's a clash of your consciousness over those that dwell within the sword, their past selves bleeding into your being."

"Bleeding?"

"Allisa Reed, tell me, have you ever wielded a sword before in your life?"

"N-No...." Allisa thought back to the first time she wielded Excalibur, the sudden rush that she felt against the assassin on that fateful night, how her body moved as though she had always wielded a sword. It wasn't the only time. Her awakening and her fight with Garlahad, releasing the full power of her sword for the first time. "Are you saying all of that came from Arthur?"

"Not completely, but the foundations of your fighting style seem to be from that effect."

Raising her right hand, Allisa was unsure of how to feel about such a reveal. She always thought it seemed off that there were times, particularly in her early days, where she felt a sense of familiarity with her sword, as though she had swung the blade multiple times. A part of her thought it was due to her effort, or some latent talent. But if Rina could be believed, such a talent may not have been hers to begin with.

"You... you mentioned risks?" Allisa asked, shrugging off the thoughts to focus on what seemed the most concerning.

"Ah, yes," Rina bowed her head. "Based on the resonance I feel with Excalibur, you have four separate echoes residing in the blade, mixing into your mana.

"His Majesty, King Arthur, or a form of him from a begotten time.

"The ancient dragon, Azure Flame."

"Myself... and one other that seems to have come after me," Rina mused at the final point, trying to identify the individual with no success. "Arthur possessed a constitution which separated his consciousness from the echoes within the sword. If I remember correctly conversing with Merlin, he had a small mana level, which made him compatible to acquire such power with ease.

"Allisa, you have a high mana level even before claiming the blessing of the goddess but possess a weak constitution. With the power already present in the sword, the danger of such would be the complete destruction of your mind."

"My.... WHHAAAA?!!!" Allisa grasped her head, a look of panic sweeping over her. "Y-You mean I'm actually gonna lose my mind?! Why didn't anyone say anything about this?!! So all these headaches I've been getting is my brain literally about to explode?! WHY THE HELL DID NO ONE BRING THIS UP BEFORE?!!! WHAHAAA I'M ACTUALLY GONNA LOSE MY MIND!!"

"Fret not," Rina spoke, raising a hand to interrupt Allisa before she had a full-blown panic attack. "Something has been done to ensure such a thing does not happen."

"Huh?" Allisa glanced up, still holding her head as a sign she hadn't completely calmed down. "Y-You mean.... I'm not going to die....?"

"I'm.... not certain of it myself," Rina mused; putting a finger to her lips as she looked puzzled by the situation as much as Allisa was. "But.... Someone seems to have placed an enchantment on you which acts as a barrier to prevent such an outcome."

"An.... Enchantment?" Allisa slowly lowered her hands. "Like a spell?"

"Yes, one that seems to have been used as a barrier to prevent such a fate. I sensed it when I touched you back then, it is..... peculiar." Rina lowered her hand. "It seems to have been placed upon you at a young age, before you even came into contact with Excalibur's power."

"Wha-" Allisa looked more puzzled then Rina. She recalled Arthur telling her she was chosen when she turned thirteen, something she still found hard to believe. "A-Are you saying it was placed on me when I was.... When I was chosen?"

Rina shook her head. "It appears even older than that, as though someone knew you would be the next chosen."

".... Wh-what?" Allisa put a hand to her forehead, thinking back on who could have possibly done such a thing. As hard as she could think, she was certain she had never seen anything out of the ordinary in her life before receiving Excalibur besides her bizarre dreams.

Just when I thought this couldn't get any weirder...

"However, due to recent events, it seems the enchantment has been damaged." Rina continued, causing Allisa to stare back at her. "That's the cause of what you have been experiencing so far."

".... What do you mean damaged?"

"I'm uncertain, my echo had yet to fully manifest yet I do remember a strange noise, one that penetrated deep into your soul. After that sound, the enchantment cracked, and those cracks begin to grow.

"If left alone, the enchantment will be broken and all the mana it was holding back would flood into your body,"

"A-And shatter my mind?" Allisa gulped. At first, she thought it was an effect from Arthur's memories (Which in part turned out to be true) but ever since the Alchemist incident, they had been getting noticeably worse with each dream accompanied by a headache.

On the journey, however, her headaches began getting much worse, to the extent that she was considering if there was something wrong with her. Never did she realize how serious it was, "S-So how do I fix it?"

"You will need to inherit my power, the power of the Lady in the Lake. That should at least reinforce the enchantment," Rina turned, staring directly at the temple.

Allisa followed Rina's gaze, staring at the intimidating temple before her. "Wait, I still don't-" She turned to where Rina was standing, only to find her gone. Looking around, she saw no traces of her, as though she had completely vanished. "Never mind,"

Letting out a sigh, Allisa resumed her pace along the bridge, making her way towards the giant temple that dominated her view. Her walk remained unhindered, crossing the vast abyss below, the rainbow flies floating around, leaving trails of sparks.

Eventually, she found her way across the bridge, up a flight of stairs, crossing into the threshold of the dark temple. As she walked, everything went black. No light or color could be seen as Allisa trudged on in a tangible blackness where only her own body could be seen. She wasn't sure how long she walked until she finally saw a door in the blackness, an ornate wooden structure with blue paint and flowers that resembled lilies. Opening the door, she came across a large circular room with a domed roof with a single walkway that stopped halfway across.

Below was water, which seemed to submerge the lower half of the room. The water seemed strange, letting out a strange light that illuminated the room in a dim pattern. Far below, a single light could be seen.

"Guess that's where I gotta go," Allisa crouched at the end of the walkway, gazing down into the water below. She got back to her feet, taking a few steps back while taking in a deep breath before running forwards, jumping off the edge.

Her body slammed into the water, breaching the surface. Completely submerged, an invisible force continued to drag Allisa down through the depths.

Yet despite that, Allisa felt a strange calmness overcoming her. Eye's opened wide, she loosened her body, allowing the water to carry her along, her blond hair waved and weaved, her arms stretched out to her sides. The state of calm she felt, she couldn't remember the last time she ever felt such a state of tranquillity.

The light below grew brighter and brighter, eventually, Allisa could see the end of the long descent. Her senses returning, Allisa turned her body in the water at the end of the decent drew near, seeing a circular floor below.

Her body splashed through a thin membrane of water, falling a short distance before touching down. She found herself in another dome room, landing on a smooth floor that shone with a glimpse of aquamarine. Above her was the surface of the water she had fallen through, suspending above against all forms of logic and reason.

Given her experience so far, Allisa knew questioning such bizarre logic was pointless in this place. What puzzled her was at what seemed to be the exit to the room she was in stood Rina.

"How did you get ahead of me?" Allisa asked, knowing that such a question was utterly pointless.

Rina responded with a chuckle, "You ask quite a lot of questions."

Allisa let out a deep sigh, realizing the volume of questions she had bombarded the elf with. "In my defence, I have no idea what's going on."

Glancing around she saw the wall begin to move, swerve like ink on canvas. From the liquid surface, bright shapes began to emerge, forming themselves into the inverted temple.

"And just when I thought this place couldn't get any weirder...." Allisa approached the mural, examining the structure that formed above. More shapes began to take shape, making out the image of a plateau with four waterfalls flowing down into an inky sea. "So this is what this place is."

"Ark ven," Rina said, approaching the mural. "A temple in Aquia, one dedicated to the upholding of the Goddess prophecy."

"The... Prophecy?" Allisa recalled Junbi mentioning something similar.

Transfixed on the temple, Rina took in a deep breath as though to soothe her soul.

"The darkness, the all-consuming entity that devours.

The light, the gentle embrace,

Two entities, two wills, two beings in constant conflict.

The power of the dark, the blade of oblivion, rip the world asunder, herald of the god of chaos,

The realm of nothing, encroaches that which exists, threatening to continue to consume all,

Yet in the blackest of nights, a light shine, a beacon of the goddess, being of harmony beckons forth.

With light, the chosen of the goddess sets forth to do battle, the ever-growing darkness that encroaches onto all.

Thy path long, thy battle many, the Pathfinder seeks the light, ensuring hope remains,

At the precipice, thy'n pathfinder shall guide thy chosen to the beacon of light.

There, thy shall be granted the chose, Salvation, or destruction."

After reciting, Rina turned to Allisa, "That is the Goddess prophecy."

"Salvation..... or destruction?" Allisa stood back, looking as though the answer she wanted to know rose far more questions then she was hoping for. "Just.... What does any of that even mean?"

"To be honest, the prophecy itself is shrouded in mystery. No one knows where it began, nor who transcribed the verses." Rina continued. "Even its meaning is cryptic, but the beginning refers to Saruin, the dark entity that tore words asunder. Yet the second refers to some form of salvation, a chosen and a pathfinder."

Allisa glanced back to the mural, which began to swerve, the picture becoming distorted before being consumed by the inky blackness. "But.... That last part?"

Rina sighed as she began walking away, towards the exit of the room. "That I do not know. Perhaps the biggest mystery of all," She spoke as Allisa ran to her side, keeping up to pace with her. The two entered a dark corridor, one devoid of most light, yet emitted a dim glow that centered on Allisa and Rina. As they walked, the darkness became mitigated, revealing the stonewalls of ancient design.

"Those who convey the prophecy are most concerned by what it may entail. Prophecies are a tale of fate, of a future that is unavoidable as though written by the invisible hands of time. Yet the Goddess Prophecy ends on such uncertainty that betrays its own meaning, but I believe that It refers to a choice between the chosen and the Pathfinder." Rina continued as they walked. "What that choice is, I do not know."

All of a sudden, the corridor ended into another large domed room with a similar inky canvas like the first. Allisa's gaze focused on the canvas, and in response, stones began to emerge from the blackness, each of a different color; Blue, Red, Gold, Green, Purple and White.

As Allisa approached, they swerved around, forming into six figures, each made up of the collared blocks, arranging in a circle.

"This temple was an ancient center in Aquia, dedicated to seeking those the prophecy spoke of," Rina explained as she approached. "In my time, the world was in a never-ending cycle of war."

On the opposite was, more blocks rose, forming depictions of battles.

"Death, disparity, suffering.... At the time it seemed never-ending."

More images emerged in shapes that seemed to defy logic and thought, horrible entities, mixed with thorns.

"At the same time, though all of this, monsters and creatures of nightmare seeped through, beings of one they refer to as the King of Thorns,"

The image of the six girls suddenly shifted, with the six forming a circle around a central point where a butterfly-shaped block emerged. "Yet, for my sisters, we found hope. Through the Fairy Comite, we discovered that the Goddess Light had descended on a mortal from another world, the Goddess Chosen."

More shapes began to emerge, forming another circle around the six broken up by runes. "Overjoyed we were, we knew the only way to stop the madness that ensnared our world was to bring this hero of light over to our world. So we conducted a ritual to summon this hero, one that would save our world from the chaos."

"Really?" Allisa gazed at the mural, letting out a small smile. "That sounds like those stories I used to read when I was a kid."

Rina returned a curious gaze.

"Oh, they’re books in my world like that. You had this ordinary boy who gets transported to another world where he becomes the hero. Although.... A lot of them involve girls falling in love with him, stuff like that.”

"Ha ha, they certainly sound similar to what we tried to do, summon the hero from another world" Rina chuckled. However, when her gaze fell back on the mural, her expression darkened. "..... But our ritual backfired."

"Backfired?"

"Rather than summoning the hero to save our world,"

Allisa looked back at the mural and saw the shapes and symbols beginning to slip back into the inky blackness.

"This temple... my sisters... even myself... were swallowed up by the void." Her final words hung as the six figures began to break apart, drifting away as they sunk into the ink which moved with a strange momentum, forming dark hands as it dragged the pieces down, adherent, frightful faces forming in the darkness.

Watching, Allisa couldn't help but flinch, feeling disturbed by the movement of the inky canvas. "T-The void?" She asked, almost afraid to know what it was.

"It is a space that exists between worlds, a place of nothingness, a sea of true darkness where no ray of lights can penetrate," Rina said as she brushed a hand over the inky surface, which responded with more unsightly faces. "The worlds exist on a truly fragile state. Since the time of Saruin, the void has only grown, continuously consuming worlds, slowly infecting them with fissures and cracks that form within reality itself."

Shapes began to form figures who Allisa believed to be people being assailed by other figures of unnatural design along with the shady images from the ink, forming scenes that caused Allisa to back up, putting her hand over her mouth, eyes widened with shock.

"Those who fall into the void, rarely return," Rina said as she walked on to another figure which seemed human in form, yet with other shapes perturbing from its arms, with more screaming faces forming around. "And those who return are less of who they were, nothing more than a twisted remnant desperately clinging on to who they were."

The figure then descended as Allisa recovered from her shock, looking back to Rina who had her back turned to her. "B-But.... You... you found a way out, right?"

"Yes.... Though I'm not quite certain how. My memories of that time have long vanished from my mind," She said, keeping her back turned to Allisa as an expression of deep sorrow overcame her. "Yet... I recall a strange yet comforting warmth, a radiance that seemed to guide me from that pit.

"I would not say I was in complete grasp of my actions, as when I finally regained my senses I found myself in a dungeon." She then turned back to Allisa with a smile, "That's where I was able to meet Arthur, and with lord Merlin's assistance, and of course with Comite, we were able to return to Avalon."

Rina made her way to the second entrance of the room as the murals began to fade away. Allisa ran after her as they entered another dark corridor.

"I believe you've seen what transpired through Arthur's memories,"

"Uh... yeah," Allisa thought back on the visions, trying to piece together the narrative. "Something about a mad king of Rosaria.... Prince Fredrik..... An attack at Terra..... Infiltrating Riser..."

"Seems you have a grasp on the situation," Rina said with relief. "King Rudolf had long been driven mad. I do not know much of the human world but I recall Fredrik mention how his father became obsessed with the forbidden arts, with ties directly to the dreaded King of Thorns."

Allisa couldn't help but feel a shiver down her spine when the name was brought up, the mere mention of the name creating a strange air of tension.

"His assault on the city of London in Terra was proof enough of the threat he posed to Avalon, and a rare alliance of Humans and Elves was formed to counter such a threat.

"Originally believed impossible, due to the transgressions of humans in our lands, yet with my word, lord Merlin's," Rina let out a smile, "And Arthur's charisma, we were able to form such an alliance, a feat not seen in living memory. With only a few words, Arthur was able to ensure cooperation between our races. Even our former enemies, those in service of Roudolf were compelled to join us, disillusioned by their mad king."

"Wow, Arthur sounds like he was quite the hero," Allisa said, her attitude taking a dip, "Nothing compared to me,"

"You certainly aren't Arthur," Rina said. "But.... You yourself seem to possess a different quality he never had."

"Quality?"

"Your companions. Arthur was king, and such inspired loyalty amongst his knights. You inspire no loyalty, yet people will follow you without question. That's quite the talent in of itself."

"I-I'm not doing anything special or anything," Allisa said bashfully.

Before Rina could give a response, the scene suddenly changed. Before they was a corridor that was bizarrely free of all darkness. Stretching before them was a marble corridor, embroidered with statues, tapestries, and a suite of armor at the far end of the wall.

"What the...?" Allisa looked around, bewildered by the seemingly random transition from architecture styles.

"This is the last memory I have of this world," Rina said as she walked forwards, her voice heavy with sorrow. "With Fredrik's assistance, as well as the general Louis de Vellron, Arthur, myself, and a small unit of knights of his and de Vellron, we snuck into castle Riser with little resistance. Our objective was to stop the mad king Roudolf before any more suffered."

"So this is Riser?" Allisa walked after Rina, looking around the corridor. "Wow, so this is where Elizabeth lives," She muttered to herself.

As they turned a corner, they came to a large foyer that one would expect from a castle such as this, long precession for audiences with a second level located in perfect symmetry.

However, it was littered with armored bodies and blood that caused Allisa to gasp, feeling nauseous at the horrible sight. "D-Did... Arthur...?"

"Unfortunately....." Rina walked through the hallway, stepping over the collapsed and bloodied bodies. "We were utterly unprepared by how far the king had fallen."

She stopped by one of the fallen knights resting against one of the pillars, standing over it as she looked back to Allisa, gesturing her head towards the knight.

Allisa made her way over, trying her best to avoid looking at the massacre. Even though she had seen a lot in her journey, this was a little beyond her. Stopping short of the fallen knight, Allisa got down on her knees, gently reaching to the knight's visor and then pushed it upwards.

Gasping, Allisa flopped backward in shock, putting a hand over her mouth. Of what she could see of the face, it was nothing but a husk, worn, shriveled, cracked, grey skin with soulless black eyes, black blood leaking from its sockets. "Wh-What?"

"You asked if we killed all these men before," Rina said, glancing around that the bodies. "Half were slain by our unit. The others.... Even some of Vellron's own men, they began to slaughter one another."

"Wha-?" Allisa got up to her feet, looking at the mound of bodies. "Th-They.... Killed each other?"

"A powerful demon took a hold of the king, spreading a sickness amongst the brave knights of this castle which began to devolve into blood-crazed cannibals." Rina grasped her dress tightly, looking down to the ground. "I can still recall it.... The horrible screams, watching these people tearing each other apart."

".... No way," Allisa felt a chill running down her spine. She couldn't even fathom such a gruesome scene.

"URRRHHAAAAAAAA!!!!!"

A ghastly curdle suddenly radiated across the foyer, causing Allisa to jump.

"Inside," Rina continued, looking forward to the throne room ahead. "We bore witness to something we wished we had never seen."

Against whatever better judgment Allisa had, she charged forwards, up the stairs, approaching the giant doors, slamming her body into them to blast them wide open, reaching a large throne room.

Inside, she skidded to a halt, eyes widened with shock.

Standing before her were figures from her dream, Arthur, Rina, Lancelot, Merlin, Fredrik and Vellron, along with about ten other armored knights with different designs of armor.

The ornate throne room that seemed to once hold a sense of authority was decrepit, decaying, large black-thorn roots, spreading up the walls like veins. Inside showed scenes of carnage, similar to what she witnessed back in the foyer.

"F-Farther...." The man Fredrik muttered, taking as he a step forward. "What have you become....?"

"T-That's not your father," The Rina in the group spoke, sounding terrified. "It's.... it's a being from the void! A higher demon!"

At the other end, a large figure dominated the scene, resembling something far removed from that of a human. Striving forwards with four large clawed feet, a lower body that was a mixture of hoarse and beast, an upper ashen colored body which was cracked and scared in several places which glowed a strange rose color. A clawed left hand clutched a large shield with the vestige of a human face.

It's right, a large rose-colored blade, a poor soul embedded upon it, his crimson blood blending with the color of the blade. Along the surface, small faces could be seen, like a well of a thousand screaming souls.

His face a twisted remnant of what once was a human; a long row of teeth, smoke escaping from the cracks. Eyes hidden away under an abhorrent vestige of long bone that extended from the bridge of its nose.

"We were unprepared," The echo of Rina stood beside the terrified Allisa, looking at the horrible monster before her, "by how close the void had truly afflicted our world."

With a swipe, the body embedded on the rose blade flew off as the creature took a step towards the sacred knights. "This world..... is mine," It spoke in two voices, one of an old man, another of a being that sounded far removed from the magical world of Avalon. "The one chosen by the light, HAS NO PLACE IN MY WORLD!!"