"Let's save them all."
Well, in the moment, when Cinder said that, she felt pretty confident. Then reality quickly caught back up to her, and she suddenly recalled the situation that her body had been left in. She had taken one hell of a beating, and the pain hadn't registered in that weird limbo world she and Full Monarch had been in.
The first thing she noticed when she appeared back in the world of the living was that her body was frozen solid.
Now that she thought about it, in the last battle, Lucifer had used Snowdawn to freeze her solid, hadn't he…
"Armin."
Cinder felt her body ignite with fire, and she heated herself up, easily erasing the ice that clung to her skin. It melted and dripped off her, turning into boiling water. That was when she noticed the second thing that was wrong with her.
"Oh my God, I've been stabbed!"
Storymaker was currently impaled through her chest! The blade somehow missed her heart, or maybe her heart had changed position in her body? Either way, she wasn't dying from having a sword lodged in her. It went all the way through and poked out her back.
"D-Do I leave it in or pull it out?"
'Why on Earth would you not remove it?' The Brightest Star asked, sounding very tired.
"Well, if I remove it, I'll bleed out." Cinder pointed out.
'You heal super fast.'
"Oh right." Cinder nodded, and then she grabbed the handle of the sword. It felt weird pulling the blade out. Her flesh tore more, and her wound had actually sealed shut around the sword, so she was forced to slice herself open once again. It also hurt, and she grunted once she fully removed the blade. "There."
Steam began to rise off the hole she now sported, and her healing factor kicked in. It was a lot better than it used to be, and she watched as her body completely sealed the slash shut.
Once the blade was out of her, she looked herself over. She could tell she got a lot stronger. There was more power hidden beneath her flesh, and the world around her had changed somehow. As if she had a new limb that could grasp and change it. The Cosmos half within her wasn't at full power, but it was enough to give her the boost she had been missing.
Her fire power was also far stronger. She could feel the heat of the sun residing in her chest, and her senses had expanded. She felt far stronger and invincible.
Her body had also changed a bit. She was slightly taller, and she felt a little more muscular. As if all that power had swelled within her form and enhanced it. Her hair was in its fiery blonde state, and her eyes were glowing. She felt warm.
It took her only a few moments to find a puddle of water, and she gazed down at her reflection. Golden eyes stared back up at her instead of the flaming red ones she was used to. Her face mostly looked the same, but maybe a little more mature? Had she aged up? If she had, it wasn't by much. Nothing really stood out besides how much stronger she felt.
Her eyes traced over the outfit Mr. Larison had gifted her. It was starting to become a bit of a running gag that her clothes were constantly getting ruined. This new suit, however, had been created from the same metal as a Lord pod, and so it was able to repair itself.
She watched as it molded around her body. It formed into a buttoned shirt with sleeves, a skirt that covered her waist, and a pair of tights. A black cape with an inner red lining formed behind her, and it flowed in the wind.
The reason the outfit changed was because she decided to go for something a bit slimmer than the first design had been. The armored look really didn't suit her, and it had been way too bulky. This one was familiar, using the normal hero wear she liked, and it was inspired by the ages of heroes she grew up with, being a mix of the Victroian's outfit and her first one.
Why did her eyes change, though? As if reading her thoughts, which was likely something they could do, the Brightest Star answered.
'We've merged more. As I first said, our souls are no longer separated, and instead we are connected. This means I am more human while you are more Lordian. We're still technically considered a Lord but some of our divinity has…'
"Been lost?"
'Not exactly. More changed. The spark the Almighty placed within us has been rebuilt. His signature red light has faded.'
"His signature red light?" Cinder frowned slightly. She still didn't know a lot, but from what she had gathered, the Almighty was the being who created the Lords or something. If he was known for having red light, was that why all the Lords had red eyes when they entered their powered-up stage? Their hair always changed to different colors, but their eyes were always a fiery red. Was that this Almighty guy's doing? "What exactly is a Lordian, if you don't mind me asking? And can you tell me more about this Almighty guy and how he is connected to the Beast?"
"It sounds like you have a lot of questions." A voice chuckled, ending her thoughts instantly. Cinder's eyes narrowed, and she glanced down at the sword, which she gripped. Storymaker was speaking to her. "Perhaps you would mind hearing my thoughts?"
Storymaker shook before she could respond, and it glowed. She tossed the weapon down just in time for Harrison Avalon to appear. She growled when she saw the man. He was a rat. A freak who served whoever it suited.
A weapon made for Alpha, who then in turn went to Nier, and now Mr. Larison had given that weapon to her. And yet, no matter how useful he was, she couldn't help but hate Storymaker. He was someone she would never use, nor would she claim his power. He had taken way too many lives and was always pulling the strings, jumping back and forth on who he worked with.
He was scum.
"What do you want?" Cinder demanded.
"Oh my, so hostile." Avalon clicked his tongue and looked her up and down. "It seems the process Alpha set up worked. I'm impressed. He managed to pull what little remained of the Cosmos from himself and the Victorian and sent it to you. Still, you're nowhere near as strong as Full Monarch was in his prime. I thought you'd be better, which was why I tagged along-" Avalon grunted when he was smashed into a wall, and Cinder placed her hand on his throat, giving him a cold look. "Oh my. Am I getting the sense that you don't like me?"
"I'm really considering popping your head. Any reasons why I shouldn't?"
"Well, you do need me to save Alpha." Avalon hummed.
"And that's because?"
"Because if you pierce me into him, I can bridge the gap between souls," Avalon explained. "There is a reason Alpha used me to get the shattered remains of the Cosmos Ego into you. He 'killed' the Victorian temporarily to cause those shards to leave her, and then he did the same to himself before simply restarting the hearts. On its own, this would have never worked. The Cosmos shards would have simply refused and would have gone into stasis until you died and the Sun Ego within you left your body. Then they'd be able to refuse. This is because it's very hard to inject an Ego into one's soul realm. Such a thing can only be done during the creation of life, which is why the Brightest Star gave off the Ruler piece inside of it by creating Alpha. It is also why the other Rulers cannot simply kill one another and gain the rest of their power. A Ruler can only die when four Lords land a killing blow on them at the same time. Doing this will break the Ruler Ego within them and cause it to come loose. Then a Ruler can consume that Ego. Normally, this would kill them, and in fact it does, but since they're able to negate their own deaths, they simply come back and fully heal. You, however, are not dead, and you didn't explode, despite having a new Ego placed within your body. This happened because you almost died and your heart was stopped, but also because I was within you. I pierced directly into your soul, kept your Ego pinned down, and worked as a bridge to allow the Cosmos half to make it to you. In short, I saved your life, and you'll need me to save 'Mr. Larison'."
Cinder growled, and then she turned, tossing Avalon across the cave. The scientist crashed into a wall and groaned, then shot her a dirty look.
"What was that for!"
"Why the hell do you think I'd trust you?" Cinder sneered. "You literally swap who's side you're on so often that it's impossible to keep track of! Besides, anyone who worked with a scumbag like Green Wolf is automatically not to be trusted."
"Hurtful." Avalon dusted himself off and snorted. "But I do think that is fair. You'd, of course, be a fool not to distrust me. Fine, how can I get you to be on my side?"
Cinder folded her arms, and she eyed the man up for several seconds. Nothing he could do would get her to trust him, but she could at least get some answers out of him. Whether they'd be the truth or not would be another story…
"I keep hearing about things like the Almighty and the Lordians. What exactly does all of that mean?" She asked. "How is this connected to the Rulers and the Shadow? Where does the Beast fit into all of this? I want to know everything."
Avalon looked surprised by her question, but then his smile returned. "Ah? Is that all?"
Cinder shook her head. "Nope. I got loads more, but that can be the start. Explain. Now. Or I can go back to popping your head if you'd prefer that?"
Avalon rubbed at his neck and let out a nervous chuckle. "You asked a load of questions, but I guess I can tell you everything I know. First, however, you must understand that all of this is subjective. There might be errors in what I have to say. Everything I know about the topic was introduced to me by Nier."
"The Emperor?"
"Yes." Avalon nodded. "You see, he raised Alpha to be a weapon. Back then we didn't fully understand what a Ruler was, and we made a lot of guesswork. Nier devoured Sini and Max to absorb them; however, as I explained to you, such a thing isn't possible without me. Alpha used me to absorb the Lords, but Full Monarch tore them out of him. Then, when Nier tried to do the same, all he ended up doing was eating them. This killed Sini, but Max managed to survive. After that, Full Monarch would unleash a strike so great it would send Nier flying out of our solar system. He'd have been floating out there forever if not for Golden God, who served as a spaceship and managed to get him. That was also when Nier discovered he was truly immortal, just like Alpha, and he became a full Ruler. Instead of coming back to the planet, the Emperor decided to use Golden God and go to the furthest reaches of the universe. Alpha had once gone out there long ago but was forced to stop when he ran into powerful beings out in space. Nier decided to see what these things were, and he went further than Alpha ever did. Do you know what he found?"
"What?" Cinder asked cautiously. She got a strange sinking feeling in her stomach.
"He found the being who created the Lords. The Almighty."
Cinder's eyes went wide. "Seriously? He found the creator? So, like God?"
Avalon chuckled. "Not exactly. The Almighty is not our God."
"What do you mean?"
"The Almighty is the one who created this universe," Avalon stated, suddenly looking serious. "By all accounts, he can be considered a God. He created everything, from every star to every planet. The entire universe was forged and created to serve under him, and do you want to know something? This universe had no life. It was dead."
Cinder felt that pit in her stomach expand. She felt a little sick and rubbed her head. She could sense the Brightest Star flickering within her mind, but the Lord of the Sun and Cosmos remained silent. "So, our universe had no life until he created it?"
Avalon shook his head. "No. There was no life at all."
"Huh?"
"The Almighty didn't just create this universe," Avalon revealed. "You see, he created every universe. Time, space, gravity, atoms, molecules, dimensions, universes, everything. At first there was nothing, and then there was everything. Every 'pocket realm' people store their bases in, or even Sky's domain she can drag people into, are all other universes or dimensions that the Almighty created. You and I exist on the third dimension, but to him, he exists far beyond that. The fourth, fifth, sixth, or any number you want to come up with, it does not matter to him, for the Almighty is so far above us; he is real, and we are fake. There are trillions upon trillions of universes that are out there. Actually, trillions isn't even the right word. Infinite. Infinite dimensions and infinite realms, and above that infinite pillar stands the Almighty who made it all. The term 'God' barely does him justice if you think of it that way."
"I'm not really understanding what you're trying to say. Some outerversal power scalers wet dream; this guy created everything? And there are other universes and dimensions, but he didn't make life?"
Avalon nodded. "Each universe the Almighty created was empty. Planets existed without plant life, and it could be stated that everything was a dead universe. A place with no souls. The Almighty made everything, but he was so far above us that to him nothing down here was real, and so he pretended. Just as a child will smash together their action figures, so did the Almighty play."
"It played?"
"The Almighty created what you might call life. In actuality, these were more like toys. Things it could smash together and simulate what could barely be described as life. Of these creations, only three stood out." Avalon held up his fingers. "The first were the Lordians. You've met these beings. The Four Lords are all Lordians, but they're advanced ones. The Lordians were a powerful race created to conquer planets and evolve over and over again. Four special ones were created, which are the four Lords. They're like elite Lordians. Likewise, the Victorian is a Lordian as well." Avalon said, catching Cinder off guard. "Nier tried to create a new Lord but failed, and instead it generated the Victorian. She was born with the red light but lacked the power of a Lord, despite the fact he copied Full Monarch's DNA and soul. He later discovered what a Lordian was and figured out he had accidentally created a human Lordian. Actual Lordians do not have proper bodies, nor do they have elemental powers like the Lords. They're simply meant to be genetically perfect, having no true flaws and Godlike strength and speed as well as minds that can defy fate and reality, letting them make magical machines. They're weaker than the Lords but still dangerous, as there are plenty of them left. The Victorian is sort of a lesser Lordian, and as you've likely guessed, these were the beings Alpha ran into when he was exploring space. He couldn't fight them all at once and lost."
Cinder gulped. The Brightest Star had said the Lordians would eventually show up, right? Or at least they brought them up as if they were a threat. What would happen if all the Lordians arrived? A race of Ruby's that all had her insane strength, which neared the level of a Lord? That wouldn't be good.
"The other race was known as a Writerulve." Avalon continued. "These guys were the opposite of the Lordians. They were extremely weak, had no physical power, lacked complex minds, and had short life spans. The Almighty made them to be 'canon fodder,' and they were meant to lose."
"What do you mean, they were meant to lose?"
"As I said earlier, the Almighty is like a kid." Avalon's smirk grew. "He was playing pretend. The Writerulves filled this universe. They were placed upon hundreds of thousands of planets and allowed to advance. They grew as a society, meeting up with other Writerulves, and became a powerful space-faring race. And then the Almighty set the Lordians on them. Why don't you ask your friend what happened next?"
Cinder felt the image of the Brightest Star appear in her mind. The Lord was looking at the ground, ashamed.
'We killed them.' The Lord whispered out within her mind. 'We were simply weapons. Avalon does not lie. We were toys for a god to slam together. The Writerulves existed to be a large target, while the Lordians existed to be a small but overwhelmingly powerful force. We wiped them all out, slaughtering them because that's what the Almighty ordered us to do. He created a species to die out, and he created a species to slaughter. I couldn't recall everything, and pieces of my memory are still missing, but what Avalon said just now brought some thoughts I once had back. Yes, it is true. My race was made to kill out the life that was scattered through the universe.'
Cinder felt her throat go dry, and Avalon began to laugh. "I'm guessing that with that look on your face, he told you? Good. The Writerulves and the Lordians couldn't have been more different. The Writerulves were set up to lose the fight, and the Lordians were simply too good. Especially since the Lordians had the four Lords. And yet, don't you know it, the Almighty is at least a little fair because he created his own version of a Lord based Writerulve."
'When a Writerulve would die, its power would go to the rest of its species.' The Brightest Star said. 'At first we didn't notice, for there were literally sextillions of them scattered through the entire universe. Even after wiping out a dozen planets of them, we barely felt the difference; however, by the end, it became obvious what was happening. Only one planet was left, and the Writerulves that called it home were so powerful that only us Lords could handle them. We slaughtered all that remained until there was one.'
Cinder closed her eyes and sighed. "The Beast?"
'The Beast.'
"The Beast!" Avalon waved his hands around. "Yep! The Beast was created by the Almighty! That thing is a collection of unimaginable souls all slapped together and fused in an unholy abomination! The ultimate joke is that the Almighty made them to die out and made the Lordians to kill them all, but they couldn't do it! How funny is that? The Almighty is a jokester and literally made it impossible for either race to win despite pitting them against each other. Hilarious."
"The Almighty sounds like a dick." Cinder sighed. "I guess that explains the Beast and its hatred for us. Wait? How do humans exist?"
Avalon clicked his tongue. "Ah. Now that brings us to the third race. Remember, I said there were three? The Lordians were made to kill the Writerulves, but like a child, the Almighty got bored and wanted a new toy. This led to the race that would have been tasked with killing the Lordians. They're known as the Faries."
"Faries? You mean like a fairy? Those guys?"
Avalon's smile just grew. "This third species is one I'm unsure of their true purpose. I believe they would have been tasked with killing the Lordians or Lords, but we won't know for sure, as they did something no other species did. They defied the Almighty."
"Hell yeah. They're already sounding cool."
Avalon nodded at her excited remark. "They didn't bother obeying whatever task the Almighty put out for them, and instead they scattered through the universe and began to build planets and solar systems. The most famous one was known as planet Awed-Rivkah, where their king, Oberon, placed his mighty World Tree, which was used to create new life throughout the universe. In a flash, there was a big bang, and so, just like that, there was life. And this is where we come in. Planet Earth was touched by Oberon's light, and we were born. It started small. Nothing more than a single cell, which slowly grew, and over the course of billions of years of evolution, mankind was forged, unaware that there was a battle between the Writerulves and the Lordians going on amongst the stars."
"So, humans are the children of fairies? Sweet."
"Yes, and sadly our parent race is gone," Avalon said, causing Cinder's smile to fade. "When the Almighty learned what they did, he personally visited Planet Awed-Rivkah and wiped the race out. Every fairy ceased to exist, and most of the life they created was also destroyed. Humans, however, survived, and for that we can thank the Lord within you. Brightest Star, if you would?"
'I remember…' The Brightest Star said quietly. 'I spotted this beautiful planet that was unlike any other, and it had life. At the time, we didn't know the Almighty had made the fairies, and so we had no clue where this species came from. I liked them, however. They were weak and lacked powers, but something about them was interesting, and so I decided to become an Earthling. And when the Almighty ordered I return to his side, I… I killed him.'
"You killed the Almighty!" Cinder yelled out in shock. "That can even happen?"
'No. Not really.' The Brightest Star sighed. 'Killing him isn't the right word. It is more like I removed him. There are infinite realms, and he is infinitely above us. What I killed was sort of like a finger or a piece of him. He created a body and placed it down in this world, and I, along with the other Lords, teamed up and killed that body. Then we placed a wall over the entire universe and blocked it out from the infinite void that was out there. We then hid the universe by placing it amongst hundreds of other pocket realms, allowing it to stay hidden. Doing so, however, was not easy, and I doubt such a thing will last forever. In a few billion years, the Almighty will likely discover this world again, but still… I had to do something. I didn't want the human race to get wiped out.'
Cinder processed what she was hearing and sighed. So from the sounds of it, there would be no true way to beat the Almighty, and he'd appear again in a few billion years and destroy the universe? Great…
Still, knowing the state the world was in, humanity likely wouldn't even be around a billion years later. Not to mention, if the Lordians arrived, it would matter even less since they could also destroy the planet.
In the end, nothing changed for now. She needed to deal with the Rulers first. Speaking of which…
"How do the Rulers fit into all of this?" Cinder questioned. "What exactly is the Shadow?"
"That's a good question, and one I don't know for sure." Avalon rubbed his chin. "Nier was the one who told me all of this, so take it all with a grain of salt. After all, as a scientist, I believe in discovering facts myself before I blindly take someone's words. He claimed he learned most of his info from the Lordians whom he battled and the corpse of the Almighty's avatar, which had been placed into this world. He has two main theories on what the Shadow is. The first is that it is simply a fourth creation that was made sometime after the Faries. The second option is that it is the Faries themselves."
"The Shadow is a Fairy?"
"Perhaps it is what is left of the Faries." Avalon shrugged. "Just as how the Beast came about from the destruction of its race. We honestly can't say."
'The Shadow didn't speak,' The Brightest Star said. 'It was a creature above our dimension that viewed the world in a way similar to the Almighty. It could defy fate and time and bend reality. It was one of the biggest fights I've ever had. I was forced to use more power than even Full Monarch ever had, and we fought the Shadow for so long that most of the universe was destroyed. By pure chance, Earth wasn't, but it did get nearly wiped out, leading to the race of man to get sent back to the Stone Age. We died killing the Shadow, but upon its death, which clashed with ours, humans were blessed with powers, and then it split into four, creating the Rulers. We Lords have gotten far weaker. If the Rulers manage to collect their pieces and a new Shadow is born, then we're doomed.'
"I wonder what it'll be." Avalon grinned, guessing what the Brightest Star was saying. "Nier wishes to recreate the Shadow because he believes, rather arrogantly, he'll be in control of it, or he believes this generation of Lords will be able to defeat him and bring about the world he wants, recreating the scenario that gave humans powers. I want to see what happens, but at the same time I'd also like to see if it is possible to kill the Shadow for good. Either way, I'll be happy."
"So you're swapping sides willy-nilly?" Cinder growled.
"Exactly!" Avalon waved his hands once more. "Oh, how exciting it all is! You see, when Alpha wielded me again, I was able to glimpse into his mind. I saw several memories and thoughts he had. He has something planned. He discussed something with the Victorian's daughter, who used her power to glimpse a timeline that could exist. I wish to see that timeline! And so I am here. At the same time, however, I also wouldn't mind if Nier won and brought about the Shadow! Even if I were to die, simply glimpsing upon it would be amazing."
"You want the Shadow to be recreated? Are you trying to get the world destroyed?"
"Maybe." Avalon winked. "I wouldn't mind. I don't care who wins; I simply wish to see what divine outcome will come about and how the age of man will move. Is fate real? Are we doomed to fail? Will the vision Alpha saw it come true and bring about a happy ending, or will it all crumble and fall? Won't it be fun? And that ultimately is why I am here. I will help you get to Alpha. It is important that you reach his soul and speak with him!"
Cinder nodded. "Yeah. About that." In a flash, she reappeared in front of Avalon and grabbed him by the throat once more. "I actually don't need you." She smirked. "I already reached that whole soul realm thingy on my own a few times. I did it with Whisper, and I was able to have a whole conversation with Full Monarch in this weird limbo place. You didn't seem to know about that, so I guess that wasn't your doing. Besides, as I told Full Monarch, I have no plans to kill Mr. Larison." She squeezed down and tried to pop Avalon's head, but he shifted into his sword form. She gripped the handle and frowned.
Despite how much she hated Avalon, she had to admit, Storymaker was a fine blade. It was basically unbreakable, and even Full Monarch hadn't been able to shatter the blade despite clashing with it several times. A shame the sword was such an asshole.
"Changing into this form won't save you." Cinder giggled. Then she appeared at the entrance to the cave. "This time, don't come back!" She threw the sword as hard as she could, blasting it through the clouds and sending it out of orbit, into space. "I don't ever want to see you again!"
Of course, she was still in a pocket realm, since this was the game the Immortals were playing, so Storymaker wasn't actually in space, but hopefully he'd be MIA for the rest of the games.
'That was a little scary.' The Brightest Star chuckled. 'You seriously threw him into space?'
Cinder shrugged. "He'll be fine. He sadly has a habit of coming back."
'Are you sure you don't want his help?'
"I am." Cinder nodded, suddenly looking stern. "I can't take the offered help of a monster like that. We'll manage on our own. Now, come on. We need to meet up with everyone. It's time we bring an end to these games."
She kicked off the ground and used her enhanced strength to go flying in the direction of where she could sense the others were.
"We're bringing an end to all this nonsense."