Elfen High 2: Skin to Bone, Steel to Rust

[Nationstatelandsville]

"Ye' died a while ago," he said, ruffling the kid's hair. D frowned, but said nothing.

"This is it, then?" he asked, looking up, "Endgame? We're in Dys now, I can tell. Is Slothea-?"

"Yes," D said tritely, "Azazel is fighting Crowley and the Bitch - I doubt I have to explain that much. His second personality is, somehow, worse."

"Snowfag or somethin', right?" Lewis asked with genuine confusion.

"No, but yes," D said, "Anyways, Dys is about to be eaten by Vernil, whose affection for you is creepy and also vengeful. We need to get this down with now - there are too many civilians."

"Megan? Rosie?" he asked.

"Mom and Rosalind are Mom and Rosalind," D responded, "We need to find Richard now."

Damien thought for a moment. "James," he said. "Bring me to him. And get me a weapon. I..." he paused.

"Back in Egypt - in the past, you know - Ganesh asked me to spy on Morgan Le Fae. I infiltrated the camp and gave me a magic sword. Excalibur or something, not sure. But she put her control over me. I was in charge of leading the Fae soldiers in the battle. And... there were two of the Jameses. I was fighting one of them. I agreed to take off my armor and fight him one-on-one. I saw from the corner of my eye the other James get his crossbow ready, and then everything went dark." He looked out at the battle, and sighed. "James killed me. For real. I'm not saving the world without giving him the beating he deserves. I won't kill him, maybe. But I'll sure as hell teach him a lesson he won't forget."

"Man up, soldier," Lewis replied, "Now's not the time for petty squabbles. Callahan's doin' us a great service right now - he's keepin' a very scary man under control. We have a duty to do and we can't run away from it to go wrestle with the other kids. Understand?"

[Constaniana]

"You know, I was figuring more of a 'litter on the ground or track some mud over the floor or take a piss everywhere, not....stabbing Loki, for Pete's sake...." said Eldliam, shaking his head and throwing a Jelly Babies wrapper on the floor. "Loki's going to be fine after this, right?"

[Nude East Ireland]

Damien thought for a moment. "James," he said. "Bring me to him. And get me a weapon. I..." he paused.

"Back in Egypt - in the past, you know - Ganesh asked me to spy on Morgan Le Fae. I infiltrated the camp and gave me a magic sword. Excalibur or something, not sure. But she put her control over me. I was in charge of leading the Fae soldiers in the battle. And... there were two of the Jameses. I was fighting one of them. I agreed to take off my armor and fight him one-on-one. I saw from the corner of my eye the other James get his crossbow ready, and then everything went dark." He looked out at the battle, and sighed. "James killed me. For real. I'm not saving the world without giving him the beating he deserves. I won't kill him, maybe. But I'll sure as hell teach him a lesson he won't forget."

"Man up, soldier," Lewis replied, "Now's not the time for petty squabbles. Callahan's doin' us a great service right now - he's keepin' a very scary man under control. We have a duty to do and we can't run away from it to go wrestle with the other kids. Understand?"

Damien nodded. "Fine," he replied, his face grim.

"Let's just get this over with. I'd rather not stay alive for much longer."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

Minh nodded. "Complete agreement."

Loki looked at his stab wound. "Fuck you."

Thor sighed. "How did this happen?"

"Loki happened." Minh said bluntly. "You gave Azazel the idea for this, Loki, two years ago."

Loki winced. "Not my proudest moment, I won't deny that..." There was an awkward pause. Thor glared at his uncle and swung the hammer slightly in an experimental fashion. Loki realised the group was starting to turn against him. "Err...in any case, let's go find Richard!"

"Onward!" Thor yelled, running down the "road" of sorts that the souls in the dragon had created.

"He was always such an energetic child." Loki noted.

[Nationstatelandsville]

Minh nodded. "Complete agreement."

Loki looked at his stab wound. "Fuck you."

Thor sighed. "How did this happen?"

"Loki happened." Minh said bluntly. "You gave Azazel the idea for this, Loki, two years ago."

Loki winced. "Not my proudest moment, I won't deny that..." There was an awkward pause. Thor glared at his uncle and swung the hammer slightly in an experimental fashion. Loki realised the group was starting to turn against him. "Err...in any case, let's go find Richard!"

"Onward!" Thor yelled, running down the "road" of sorts that the souls in the dragon had created.

"He was always such an energetic child." Loki noted.

"...Ye' know, when I was a kid," Lewis said, "my brother used to tell me not to run around like an idiot.

Then, one day, I saw a bear and punched it.

And the rest is fuckin' history."

He sighed heavily and floated after Thor. D's rocket boots kicked him up into the air and he followed next to his father.

"So... how are things?" Lewis asked awkwardly.

"Fine, I guess," D replied, "They've been exploding a lot recently."

"Good, good," Lewis said with a nod, "Explosions are fun."

"Yeah," D laughed a bit. Lewis smiled.

"You're a good kid, I imagine."

"Never."

"Perfect."

[Rupudska]

Yuzuki drove her Bus along, following the others, specifically following Lewis.

She flicked on the headlights to see better and further. "Damn, I haven't been literally eaten by anything in a few years. I forgot how bad it smells when they don't eat the right things..."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

The window of time for James to act was minimal - The kick had sent him a rather decent distance, and he was incapacitated while the sword healed him for several seconds. Even with his above-average speed, he would not be able to run fast enough to intercept Azazel's strike.

It was now or never. It was act, or watch as the old wizard was cut down. James was heavily tempted to allow it, to keep the secret secure just a little longer, but he knew that to do so would leave him engaging a still-strong Azazel. There would be no victory in that situation, no survival.

A flash of light, wave of heat. Faster than any human had any right to move, with a roar louder than that of an avalanche James slammed into Azazel, sending him flying into a wall. Landing on both feet beside Crowley, the pyro used his left hand to sweep his hair up and back, uncovering his right eye.

A right eye that was glowing a deep, bright red.

"Sorry for hiding this from you for so long, Al." He apologized, looking for all the world like he had reverted two years, back to the cocky but gold-hearted kid from Elfen High. He ignited his left hand, a ball of fire crackling around it. He flashed his old smirk. "Let's finish this. Together."

Crowley paused. Then, Crowley, fucker of bitches, banned in several countries, "friend" of Lewis Jameson, facepalmed. "Yeah...OK. We will finish this together. We'll have a chat later- well, probably not, this isn't too much of a dick move though it still rather is- but we'll focus on the task at hand right now."

Azazel himself was pulling himself out of the wall, also staring at James and then exchanging a glance with Crowley. Bad move on his part- the wizard had teleported right next to him in the time frame and slammed his electrified hand right into Azazel's face, ripping apart one of the demon lord's eyes. James had been teleported as well, so they could rapidly deal with the king of the demons by stabbing him and blasting him.

After a few attacks, Azazel coughed out some blood, chuckling. "You humans do never give up..."

"Now, then, Azazel...how many times will I have to kill you before you stay dead?" Crowley asked, punching him in the gut and shoving his hand into his chest. Crowley blasted millions of volts of electricity through Azazel's body, who winced and kept himself alive through his rapid pace of regeneration.

Azazel tried to teleport out, but Crowley had shoved Gram right through his chest, keeping the demon lord directly in place.

[Nightkill the Emperor]

So they kept walking, and finally...they saw Richard, eyes pure blue and walking slowly toward them, because I can't be arsed to make a long post or description right now.

"Fuck." Loki sighed. "Looks like the narration means we need to fight him."

[Constaniana]

Eldliam raised his right arm, firing off a barrage of missiles from the Iron Man armour he was wearing, before rocketing towards Richard, a radiant blast in his right hand and Excalibur in his left. He fired the shining blast of energy at the cosmic janitor and raised the ancient sword high above his head, bringing it sweeping down towards's Richard's head.

[Zarkenis Ultima]

Alastor sighed at the teenager charging the almighty janitor. "Kids these days." He muttered, shaking his head. Charging a bolt up in his sword, the demon warlord waited until Eldliam was not likely to be hit by it and then fired off the bolt at Richard.

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

The window of time for James to act was minimal - The kick had sent him a rather decent distance, and he was incapacitated while the sword healed him for several seconds. Even with his above-average speed, he would not be able to run fast enough to intercept Azazel's strike.

It was now or never. It was act, or watch as the old wizard was cut down. James was heavily tempted to allow it, to keep the secret secure just a little longer, but he knew that to do so would leave him engaging a still-strong Azazel. There would be no victory in that situation, no survival.

A flash of light, wave of heat. Faster than any human had any right to move, with a roar louder than that of an avalanche James slammed into Azazel, sending him flying into a wall. Landing on both feet beside Crowley, the pyro used his left hand to sweep his hair up and back, uncovering his right eye.

A right eye that was glowing a deep, bright red.

"Sorry for hiding this from you for so long, Al." He apologized, looking for all the world like he had reverted two years, back to the cocky but gold-hearted kid from Elfen High. He ignited his left hand, a ball of fire crackling around it. He flashed his old smirk. "Let's finish this. Together."

Crowley paused. Then, Crowley, fucker of bitches, banned in several countries, "friend" of Lewis Jameson, facepalmed. "Yeah...OK. We will finish this together. We'll have a chat later- well, probably not, this isn't too much of a dick move though it still rather is- but we'll focus on the task at hand right now."

Azazel himself was pulling himself out of the wall, also staring at James and then exchanging a glance with Crowley. Bad move on his part- the wizard had teleported right next to him in the time frame and slammed his electrified hand right into Azazel's face, ripping apart one of the demon lord's eyes. James had been teleported as well, so they could rapidly deal with the king of the demons by stabbing him and blasting him.

After a few attacks, Azazel coughed out some blood, chuckling. "You humans do never give up..."

"Now, then, Azazel...how many times will I have to kill you before you stay dead?" Crowley asked, punching him in the gut and shoving his hand into his chest. Crowley blasted millions of volts of electricity through Azazel's body, who winced and kept himself alive through his rapid pace of regeneration.

Azazel tried to teleport out, but Crowley had shoved Gram right through his chest, keeping the demon lord directly in place.

James, meanwhile, had made his way behind the demon lord, allowing Crowley to keep the attention of Azazel while he got into position. His strike needed to be precise, and he had to wait for the perfect time. To go in without a plan, or act without thought of consequences, would only lead to chaos and disaster.

He got it. With Gram anchoring the big man in place, James lunged forward with both hands on Narayanastra, and with a roar plunged the sword towards the back of Azazel's cranium.

[Nationstatelandsville]

So they kept walking, and finally...they saw Richard, eyes pure blue and walking slowly toward them, because I can't be arsed to make a long post or description right now.

"Fuck." Loki sighed. "Looks like the narration means we need to fight him."

Lewis decked Loki in the face.

"I just fixed that wall!" he snapped.

He then leaped over Richard's head (because Lewis is part baboon) and produced his sword-cane from the ethereal "fuck you, I do what I want" space, burying it in Richard's back.

D, meanwhile, weaved through Eldliam's missiles, swinging his lightsaber at the janitor's neck, before quickly flying off. He had no interest in joining his father in death.

[Nightkill the Emperor]

There was an epic battle, probably.

Also, all the towers had gone down by now, meaning that Azazel was no longer an immortal. Instead, in Montreal, he coughed and chuckled. "I myself have never put faith or believed in any god or gods. Perhaps this is the means of divine providence and retribution then..." he sighed. "Ah. Goodbye then. Thank you for a good fight." he said calmly, dying.

Then a few more things happened.

First of all, the towers collapsed and as a result, London, though severely damaged, was ripped back into Earth, slammed where it was. Half the population was dead, but it was back.

Second, the clock hit 11:55, so the city of Dys in Hell would die very soon.

Third, Crowley teleported Azazel into Dys so the corpse would die there.

Fourth, Michael came back and did a small surprise of his own, extending the lives of the various souls that burst out of the Richard dragon, offering them a choice of staying on Earth for five more minutes to chat with a few people before they moved onto reincarnation or Adventuring Days.

Fifth, Calliel blinked, seeing that they were once again in London. "We're back." he said tiredly.

"Indeed." Richard noted, standing there though intangible and nearly see-through. A few other souls, like those of Minh, Damien and Lewis, stood next to him. "We got five more minutes." he explained. "Michael and Odin managed to pull that off while also keeping reality from breaking into shreds. Then we go."

[Nationstatelandsville]

There was an epic battle, probably.

Also, all the towers had gone down by now, meaning that Azazel was no longer an immortal. Instead, in Montreal, he coughed and chuckled. "I myself have never put faith or believed in any god or gods. Perhaps this is the means of divine providence and retribution then..." he sighed. "Ah. Goodbye then. Thank you for a good fight." he said calmly, dying.

Then a few more things happened.

First of all, the towers collapsed and as a result, London, though severely damaged, was ripped back into Earth, slammed where it was. Half the population was dead, but it was back.

Second, the clock hit 11:55, so the city of Dys in Hell would die very soon.

Third, Crowley teleported Azazel into Dys so the corpse would die there.

Fourth, Michael came back and did a small surprise of his own, extending the lives of the various souls that burst out of the Richard dragon, offering them a choice of staying on Earth for five more minutes to chat with a few people before they moved onto reincarnation or Adventuring Days.

Fifth, Calliel blinked, seeing that they were once again in London. "We're back." he said tiredly.

"Indeed." Richard noted, standing there though intangible and nearly see-through. A few other souls, like those of Minh, Damien and Lewis, stood next to him. "We got five more minutes." he explained. "Michael and Odin managed to pull that off while also keeping reality from breaking into shreds. Then we go."

"I suddenly feel as though the universe came close to climax, but was torn away from the plot's embrace by an impatient son of a bitch," Lewis said thoughtfully.

"...You're drunk," D concluded.

"Almost constantly," Lewis shrugged, "It's over, then. The war. I wish I could have lived long enough to fight in it.

You wouldn't have had to, then."

A soft hiss emanated from armor as the chest slid open. D stepped out and hugged his father. Lewis smiled and hefted him into the air.

"What now?" the boy asked.

"Now," Lewis answered, "I die."

"Please don't," D whimpered, wrapping his arms around Lewis' neck.

"The fear of death follows from the fear of life," Lewis said wistfully, "A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.

I'm terrified, D. Absolutely terrified. But everything is scary when ye' do it for the first time. Please. Be better than me. Don't fear Him."

"Did you know him?" D questioned.

"Yes," Lewis smiled, “I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.

I'll see him soon. Him and all the rest."

"What will we do?" D quivered, tears surging up to his eyes.

"The same thing we always do," Lewis answered, "Keep goin'. That's the only thing you can do - keep on goin'. You'll get what ye' put into it."

"I don't think I can do it," D whispered.

"Of course you can," Lewis replied, matching his tone, "because everyone else does."

"I love you."

"I love all of ye'," Lewis said, before laughing loudly, "I guess it's worth it."

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

James stood beside Crowley, Narayanastra still clutched in his right hand, right eye still glowing scarlet. His grip was firm, as if he would never let the legendary sword go.

But then, without warning, he dropped it. "It's yours, Al." He muttered to the wizard, before walking off - Away from everyone else. There was only one soul he wished to talk to, but he knew in his heart that she wasn't there. Whether she was one of the souls Azazel trapped or had escaped his clutches by being elsewhere in Hell, he would never know. The one person that he could have talked to was gone.

Instead, he found an empty room in Buckingham Palace, locked the door, and cried.

[Nude East Ireland]

"I've got nothing to say to any of you," Damien announced, as he pushed his way through the crowd. He stopped at Crowley, and sighed. "Aleister," he began. "I never really said goodbye to you. I'm still mad at you for being a dick. You know, when I killed my family. But I've got five minutes left, and I'd rather use them to tell you that after all we've been through, I love you like a father. I always will. Thank you, Al. It meant a lot, all those times we chatted. But I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to live for a little longer. Ah... well... what are you going to do, you know?"

He looked down for a moment, then hugged Crowley, squeezing him tightly. He let go, and then smiled. "Well, I don't have much to say. Never did, never have, never will. Well, I'll be dead soon. Death is a douchebag. But he mentioned some other reality that he sent the dead to. Sounds better than being reborn as some snot-nosed punk. Well, some poor snot-nosed punk. But before I go, I have to talk to James. Well, not talk. But things will be said."

[Ende]

"Well," Pierre said with a sigh, reclining against the counter of the bar, "that was rather anticlimatic."

Laz looked up mid-drink, and then he waved at Pierre. He squinted for a few moments.

"So...you're dead?" he said questioningly, poking through Pierre's shimmering blue outline with his finger. His claws passed through Pierre's body like it was made of air, and then he poked him a few more times, just to make sure.

"Yes," Pierre griped in reply, slightly exasperated, "I'm dead. I'd think the whole "shimmering ghost" might let on to that a bit, really. Kind of sucks, doesn't it?"

"...yeah, a bit. You weren't bad. But, hey, life moves on." said Laz, yawning. "It was nice knowing you while you were still alive."

Pierre sighed, taking a seat at the bar.

"I'm glad about that, I guess. I wouldn't want you to miss me. It's just...you have bad taste in friends, really. I mean, I hate to admit it, but I could have done a lot better. I fucked up."

"Yeah, choosing to become a dumbass Fae slave was a bad idea. Did you ever hear that story about how Zeus shot Yahweh up the ass with a lightning bolt and the resulting fart made the Grand Canyon? You were all like, being Yahweh, and that's not cool."

"I think you've told me that one at least fifteen times."

"It's a good story!"

"Well, anyway, I'd have to admit that joining the Fae was...yeah, I could have done a lot better. I'm sorry."

"It's cool, man. I don't really care. Want a beer?" said Laz, throwing Pierre a drink. Pierre attempted to catch it, but it fell through his hands. He scowled.

"I'm a fucking ghost. I don't think I can even drink."

Laz shrugged, and then, suddenly, an idea dawned on him.

"...hey, my man Pierre, I have an important question to ask. One important question."

"What?"

"Have you seen a fucking stork, man?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Have you seen a stork?"

"...no?"

"Dammit. Fucking dumbass won't pay his child support and bring that stupid angel chick her kid already. I've been looking everywhere for that damn fucking stork through the entire fucking battle and he's goddamn nowhere. None of the demons knew where he was either, so I ripped their heads off. And then I ripped their balls off. Sometimes I did it the other way around." said Laz irritably, clenching his fists.

Pierre sighed, and facepalmed.

"Laz, children are made by fucking. Not storks."

Laz shook his head.

"No, the stork watches you fuck, and then he brings you a kid and refuses to pay child support because the stork is a fucking dick. Pervert. He's probably Yahweh, man. I'm going to rip his head off!"

Pierre laughed, grinning, and then, suddenly, he felt rather odd inside. Almost as if he was sick. Wincing slightly, he looked down. Shit. His feet were starting to fizzle out of existence. Dammit, that was really too bad. Time was up. It was over now. He had spent all that time in his life running...and what for? He had ended it early, and, really, a lot of it boiled down to the fact that he was always just...well, running. He could have done so much - really? Could he have done much more?

It didn't matter. He'd try again next time.

"Well, it looks like my time is up." he said sadly, looking around at his surroundings. It wasn't exactly a bad place to die, really. "I'll see you around. Or not. Good luck catching that stork." he finished, giving Laz a thumbs up, and then he faded from existence.

Laz looked at the place where he stood for a few moments, and then sighed. That was too bad.

Oh well.

Now where the fuck was that goddamn stork?

[Nude East Ireland]

Sometimes, in life, a song plays. And this day. This moment. A song played. And it was glorious.

Why do songs play? Some say that the greatest musicians dwell deep within the bowels of some place where they are free - free to create, imagine, and practice together, forever. Some say that music is simply a part of the human spirit - not only the human spirit, but of the demon and angel spirit, and of the spirits of every beast ever known to the universe. That's a lot. Because the universe is ever-expanding, and may never stop until one day, in an instant, it caves in on itself.

But this song was none of those things.

This song was glorious. This song was played from the bowels of Hell. The ground shook. The seas stirred. The clouds grew dark, and the skies red, and the moons red with the colors of blood. The sky was black. Pitch black. Hell itself began to shit bricks. Mountains burst from the cracks of the landscape, sweeping lava across the land, and ash into the sky. The demons, humans, angels and others became struck with a panic.

And then, they all saw. They all saw a beast. A winged beast.

And this beast was bigger than them all. The planet we call Hell - the size of the gas giant Jupiter - was surrounded. From their hovels and castles, the inhabitants of this rocky, deserted, terribly ferocious planet would gaze into the sky to see it surrounded entirely by a mass of black tentacles, attacked to a massive serpent-like body. The winged serpent surrounded the planet entirely, like a belt. It spun, as fire shielded the atmosphere from the beast. The beast moved faster and faster. The air became hot - more so than usual. Creatures choked, coughed, and gagged on the air they had lived in for millennia. Weaker buildings crumbled - stronger ones did to. The moons became unstable - some fell from orbit. The waters rose miles into the air, and the lava dug deep into the ground.

And they all heard a song.

And the beast shrunk, yet the planet still rumbled and shook like it never had before. Hell was turning to Hell. It wasn't possible.

And the beast took a dive. Straight into the planet's surface, the beast was aimed at a large spot - a city. A city named Dys. A city of terror and death. A city of torture and suffering. A city of Gluttony. A city of Envy. A city of Greed and Lust. Wrath's city.

And the beast's mouth opened. And the air rose. Millions of souls were sucked from the ground in to the air. They flew into a massive black arena from where no mortal escaped. From which no immortal did either. And the ruble flew into the air as the beast came down. It devoured the debris and the wounded - the dead and their homes - and the living and their last possessions. The beast was engulfed in flames. As it closed in on the city, volcanoes emerged from the ground. Lava fired into the sky. The clouds twisted. Tornados of flame, earth, and ash tore the ground apart. And when the beast hit the ground, ten thousand earthquakes erupted from the impact point. The earth cracked and burned. The sky was entirely covered in ash. For one hour, Hell was engulfed in a black mass of ash.

And when it cleared, the damage was great. Villages destroyed. Cities in despair. Warlords and despots trying to maintain order with their soldiers. Citizens looting and dying.

And there was a circle. A crater miles wide in diameter. The crater stretched three miles down into the surface of Hell. And the ground was completely black. And around the edge of the crater were mountains miles high.

In the center of the crater - the lowest point - stood an apparition. An illusion. The image of a shirtless cowboy, who had conquered the bears and died for his family. And the illusion looked at the sky, its eyes a bright gold.

"THE DEAL FULFILLED," it whispered, causing the entire province to rumble. "THE PROPHET AND BEAR-KING LEWIS JAMESON HAS BEEN AVENGED. DYS IS GONE. AZAZEL - THE DEMON KING OF HELL - IS GONE. AND NOW I RETURN TO MY SLUMBER, WAITING FOR A NEW PROPHET TO SERVE."

[Nightkill the Emperor]

"I've got nothing to say to any of you," Damien announced, as he pushed his way through the crowd. He stopped at Crowley, and sighed. "Aleister," he began. "I never really said goodbye to you. I'm still mad at you for being a dick. You know, when I killed my family. But I've got five minutes left, and I'd rather use them to tell you that after all we've been through, I love you like a father. I always will. Thank you, Al. It meant a lot, all those times we chatted. But I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to live for a little longer. Ah... well... what are you going to do, you know?"

He looked down for a moment, then hugged Crowley, squeezing him tightly. He let go, and then smiled. "Well, I don't have much to say. Never did, never have, never will. Well, I'll be dead soon. Death is a douchebag. But he mentioned some other reality that he sent the dead to. Sounds better than being reborn as some snot-nosed punk. Well, some poor snot-nosed punk. But before I go, I have to talk to James. Well, not talk. But things will be said."

Crowley nodded and smiled at Damien. "You know what kid?" he asked. "You too." he hugged the British boy back. There was a collective "aww" from our studio audience, who exist and are tightly bound up in chains so they cannot ever escape. "It's fine. You lived as long as you could and...its really all fine. I'm sorry for everything, but..." Crowley paused, an idea in his head. "I have an idea on how to try to make it up for you. A weak way, but still a way. You'll see later. Well, you won't, but..."

Then Crowley turned to Minh. "You." he said warmly, shaking Minh's hand and hugging him tightly as well. "I'm sorry. For everything, really. You deserved better. You always did. But I'm going to make sure Daisuke gets a better life and I'll treat him better than I did you. You did too much for me and I did too little, far too little in return."

Minh merely gave a chuckle and a smile. "You know what? It's fine, Crowley. Just watch Daisuke for me, alright? I think things work out alright. I can rest now." he laughed. "I can finally rest at last...my role here is over." he smiled. "And you-" he turned to D. "Pleasure knowing you as well, kid. You'll go far, even if you annoyed me sometimes with the requests to destroy half the world with your experiments."

Finally, Richard.

Richard nodded to them all, giving a chuckle. "Yes. We all need to talk, I'm sure. The child-" gesture to D. "Knows what I am. Ask him that. Personally, I want to say this." he looked around the room. "I'm sorry. For quite a lot, really. There are a lot of things I could have stopped, a lot of lives I could have saved...but I was a fool. I was an idiot a long time ago. For a while, I just tried to stay out of the spotlight, keep the floors clean, keep the corpses out of the way and just try to keep things from falling apart...

"I was wrong. I was so wrong. I could not do that. And my attempts at subtly trying to change things and trying to forgive myself...it wouldn't have worked. As I die, I'm dying-" he struggled to explain his words. "I'm dying with the hope that maybe things might be different for you guys. Maybe eventually you can forgive, maybe eventually you can wash clean the things I've done and remember the good. I tried-"

Then Crowley grabbed him in a hug. "You tried well enough." he said simply. "You tried damn well enough." he said.

Richard laughed. "No. No I didn't. I managed to help you, and I managed to help quite a few others...but no. I could have done much more. Could have given a lot of others more time..."

He was quiet. "And now I will admit one last thing. One last act before I go." he sighed. "I'm a true bastard." he confessed to Calliel and Ivy, keeping his eyes hidden. He took a deep breath and began. "That child of yours...I knew it would be a stillborn." he admitted. "I expected that I was going to be dying very soon. April 4th was the day I died- I assumed that it would also be the end of the world, since I couldn't see anything further. As I learned more, I realised it was my death that was approaching soon. And so..." he gave a weary chuckle. "I...fixed things. I arranged it so you would have that child, but it would be my new body, a body for my soul to rest in..." he was quiet again. "I am a bastard." he confessed. "But I will try to redeem that..."

He rested one ghostly hand on the child's, then the ghost of Richard began to break down. "I will end my soul and try to give one to yours. It won't be me, but...it will be alive." As the ghost of Richard began to smash down, he grinned at Ivy. "Talk to Michael. He's still here, he has some answers he might be able to give you. But...keep your son safe, alright?"

Then he had one last piece of information to depart. "Tell James Callahan to keep the goddamn floors clean. And we need some more disinfectant, we've been running out."

Then Richard, janitor of Elfen High and much more, finally disappeared.

Then the baby started to cry, life entering it as the doctors just stared.*

*One of them retired the same day, stating his reasoning as "Fucking bullshit, man."

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

After a couple minutes of sobbing and generally being a little bitch, James made his way out of the Palace, wiping away the tears and trying to hide that he had been crying. Easier to do that when you can just make the moisture evaporate with a thought.

He returned to where everyone else was, gazing upon the lost souls - All the people he had failed by trying to hide a secret for petty, and ultimately futile, reasons. Sure, he wasn't at full power then, but he wasn't at full power now either and probably could have recharged faster had he actually worked with the shard of Loki, rather than hiding from him through two separate layers of personalities. He could have gained more power by just talking to Crowley, Minh, or Richard and getting their advice, by actually communicating, by not harbouring thoughts of vengeance and destruction. By putting his trust into them, as they had to him. Crowley offering Gram two years ago and Narayanastra now, Richard entrusting him with cleaning the school - Even after everything he had said and done, even after the destructive power of his black bullets were shown, they still put their trust and their lives in him when the chips were down.

And he had failed them.

That's when he saw his weapons and vest, still on the ground where he had left them. He went to retrieve them, conveniently putting him in Damien's eyesight.

[Nationstatelandsville]

"I've got nothing to say to any of you," Damien announced, as he pushed his way through the crowd. He stopped at Crowley, and sighed. "Aleister," he began. "I never really said goodbye to you. I'm still mad at you for being a dick. You know, when I killed my family. But I've got five minutes left, and I'd rather use them to tell you that after all we've been through, I love you like a father. I always will. Thank you, Al. It meant a lot, all those times we chatted. But I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to live for a little longer. Ah... well... what are you going to do, you know?"

He looked down for a moment, then hugged Crowley, squeezing him tightly. He let go, and then smiled. "Well, I don't have much to say. Never did, never have, never will. Well, I'll be dead soon. Death is a douchebag. But he mentioned some other reality that he sent the dead to. Sounds better than being reborn as some snot-nosed punk. Well, some poor snot-nosed punk. But before I go, I have to talk to James. Well, not talk. But things will be said."

Crowley nodded and smiled at Damien. "You know what kid?" he asked. "You too." he hugged the British boy back. There was a collective "aww" from our studio audience, who exist and are tightly bound up in chains so they cannot ever escape. "It's fine. You lived as long as you could and...its really all fine. I'm sorry for everything, but..." Crowley paused, an idea in his head. "I have an idea on how to try to make it up for you. A weak way, but still a way. You'll see later. Well, you won't, but..."

Then Crowley turned to Minh. "You." he said warmly, shaking Minh's hand and hugging him tightly as well. "I'm sorry. For everything, really. You deserved better. You always did. But I'm going to make sure Daisuke gets a better life and I'll treat him better than I did you. You did too much for me and I did too little, far too little in return."

Minh merely gave a chuckle and a smile. "You know what? It's fine, Crowley. Just watch Daisuke for me, alright? I think things work out alright. I can rest now." he laughed. "I can finally rest at last...my role here is over." he smiled. "And you-" he turned to D. "Pleasure knowing you as well, kid. You'll go far, even if you annoyed me sometimes with the requests to destroy half the world with your experiments."

Finally, Richard.

Richard nodded to them all, giving a chuckle. "Yes. We all need to talk, I'm sure. The child-" gesture to D. "Knows what I am. Ask him that. Personally, I want to say this." he looked around the room. "I'm sorry. For quite a lot, really. There are a lot of things I could have stopped, a lot of lives I could have saved...but I was a fool. I was an idiot a long time ago. For a while, I just tried to stay out of the spotlight, keep the floors clean, keep the corpses out of the way and just try to keep things from falling apart...

"I was wrong. I was so wrong. I could not do that. And my attempts at subtly trying to change things and trying to forgive myself...it wouldn't have worked. As I die, I'm dying-" he struggled to explain his words. "I'm dying with the hope that maybe things might be different for you guys. Maybe eventually you can forgive, maybe eventually you can wash clean the things I've done and remember the good. I tried-"

Then Crowley grabbed him in a hug. "You tried well enough." he said simply. "You tried damn well enough." he said.

Richard laughed. "No. No I didn't. I managed to help you, and I managed to help quite a few others...but no. I could have done much more. Could have given a lot of others more time..."

He was quiet. "And now I will admit one last thing. One last act before I go." he sighed. "I'm a true bastard." he confessed to Calliel and Ivy, keeping his eyes hidden. He took a deep breath and began. "That child of yours...I knew it would be a stillborn." he admitted. "I expected that I was going to be dying very soon. April 4th was the day I died- I assumed that it would also be the end of the world, since I couldn't see anything further. As I learned more, I realised it was my death that was approaching soon. And so..." he gave a weary chuckle. "I...fixed things. I arranged it so you would have that child, but it would be my new body, a body for my soul to rest in..." he was quiet again. "I am a bastard." he confessed. "But I will try to redeem that..."

He rested one ghostly hand on the child's, then the ghost of Richard began to break down. "I will end my soul and try to give one to yours. It won't be me, but...it will be alive." As the ghost of Richard began to smash down, he grinned at Ivy. "Talk to Michael. He's still here, he has some answers he might be able to give you. But...keep your son safe, alright?"

Then he had one last piece of information to depart. "Tell James Callahan to keep the goddamn floors clean. And we need some more disinfectant, we've been running out."

Then Richard, janitor of Elfen High and much more, finally disappeared.

Then the baby started to cry, life entering it as the doctors just stared.*

*One of them retired the same day, stating his reasoning as "Fucking bullshit, man."

Then Megan returned, bouncing Rosalind up and down in her arms. Despite everything, her lost daughter, her greatest failure, made her happy again, if only for a fleeting second.

"What happened?" she asked cautiously, quickly clearing away her smile of relief.

"Absolutely nothing," D lied with a smile.

"Right," Megan said with a nod - she wouldn't have believed him, were she not so emotionally and physically drained, "Does anyone else hear a newborn?"

"Always," D said with a nod, "Life... always... continues."

He snapped his fingers and the armor wrapped around him once more. With one last wave, he jumped through the window and rocketed away from the hospital.

The chapter ended, but the story? It always continues.

[Nude East Ireland]

And Damien walked up next to James. He looked at the Canadian, and sighed. "James Callahan. James. Fucking. Callahan. I've been waiting a long time for this, Callahan. It took two years, two deaths, and a war with the King of Hell to do it, but now I'm here, with you, and now it's time." He smirked, and cracked his knuckles.

"You killed me. You killed me. You... you fucking killed me. But what's honor anymore? Even I wouldn't know. But you... You are the dregs of humanity, Callahan. You're Canadian... and I'm redundant.

But that isn't the point, fuckface. The point is, I hoped we could get along someday. Maybe I'd finance your wedding. Buy you and Jade a nice little house in the North Pole - you've been to Montreal, right? Well, it doesn't matter. But now I guess that's all pointless. Then again, I did fuck her. That was a nice experience. Am I lying, though? Maybe. But, I digress. Now I'm just rambling."

Damien grabbed Callahan's shoulder, and pulled him close. "I fucking hate you. I despise you. And if I were still alive, I'd spend every single cent making your life a living Hell. But I've only got a few seconds."

Then he punched James in the balls, murdering billions of future Callahans. He waited a moment to savor the effects, before he grabbed some shrapnel and removed Callahan's shirt. He observed James' tattoo, and sighed. "I also don't want my face on your back. It ruins my glorious complexion."

He slashed some of the skin from James' back, taking his face from the tattoo. He tossed the skin aside, as well as the shrapnel.

"Well, looks like I'm leaving for that big roleplay in the sky. Bye Callahan."

Damien finally began fading away.

"Oh, and I did fuck Jade. Hard. It was the best fuck I've had.

[Nightkill the Emperor]

"I need two more fucking minutes."

Then, Death, possibly out of the fact a broomstick had been shoved up its ass and because I'm the OP, granted it.

Then Richard popped into being in front of James, a cigar in his hand. He glanced at James. "You'll be keeping the floors clean, correct?"

[Astrolinium]

---

[Hardened Pyrokinetics]

And Damien walked up next to James. He looked at the Canadian, and sighed. "James Callahan. James. Fucking. Callahan. I've been waiting a long time for this, Callahan. It took two years, two deaths, and a war with the King of Hell to do it, but now I'm here, with you, and now it's time." He smirked, and cracked his knuckles.

"You killed me. You killed me. You... you fucking killed me. But what's honor anymore? Even I wouldn't know. But you... You are the dregs of humanity, Callahan. You're Canadian... and I'm redundant.

But that isn't the point, fuckface. The point is, I hoped we could get along someday. Maybe I'd finance your wedding. Buy you and Jade a nice little house in the North Pole - you've been to Montreal, right? Well, it doesn't matter. But now I guess that's all pointless. Then again, I did fuck her. That was a nice experience. Am I lying, though? Maybe. But, I digress. Now I'm just rambling."

Damien grabbed Callahan's shoulder, and pulled him close. "I fucking hate you. I despise you. And if I were still alive, I'd spend every single cent making your life a living Hell. But I've only got a few seconds."

Then he punched James in the balls, murdering billions of future Callahans. He waited a moment to savor the effects, before he grabbed some shrapnel and removed Callahan's shirt. He observed James' tattoo, and sighed. "I also don't want my face on your back. It ruins my glorious complexion."

He slashed some of the skin from James' back, taking his face from the tattoo. He tossed the skin aside, as well as the shrapnel.

"Well, looks like I'm leaving for that big roleplay in the sky. Bye Callahan."

Damien finally began fading away.

"Oh, and I did fuck Jade. Hard. It was the best fuck I've had.

"Damien, no, wait!" James cried out, lunging for the boy. But it was too late, he had already vanished away. James fell to the ground on his knees. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

"I need two more fucking minutes."

Then, Death, possibly out of the fact a broomstick had been shoved up its ass and because I'm the OP, granted it.

Then Richard popped into being in front of James, a cigar in his hand. He glanced at James. "You'll be keeping the floors clean, correct?"

James got to his feet, ignited his right fist, and spun around. The hand stopped inches from Richard's temple, the flames just barely licking the sides of his face.

"Richard... Fuck you." He stated bluntly. "You aren't supposed to die. Lewis isn't supposed to be dead, Damien isn't supposed to be dead, Jade isn't supposed to be dead, Minh isn't supposed to be dead, and my cousin isn't supposed to be dead. I'm not going to toil away at the fucking floors while the rest of you disappear into oblivion to be forgotten by everyone else.

He withdrew his hand and extinguished the fire, and the scarlet in his right eye faded back to a blue/green. "You all deserve more than that. I'm going to keep all of you alive, all of you immortal. Maybe not directly, but I can at least ensure your stories are never forgotten."

He hugged the old man tightly. "I don't know how, but I will. I can promise you all that much. Just... Come back, alright? Find the others and come back to us, alright?" Steam rose from under his left eye, as a tear was quickly evaporated. "And tell everyone... Tell them I'm sorry, for failing."