Holy High - IC 2 - Open

[Ranoria]

"I don't think you'll have to lift a single finger Xavier..."
Ryujin snarled, then pounced, a mere blur as the muscles in his legs propelled him forward, and this time he rammed Chaos with the thickened top of his skull, sending him hundreds of meters out, and easily outside the school building, and what had been a room before Leviathan and himself had changed to their dragon forms. He roared, forming a wall of solid water that Chaos slammed into, and Ryujin proceeded to let the water disperse before batting him down, and following quickly, the entity hitting the ground and forming a crater before Ryujin's heel crushed him to paste.
"Now let's see you survive this..." Ryujin summoned a Manju jewel, spinning what was left of Chaos in a massive vortex that ripped his remains apart, not letting them get anywhere near each other. Even if he tried to reform, he would be torn apart faster than he could regenerate his broken body.

He reappeared, sighing even as his physical form reformed. "You are boring me, Dragon King..." he spoke, his eyes glinting red for a moment. He then used the dual energy and clipped his huge, muscular wings. "I believe you need to calm yourself before you kill one of your teammates..."

"Ryujin!" Xavier shouted, tapping his foot and sending a spark of fire at his feet. "Physical force is not going to work! Now I told you to hold him off. Now keep out of the direct line of fire, if you can. Got it?" he ordered.

Ryujin snarled back, "I am holding him off! Just tell me when you're ready and I'll move!" He jumped back, leaving a clear line between Xavier and their enemy, and then jumped down in front of Xavier in his human form, armor from back in the days of the samurai forming around him while he drew his blade. "I'll hold him off. Have no doubt about that. I ah...I'll stay human so that I don't hurt anyone on accident. I am still the embodiment of the ocean's power. He won't so much as touch you."

[The Dystopian Isles of Frisct]

He reappeared, sighing even as his physical form reformed. "You are boring me, Dragon King..." he spoke, his eyes glinting red for a moment. He then used the dual energy and clipped his huge, muscular wings. "I believe you need to calm yourself before you kill one of your teammates..."

"Ryujin!" Xavier shouted, tapping his foot and sending a spark of fire at his feet. "Physical force is not going to work! Now I told you to hold him off. Now keep out of the direct line of fire, if you can. Got it?" he ordered.

Ryujin snarled back, "I am holding him off! Just tell me when you're ready and I'll move!" He jumped back, leaving a clear line between Xavier and their enemy, and then jumped down in front of Xavier in his human form, armor from back in the days of the samurai forming around him while he drew his blade. "I'll hold him off. Have no doubt about that. I ah...I'll stay human so that I don't hurt anyone on accident. I am still the embodiment of the ocean's power. He won't so much as touch you."

A portal opened beside Ryujin, and out stepped Xenon, ready for battle in a purple cloak.

"Did I miss anything while I was gone? Looks like things were quite eventful while I was napping."

He looked up at Adam, stroking his chin.

"So you're the guy were supposed to kill right? You seem like the target of all te aggression here anyway."

[Ranoria]

Ryujin snarled back, "I am holding him off! Just tell me when you're ready and I'll move!" He jumped back, leaving a clear line between Xavier and their enemy, and then jumped down in front of Xavier in his human form, armor from back in the days of the samurai forming around him while he drew his blade. "I'll hold him off. Have no doubt about that. I ah...I'll stay human so that I don't hurt anyone on accident. I am still the embodiment of the ocean's power. He won't so much as touch you."

A portal opened beside Ryujin, and out stepped Xenon, ready for battle in a purple cloak.

"Did I miss anything while I was gone? Looks like things were quite eventful while I was napping."

He looked up at Adam, stroking his chin.

"So you're the guy were supposed to kill right? You seem like the target of all te aggression here anyway."

Ryujin looks over and nods, "Yeah, he's the bad guy. That's all you really need to know at this point. His body is also not a true form for him, he can shift into different ones, so making him disappear won't work.
Giftzhan stalks from behind them silently, cloak waving in the wind. "I have a plan." He shoulders his scythe as Ryujin looks over, curiously.
He smirks, "Hold him in place for just a moment, then I'll devour his soul!"

[The Dystopian Isles of Frisct]

A portal opened beside Ryujin, and out stepped Xenon, ready for battle in a purple cloak.

"Did I miss anything while I was gone? Looks like things were quite eventful while I was napping."

He looked up at Adam, stroking his chin.

"So you're the guy were supposed to kill right? You seem like the target of all te aggression here anyway."

Ryujin looks over and nods, "Yeah, he's the bad guy. That's all you really need to know at this point. His body is also not a true form for him, he can shift into different ones, so making him disappear won't work.
Giftzhan stalks from behind them silently, cloak waving in the wind. "I have a plan." He shoulders his scythe as Ryujin looks over, curiously.
He smirks, "Hold him in place for just a moment, then I'll devour his soul!"

"If killing him was such a simple matter then it would've already been done by now."

The wind slightly swirled around him, his cloak gaining an astral look. He was ready for whenever he needed to fight.

"Now, how about we do this with more of the group here? It seems like such a waste to only fight a few of us."

[Syrixces]

"I don't think you'll have to lift a single finger Xavier..."
Ryujin snarled, then pounced, a mere blur as the muscles in his legs propelled him forward, and this time he rammed Chaos with the thickened top of his skull, sending him hundreds of meters out, and easily outside the school building, and what had been a room before Leviathan and himself had changed to their dragon forms. He roared, forming a wall of solid water that Chaos slammed into, and Ryujin proceeded to let the water disperse before batting him down, and following quickly, the entity hitting the ground and forming a crater before Ryujin's heel crushed him to paste.
"Now let's see you survive this..." Ryujin summoned a Manju jewel, spinning what was left of Chaos in a massive vortex that ripped his remains apart, not letting them get anywhere near each other. Even if he tried to reform, he would be torn apart faster than he could regenerate his broken body.

He reappeared, sighing even as his physical form reformed. "You are boring me, Dragon King..." he spoke, his eyes glinting red for a moment. He then used the dual energy and clipped his huge, muscular wings. "I believe you need to calm yourself before you kill one of your teammates..."

"Ryujin!" Xavier shouted, tapping his foot and sending a spark of fire at his feet. "Physical force is not going to work! Now I told you to hold him off. Now keep out of the direct line of fire, if you can. Got it?" he ordered.

Light into darkness. Darkness into light. The void, into form. The form, into the void. The cosmogonic cycle burns, endless, timeless, constantly circling through the eternity of creation. From light, darkness. From darkness, light.

In Milky Way, there is a Sun. From the Sun, there is a bolt of light, reddish in color. Waves upon waves of light emanate from this bolt, an eternity of light, cast forth, behind the shadow of Chaos.

As the light dies down, the vague silhouette of a figure can be seen, crouching in the waves of light. The figure stands, a faint outline of white energy, eyes aglow. He holds up his left hand, palm pointed at Chaos, the light dying away.

No. No more death, monster.

[Charlia]

She smiled gently, and just continued using her power, rewinding his time so the wounds disappeared.

Then she fell to the ground, her glaive glowing a garnet color and her skin pale, almost corpse-like in the red light.

Genbu immediately crawls to her side, the new muscle and skin and bone somehow sore, even though they were technically not new. "Rachel?" he asks quietly, putting her head into his lap and looking into her eyes. "Rachel? Please don't die... I don't know what I would do if you died..."

"Hey..." she said, smiling. "...You're okay... That's good..."

---

Time is moving on
You and me, you and me
Suffering is gone
You are free, you are free

[Castle Crashers]

She was quiet except for her sniffles and whimpers as he spoke, taking in every word that escaped his mouth. "It's...not your fault." She said quietly, her voice hoarse and muddled with tears. "I...I couldn't do anything either." She didn't turn to face him, but she knew exactly who he was simply by his voice. She felt empty, felt tired, felt many things and none of them happy. She wanted to be, for him, for his return, but...she couldn't make herself do it. She couldn't even force a smile onto her tear-stained face. He was gone and not only could she see it, but she could feel it too. There was no hope, no happiness, no optimism. She simply felt...dark and drained. Like the moment he died, her happiness went with him.

He saw her expression and did the one thing he could do. He tried to comfort her. Slowly, he pulled her into a gentle embrace. "I'm here Nyx... I know how you feel... We have both lost loved ones. I-I gave up my life to end your internal conflict and be happy with him... That is how much I love you Nyx. I love you so much that I'm willing to endure a fate worse than death in order to make you happy. That is all I want... For you to enjoy your life..."

She began to cry again, seeing it as her only way to show emotion. It was all she could feel. Every other emotion felt as if it were...shutting down. Dying. That's what it felt like, like she was dying. Slowly, painfully, and heartbrokenly. She wouldn't go in a blaze of glory, not as he had. No, she would die alone, afraid, tears running from her eyes in the dark void she would end in. And for what..? A pitiful little relationship as her father would put it? He would be ashamed. They would all be ashamed, disappointed in her. But she didn't care...she didn't care what they thought anymore. She wanted to die alone, to die from heartbreak. Without him, life was unbearable, like trying to live on Venus. She didn't know what she would do a week from now, a day from now, even an hour from now. She felt like every minute she was separated from him, she was growing gray and lifeless, like a tree separated from rain for too long. She felt like she was dying.
Dying of a broken heart.

[Skyline United]

He saw her expression and did the one thing he could do. He tried to comfort her. Slowly, he pulled her into a gentle embrace. "I'm here Nyx... I know how you feel... We have both lost loved ones. I-I gave up my life to end your internal conflict and be happy with him... That is how much I love you Nyx. I love you so much that I'm willing to endure a fate worse than death in order to make you happy. That is all I want... For you to enjoy your life..."

She began to cry again, seeing it as her only way to show emotion. It was all she could feel. Every other emotion felt as if it were...shutting down. Dying. That's what it felt like, like she was dying. Slowly, painfully, and heartbrokenly. She wouldn't go in a blaze of glory, not as he had. No, she would die alone, afraid, tears running from her eyes in the dark void she would end in. And for what..? A pitiful little relationship as her father would put it? He would be ashamed. They would all be ashamed, disappointed in her. But she didn't care...she didn't care what they thought anymore. She wanted to die alone, to die from heartbreak. Without him, life was unbearable, like trying to live on Venus. She didn't know what she would do a week from now, a day from now, even an hour from now. She felt like every minute she was separated from him, she was growing gray and lifeless, like a tree separated from rain for too long. She felt like she was dying.
Dying of a broken heart.

He held her close to him. While he did his best to comfort her, his body was still cold. He didn't want her to be sad. Yet, he was given a second life. Why? Why was he brought back? He wanted to, but didn't at the same time. Gently, he placed a hand on the back of her head. "I-I'm sorry..." was all he could manage to say.

[Skyline United]

A young woman slowly walked towards the school, dragging her blade on the ground as she moved. Each step she made clacked against the concrete as the blade made a constant grinding noise. Eventually, she reached the entrance of the school.

After a quick inspection of her surroundings, she proceeded to walk until she stopped at the very center of the complex. From there, she began to carve runes into the ground. The noise it created as she did this would be unbearable and be heard for about a mile.

When she stopped, she stepped back and held a palm towards the center point of the rune. A sphere of light formed in front of her hand and began to shine light onto the carving. Slowly, it absorbed the light and the rune began to glow.

[Luminesa]

He reappeared, sighing even as his physical form reformed. "You are boring me, Dragon King..." he spoke, his eyes glinting red for a moment. He then used the dual energy and clipped his huge, muscular wings. "I believe you need to calm yourself before you kill one of your teammates..."

"Ryujin!" Xavier shouted, tapping his foot and sending a spark of fire at his feet. "Physical force is not going to work! Now I told you to hold him off. Now keep out of the direct line of fire, if you can. Got it?" he ordered.

Light into darkness. Darkness into light. The void, into form. The form, into the void. The cosmogonic cycle burns, endless, timeless, constantly circling through the eternity of creation. From light, darkness. From darkness, light.

In Milky Way, there is a Sun. From the Sun, there is a bolt of light, reddish in color. Waves upon waves of light emanate from this bolt, an eternity of light, cast forth, behind the shadow of Chaos.

As the light dies down, the vague silhouette of a figure can be seen, crouching in the waves of light. The figure stands, a faint outline of white energy, eyes aglow. He holds up his left hand, palm pointed at Chaos, the light dying away.

No. No more death, monster.

Chaos turned and stared at him. "You have returned...How you escaped Oblivion is a mystery to me, but makes no difference to me...I will send all things there soon enough, and you shall return there..." He then sighed and closed his eyes. "But since all your friends try to do is blast me apart, perhaps I should now take the initiative..." He then dissipated into light and darkness himself.

Lux watched him as he disappeared, and suddenly he felt a choking sensation. Something inside of him burned and twisted, settling deep inside of his being. He fell out of Raphael's arms and writhed on his side, on the ground, unable to even cough up the words he wanted to say. He then went limp for a moment.

Xavier saw this and became furious. "He...he didn't...NO!!!" he shouted.

A moment later, Lux stood slowly, but it was obvious he was not the one speaking, when he turned and looked directly at Raphael. "...How...unfortunate...I did not want to resort to this, but...Now you have forced me to use my sacrifice...Then again, I should not feel much shame over this...As your Mage has said, I have existed within this mortal shell for eons..."[/i] He then turned to the others.

"And now, if the Dragon King decides he wants to tear me apart, he will end-up tearing apart this poor Angel and whatever remains of his body. In fact...if any of you attack, you will cause this poor Angel to suffer. So now...choose your priorities...killing me, who has not sought to kill any of you...or protecting this little creature...and thus...protecting me in turn..." he declared.

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Genbu immediately crawls to her side, the new muscle and skin and bone somehow sore, even though they were technically not new. "Rachel?" he asks quietly, putting her head into his lap and looking into her eyes. "Rachel? Please don't die... I don't know what I would do if you died..."

"Hey..." she said, smiling. "...You're okay... That's good..."

---

Time is moving on
You and me, you and me
Suffering is gone
You are free, you are free

Genbu runs a hand through her hair, putting his other hand on her face. "Don't care about me, focus on you. What's going on? Is there anything I can do to help?" he asks, very worried for her.

[Charlia]

Light into darkness. Darkness into light. The void, into form. The form, into the void. The cosmogonic cycle burns, endless, timeless, constantly circling through the eternity of creation. From light, darkness. From darkness, light.

In Milky Way, there is a Sun. From the Sun, there is a bolt of light, reddish in color. Waves upon waves of light emanate from this bolt, an eternity of light, cast forth, behind the shadow of Chaos.

As the light dies down, the vague silhouette of a figure can be seen, crouching in the waves of light. The figure stands, a faint outline of white energy, eyes aglow. He holds up his left hand, palm pointed at Chaos, the light dying away.

No. No more death, monster.

Chaos turned and stared at him. "You have returned...How you escaped Oblivion is a mystery to me, but makes no difference to me...I will send all things there soon enough, and you shall return there..." He then sighed and closed his eyes. "But since all your friends try to do is blast me apart, perhaps I should now take the initiative..." He then dissipated into light and darkness himself.

Lux watched him as he disappeared, and suddenly he felt a choking sensation. Something inside of him burned and twisted, settling deep inside of his being. He fell out of Raphael's arms and writhed on his side, on the ground, unable to even cough up the words he wanted to say. He then went limp for a moment.

Xavier saw this and became furious. "He...he didn't...NO!!!" he shouted.

A moment later, Lux stood slowly, but it was obvious he was not the one speaking, when he turned and looked directly at Raphael. "...How...unfortunate...I did not want to resort to this, but...Now you have forced me to use my sacrifice...Then again, I should not feel much shame over this...As your Mage has said, I have existed within this mortal shell for eons..." He then turned to the others.

"And now, if the Dragon King decides he wants to tear me apart, he will end-up tearing apart this poor Angel and whatever remains of his body. In fact...if any of you attack, you will cause this poor Angel to suffer. So now...choose your priorities...killing me, who has not sought to kill any of you...or protecting this little creature...and thus...protecting me in turn..." he declared.

Charlotte stepped over near Lux/Chaos, as if protecting him.

"I will not let you hurt him," she said. "He freed me. If you want to kill him, you'll have to get through me."

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Light into darkness. Darkness into light. The void, into form. The form, into the void. The cosmogonic cycle burns, endless, timeless, constantly circling through the eternity of creation. From light, darkness. From darkness, light.

In Milky Way, there is a Sun. From the Sun, there is a bolt of light, reddish in color. Waves upon waves of light emanate from this bolt, an eternity of light, cast forth, behind the shadow of Chaos.

As the light dies down, the vague silhouette of a figure can be seen, crouching in the waves of light. The figure stands, a faint outline of white energy, eyes aglow. He holds up his left hand, palm pointed at Chaos, the light dying away.

No. No more death, monster.

Chaos turned and stared at him. "You have returned...How you escaped Oblivion is a mystery to me, but makes no difference to me...I will send all things there soon enough, and you shall return there..." He then sighed and closed his eyes. "But since all your friends try to do is blast me apart, perhaps I should now take the initiative..." He then dissipated into light and darkness himself.

Lux watched him as he disappeared, and suddenly he felt a choking sensation. Something inside of him burned and twisted, settling deep inside of his being. He fell out of Raphael's arms and writhed on his side, on the ground, unable to even cough up the words he wanted to say. He then went limp for a moment.

Xavier saw this and became furious. "He...he didn't...NO!!!" he shouted.

A moment later, Lux stood slowly, but it was obvious he was not the one speaking, when he turned and looked directly at Raphael. "...How...unfortunate...I did not want to resort to this, but...Now you have forced me to use my sacrifice...Then again, I should not feel much shame over this...As your Mage has said, I have existed within this mortal shell for eons..."[/i] He then turned to the others.

"And now, if the Dragon King decides he wants to tear me apart, he will end-up tearing apart this poor Angel and whatever remains of his body. In fact...if any of you attack, you will cause this poor Angel to suffer. So now...choose your priorities...killing me, who has not sought to kill any of you...or protecting this little creature...and thus...protecting me in turn..." he declared.

"Oh."

And then Raphael was laughing.

Hysterically.

"Oh, you stupid, moronic, idiotic, retarded, poor ignoramus you!" he says, laughing.

[Charlia]

"Hey..." she said, smiling. "...You're okay... That's good..."

---

Time is moving on
You and me, you and me
Suffering is gone
You are free, you are free

Genbu runs a hand through her hair, putting his other hand on her face. "Don't care about me, focus on you. What's going on? Is there anything I can do to help?" he asks, very worried for her.

"Just... be here..." she whispered, smiling. "You're all I ever need."

---

I know I let you down
Those days are over now
I'm no longer who I was
No longer who I thought I was

[Ranoria]

Light into darkness. Darkness into light. The void, into form. The form, into the void. The cosmogonic cycle burns, endless, timeless, constantly circling through the eternity of creation. From light, darkness. From darkness, light.

In Milky Way, there is a Sun. From the Sun, there is a bolt of light, reddish in color. Waves upon waves of light emanate from this bolt, an eternity of light, cast forth, behind the shadow of Chaos.

As the light dies down, the vague silhouette of a figure can be seen, crouching in the waves of light. The figure stands, a faint outline of white energy, eyes aglow. He holds up his left hand, palm pointed at Chaos, the light dying away.

No. No more death, monster.

Chaos turned and stared at him. "You have returned...How you escaped Oblivion is a mystery to me, but makes no difference to me...I will send all things there soon enough, and you shall return there..." He then sighed and closed his eyes. "But since all your friends try to do is blast me apart, perhaps I should now take the initiative..." He then dissipated into light and darkness himself.

Lux watched him as he disappeared, and suddenly he felt a choking sensation. Something inside of him burned and twisted, settling deep inside of his being. He fell out of Raphael's arms and writhed on his side, on the ground, unable to even cough up the words he wanted to say. He then went limp for a moment.

Xavier saw this and became furious. "He...he didn't...NO!!!" he shouted.

A moment later, Lux stood slowly, but it was obvious he was not the one speaking, when he turned and looked directly at Raphael. "...How...unfortunate...I did not want to resort to this, but...Now you have forced me to use my sacrifice...Then again, I should not feel much shame over this...As your Mage has said, I have existed within this mortal shell for eons..."[/i] He then turned to the others.

"And now, if the Dragon King decides he wants to tear me apart, he will end-up tearing apart this poor Angel and whatever remains of his body. In fact...if any of you attack, you will cause this poor Angel to suffer. So now...choose your priorities...killing me, who has not sought to kill any of you...or protecting this little creature...and thus...protecting me in turn..." he declared.

Ryujin, in his human form, had no idea what to do. "Damn you..."
How do we beat him now..?
Giftzhan knew exactly what to do, and smirked, "I need an"Easy" button from Staples." He reappears behind Lux, in the atchangel's shadow. "I'm sorry, this will hurt." His scythe suddenly jams into Lux's gut, just the tip protruding from his abdomen, dropping hot blood. "I haven't fed in so long." There were two souls in one body, and it was relatively easy to tell them apart, which he did, and been to devour Chaos's soul.
Not absorb it, but devour it. Feast upon it. Revel in it.

[Luminesa]

Chaos turned and stared at him. "You have returned...How you escaped Oblivion is a mystery to me, but makes no difference to me...I will send all things there soon enough, and you shall return there..." He then sighed and closed his eyes. "But since all your friends try to do is blast me apart, perhaps I should now take the initiative..." He then dissipated into light and darkness himself.

Lux watched him as he disappeared, and suddenly he felt a choking sensation. Something inside of him burned and twisted, settling deep inside of his being. He fell out of Raphael's arms and writhed on his side, on the ground, unable to even cough up the words he wanted to say. He then went limp for a moment.

Xavier saw this and became furious. "He...he didn't...NO!!!" he shouted.

A moment later, Lux stood slowly, but it was obvious he was not the one speaking, when he turned and looked directly at Raphael. "...How...unfortunate...I did not want to resort to this, but...Now you have forced me to use my sacrifice...Then again, I should not feel much shame over this...As your Mage has said, I have existed within this mortal shell for eons..." He then turned to the others.

"And now, if the Dragon King decides he wants to tear me apart, he will end-up tearing apart this poor Angel and whatever remains of his body. In fact...if any of you attack, you will cause this poor Angel to suffer. So now...choose your priorities...killing me, who has not sought to kill any of you...or protecting this little creature...and thus...protecting me in turn..." he declared.

Charlotte stepped over near Lux/Chaos, as if protecting him.

"I will not let you hurt him," she said. "He freed me. If you want to kill him, you'll have to get through me."

He smiled at her. "Thank you, Charlotte...How good you are to me..." He lifted her chin in his hand. "If only they saw what you saw..."

He then kissed her.

Xavier and Patriah both stared in shock.

"...In front of Inari..." Xavier was shaking, he was so angry.

"NO!!! GET OUT OF HIM AND GET OFF OF HER!!!" Patriah screamed.

As soon as Lux/Chaos let her go and looked back at them, he chuckled again. "Perhaps if she was more willing to surrender, she would not feel any sort of pain..."

Xavier merely bowed his head and continued even more determinedly on his attack.

Meanwhile, the Mage looked at Inari. "Inari, you've gotta fight him. You've gotta get Chaos to come out of Lux. C'mon, show this punk who's boss!"

[Syrixces]

Light into darkness. Darkness into light. The void, into form. The form, into the void. The cosmogonic cycle burns, endless, timeless, constantly circling through the eternity of creation. From light, darkness. From darkness, light.

In Milky Way, there is a Sun. From the Sun, there is a bolt of light, reddish in color. Waves upon waves of light emanate from this bolt, an eternity of light, cast forth, behind the shadow of Chaos.

As the light dies down, the vague silhouette of a figure can be seen, crouching in the waves of light. The figure stands, a faint outline of white energy, eyes aglow. He holds up his left hand, palm pointed at Chaos, the light dying away.

No. No more death, monster.

Chaos turned and stared at him. "You have returned...How you escaped Oblivion is a mystery to me, but makes no difference to me...I will send all things there soon enough, and you shall return there..." He then sighed and closed his eyes. "But since all your friends try to do is blast me apart, perhaps I should now take the initiative..." He then dissipated into light and darkness himself.

Lux watched him as he disappeared, and suddenly he felt a choking sensation. Something inside of him burned and twisted, settling deep inside of his being. He fell out of Raphael's arms and writhed on his side, on the ground, unable to even cough up the words he wanted to say. He then went limp for a moment.

Xavier saw this and became furious. "He...he didn't...NO!!!" he shouted.

A moment later, Lux stood slowly, but it was obvious he was not the one speaking, when he turned and looked directly at Raphael. "...How...unfortunate...I did not want to resort to this, but...Now you have forced me to use my sacrifice...Then again, I should not feel much shame over this...As your Mage has said, I have existed within this mortal shell for eons..."[/i] He then turned to the others.

"And now, if the Dragon King decides he wants to tear me apart, he will end-up tearing apart this poor Angel and whatever remains of his body. In fact...if any of you attack, you will cause this poor Angel to suffer. So now...choose your priorities...killing me, who has not sought to kill any of you...or protecting this little creature...and thus...protecting me in turn..." he declared.

Hyperion smiled weakly, floating up, skin glowing a soft white, he holds out his hand to Chaos, the white line of creation, fuzzy against the dark backdrop of the desiccated school.

Tsk tsk. Not a smart play. You see, I've played this game before.

Hyperion smiled once more, before stepping back.

And let's say you do choose to sacrifice him. Then what, creature of light? Then, you have no where to run. And several, pissed off Gods, ready to kill you once and for all. Myself, among them.

Hyperion stepped forward, holding out his arms, gesturing to the Gods surrounding him, before folding them against his chest, a grin on his face.

So, make your play. Choose wisely.

[Skyline United]

Charlotte stepped over near Lux/Chaos, as if protecting him.

"I will not let you hurt him," she said. "He freed me. If you want to kill him, you'll have to get through me."

He smiled at her. "Thank you, Charlotte...How good you are to me..." He lifted her chin in his hand. "If only they saw what you saw..."

He then kissed her.

Xavier and Patriah both stared in shock.

"...In front of Inari..." Xavier was shaking, he was so angry.

"NO!!! GET OUT OF HIM AND GET OFF OF HER!!!" Patriah screamed.

As soon as Lux/Chaos let her go and looked back at them, he chuckled again. "Perhaps if she was more willing to surrender, she would not feel any sort of pain..."

Xavier merely bowed his head and continued even more determinedly on his attack.

Meanwhile, the Mage looked at Inari. "Inari, you've gotta fight him. You've gotta get Chaos to come out of Lux. C'mon, show this punk who's boss!"

Inari gulped and stepped forward from the group, still wearing her dress. "I-I don't want to hurt him, but I will if it means that I will lose him... I will do anything." she said. When she spoke, she sounded uncertain and fearful, but they quickly became confident. Slowly, she approached him. With each step a golden light began to eminate from her eyes. "Lux, I know you're still in there. Please, I'm going to need you to help me."

[Charlia]

Charlotte stepped over near Lux/Chaos, as if protecting him.

"I will not let you hurt him," she said. "He freed me. If you want to kill him, you'll have to get through me."

He smiled at her. "Thank you, Charlotte...How good you are to me..." He lifted her chin in his hand. "If only they saw what you saw..."

He then kissed her.

Xavier and Patriah both stared in shock.

"...In front of Inari..." Xavier was shaking, he was so angry.

"NO!!! GET OUT OF HIM AND GET OFF OF HER!!!" Patriah screamed.

As soon as Lux/Chaos let her go and looked back at them, he chuckled again. "Perhaps if she was more willing to surrender, she would not feel any sort of pain..."

Xavier merely bowed his head and continued even more determinedly on his attack.

Meanwhile, the Mage looked at Inari. "Inari, you've gotta fight him. You've gotta get Chaos to come out of Lux. C'mon, show this punk who's boss!"

She felt... dizzy. Someone was kissing her. Who was it?

Faces flashed through her mind. People who had kissed her.

Michael? No. Michael wasn't nearly so gentle.

Adrian? No, she hadn't seen him for months.

Thanatos? No, not after...

Then it hit her.

Every single one of them had betrayed her.

And here someone was. Kissing her. She didn't initiate it, he just kissed her. He didn't even ask.

...Something was so, so, so wrong. But she couldn't quite put her finger on it...

She felt so strange.

...She shouldn't be happy. She was afraid.

But somehow, the fear was erased by happiness...

How--

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Genbu runs a hand through her hair, putting his other hand on her face. "Don't care about me, focus on you. What's going on? Is there anything I can do to help?" he asks, very worried for her.

"Just... be here..." she whispered, smiling. "You're all I ever need."

---

I know I let you down
Those days are over now
I'm no longer who I was
No longer who I thought I was

Genbu leans down and kisses her. "I love you, Rabbit..." he whispers, looking her in the eyes deeply.

---

I'm not afraid of nothing
I'm not afraid of anyone
I'm not afraid of losing myself
There ain't no self to lose

[Charlia]

"Just... be here..." she whispered, smiling. "You're all I ever need."

---

I know I let you down
Those days are over now
I'm no longer who I was
No longer who I thought I was

Genbu leans down and kisses her. "I love you, Rabbit..." he whispers, looking her in the eyes deeply.

---

I'm not afraid of nothing
I'm not afraid of anyone
I'm not afraid of losing myself
There ain't no self to lose

"Love you too..." she whispered, placing a hand on his face. "...my... angel..."

---

Time is moving on
You and me, you and me
Suffering is done
Let it be, let it be

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Genbu leans down and kisses her. "I love you, Rabbit..." he whispers, looking her in the eyes deeply.

---

I'm not afraid of nothing
I'm not afraid of anyone
I'm not afraid of losing myself
There ain't no self to lose

"Love you too..." she whispered, placing a hand on his face. "...my... angel..."

---

Time is moving on
You and me, you and me
Suffering is done
Let it be, let it be

Genbu smiles, tears welling up in his eyes. "I need you..." he whispers, even quieter than her.

[Charlia]

"Love you too..." she whispered, placing a hand on his face. "...my... angel..."

---

Time is moving on
You and me, you and me
Suffering is done
Let it be, let it be

Genbu smiles, tears welling up in his eyes. "I need you..." he whispers, even quieter than her.

"Don't cry..." she whispered, and she could feel a tear falling.

"And don't be afraid to--"

Then her eyes closed.

---

When you feel you're strong
You are free
You are free

[Luminesa]

He smiled at her. "Thank you, Charlotte...How good you are to me..." He lifted her chin in his hand. "If only they saw what you saw..."

He then kissed her.

Xavier and Patriah both stared in shock.

"...In front of Inari..." Xavier was shaking, he was so angry.

"NO!!! GET OUT OF HIM AND GET OFF OF HER!!!" Patriah screamed.

As soon as Lux/Chaos let her go and looked back at them, he chuckled again. "Perhaps if she was more willing to surrender, she would not feel any sort of pain..."

Xavier merely bowed his head and continued even more determinedly on his attack.

Meanwhile, the Mage looked at Inari. "Inari, you've gotta fight him. You've gotta get Chaos to come out of Lux. C'mon, show this punk who's boss!"

Inari gulped and stepped forward from the group, still wearing her dress. "I-I don't want to hurt him, but I will if it means that I will lose him... I will do anything." she said. When she spoke, she sounded uncertain and fearful, but they quickly became confident. Slowly, she approached him. With each step a golden light began to eminate from her eyes. "Lux, I know you're still in there. Please, I'm going to need you to help me."

Lux tried to call to her from inside of his mind, where he was trapped. "Inari!" he called.

Yet Chaos immediately covered his mouth and nose, inside. "...You are only making this harder on yourself...If you let me finish this, your death will be painless...Sweet little Angel...Have you never seen it? You have always belonged to me...Only I was there when you suffered...and now I am the only one here to see you die inside...Nobody could ever know better than I do how much you have endured..."

He wanted to call-out again, but his body was absolutely exhausted. All of the damage he had received on-and-off had done its toll, and now he felt he could not fight. He coughed a slight bit more of blood, and he went unconscious inside.

On the outside, Chaos had left his body and held his hands outstretched. "...As you wish...Now comes the end..." he murmured. The light and the darkness began once more to break-down the Angel's body.

"RAPHAEL!!! NOW!!!" Xavier called, knowing exactly what his brother had been planning.

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Charlotte stepped over near Lux/Chaos, as if protecting him.

"I will not let you hurt him," she said. "He freed me. If you want to kill him, you'll have to get through me."

He smiled at her. "Thank you, Charlotte...How good you are to me..." He lifted her chin in his hand. "If only they saw what you saw..."

He then kissed her.

Xavier and Patriah both stared in shock.

"...In front of Inari..." Xavier was shaking, he was so angry.

"NO!!! GET OUT OF HIM AND GET OFF OF HER!!!" Patriah screamed.

As soon as Lux/Chaos let her go and looked back at them, he chuckled again. "Perhaps if she was more willing to surrender, she would not feel any sort of pain..."

Xavier merely bowed his head and continued even more determinedly on his attack.

Meanwhile, the Mage looked at Inari. "Inari, you've gotta fight him. You've gotta get Chaos to come out of Lux. C'mon, show this punk who's boss!"

Raphael taps Adam's shoulder, smiling. "Hello. Remember earlier, when I asked you that question? Yeah, I'm certain now."

He grabs the beings face by both sides, leaning in to whisper into his ear.

"Qua de Priomordial limus , qui usque ad finem mundi ortus suus crucias incolis exaudi me in misericordia Dei incarnati. Audite me, et scio metus. Audite me, et nescit locum tuum. Chaos extinctum non est Deus in conspectu Ordinis. Tu es ens ordinem cogere , et ideo mihi aquaeductum et enervant. In Dei nomine , tibi carcer, mirumque esse nititur . Quae ego praecipio tibi ut nullam unquam affectisque supplicio . Quaeram te contrain ens chaos ordinis in corpore . In nomine Dei, sic facio."

The words tumble out of Raphael's mouth, like oil on water, slipping over the chaos of this realm, and shaping it, turning into Order at the Angel's will. A light slowly forms on the floor behind Chaos, and quickly expands upward, starting with a column and oozing into something else.

At the end, after a few seconds, what stands there is a blank, white, formless body, with only the basics, limbs, a torso, and a head, no face or anything else.

Raphael smiles, watching it. Cut away all that is not David, and in the end, David will stand there, magnificent. he thinks.

And then he turns back to Adam. "In nomine Dei , et vade in vinculis relinquebant Uriel ens Chaos." he whispers, and Adam is torn from Lux, flying into the prison of Order, the most basic features the only thing giving him shape.

And yet everything was designed to torment him.

Raphael collapses to the ground, a smile on his face. "Check... mate..."

And then he passes out.