"...And shall you find her, pierce her heart and chop off her head, for dooming our people and planet can only be repaid in blood"
A written record of the ancients in the second deepest marine trench of the new world inside a now destroyed test facility which later would be revealed to be a weapon of mass destruction made to kill the Goddess of Magic that abandoned the planet.
William walked among his extended family, it was a sunny day down in Texas as his many many cousins, uncles, and aunties mingled amongst themselves.
Finding a quiet place among the madness, he began feasting on the local cuisine, Tex-Mex, and authentic Mexican dishes for once as his grandparents insisted on making the family cook for once.
"Your mother tells me you had a confrontation at your school" William felt his grandmother loom over him, the ancient Mexican woman towering over him even in her advanced age.
"Look at me boy, so that I may know you don't speak lies" William stared at the ancient woman, Grandmother Joanna had the name of a saint but the eyes of an inquisition officer of the middle ages, faithful to a fault too.
"Yes, Abuela" William's reply was direct, he might as well get this over as fast as possible if he was in for one of his Grandmother's famous rants.
"Good" the woman spoke with conviction "Out of all my daughters your mother was the one who disappointed me the most, always seeking the easy way out, always compromising on that which should not be compromised, a disgrace to her family's name" Joanna smiled, perfectly white teeth shining in the sun "Same for the weasel of a man you have for a father, rotten infidels unworthy of the blessings God gave them"
"Grandpa always spoiled her," William said and cringed at the fact he didn't say Abuelo, his grandmother sneered at him but said nothing.
"That he did, that's the youngest lot, be spoiled rotten and bring nothing but shame to the family" she took a pause and gestured for William to eat more " and yet here we have someone who would not fall for their parent's sins, going as far as standing up for those who could not stand for themselves"
"Violence is but a tool William when the righteous man wields it for good he expurges the evil at its deepest roots, where your foolish parents would rather turn a blind eye or worse collaborate with the scum that plagues this world, you must be the rod of iron, and smash them into pieces"
"Evil prevails when good men do nothing, remember that" His grandmother's voice spoke with deep conviction as he digested both the food and the ideas behind those words.
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Lucrezia's shade was dragging her own body away from the chaotic melee Richard had got himself in with the Queen, only to see the absolute monster that was the Avatar blocking her way, finding a patch of the land untouched by combat she once again dived into the shared soul space.
William's projection was by the Monolith, the bonds that told them how much the merge was progressing steadily progressing, she tried to wake him up many times but he was out cold.
Sacrifice after Sacrifice, the boy may have taken her body and land but he gave everything back tenfold, she screamed at the air, tears falling from her face as she cursed her powerless.
Despair wrecked her as Lucrezia's legs gave in, she kneeled in front of William and begged for the boy to wake up, yet his eyes would not open, in the depths of despair Lucrezia reached for the Gods but found only silence, whoever made the Monolith was blocking the Divine and their blessings to reach this place.
An idea was born in her darkest hour, from the knowledge of the game that once made Lucrezia think William was mad, she hurled herself to the waking world once again, the battle raged on as now in her wrath form she took a knee and recited the words every living being in this world knew by heart.
"O All-Father, lord and commander of all creation, in my hour of need I call thee" Lucrezia saw white and the world around her shifted, from the corner of her eye stood a smiling man waving his hand.
"Finally!"
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Hope stood in awe as the form of the Firstborn of the All-Father came down from the heavens, he wasn't just blessing her, he would be fighting at her side!
His hammer filled her with power, and the Avatar roared in defiance of such authority that sought to vanish it, Augurious stood tall and proud, his ancient armor shining in the light as the creation sang its praises, the firstborn had returned!
"To me my friend!" Augurious commanded and the heavens beckoned his call, pillars of light slamming to Hope's left and right as the divines came down to the mortal coil to fight.
"Do not forget about us my liege!" A great dragon, black as night bellowed from the skies as the God of Undeath appeared, Hope knew that was the dragon who had imbued his essence on the Royal Knight Commander's son!
Another light, this one bearing the sigil of Vermilion appeared and Hope got alarmed, Morugarius had come! Hope's instincts kicked in and she rushed towards the landing zone of the Goddess.
Resolved to at least slow her down, Hope felt the sheer power of the divine baring down on her, she raised the mace but Augurious's voice boomed again "Hold, my sister, shall not fight against you and yours now"
"Nay, Today we gather here to face the direst of threats our fair planet has faced, stand tall my friends for we face the Avatar of Rage!" the Gods screamed and rushed forward, starting a grand melee as Hope leaped backward toward the fight.
With the power of Augurious burning through her, Hope felt the hammer shine and glow as she slammed the Avatar, combined with the mighty onslaught of the Gods who she finally got a good look the Avatar could barely keep up, but what it lacked in overwhelming power it made up for with endurance.
Hope saw the Goddess of Magic and the God of Science, the Goddess of Love, and the God of Undeath and War all rally behind Augurious who with a single gesture of his hand conjured a mighty spear of golden light, Hope's blessing burned brighter seeing such a scene and in her mind, she felt the tendrils of power teach her the spell.
Leaping in the air she heard the black dragon roar and a mighty fireball slam into the Avatar, after the smoke of the attack cleared she channeled half her mana reserves and Ki to the spell.
Augurious manifested himself to her side and nodded, together they threw their spears of golden light towards the Avatar who screamed once again, the sun dimmed as the Rage tried to overwhelm the projectiles but the Gods once again filled the spell with their energy.
Hope stared in awe as a titanic amount of mana was filled towards the spears, the world lost its color and sound, a shrill serving her head as the beast tried, again and again, to push back the spears.
Then it broke, piercing the Avatar square in the chest as it fell to its knees, Hope didn't miss a second and warped straight above its head and with a mighty swing of the hammer, caved the Avatar's head in.
Augurious smiled "It's over" as the Gods came near him and Hope, she felt her blessing burn again as Morugarius stood facing her older brother with sadness in her eyes "Come back home brother, mother misses you" Hope couldn't help but feel sorrow for the plea, seeing the mighty Goddess like that was something else.
Augurious face had a sad smile upon it, Hope saw the fraternal love in his eyes as Morugarius rushed to him her face full of emotions, as the other Gods left the mortal coil they whispered to one another and Morugarius's eyes were filled with tears.
That a God would cry over her long lost brother was something Hope was not expecting to see today, nor was a living Avatar of the Rage-that-Dwells, whose defeat still made the young woman feel dizzy.
When the real deal struck the realm it took a week for the Gods to combine might with the mortals that followed them to defeat it.
Augurious whispered a few more words and then he was gone, silence creeping in his wake as Hope glanced around her, in the distance she could see Queen Malphas and Richard fighting, and Lucrezia's body propped in a lonely tree.
Hope looked to her right hand, the Hammer of Augurious shining once again as the young woman took in some air and readied herself for the final fight to come, Morugarius stood silent a few meters in front of her, her face showing a great deal of emotion Hope thought no Divine could muster.
"Goddess Morugarius, Are you friend or foe?" Hope asked as she began flexing her powers, Swapping blessings to heal herself, then Setting up a triple layer aegis defensive spell with Ki, Divine energy, and Magic. the Rage burned through her veins as her vision sharpened.
Hammer in hand she was ready for a fight again, praying the Goddess of War didn't take her up on it.
As hope inched closer to the Divine, another sigil bloomed in the air, this one was known to her as a great source of headache for a certain Duchess, Uumaries descended in ornate armor and spear, her face masked with rage.
She hugged Morugarius who let her body go in the arms of Umaries, Hope could hear the Goddess sobbing; it was something else, the ground shining as the divine tears fell into it.
Inching closer to the pair now she heard the hushed whispers "...I am so tired, I wasn't made for this ceaseless war Ummy, he knows Father would forgive him why doesn't he come back already..."
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It felt Human to Hope to see her like this, hearing a sister miss her brother's dearest, yet her mind and body were ready for a fight, if not together at least versus Uumaries.
Filling her voice with divine might Hope asked again "Are you friend or foe!?" Uumaries snapped back her face full of worry "Quiet human! before I ran you through with my spear..."
Morugarius raised her hand to calm her beloved "Enough, let's just go home" and then they were gone. Hope sighed as silence once again crept back in, the shine in Augurious's hammer glowing still as she saw the elven woman that was following Richard be stabbed in the belly and disappear.
Hope ran, looking to save mana as one thing burned into her mind: Saving Lucrezia.
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William walked among the bodies from the battle to liberate the Wulfgrem duchy out of the clutches of Lucrezia's parents, the people he killed, and those who died in the crossfire.
Death was a funny thing, spared as he was from the wars and conflicts in the united states, it was everywhere and most of the media he consumed made it fun even. The words of his Abuela rang once again when he arrived at the castle gates.
"Evil prevails when good men fail to act huh" William spoke to himself as he saw his reflection in a pool of crystal clear water, untouched by the blood around it, a grim scene no doubt but one he felt an eerie sense of inner peace.
He went above and beyond the call, whoever got him here wasn't planning for this he was sure of it.
"Can't say I don't miss the cold" William smiled as he sat down in a clear patch of snow "Sis would've liked this I bet, minus the bodies of course" His mind once again strayed back to Earth, home, and family.
"Why?" he heard the voice of his sister echo in his mind, memory flashing to the day after he became the rod of iron his Abuela told him to become "We must do these things the right way man c'mon! an eye for an eye and the whole goddamn world will be blind! do you think grandma understands reality? the woman is stuck in some sort of fanatic mad world inside her head!"
"It had to be done" William spoke the words and just like that day, he felt at peace, come hell or high water he did what he felt was right, if it was a good reason for the others he couldn't give an ounce of care.
"And I would do it again" he smiled at the bright blue skies of Wulfgren, knowing that by sheer cosmic luck, he did do it again, the price he paid was higher this time, much much higher but he knew, deep inside within his most inner thoughts and feelings, he was in the right, and content that he and his friends right a wrong and saved those who can't save themselves.
"...Thoughts of home..."
"...Take away my fear..."
"...Sweat and blood..."
"...Hide my veil of tears..."
"Lay me down"
"In the cold, cold ground"
"Where before many more have gone
"Lay me down"
"In the cold, cold ground"
"Where before many more have gone"
"...You Terrans sure do have a flair for the dramatic, but then again, a planet as bloodthirsty as yours does earn the right for a bit of drama" A powerful but warm voice filled the space around William, the hairs on his arms rising as an old man with light bronze skin and slick back salt and pepper hair sat down beside him.
"A pleasure to meet you in the flesh so to say," the man said with a smile "it's not often we get Terrans in this part of the grand cosmos as I am sure you know, given the honestly terrifying amount of knowledge you have of me, my realm, my people and the whole shebang"
William couldn't help but laugh "Would you believe me if I told you it's quite common knowledge with a quite large group of people? Weird ain't it?"
The man smiled, his face delighted in the knowledge "You don't need to tell me that twice, you don't know how boring it gets up there and happenings like this one? once in millennia IF I am lucky, especially with the Kragonians mad at you and yours, they weren't a fan of being turned into cosmic horrors you know? half the reason they are at war with Terra is due to your creative endeavors involving their people"
William laughed again "Of course, the Lovecraftian nightmares are real, course"
The man wagged his finger "Uh oh, they are very and I mean very keen on protecting their image as wise and powerful species who seek to seed new life across the cosmos, not monsters and fish-based lifeforms"
William got up and kneeled with respect "Greetings Lord Faal, I am William Luther Aurelius, a ghost from Terra, and the mind behind Lucrezia's rise to infamy in your Home Planet, for my sins, I ask that she is spared, for I took hold of her body and under her guise commanded men and god both for the deeds of which I take full responsibility"
Faal spoke "Raise thy head child, we speak as equals here, and I am sure you know I am not fond of formality in these unique circumstances, too slow for me as I am sure you are aware"
William did so and the field around them transformed, he was at a table together with Faal, and both sat down and stared at each other when a third chair appeared.
"I believe it would be best if we all three talked about this" He spoke and another shade appeared.
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Malphas saw the body of that stupid elf spirit itself away as the boy bull-rushed her and tackled her to the ground, his face was red with anger and she felt every blow he landed on her.
Her ribs cracked and healed, her kidneys nearly exploded but kept going, her nerves, everything was burning in pain then gone, a perk of her mastery of the Rage, power over pain, power over everything.
Then the Avatar was gone, Malphas clicked her tongue and threw Richard to the side, Lucrezia was still alive and that shade did nothing to kill her or Hope, as always it came down to her to finish the godsdamned job.
"Oh the Joy" Malphas spoke as Richard got up and took a stance, she felt it all over her body and soul, how bored she was, what was her last good fight? the King and Queen of Grannarius were magic users, they cheated with rare magical artifacts, cheated her out of a good brawl, dragons rarely came to challenge her, and demons and devils outright had laws to avoid her.
All-Father refused her appeal to join the war in the cosmos early in her life of adventure before she became royalty, and so she was left in this paradise of a world, bored out of her mind until her children came to be.
And her beloved Jason, love, and motherhood appeased her inner beast but after her son's death it roared back to life, a pity the whore did not meet her standards for fighting, but the lackey...
The lackey surpassed it.
"Richard Silverbrand, I Queen Malphas Shatter-Spear Dragonblood, Declare you the strongest foe I've faced on this planet" Malphas smiled, for all the bad the Whore had done, at the very least she gave her an excellent foe to beat.
And then there were two, as Malphas watched Hope show up and stand by Richard's side.
Hope leaped into action, barely giving the nod to Richard as the Hammer she wielded came crashing down in golden rays, Malphas's eyes widened as she recognized the weapon, to think a divine weapon would be deployed at this late in the battle filled her with emotion, more excitement, more action!
The girl flew into the air, the Hammer glowing again as a mighty blade made out of Mana and Divine energy came crashing down into Malphas, the Queen smiled and punched the spell into sparks of light, the moment she did it Hope appeared to her flank swinging the weapon right into her ribcage.
Malphas flew into the air, her lungs sucking air as pain flared in her entire body, she tried to cast a spell but found her hands and mouth sluggish, Time Magic! Hope was using Chronomancy against her!
Malphas slowly turned her head to the side as she saw Richard rushing towards her, the entire world felt slow as the fell magic took hold of her body and soul, she cursed the powers of the All-Father then Richard struck.
The boy's punches and kicks flew like a mighty stream, Malphas closed her eyes as she felt the Rage roar inside of her, very much displeased that its avatar had been banished, with the power of the blasphemous beast coursing through her veins she saw the arcane constructs of Hope's spell, their magick weaving and formula only the Goddess of Time herself was privy to.
A mighty punch, the most honorable of weapons in Malphas's opinion crashed the spell down and her speed was restored, with a glance she grabbed Richard by the throat and threw him into the ground, the boy bellowed a threat but he was down for the moment.
Malphas felt the Rage fly off Hope as the girl grabbed the Hammer with both hands and began hammering Malphas who had to dodge and parry most of the attacks, as both woman's powers evenly matched Malphas knew she would need to bring out her all to defeat someone who had the Rage AND All Father's blessing.
A shame, the Silverbrand kid proved a far better sport, to see a regular person break their limits like that filled Malphas with pride, Hope, on the other hand, was just abusing the powers bestowed to her.
Malphas saw Richard get up, and upon his hand shone a light most peculiar as the boy screamed from the backline 'Hope, distract her!" the girl summoned a beam of pure divine energy and slammed it into Malphas.
"C'mon!" Malphas screamed and hurled herself towards her, arms at the ready as Hope's Hammer came flying from her hand and struck Malphas square in the chest, another leap and Hope was on top of her a flurry of blows flying out as Malphas tried to parry and dodge them.
It was a mad dance, Hope's blessing copying the minute detail of Malphas's skills in battle as she pushed harder and harder, at one point the smile dropped and she was in for real, no more holding back, no more toying with prey.
And yet Hope met her at every step. Magic, Divine miracles, Martial arts, Ki, what the girl lacked in experience the Blessing of the All-Father shored up so nicely, it was like she was this good from the start.
A shame, Malphas thought again as she leaped towards Hope and slammed her Knee right into the forehead of the girl, this was not a desperate struggle by someone who had no chance of winning, no last-ditch effort of man and divine, this was a once in a millennium hero figure.
Malphas preferred Richard at the end of the day, and that was that.
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Richard's mind was ablaze as he watched Hope do her best to keep that monster in human form at bay, the girl was breaking her limits over and over again and yet Malphas did not relent, did not step back once!
It was madness, true madness that no mortal should behold, so much power in a single person wasn't right.
And so Richard made the decision that would end this macabre show of power "Lend me your strength" he asked the Goddess and felt a slight nod and smile come from her.
"Hope, keep her busy, It's time to end this!" Richard grabbed the small stone in his necklace and pointed upwards, a impressive beam myriad in color went up in the skies and slammed into the protective field creating arcs of pure energy before breaking free into the skies above, with no announcement of the spell in place Richard began feeding the stone energy from the Goddess.
"NO, NOT AGAIN!" Malphas screamed as Richard's vision grew darker to the sides, Hope once again cast time magic on the Queen, holding her down and then slamming her entire body with the Hammer of Golden light.
In a split second Richard saw the fabled Golden City of Faal, the realm of the gods and seat of power of the All-Father, he was one with creation, and creation sang to him in a tune so divine he nearly lost himself, so much power flowed through him that he felt like a demi-god.
His vision then shifted to a terrifying place, a lake of blood with Lucrezia in the middle, and another form to her side, their face covered in shadow. His mind snapped back to reality as the Goddess spoke to his ear.
"The All-Father himself has granted the power to use his tear, It is time to end this Richard, do it"
Richard nodded and spoke to Hope, praying she would listen and dodge out of the way, he then pointed his right hand to Queen Malphas and felt a click inside his soul, as the world went from pitch black to a myriad of colors, to pure white and Malphas was slammed with a beam of pure power, the selfsame way the Grannarius's royalty did so long ago in the war.
Silence followed as her form became pure energy, Richard nearly fell over but Hope grabbed him by the arms and threw her arm around him, keeping him up. Ricard didn't need a special blessing to see the young woman had come to trust him deeply, the Knights he knew always spoke of this silent bond among soldiers who lived after a harrowing battle, something that every Vermilian understood deep within their hearts.
His fate and Hope's were tied now, tied to the one responsible for all of this, he grunted to the trees that remained and both hobbled towards the fair form who was propped in the bark of a big tree, Lucrezia's eyes closed but both could see her chest rising and falling.
...."The Reclaimers have won, please register ownership of the castle and field grounds with the Academy's dean..." Richard heard the soft voice of the spell construct as Hope chuckled "You think the rest can see us now?" she asked.
"Yeah, yeah they can and I hope Arthur doesn't get mad at me later," Richard said trying to calm his nerves.
"He won't, trust me" Hope replied knowing Richard was trying to take his mind off the fact Lucrezia could've been sentenced to a fate worse than death.