Lord Joyde The Madman: Heylo, everyone! How're you all doing?
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It appears that there is a den of madness ... and I am not a part of it.
HOW DARE THEY?! -- written before you PM'd me SRNovels, but I figured I could let it stay for fun.
Nah, I'm not that egoistical.
... Or, am I?
Anyways, here comes the next chapter of EUPHORIA! I sincerely hope that you will enjoy it (psh, of course you will), let us begin!.. xD
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Don't mind me guys and girls! I'm just a line break...
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Unknown Time - Unknown Place - Leonardo's Point Of View... or is it?
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"-suke! Yusuke!" I heard my little sisters voice echo through the air as my eyes opened.
I appear to have fallen asleep... wait... I? Who am I?
After an instinctual shake of my head, I open my weary eyes, my feet still hurt from walking in geta's all morning... or was it evening."Yusuke! Are you alright?" A bright, young blonde girl dressed in a grey kimono appeared before me.
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"My lord! They're approaching the castle gates! We must do something!" My lieutenant screamed at the top of his lungs as the enemy inched closer with every second.
I turned around to one of my scouts, his plate armor shining bright in the light of the sun... something which seems to be more and more useless as time goes on."How go the preparations? Is the weapon ready?"
They nod at me."Yes, Lord Darkroad! But we need you to reach the inner sanctum, for only thy blood may bind its thirst!"
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"Did you fall asleep, Oni-chan?" Yukino asked me with a bright smile on her face as my focus restored itself.
Wait... wasn't I just in a... I shake my head as I return her smile."Yeah, I got tired from walking in these and carrying wood all day long."
"Mhm!" She replied cutely as she helped me stand up."Come! I've made us dinner!"
Dinner? I looked to the skies... and the brightness of the sun was replaced with black, woeful smoke.
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"Go Arron! You must bind the weapon to yourself before the castle falls or all is lost!" My father spoke with pride in his voice with a body both old and trembling...
Any could see tis only a matter of time before he is naught but dust and ash. I nodded in respect as he lifted his heavy claymore with great effort, placing a hand on his shoulder before turning around to leave."Do not dare die before I return, father. I have yet to see your face when you hold your first grandchild."
He harrumphed and let out a merry laugh."And whose bloody fault do ye think that is, brat?"
I grinned and turned, the giant gates closing behind me like a bell resounding doom.
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"Open the doors and we might just let you live!" One of the soldiers exclaimed arrogantly, his voice tearing through.
"Kyah!" My sister cried out, startled by a falling beam... or maybe the pained scream of our neighbors wife."
And then I heard him spit."Y'know what? We gave them a chance, but these fuckers don't know when to quit struggling!"
He kicked down the door and wasted no time clubbing me over the head. The last thing I heard as I fell down was my sisters scream.
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Once I was done pouring my blood all over the blade, I took it into my hands. Not quite the zweihander for sure, but still larger than a normal blade."You and I will kill many this night!"
The crimson, horrid lines of blood and magic fused together, seemed to almost... shiver with joy at my words. I stood there, for a while... taking in the swords... majestic..
Evil...
Black...
Dark...
Divine.
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"no NO NO NO nonononoNonono NOOOOOOOOO!" My scream echoed above the sound of my burning village as one of the soldiers finished his turn raping my little sister, promptly breaking her neck as he did.
"Damm, that was a fine piece of meat, hehe!" He said as I felt the hot, red tears flowing down my cheek."Too bad she couldn't keep up with yet manliness, boss!"
They turned towards me and I felt something break. Their eyes carried no remorse. No pity. No guilt.
Scum. The waste of mankind. That is all they were."What's up with the glare, huh? You think you can do something, little shit?"
Their boss came closer to me. He knelt down, grabbed me by the throat. My anger flared again."Well? Whatcha gonna do? Your village is ablaze, the gods obviously favor us, you have nothing t-Huh?"
And then he felt the blood flowing from his neck splash onto the ground, as I ripped my teeth out of his throat."UUURGRYAAAAAAAAAAH!!?!?" He screamed. It was delicious.
I felt the pain in my head go away. I turned and saw my axe. I turned again... and saw...
D.E.A.D M.E.A.T
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"Slice! Slice! CUT AND DICE!" My voice tore through the skies as I broke the legions of my unfeeling enemies.
And allies alike."CUT! SHRED! TEAR AND BREAK!"
I saw myself, covered full in crimson, in a world of black and white.
I was a flame. I was always the flame.
Always burning, always suffering for the sake of others.. NO MORE!
... what ... am... I.... doing....?
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"They say he's a soldier, self-imposed exile. Killed too many to count, I hear." The voices of the lambs echo behind me, the tree in front of me wailing in the wind as it falls down onto the ground.
I struck the lumber, sideways. Best to keep it simple."Not too hard to believe... I mean, did you see him strike that wood? Its like he's trying to kill it rather than cut down some lumber."
I turned around. They saw my eyes. They ran. I turned again.
Time to cut some more. I cut and cut and cut-"Oh my... what's this? A human has wandered into my lair."
A voice, so beautiful, so pure... no, so wicked and black."Who's there?" I asked, felt like I hadn't been speaking for a while.
I turned again... And I met her... I met.. Yomi.
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"They say he was a lord once, over in Brit land. Got possessed by that wicked sword o' his." They spoke as chains dragged me forward.
The worms... if only I was free... IF ONLY I COULD CUT!"It's what he gets for tryin' ta make a o' heaven on earth."
"Heaven? You mean that sword was MEANT to be holy?" Another one asked and the first nodded, slowly."Aye, that's how the rumors go, anyhow. Word is, the lord succeeded but the Night walkers corrupted the blade. Cursed it so that its wielder needed to kill like we need ta eat and piss."
Needed.. to... kill?... As they need to eat and ... piss? Hey... that sounds like..."Here, we've arrived. Put him into a cell for now, we's need to make preparations before we deliver 'im to his holiness."
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Don't mind me guys and girls! I'm just a line break...
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Back In Reality - Leonardo's Room - Leonardo's Point Of View...
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"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! Ugh!" I awoke with a staggering pain in my chest and bile raising to my mouth.
"Big brother!?" Audrey's adorable voice echoed in the small space of my room, my entire family watching with worry as I threw my head away from them and promptly vomited what felt like my entire body weight onto the floor.
"Urhg! Ack! Argh!" I cleaned myself and took deep, pained breaths as whatever took over me passed away.
"Leo! Are you alright?!" Michael spoke with severity in his voice as I turned to look at my self, there was blood over my entire bed. Gulping down, I threw off my shirt and found crimson stains flowing around just about every single one of my scars.
Trailing over my skin with a finger, I let out a breath."Closed? But then... Was I attacked?"
"Sir!? Do you not remember?" Kurzow, my family's personal doctor, spoke with some interest as the Russian man offered me some Vodka. Shrugging at him and taking a sip to calm myself as my stupefied family and the servants around us gape, I ask."Akim, what the hell happened to me? Why is everyone here?"
He takes in a deep breath before answering."Sir, you appear to have fallen into a reality lapse... I do not know what caused it but during it, you have taken a knife from the kitchen and started to make several... rather unique and precise cuts all over your torso before collapsing to the ground in what could have only been unimaginable pain. Your screams were rather horrifying and the blood around did not help but we managed to get you onto your bed... the others held you down as I applied ReGel to all your new wounds..."
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"New... wounds?" I ask, my head tilted as I look down onto my chest."These aren't ne-..." I look again.
The.... scars... from when that Spanish pike man tore through me.
When that damned samurai slashed across my chest with a katana.
I shake my head."Look... I'll come visit you for a checkup soon but... I need to talk to dad.."
Turning to look towards my father, who had been sitting in a corner with a grim expression on his face, I see him nod towards me before continuing."... Alone..."
"Are you sure we can't stay?" Audrey asks me with a pout and I beam her a smile."Oh come now, Audrey. Your Oni-chan is a bit tougher than that, y'know?"
"Oni-chan? Since when do you speak Japanese?" Huh... Japanese? That's..."I don't know.. it just kinda... came out, I guess?" I scratched the back of my head, unsure of just what the hell is going on.
Shrugging back at me, Audrey drags an unwilling Michael out of the room, but not before he can ask."Hey, did you order my capsule?"
"Yes, I did. For the both of you." His mouth opens wide as he looks over to Audrey in surprise and she harrumphs, the servants quickly excusing themselves and the doctor following them. Turning my head around to face my father, I hear him say."So, which dream? Did you see the Fox, or the Attempted-Excalibur?"
"Both." I answer him honestly, as this is something I don't think should be kept under wraps. His eyes go from grim to wide and somewhat fearful."B-B-Both?! Geeze, you are even more fucked up than I thought, son."
"Well that's a nice thing to hear from your own father..." I tilt my head again as I experience the real life equivalent of an anime sweat-drop.
He lets out a sigh."I guess there's no point in making this any more dramatic. Son, would you believe that through you runs the blood of two people who are said to have been cursed with Madness?"
Madness?... that's just a name for Chaos when you are too weak to embrace it."Hehehhehehehehehehehe..." A strange, distorted female laughter tore through my brain like thunder and I gritted my teeth.
Shaking my head as I heard my father give out another sigh, I replied."Considering what I just s-saw... yeah, I would."
"Good, because I need you to keep an open mind about what you are about to hear... In short, monsters exist." He said with a glance as I shrugged at him, waiting to hear more. Eventually, he blinked at me."What? No reaction whatsoever after having the supernatural world's existence revealed to you?"
I shrugged, again."Who cares?"
He started gaping before promptly closing his mouth and sighing."I guess I should have known. Anyways, it goes like this; Your mother is the descendant of a Lumberjack who met a Nine-Tailed Fox. He was already fucked up when he met her and she was an outcast in her own society for hating how things worked."
"In other words, they were born for each other." I said with a smile as my father's eyebrow twitched."Y-yes... I suppose you could say that. Anyways, eventually people found out about the Nine-Tailed Fox, whatever her name wa-"
Ah, I can already see where this is going."Yomi. Her name was Yomi."
He blinked at me before shaking his head."Just how much of it did they show you?"
"Does it matter?" I ask and he nods.
"The dreams they show you are equal to your synchronization to the weapons, I only got some connection to the Sword." He opened his suit and allowed me to see one of my new scars upon his own chest. How... strange? Wonderful? Odd? Unusual?... I don't even know how to describe the feeling I have right now. Suddenly, I realize something."Wait, weapons? Sword? What's that about?"
He quirked an eyebrow."You got the foxes name but you didn't ge-OOOH, I get it. They didn't show you everything at once, I just figured that since there was enough blood sacrificed for it."
"Blood?.... Sacrificed?" I look around myself and back onto my bed. There is no blood on it. In fact, there is not an once of blood anywhere in my room... almost as if it had somehow disappeared. My father nods."You didn't notice it evaporating? How strange... Anyways, where was I? Ah yes, the people found out about ... Yomi's existence. They came and killed her, the lumberjack killed them and then forced a blacksmith to forge him a new axe with her ashes thrown into the mix while being cooled by the blood of the villagers he had killed. Once the weapon was finished, he killed the blacksmith too!.. and a couple hundred more people afterwards. He was captured eventually by a samurai and an overly-eager *noble* lady made sure his bloodline continued even as he rotted away in prison."
"Does the axe have a name?" I ask him and he laughs."Of all the things you could ask me.. Well yes, it does.... Shōkyaku-shobun-shimasu, I believe that is its full name and it roughly translates to Incinerate or To Incinerate."
"Why that name?" I quirk an eyebrow at him and he continues."Ah, that's because the axe is said to set anything it is used against on fire, burning the flesh off its victims body as if devouring it. A memory of the lumberjack's burning village, but also of the Nine-Tail's supposed ability to use the all-melting *fox fire*."
I gulp, incredible anticipation rising in my gut."Dad... do we have the axe and if so CAN I HAVE IT, PLEASE?!"
He laughed."Now that my boy... is the question I was hoping you would ask..." And then nodded at me with pride in his form, as I just barely stopped myself from leaping into the air for joy before stopping dead in my tracks."Wait, what about this Attempted-Excalibur? They showed me up to the point where Darkroad was thrown into a cell."
"Darkroad? You know the surname of... wow, I guess I should not be surprised... well, I never saw the end of it, but I can tell you that the Pope who they were bringing Darkroad to did not manage to completely remove the beast inside... he did however, make sure that the chance of being born with an actual need to kill was minuscule... not that it helped us be normal people anyway." He said as I gulped.
"So then, the reason why you were so accepting of my needs was..." I began and my father approached me, placing a comforting hand onto my shoulder."Son, while the reason for your morale-deprived and relatively-psychopathic state may have been known to me before it became real, I would have accepted you either way. I mean, I am a mafia boss, after all." He said and I let out a laugh."Gee, thanks."
We both laughed before he continued."As for what became of the sword... well I don't know where it is or if it even exists... but considering that our family hasn't moved from Italy in centuries for no reason other than the feeling of being drawn towards here... I think it would be safe to say that its in the Vatican's possession."
"And its name?" I asked as I stood up to stretch myself."Its Eadom.".....
I just felt my entire world crack and break."E.. E... Eadom? W-w-well, that's weird."
Turning around towards my VR Capsule, I only now realize that I don't even remember leaving it. If I did all this in real life, then who knows just what in the fuck I might've done in game. Eadom... now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time.
"Huh? Why?" Father asked me as he turned to look where I was staring. He saw the open capsule and opened his mouth, but I spoke before he could ask."Because I used that name before... to name a virtual sword forged out of virtual metal stolen out of a virtual heaven and forged out of virtual flame... by my...virtual lieutenants.. hands.. and dramatically bound to me... by my... blood."
I felt the room around me grow cold, a burning anticipation within me suddenly ablaze, no longer smouldering as another memory awakens...
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"Oh hell yes! I've been waiting for this for a looooooooooong time!" I lifted my newly forged blade with pride, crimson blood dripping from my right hand from where I had cut it open to dramatically bind the blade to me. "Damn, this hurts!"
The Legendary Blade tore through the sky as its flaming, serrated form blazed across the land with a swing, killing my enemies by the thousands. Killing those who would call themselves... Night-walkers...
The Undead, a legion of Vampires, dead, cold filth, fit only to die by my hand.
My forces cheered for me, even as some of them were caught in the blade's chaotic blaze...
System Warning! You are bleeding in real life! DIVE OUT FORCED
"H-Huh?" I muttered out as I was roughly torn out of my delusions and woke up to an actually bleeding hand, my VR capsule having opened and I realized that I was holding a kitchen knife in my left hand, my right hand actually bleeding.
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I remember now... I don't think that there was a time when I'd reached for a ReGel plaster faster in my entire life.
I turned around to face my father."Eadom, huh? Seems like one of the weapons has been by my side for quite a long time, already. Come to think of it, I did notice how alike you were to Excalibur..."
I say with a beaming smile as I place a hand onto the capsule."Anyways, is that it or is there more to tell me?"
My father shakes his head."No.. I think that the both of us have heard and seen enough for one day. Come, your siblings will want to know for sure that you are okay." He motions for me with a hand and I follow him, one eye never leaving the VR Capsule as I smile.
"I'll be sure to find you soon, both in game and in real life, Eadom.... though now, I am not completely sure that Euphoria is merely just a game anymore..."
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Don't mind me guys and girls! I'm just a line break...
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And that is it for this chapter of Euphoria! I sincerely hope that you enjoyed it!
I don't have much to say so meh.
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Anyways, read and review! And Good Morning/Day/Night to you all! ADIOS FOR NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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