Sokar stands across from Abbadon and Declan looks on from the side. Sokar hesitates before continuing with his attack with the newly formed claw of Greed.

Greed’s new clawed form might kill him, but if I don’t stop him here he’ll kill both me and Declan! I’ll try to immobilize him, but if that doesn’t work, I’ll have to end him here.

And with that thought, Sokar commands the clawed Greed to attack Abbadon. Forcing the claw on the index finger of the hand into Abaddon's left shoulder. Abbadon yells in pain, feeling the claw bore into him. Abbadon then grabs onto the claw penetrating his left shoulder with his right hand and begins to pull it out.

“Even if it’s invisible, I can still feel where it is!”

Abbadon begins to pull out the appendage from his shoulder, out-matching its strength with his own. His efforts are instantly matched with a slash across his cheek from the thumb of Greed. Blood trickles down his face, shoulder and chest, but he continues his attempt.

Damnit, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

The right, ring and pinky finger of Greed’s hand all bore into Abbadon, descending down his left arm. Abbadon releases his grip on the claw and it sinks deeper into his shoulder and left arm.

“I lost this round. You and your friend have bested me, Declan.”

And with that a red glow emanates from within Abbadon’s chest and covers his entire body. And then Abbadon simply disappears, and the Claw of Greed is simply left floating in the air, blood covering it’s claws and revealing them to the world.

What!? Where did he go!?

Sokar looks over at Declan in shock, but then remembers that Abbadon had hurt him when he first arrived. Sokar rushes over to him and moves the wreckage of his table off him.

“You ok!? And where did that guy go, do you know? No, sorry I shouldn’t be worrying about that. Really are you ok?”

Declan struggles to get up, but does eventually manage it.

“That was… Abbadon. One of Oswins Seraphims. That glow was Heaven's Gate. It’s another blessing, one that’s used to enter Oswins world. A pocket dimension where his group gathers.”

Pocket dimension..? Wait, if he got away, then he can tell them where I live, and they would storm the place and take out both me and Declan. I don’t know if I can handle a group of people storming the building by myself, or even with Declan’s help. I don’t know what to do.

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Sokar begins to worry about his fate, and Declan also begins to worry. He limps over to Sokar’s couch and sits down. Sokar leaves the kitchen and goes to his room to ponder, understanding that both he and Declan need to think about what just happened.

(“Why would he bring a Heaven’s Gate blessing with him? It doesn’t make any sense, Abbadon would never do something like that. He has complete confidence in his own strength, and wouldn’t dare to run away if he lost. But he still had it, that makes no sense! Everything I know about him, it all tells me that he would never use that kind of blessing. And it doesn’t make sense for Oswin to force him to take it either, he only ever trusted Sariel with it. There’s something not right about this entire thing, but what is it?”)

And as the two both delve into their own minds searching for answers to the numerous questions that had popped into their heads, the new clawed greed slowly begins to dissipate, and as it does the blood that was covering the claws simply falls to the ground. And then the tiny bit of the new clawed greed that still remained vanishes, and as it does Sokar buckles to the ground. His mind is sent turning as the Ka in his body is instantly replenished.

What just-

Sokar once again is overwhelmed, this time by a new feeling entering his body.

It’s so sharp… Is this the after effect of that blessing!?

And as Sokar questions what’s happening to him in his mind, a voice answers back.

“Wow, smart guy. Guessing that the blessing was the cause took some real critical thinking skills. And that blessing had a fragment of the World Essence too, which you wonderfully took notice of right away.”

Who the hell?

Sokar looks around, looking for the source of the voice but all he sees is an empty room.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s not important. What is important, is the fact that right now you have a very special opportunity at hand. That feeling you feel right now, the sharp one? That’s a fragment of a World Essence, but it’s dangerous in your body right now. Without the whole thing acting as a container for the power, that little fragment will tear your body apart in minutes. You originally contained it within Greed and changed it’s form, but now it’s re-entered your body and is getting ready to obliterate everything that you are.”

That’s not good.

“Yeah, it’s not. But… There’s something you can do to get rid of that little fragment.”

As the voice speaks to Sokar, Declan still sits on the couch with his body aching. He runs his hand over the blessing he had used against Abbadon.

(“A symbol of faith stained in Oswins image. I followed him so blindly because I wanted to see what Abbadon did, but instead all that I saw was a path that lead nowhere. And now, Sokar and I are just cursed to wait for Oswin and his troops to slaughter us.”)

As Declan begins to fall to despair, he hears footsteps and Sokars voice.

“Hey, Declan can you use one of these?”

Declan looks up at Sokar, and his mind explodes in shock and his mouth drops open. A small wooden cross floats above Sokars right palm turned upside down, still covered in the sports tape he puts on every morning.

“H-H-Heaven’s Gate!? How!?”

Sokar smiles and answers vaguely.

“It must have been blown off of Abbadon when I attacked him. I only just saw it now.”

But that was far from the truth. Sokar had made a deal with the mysterious voice only minutes earlier.

“I’ll deal with that fragment for you, and I’ll give you a cool bonus to boot with it too. But I need something in return a bit later on.”

Sokar hesitates, but he agrees and the voice laughs with glee. And then the sharp feeling that had invaded Sokars body leaves through his right hand, forming into a small wooden cross.

“That cross is that same ability that huge guy just used. Use it however you see fit, I don’t really care. I’d recommend leaving the dragon behind though. That thing wouldn’t do well in a place like that. Don’t die before I get what I want out of you.”

And the voice stopped talking, and Sokar felt it’s presence disappear.

I’m not gonna question that, whatever it is I’m sure it’ll screw me over later, but I need to deal with Oswin and his group right now.

Sokar then takes the small black dragon off his neck and places him on the bed. He then heads out to meet Declan, with the small wooden cross still floating above his hand.