Central Ruk

Grand Fae City of Orion

Kyle immediately stood back up after tumbling to the ground, but before he could surge back into the rift it closed causing him to surged forward aimlessly and trip back down onto the pavement. Raising himself with both arms he briefly stared down at the paved street, he barely noticed the buildings that rose around him, he didn’t give a single damn about the Fae, Dwarves and Demons that stopped to stare at him.

Kyle shakily rose back up, his fists engulfed in Frostfire as every hair on his tails stood on edge. He shouted at the top of his lungs, Spirit imbued into his voice unbeknownst to him as he did “DIMENTIONAL FORCE!” his voice was like an explosion reaching to and beyond the edge of the city. Then as he raised his right hand back reality visibly bent, then utterly shattered as he lunged forwards at thin air.

He had imbued his fist with so much mana that waves of disturbed space flowed outwards from the rift he created, causing most of those around him to immediately pass out from the shockwave alone. Kyle ignored them and stepped forwards.

“Stop.” Said a voice from behind him.

Kyle turned around, his eyes wide and seething as he met Sistine’s “Even if you step into the veil do you really think he’ll still be there? You’ll only end up lost, eternally unable to return home.” With her were Legion and two other Devils he did not recognize, looking like twins they both had a yellowish skin with light green hair but their gender was unidentifiable by sight.

Kyle did not respond as he turned back to the rift and continued forwards, ignoring her words entirely.

But a hand grabbing him by the shouldet stopped him. Then suddenly the rift closed “Listen to reason, he’s gone. Not even we can follow him now.” said Legion who had grabbed him.

Kyle glanced back at the Devil of Pride, his eyes bursting aflame “Let go of me before I rip you apart.” His fangs had appeared alongside his claws, his voice had changed bestial and tone overflowed with malice.

Legion quickly let go of the enraged Spiritbeast, compelled by his instincts of self-preservation and something…else to step away from this creature. A moment later he regained his mind, surprised and confused.

One of the twins stepped forward and spoke up, mana infusing his voice “We cannot allow you to leave, Hero. You are our last chance, we won’t let you w-”

But was cut off as Kyle’s hateful gaze fell upon him freezing him solid in his words “Let me?...LET ME?!” Kyle’s voice changed again, going fully beast-like as he spoke flowing raw Spirit out with his words. Turning each Devil’s expression pale and installing them with fear.

Kyle suddenly disappeared as he surged at the speaker, appearing before him then grabbing him by the throat with his right hand and raising him a foot off the ground. Each Devil was paralyzed, unable to move or speak as Kyle choked their companion “You will not ‘Let’ me with anything, you will stand the fuck out of my way or I will turn You into a frozen lump of mangled flesh.” He glared into the Devil’s eyes as he spoke, the Devil seemingly forced by an invisible power to stare back as his entire body shook with fear.

The Devil was absolutely terrified, the quickly forming stain between his legs indicated his state of immense fear spectacularly. He wasn't even able to defend his pride, as he choked to death within Kyle’s powerful grasp.

(“Release the child!”) Unexpectedly exclaimed a powerful resonating voice within Kyle’s head, a voice that demanded attention and surprised Kyle so much that he involuntarily did let go of his prey. The Devil fell to the floor grasping at his neck, coughing unstoppably as he tried to breath.

The voice sighed (“Restrain yourself.”)

Kyle stepped away from the kneeling Devil “Ymir…”

(“Killing your own allies will help nobody but the enemy, you’re smarter than this Kyle.”) Ymir told him, the God’s tone understanding yet scolding.

Kyle continued to glare down at the Devil as he regained his composure, only to slowly rise away from the angered Spirit Beast “Ymir, how do I find him?” who seemed to be talking to himself.

Ymir remained silent for a brief time before responding (“I do not know, the veil is only a hub for the rest of the realms. Without a connection, or a powerful bond…”)

“A bond…” Kyle released his voice from the imbued Spirit as he realised something “Kali, Sly’s Goddess…Ymir-”

(“Kali is a proud Goddess, she still sees us as the enemy. She will not speak with me.”) said Ymir before Kyle could even ask (“But yes, she somehow still holds onto the connection between them. Even though your friend lost his standing as Hero…I wonder what she is up to…”)

Kyle clenched his fists as he focused on the connection between him and Ymir, suddenly lunging forward right after “Dimensional Force.” The rift tore open across his claw’s path, a misshapen tear which he then stepped through.

Finding himself back within Ymir’s hall of ice -a cage constructed to keep the God eternally sealed- Kyle barely noticed the God stare at him curiously as he stood still. Eyes closed, Kyle focused on his Spirit “If she won’t answer to you…Then she will answer to me.”

Focusing on using the same voice he accidentally had with the Devils, Kyle took a deep breath before speaking again this time stretching his voice as loudly as he physically and magically could “Kali, Durga or whatever the fuck they call you. I know you hear me, I know you’re listening. What Deity isn’t? So tell me, I demand you tell me where I can find Sly.”

No response came back, no change other than Ymir’s sigh “She will not answer to just anyone child, she’s a-”

Kyle cut him off “I’m not just anyone.” Before continuing “You know who I am, what I am. You know perfectly what I am capable of, your people are the ones that orchestrated my people’s extinction from Chaoz after all. So open your fucking ears and listen well. I give you two choices, tell me what I wish to know or…”

Kyle stopped for effect, then increasing his voice to it’s very limits that it almost hurt to speak “I swear I will make the Elven race disappear, I will tear apart every city, every meagre wall. I will decimate every clan, every family. I will devour each of their souls, dissipate their hollows. Nothing will remain, every book, scroll or carving of their existence burned and turned to ash.”

Reality warped to Kyle’s left as the dark blue skinned Goddess of destruction flowed out of thin air, her eyes burning green with fury “You are not capable of anything of the sort.” As she did several other beings appeared within the hall, Kyle recognised many Gods among them, including Loki and Titania but each only made themselves observers.

Kyle glared up at the massive Goddess “I am the last Hero remaining in the grand quest, I am this world’s last hope of survival. You think we weren’t ready to remove the Elven Empire out of the picture entirely? We were, if diplomacy wouldn’t work we’d simply mobilise the rest of Chaoz against’ them. I have the Dezol, the Fae, the Dwarves, the Mer, the Avians and each of the Esfeltian races on my side. You think the Orcs and Ogres would come to their aid? No they would simply hide until the storm passes.”

Someone coughed from the crowd of Deities and an unknown voice spoke “Actually the Ogres are too…Ahem…”

Kali’s face of fury turned to find the speaker, her glare briefly falling over Loki before turning to Kyle. Speechless.

Kyle grinned wickedly “And now the Ogres too, so instead I’m giving you the choice not the Empire. Get your head out of your hairy ass and tell me where I can find my friend, or watch as your people, your children burn inside my flames.” For effect Frostfire burst alive all over Kyle, forming the shape of a large bipedal fox staring down at a shorter Kali.

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Kali’s form suddenly grew aswell. Her skin morphed into blackish blue scales, her face extended into a snout, her second pair of arms bent back and changed to leathery wings covered in scales. Kali turned into a massive black-blue Dragon, taking over almost half the hall and rising just as high as the ceiling.

“You seem to forget what you are speaking to, Mortal.” Growled the Dragon as it bared its fangs down at Kyle “Be damned the Quest, for your insolence I will devour you where you stand!”

Kali lunged forwards and as she did Loki’s body burst into shadows, Titania was suddenly covered in a golden-blue aura and Ymir’s entire body morphed into a large icy serpent but before either of these three Gods could stand in-between the black Dragon and its prey…

From behind Kyle a shadow formed out of thin air and rapidly expanded forming a massive humanoid form made entirely of smoky black shadows, its hands and feet were clawed while its face was warped with a wide surreal grin. It grabbed the Dragon by the neck with a single hand and slammed it down into the floor, chuckling wickedly as it did.

Kyle watched as Kali struggled against the shadow’s grip, unable to free itself it snarled and hissed as he approached “Mortal I may be, I am beyond your reach.” He gestured back at the massive shadow standing over him “Not while my new friend The Behemoth is watching.”

Kali’s green eyes rose up and looked at Behemoth, it grinned wider down at her as she whimpered “The…the devourer…the first beast…”

“Ah I figured as much.” Kyle said as he saw her fear “I may not be able to touch you…as you are a Goddess. But limitations were set on your power and…Behemoth is not a God is it?” he stepped closer to the Dragon’s snout “So tell me, between you, each powerless God that stands with you…against the First Beast.” His eyes glowed a menacing blue as he stared into Kali’s shaking greens “Are you a betting person? Cause I like my hand.”

Behemoth hissed and snarled at every Deity in the room, it’s hungering aura pressing down on each “It’s a feast! Hahaha! A feast! An all you can eat!” it exclaimed excitedly and several dozen Deities disappeared there and then not looking forward to sticking around.

Kali growled at Kyle “How could…a measly being like you…”

Kyle flicked his fingers and Behemoth let go of the Dragon’s neck, allowing it to rise and step back “I gave you a choice, now choose quickly. Five.”

Kyle began to count down “Four.”

Behemoth’s back hunched down as its mouth spread out to twice its previous size, showing off sets of misshapen black fangs “Three.”

Kyle’s tone grew cold and distant, his voice imbued with Spirit as he continued the countdown “Two.” Behemoth laughed maniacally.

Kali closed her eyes as her form changed, the black scales turning white while the blue turned gold, becoming Durga.

“On-”

“Zeokul is within the realm of Seraph.” Said the Dragon cutting off Kyle’s countdown.

Behemoth’s grin turned sour as his form dissipated into mist, Kyle continued to glare up at the Dragon coldly “Take me there.”

Durga shook her serpentine head “That is impossible, we Gods lost our ability to move others through the veil. At best, we can take you to and from the Spiritrealm. Even then, it is too late.”

Kyle snorted “Too late? That bastard is like a cockroach, he wo-”

“Zeokul is dead.” Firmly said the Dragon.

Kyle’s eyes emptied of emotion as his gaze slowly fell to the floor “How.”

“He overloaded his soul and body with mana using his Miasma, it ripped him asunder from the inside out. Before he died, he forced all the collected mana into the Lich’s -Scythe’s body instantly vaporizing his soul. Our connection was broken, his soul did not survive either. But he didn’t die in v-”

“Leave.” Kyle’s voice was commanding as he gazed down at the floor, the Goddess resisted the Spirit easily but along with all the other Deities disappeared from the room. All but Ymir who was now sitting in his throne of ice, back in his humanoid form.

“War comes with a hefty price.” Hummed Ymir as he wore a saddened expression “Your friend sacrificed himself for this world, he will not be forgotten. You have my word on that.”

Kyle remained silent and Ymir made no other comments, letting it all sink in for his Chosen. The silence persisted for a while, uncounted hours as Kyle berated himself (“All this power…all this strength and I’ve…failed again. How many more times must I fail? How many more people must I lose? What’s the point of power if I cannot protect those near me!?”)

Ymir sighed as he unintentionally listened in to Kyle’s thoughts “Enough. You’ve failed nobody.”

Kyle snorted in response “I’ve failed myself, I failed my guild...I failed Sly.”

“Do you truly believe that?” asked Ymir with a raised brow “Because he does not, he sacrificed his own immortal life to buy you more time. How in the world does that sacrifice make you believe you’ve failed your friend? You had no choice in this matter, the choice was his and his alone. The mistake was his and his alone.”

“I should have been there, even if to just bandage the mistake. He was alone, surrounded by strangers calling themselves family…I should have seen it…Someone in the fucking group should have seen it!” Kyle exclaimed as tears began to form.

“See what?” Ymir shook his head “Maybe that was the point, maybe he did not want any of you to see. Alas it all comes down to now. It is up to you to make use of his sacrifice, what was it that he said before leaving?“

“Live on…” said Kyle remembering the words.

“Then it should be obvious what his beliefs were.” concluded Ymir with a grin.

“Can I even do this?...Unite a whole world full of hate, keep their soldiers under the same flag? Soldiers that despise each other?” asked Kyle as he gazed off at the many trophies inside the hall, from weapons to armour to even limbs and heads of various creatures alongside strange artefacts and objects “Am I capable of being the Hero?”.

Ymir suddenly bellowed with laughter causing Kyle to turn and look at him in confusion “The Hero? Son you’re anything but a Hero!” he laughed some more before explaining “There are many kinds of Heroes son, there’s the bright shining knights like the Hero of light or the Hero of nature. There’s the fearless warriors like the Hero of blood or your friend, the Hero of the dagger. Then there’s the rulers that people naturally gather around, like the Hero of Reign.”

Ymir stood up and gestured at the many trophies within his hall “Heroes leave behind legends, tales told to bolster belief. Heroes are ones that bring hope, creatures that sacrifice their selves for something else.” He then gestured at Kyle “You are neither of these.”

Kyle sighed “Then what does it make me? How can someone who isn’t a Hero do a Hero’s role?”

“This world already has many Heroes, knights in shining armour, fearless warriors who rush into battle, leaders who keep a people together.” Ymir explained as he gazed off at his trophies “This world doesn’t need a Hero. This world doesn’t deserve one. It is why you were the only one to pass the Avatar’s tests. This world needs something darker, a being who truly knows the song of pain, someone who’s sparred with hatred for all his life.”

Kyle followed Ymir’s gaze, he was looking at a massive halberd seemingly made of a dark crystal “Then what?” he asked.

Ymir turned to face Kyle “This world is broken into too many sides, Heroes fight for their own not for who they believe to be evil. But it is evil what this world needs. Not a saviour, not a soft voice and a kind touch. No this world requires a rough surprise from the back. This world needs a villain, someone willing to do wrong for their own benefit. Someone willing to massacre an entire people.” He said with a smirk.

“And that ‘Villain’ is me?” asked Kyle followed by another sigh.

“That villain can only be you. You’ve already proven it!” exclaimed Ymir as he raised his arms wide and suddenly several pillars of ice grew out of the ground surrounding them. Within each pillar a scene played through.

“You’ve seen through the masks of those who would use you.” The first pillar showed the time Kyle spoke up to Jekyll and Helen within New Ruk “And warped it to where you could use them!”

“You used illusions and trickery to warp the people’s beliefs, forcing one faction to win over another giving it free rule of a kingdom!” The second pillar showed Empress Caitlyn guiding her people into cover as Skytop Haven fell onto Eslet.

“You’ve seen through the lies and instead of fighting what you were told was evil, you explored your options even if it was.” The third pillar showed the time Kyle faced off against Belial.

“You lied and tricked fearless warriors riding beasts of legend, to simply…go away.” The fourth showed Kyle disguised as a Dragon rider speaking with the real ones.

“Albeit not being your objective, you were the reason the summoned gathered and rebelled.” The fifth pillar showed the Adventuer’s guild raiding the prison camp at Carn.

“You used fear as a weapon several times, causing the weak willed and even stronger ones to step out of your way.” The sixth pillar showed Kyle invading the prisoner camp at Frosthold, using a golem disguised as a Drake to turn an organized guard post into a panicking mob.

“You forced the Esfeltian alliance to surrender to the Dezol, starting an alliance that now overpowers the once strongest Elven Empire.” The seventh pillar showed Kyle speaking up to Caitlyn and her fellow council members, standing behind him were several leaders of different factions.

The last pillar, was blank even after Ymir gestured at it “You have the skillset, you have the will power and the state of mind. You have the backing, the position and the assets. Now all you have to do is make use of them, to bring out your desired outcome.”

Kyle stepped closer towards the blank pillar as Ymir continued “This world doesn’t need any more flashy Heroes, they only fight for Hope. A Hope of keeping things the way the people have grown used to. No, this world needs change. It needs someone capable and willing to do anything to bring about that change, a wicked of mind and cold of heart. This world needs a villain.”

Kyle stared into the blank crystalized pillar of ice “This world needs you.” Seeing his own reflection staring back at him, teary eyed and wearing a sullen expression.

Kyle glanced away “What if I think you’re wrong? What if I don’t believe myself capable? There are others…who could do better.”

“What is better? Better is only different, better is only more because it is perceived as such.” responded Ymir “True someone could plan things better than you, someone could install fear into others better than you and someone could lie better than you…Someone could even have the state of mind to do worse than you. Yet they are all different, none of them are you. None of them can do everything that you can do.”

Ymir had shrunk down to stand to the left of Kyle, he gripped his shoulder with his right hand “So like a Hero, for the sake of those that believe in you. For those that sacrificed everything for you. Put on your mask.”

Kyle reached up and wiped his eyes. Glancing down at his tear-wet wrist he clenched it and looked back up. He looked back at his own reflection, solemn and cold eyes, a thin wicked smile accompanying them. “And like a Villain deceive this world’s people to look away from hope and see the despair that awaits them if they do not change.”