Blades clashing echoes throughout the quiet castle. Deep into the night as moonlight shines down upon the two heroes. One who carries the legacy of his own legendary father, while the other who seemed to have lost his way.

“This fight is meaningless!” Shouted Joseph.

“I have a name you know, Joseph.” I replied.

“Then speak your name then human. And state your business as well. I wanna know why you went to such lengths just to show your face in front of me” Joseph orders me to dictate my name.

“My name is Alan, and I’m here to wake you up from this foolish mindset of yours.” As I summon my ax.

“Alright Alan… I have to know that I will never go back. Persuade me all you want not over my dead body. For the Goddess protects me from harm.” Joseph refuses to speak out on equal terms.

He charges upfront at me with his sword relentlessly trying to hit me as much as I can. I’m focused on the defensive, which gave me a disadvantage since I can’t fight back.

Counter-attacks may come and go but that doesn’t mean it's a guaranteed attack. I have to find a way to land an attack on him.

“Listen Alan… There’s something hiding on the chandelier… An answer might be there waiting for you.” Whispered the Goddess…

I quickly looked up and one of Father’s Memory Fragments was on the chandelier. I kicked Joseph back to give me some space.

I threw one of my hatchets towards the chain holding the chandelier. After that I charged head on towards Joseph being distracted by the hatchet. By giving him a good punch on the face.

The hatchet I threw earlier slices off the chain of the chandelier and lands over the head of Joseph. I grabbed the Memory Fragment stuck on one of the crystals.

“Hmmm… Seems like this is an interesting fragment you found Alan.” The Goddess seems to be intrigued by the Fragment I picked up.

“What is it?” I asked.

While I tried to ask the Goddess it seemed like Joseph survived that attack.

“Bastard, cheap moves of letting my own home kill me huh.” Joseph sounded more pissed off than before.

“Well there goes my attempt at killing you. Time to persuade you again then.”

*Shatter*

I crushed the Memory Fragment instantly learning something called Soul Reaving.

“What was that?” Asked Joseph.

“Oh, just something for me to pick up and learn from. Might as well try it.” I replied.

“Soul Reaver.”

I ran forward with my fist glowing to punch through Joseph’s chest. A loud bang of magic waved through the room as my hand penetrated deep into his chest.

“What are you doing!?” Joseph shouted in pain.

“I’m going to persuade you down to your soul!” I pushed down deeper into his chest and now it’s all up to the Goddess to save this man.

Soon after I released my hand as his body fell onto its knees.

A few minutes before the fight began…

“Alan, I found that one of the Memory Fragments in this castle could be Soul Reaver.” The Goddess whispered.

“What use would that be?” I asked.

“You could use that to open up a door for me directly to his soul so I could convince his Goddess that is handling him. With that said things could go two ways with this.

It could end up me helping his Goddess or it could end up angering her more than before. So Be prepared to fight him after that, alright?” The Goddess continues to whisper.

“I got that good luck convincing her then.” I replied.

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“Don’t worry I’m a higher God than his Goddess that is residing in him.” She responded.

“Why would you say that?” I asked.

“It’s a long explanation but I’ll explain it after this fight. For now focus on our objective on stopping this man.” She responded.

“Hopefully this plan of yours works well.” I proceeded with her plan for now.

Back to our current time…

“Alan, why would you do this?” Joseph asked.

“If I can’t convince you as a human. Maybe our Gods could convince you otherwise.” I replied.

“What are you on about?” Joseph questioned my actions.

“If your Goddess is guiding you into a path of destruction we might help you change that directly. What do you say?” I replied.

“Who are you to talk about my Goddess?” Joseph replied angrily.

“I’m just a Son of a Woodsman, nothing more, nothing less.” I answered back.

“Don’t tell me you’re that Great Hero’s Son are you!?” Joseph steps back a bit while struggling to stand.

His chest bleeds from the attack I just did to him. But that doesn’t kill him which I’m glad that he is still resilient as a Hero should be.

“Oh you’ve heard about my Father then. Anyways I’m just helping you to change your ways Joseph. This is not how you should have become.” I stood my ground talking to him.

“None of you know the story on how I became like this! NONE OF YOU!” Joseph frustratingly answered.

“Well if you say that we’ll learn it ourselves directly from her.” As I stand back and see what the Goddess will do.

Light shines in front of us to show what the Goddesses are doing beyond our control.

“Goddess Mari… Why would you guide your own very Hero to demise and destruction?” Goddess Agata asked.

“Goddess Agata… I wish not for a fight but you must understand my Hero must go through Penance for the sin he has committed!” Goddess Mari rebutted.

“Then tell me why did he commit such a sin and why does it require him becoming the sole thing he hated.” Goddess Agata replied.

“The world was harsh to him. And I gave him something he’ll be happy for. After all it’s the world’s fault for even showing his very weakness!” Shouted Goddess Mari.

“You’re his Goddess, you were made to guide the Heroes that serve under you. How come you have forgotten the sole objective of your existence?” Goddess Agata questioned her.

“I would have been if the world wasn’t such a harsh one towards him!” Goddess Mari replied frustratingly.

Agata recoiled back a bit and noticed something…

“Mari, is that really you?” Goddess Agata asked.

“Why I’ve always been. You think the Goddess of Faith would have been lying to you?” Goddess Mari replied.

“I wouldn’t say you’re not Mari but I heard the hero stated that he mentioned penance. Not once he mentioned faith… You’re not the Goddess of Faith, you’ve been changed by someone. This is not the Mari I know of.” Goddess Agata replied.

The other Goddess changed forms into her true form.

“Alright, you got me. So what? That doesn’t make me or Joseph stop us from our tracks.” The Fake Mari replied.

“Seems like you’ve forgotten the basics of being a God. First and foremost you can change tides of fate on the worst of times for your hero. And seems like you haven’t gotten control of that power.

So I ended up thinking you’re an entity God. A God influenced by human activity or emotion, and or creation by humans themselves. But to think you could have taken over the Goddess of Faith.

What happened to the real Mari? Tell me.” Goddess Agata calmly replied.

The Fake Mari looked a bit uncomfortable and frustrated from her face alone. She struggled to answer Agata’s question but…

“She died protecting her hero in the battle against the Demon Lord that used to reside in this castle.” The Fake Mari fell down to her knees after telling the story and the truth.

“So who are you really? You don’t need to lie about your name anymore. You are a new Goddess, you don’t need to be someone else.” Goddess Agata reaches out and tries to reason with her.

“I’m Pira, the Goddess of Penance. And I used to be human and was the Hero’s lover until the fateful accident. Where he lost both of his Goddess and the love of his life in an accident he could never look back to.

Something broke him after that incident soon after I was born and was connected through his emotions. He was given upon him a helmet and a sword to start his penance for his sins.” Goddess Pira stood up on her own.

“But why become a villain?” Goddess Agata asked calmly.

“It was something he wanted to know how it feels to be the one who gets hated by people. He’s driven by hate from others to move forward. And this is the only way for him to pay his sins after he killed both of his old Goddess and Lover.” Goddess Pira teared up while speaking.

Back in the Castle…

“Pira forgive me!” Joseph reaches out his hand.

“I’m sorry Joseph, you have to go through this trial for you to be set free. I’ll give you all of the power you need to defeat the Woodsman’s son.” Goddess Pira reaches out and shines over him.

After this something happened to Joseph he started shouting. Like he’s being overwhelmed with magic as Pira kneels down to pray.

“Alan, don’t get distracted! It’s time to battle Joseph once and for all!” Goddess Agata looked at me and gave her orders.

“Joseph, as much as I respect you I’m sorry that we had to go through this fight.” I grabbed my ax and my shotgun with shells loaded in.

“Showtime…”

We both ran to each other, but Joseph is now much stronger in his enraged state. The real fight starts now…