Entode's body was healing at a rapid pace as I charged at him, but his armor could not do the same. The storm clouds around him started the assault before I had reached him, throwing bolts lightning, streams of water, and blasts of Yang energy. Despite his best efforts to weaken the attacks, there were just too many of them, and every time a hit landed, more of his armor was destroyed since it no longer had the support of the Soul Gem.

My white sword stabbed into his chest and lit up with violet lightning. He could not even scream as the electricity made his body twitch unpredictably. I released the sword, causing the violet lightning to dim, but the storm took over, using the sword that was impaled in his chest as a lightning rod for the crimson bolts. Now, he could scream, and he did... with more pain than he had likely ever known.

Grasping my black sword with both hands, I raised it above my head as I channeled all of my remaining energy into the attack that I was preparing. The Chaos Storm began to shrink as the sword absorbed the excess energy, but I did not stop there. Even my emotions and memories were infused into this final blow. Thoughts of Alkatyenia and my children were the last that I surrendered, accepting that with this attack I would be no more... only that was not the case.

I slashed down my black sword and cleaved Entode, and the void behind him for over a million miles, in half. Gray flames erupted from the centerline and consumed his body and soul. The void also engulfed in flames which ate away hundreds of miles outwards from that line.

My body started to break down after the attack, but at the same time, a new power bloomed within me. What I had done with that attack was something that had never been done before, yet at the same time, it was something that had been done by countless individuals, just not on such a grand scale. By accepting my death and truly giving everything that I had, I had created an attack than moved past the limits of mana, the elements, and Sword-Force by infusing it with my Soul Power, Life Force, and even my Death.

At that moment, I was reborn...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raven, Echo, and I sat on the edge of a cliff while Katye copied the spells around the Anomaly Stone. The mountain was so tall that we were a couple hundred feet above the cloud line. Above us, the night sky was a simple starry backdrop with a single dark moon. Sanctum and Skyring had spoiled me with their views, so I had been hoping for an interesting sky. Still, my company was good, so I could not complain too much while I was snuggled up between the two women.

"Why is it that I'm always the one working these days while you lounge about?" Katye complained with a chuckle.

"Because you wanted to be a magician while I wanted to be the Avatar," I retorted, smirking.

Katye thumped me on the head with her journal which made the other two chuckle at my misfortune.

"It's time," Echo said with a sigh as she pushed herself up to her feet.

I sighed as well but did not argue. Every minute that we were away from Eden was time that the Disciples could use to attack our home. Luna was still a normal person, even if she was well trained. A Disciple with a cloaking suit could take her down before she knew what was happening and use the device that Hope had used to send Octavia back to Bardo in the show, and then all of this would have been a waste.

Raven and I stood up and retrieved our discarded weapons. All of us expected this to end in a fight; our time here had shown it over and over again. Despite the rush, we did take a few minutes in case this ended up being our final embrace. The Disciples were the final opponent in the show, so there should not be much more to this journey.

"Let's do this," I said when we were all ready.

Katye nodded and put on the helmet. She tapped a few of the symbols on the Anomaly Stone and a green pulse of energy shot out of it and then dropped into the clouds, off the steep cliffside of the mountain. Although we could not see the portal, there was a faint green glow to the clouds, and I could sense the swirling mana.

"It isn't much of a 'leap of faith' when you can sense it," Katye remarked, looking down towards the portal.

"Even if we didn't, we both have the ability to fly, even if I have to carry Raven and Echo," I retorted, shifting into my Dusa form. "The point has already been lost."

"Fine, ruin my fun," Katye chuckled before stirring her mana.

Before any of us could say anything, Katye leapt off the cliff and used her mana to manipulate the Wind around her to control her descent. I had already expected as much, so I grabbed Raven and Echo by the waist and jumped after her. They grabbed onto me while I wrapped the air around us and glided straight towards the portal.

After we crossed through the veil of energy, there was a sudden shift in the direction of gravity, but I caught myself from stumbling while tucking Raven and Echo closer to my body. I kept them close as I sensed multiple foreign sources of mana, and it was not like Eden had been before the Labyrinth disappeared. These were definitely people and, while Katye and I may have been stronger on an individual level, there were far more of them than us.

"Rebecca, calm down! Your aura is aggressive and building!" Katye warned.

I knew she was right, but I was struggling to control myself. We were truly outmatched and threatened within this place. My lip was curled upwards and there was a low growl coming from my throat while the tip of my tail flicked from side to side. This was the first time that I had felt true fear since I stepped into the world of 'the 100', even Iseto's army did not fill me with as much apprehension.

I could feel myself starting to spiral out of control, but something seemed to wash over me, and my emotions, and I could feel my body start to relax. I eased Raven and Echo to the ground then transformed back into my normal self. Unfortunately, whatever had calmed me down hit me like a ton of bricks and I fell backwards onto my butt with a wave of exhaustion.

"Are you okay?" Raven asked with concern, kneeling next to me.

"Yeah," I replied, pushing myself back up.

Despite the sudden drain on my Soul Power, I was not willing to look weak inside of the Disciple's Compound. Even with her helmet still on, I could tell Katye felt nervous herself, though she was able to handle it better than I was. There was no question that we both knew the danger that we were in and even Raven and Echo could pick up the cues from us.

The room that housed the Anomaly Stone was empty with only the artifact floating in the center of the space. The floor was made of metal that was so polished, that it was like a mirror that reflected the bright lights that ran up the walls and across the ceiling, creating a half dome of silver and pale yellow. On the other side, there was a large brownish-black door, which was shut tightly.

"What's the plan?" Echo asked.

"Staying here by the Anomaly Stone. Raven, make sure that you are ready to send us back to Sanctum in case we need to get out of here. They know that we are here and are moving our way," Katye instructed.

Raven squeezed my hand then walked back towards the stone. I started to reach for my swords, but Katye placed a hand on my shoulder and shook her head. We were already outmatched in terms of power, so she did not want to provoke them by accident. Things had yet to dissolve into a true conflict with the Disciples, despite the attempt on my life, and it was clear that we did not currently have the strength to wipe them out. Starting a fight right now would just end with getting us killed.

I could sense those with mana slowly gathering on the floor. Each one had a unique aura, and despite them trying to keep theirs restrained, I recognized some of the feelings that they gave off. Fire, Water, Wind, Earth... their auras were tied to each of the elements that I could use, but there were others that I did not know. They waited for nearly ten minutes for someone or something, before making their way here.

The large door opened, pulling apart from the middle, and a group of people were standing on the other side. Most of the faces were unknown and were the sources of the manas that we sensed, but the two in front I did know, Bill Cadogan and Bellamy. Both men were wearing white robes like the Disciples on the show, but the other twelve were in a rainbow of colors, likely tied to their powers.

There was a young man with blonde hair in white robes which were trimmed in gold who gave off the feeling of Light. Next to him, there was a woman with long black hair that seemed to disappear into her black robes and there was no mistaking her tie to the Shadow element. A man with short red hair and charming smile was wearing bright red, the warmth of Fire radiating from him. In blue was a beautiful woman with sapphire eyes and the calmness of Water permeated her aura. A pair of men looked like twins, one in brown and the other in yellow, yet strangely, they had the opposing elements of Earth and Wind. The man in violet was staring at me with a hint of wildness in his eyes, but Lightning seemed to have that effect on people. The last of the energies that I recognized, came from an old man in silver that was related to Space.

Next to him was an even older looking woman in teal, yet her aura filled me dread, somehow knowing that she would be difficult to deal with. There were two extremely beautiful and captivating women standing side by side, in green and deep navy, but something about their auras was trying to draw me in, which only served to put me more on guard. The last of the group was the only one in armor, and there was a large war axe strapped to his back.

"Bellamy!" I exclaimed softly yet did not move closer with those people around him

"Octavia," he said with a smile and walked up to me.

None of the Disciples made a move to stop him and he closed the distance between us, then gave me a hug. Although I had been able to develop a friendship with him after everyone had been settled in Eden, there had always been an emotional barrier between us. I hadn't felt the warmth of his brotherly love since Finn was killed, but the feeling was back when he embraced me now.

"I apologize for keeping your brother for so long, but I have been waiting a long time to meet you, and your companion," Cadogan said with a soft smile when Bellmay and I parted.

"And the attempt on my life?" I asked, not disguising my anger.

"The team that I sent to Earth after we took Bellamy had orders to make contact with you both, not to make any sort of attack against you, but we lost contact with them. A second team that was sent out found most of the original team, but two were missing and the bodies of those that were found had been partially eaten, so we assumed that they had been taken by beasts. I truly do apologize since I do not know what could have provoked them to attack," Cadogan replied.

"You wanted to meet us, but you gave up after a single team was lost?" Katye asked with suspicion.

"The Anomaly Stone had been moved into the desert and we had no idea of which way to go to find Eden. We did not need to lose any more people since I knew that you would have to come eventually."

"And how did you know that?"

"Because you want to ascend, and humanity needs to be united before the Final War."

"Then you understand what the Final War is?" Katye asked.

"The true meaning of the Final War is the internal war that rages inside of all people. Pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth... From the dawn of mankind, humanity has struggled with these vices which has led to countless wars and other types of violence. If we wish to ascend, we will have to prove that we have overcome these faults as a united whole," Cadogan answered with a knowing smile.

"Then you should also know that humanity is still not ready. We've made great strides in Eden, but Sanctum is under the control of people that could cause us to fail."

"You didn't remove them if they pose such a risk?" he asked.

"And how would I do that? With bloodshed? While I have killed my opponents in the past, I have always given them a chance to redeem themselves before I make my move. We gave them a warning, and took away a very dangerous piece of tech, but unless they start trying to recreate the tech, they deserve the chance to correct their ways," Katye responded.

"How many people will die while they try to fix their mistakes? What if they make even more? Your noble actions could cause more deaths than simply removing them now."

"But the decision could also save some, and for every year that we let them try, more can be born and join us. Eden's population is blooming with our newfound peace, so why not give these people a chance when they pose little risk outside of the Final War. I see more good that can be done than harm."

"Hmm..." Cadogan mused as he stroked his neatly trimmed, salt and pepper beard. "I can see your logic, but there must be a limit on the time. Even my own people, disciplined and dedicated to the cause, have difficulties following our tenants, so it is only a matter of when our hold over the people will crumble, and then it will be too late. Surely you see this, or you would not have surrendered your position as leader of your people. Your powers make you different from the others, so if you stayed in control, the masses would have risen quicker against you, but discontent will set in eventually."

"You're not wrong, but it is not a quick process either. Twenty years..."

While Katye and Cadogan talked back and forth, negotiating 'when' we would trigger the Final War, I was sizing up the small crowd behind him. Twelve of them against the two of us and, their mana combined together, they were three times stronger than us. I was less concerned about the eight whose elements I recognized, and focused more on the four whose elements I did not know, trying to memorize the feeling of their auras.

The two beautiful women in green and deep navy were watching me, in particular, as well. Although I did not sense them use any mana, their auras seemed to twist and stretch, slowly extending towards us. It was similar to Iseto, but his aura was powered by his mana and his anger. These two never forced their way into our 'territory', always skirting the edge, but as innocent as it may have seemed, my instincts were telling me that they were looking for weaknesses in our defenses.

Despite the positive flow of the conversation, I did not trust it. The matter seemed to settle far too easily and there was too much strength behind Cadogan. Why would he agree to Katye's request? Why not take what he wanted just as he had done in the show? This was just another game that Tori was using to mold us. He presented us this challenge, showing us how strong we needed to be, and then had us pick the time for our ending here.

Again, my anger started to bubble like a simmering pot, but that only served to draw the attention of every Disciple with mana and Katye. The idea that we were being toyed with was infuriating to me. Everything that we had experienced through our time here... every person that we had met, cared about, loved, and killed was for nothing more than to train us.

"Rebecca!" Katye said forcibly.

I took in a deep breath, willing myself to calm down, and felt the familiar foreign calmness help stabilize my aura.

"I'm sorry... I've never been around so many like us and the feeling is suffocating," I said, making up a convenient lie.

"Of course, Bardhyl and Amser had similar difficulties after the others were born," Cadogan replied with an understanding nod. "Our conversation is nearly done, so I shall make the final concession before this can cause you both any more stress. I will agree to ten years then we shall activate the Final War together, Katye. We will trust Eden to you and never step foot on Earth again, but I do insist upon sending people to Sanctum to watch over them and make sure that they are correcting their ways. If we want to ensure the success of the trial, then we need to be sure that the corruption has been rooted out."

"What about Bellamy?" I asked.

"He is free to return with you, if that is what you are asking. It was never my intention to treat him as a prisoner though I needed him to remain until we had this meeting," he replied.

Katye gave me a look then nodded her head as she turned back to face Cadogan. "Then we agree, ten years and then we will start the Final War."

"Thank you," Cadogan said with a small bow. "Please feel free to come back whenever you would like. Bardo will always welcome you."

"Thank you; we'll remember that," Katye replied.

 

 

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