The Realm Of Hojuku- [End]

[Fate I]

"Mystic art...."

He whispered as the clods, emboldened with his semblance, roared and rumbled, echoing throughout the valley. A magical circle would weave itself into the sky. The piercing light of his power began to pour from the sigil, like ooze solidifying as it breached the circle, birthing onto the shrine a cascading deluge of blades whose numbers were virtually incalculable. And even if they were, cultists hadn't the time to speculate, let alone count them all.

"Resplendent SkyFall ..."

The Abundi Mages, formidable warlocks steeped in the dark arts, wielded their sinister powers with practiced ease, each a product of the Coalescence Ritual—a malevolent spell that siphoned the souls of countless beings. Be they animals, humans, or elves, the Munda Abundi showed no mercy in their relentless pursuit of magical dominance, seeking to hoard Vescrutia's arcane wealth for themselves, heedless of the destruction left in their wake.

Yet, their arrogance crumbled beneath the onslaught of Zol's divine fury. Like a symphony of celestial wrath, the sky erupted in a crescendo of blinding lacerating light, each radiant beam piercing the darkness with surgical precision. Despite their desperate attempts to conjure protective barriers and unleash their most potent defensive spells, the Abundi found their defenses shattered by the overwhelming force of the Paladin's celestial strength.

Their dark incantations faltered in the face of Zol's technique resolve, each celestial blade tearing through their spells as easily as a scythe through ripe wheat. Their screams echoed across the battlefield, mingling with the pungent scent of blood as their hollowed bodies were rent asunder, their once-imposing forms reduced to mere shadows in the wake of Zol's divine retribution.

As the Abundi fell one by one to the relentless assault, their leader, observing from afar through some cosmic lens, realized with chilling certainty that their dark powers were no match for the radiant strength of a Zol's might. But Zol wasn't the first celestial warrior to deface this shrine with self righteousness. The Munda Abundi had slaughtered hundreds of crusaders and stormed a hundred monasteries across Vescrutia's many faces. They've killed plenty of priests.. employed several paladins. But Zol was different.. It was clear that to safeguard their vision of prosperity, the ForeRunner would need to confront this threat himself, for no mere mortal could stand against the divine fury of a Paladin on a mission.

Once Zol's onslaught laid waste to every remaining mage on the battlefield, a beam of black and crimson energy erupted from the top of the shrine like a bolt of lightning. This ripped through the surface of the foreboding monolith and filled the air with the chorus of a hundred agonizing screams. Every member of the cult, every sorcerer, guard, knight, and every captured tribute within the shrine was relinquished of their life-force. And the culmination of that energy- the avatar of the Munda Abundi would appear before his enemies via a similar bolt of dark energy. This was the ForeRunner. A being barely capable of being called a human any more. His bearish body was covered in an exoskeleton. Its roots crawled around his ash colored flesh like a parasite, pulsating with a dark miasma that could have scrambled the minds of weaker men.

"..heretics.” His voice boomed and thundered as he stepped from the molten earth left at his feet. In his left hand, he wielded a scepter that held a large mass of crimson crystals at its core. Zol would recognize this dark mass of power as a Sardonyx Cluster. In his left hand he carried a mysterious antiquity. “The ritual is already complete paladin. Whatever deity that sent you to our gates has damned you to fate worse than death.” His eyes pulsated like pools of murder. His weapon hummed with menace and horror as he pointed it toward Zol. "For you too will feed the ForeRunner.. just like your friends." His words were emphasized by the radiant glare of a sigil forming at his feet. His eyes glared at Okoye and giant ghoul that stood in front of her like a guard dog. She was a summoner of sorts? A sorcerer, but far less problematic.. laughably so.

"Your souls will feed the engine." His voice shook the crumbling shrine behind him as his scepter fired a devastating bolt of crimson energy that was large enough to envelop both Okoye and Zol.

[Okoye]

"Those people…are women abducted throughout the cosmos by the Ferrymen who are interdimensional sex traffickers. Beaten battered innocents whose only part in all this was having potent magic. Defenseless, no blade nor shield.. I will defend them to my very last breath.”

He said, turning from her to face the demon, not phased by its meaning mug nor its intimating aura. She didn't need it, even with a vicious guardian on her side. He meant it, though; even the mightiest wall bore the risk of crumbling.

"For the sake of my dream, My power...it exists to defend the defenseless, to empower and inspire the powerless. To give them hope. Not because anyone forced me to, but because I choose to wield it for the sake of others outside myself. That's what it means to be Fang."

”..oh, give me a break.”

Okoye thought to herself. There was no way that was his answer. What did he read that off a cereal box? She folded her arms and was about to roll her eyes, but she could tell from the burning golden glow behind his eyes that he meant every word he said. This wasn't just false bravado. She truly felt it. Zol was among the few men left in the world with power who truly went to sleep, thinking about helping other people. "..you really mean that don't you?” She asked, but she didn't need an answer. She was pretty convinced that the kid was the real deal. A bleeding heart; no than the myriad of white knights and poetic heroes she used to read about in her childhood. Only Zol was real.

Okoye didn't share his views. She also hated moral arguments. From birth she was taught that those born with strength were simply above those born without. Assigning responsibility and reason to power is what the weak tend to do. The strong make their own rules. Their own laws. And they defy anyone to defy them. Okoye was never truly considered strong by anyone, and it was her purpose now to become the strongest. She didn't dream or fantasize about it anymore. Her ambition to become the Emperor practically possessed and guided her every whim.

Okoye's crimson eyes looked upon Zol softly. She knew from experience just how exhausting it was to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. It was why, during her time as an exiled adolescent, she opted to make a living taking advantage of them. She never participated in trafficking, but she did what needed to be done to keep her young belly full. She found strength in selfishness. Prosperity. Sovereignty. Freedom. She relied on no one and felt no intrinsic anchor holding her down and depending on her because she was strong. Growing up, that's what she thought meant to be strong- unbound and untethered. But now, as she looked upon Zol, she saw something else that fueled him. He was selfless- almost painfully altruistic. As was his comrade who stormed blindly into the maw of the Shrine ahead of them. She wondered about their lives and what they might have experienced that would mold them so differently than her.

After Zol's onslaught laid waste to every remaining mage on the battlefield, a beam of black and crimson energy erupted from the top of the shrine like a bolt of lightning. This ripped through the surface of the foreboding monolith and filled the air with the chorus of a hundred agonizing screams. Every member of the cult, every sorcerer, guard, knight, and every captured tribute within the shrine was relinquished of their life-force. And the culmination of that energy- the avatar of the Munda Abundi would appear before his enemies via a similar bolt of dark energy. This was the ForeRunner. A being barely capable of being called a human any more. His bearish body was covered in an exoskeleton. Its roots crawled around his ash colored flesh like a parasite, pulsating with a dark miasma that could have scrambled the minds of weaker men.

Okoye shielded her eyes from the blistering output of power, causing her demonic sentry to instinctively move his body into a more defensive stance. She could sense the otherworldly disturbance. The tearing and gnashing of innocent and non innocent spirits, and their unholy merging by the hands of the menacing creature that appeared before them.

"..heretics.” His voice boomed and thundered as he stepped from the molten earth left at his feet. In his left hand, he wielded a scepter that held a large mass of crimson crystals at its core.. in his right, he carried a mysterious antiquity.. His eyes glared at Okoye and the giant ghoul that stood in front of her like a guard dog. She was a summoner of sorts? A sorcerer.. but far less problematic.. laughably so.

"Your souls will feed the engine." His voice shook the crumbling shrine behind him as his scepter fired a devastating bolt of crimson energy that was large enough to envelop both Okoye and Zol.

Okoye's monstrosity moved its body to intercept the incoming bolt of energy. Its body, while massive and swollen with spiritual energy, buckled when confronted with the ForeRunner's attack. With both of its arms and all of its slithering tentacles, it coiled around Zol and Okoye and protected them from any lethal blow, but they would all be blasted away from the resulting force of the arcane blow. The carriage would be blown elsewhere, but would remain intact due to the Ferryman's state of the art technology.

Okoye's summon was noticeably wounded, but returned a primal roar at the ForeRunner that shook the ground, as well as a few corpses. "You should go.. If you plan to save them, that is.." She said to Zol as she dusted herself off. Despite them being blown back maybe a dozen feet, he should have been mostly unharmed from the attack. "Your friend might he dead, but that doesn't mean you have to be." She didn't mean to sound so callous, but empathy wasn't her strong suit. Her focus was drifting between Zol and her new target, along with the tools he brought with him to the battlefield. The ForeRunner spoke of a ritual, which is what she assumed the antiquity to related to. Before she arrived, Okoye was sure to familiarize herself with every script of lore and legend that surrounded the Realm of Hojuku. And she would bet her inheritance that the tool in his hand was directly related to a sealing spell. However, the Sardonyx staff was something she was unprepared for. She was unsure of its composition or qualities, but she did vividly remember Clara's discussion on the medical history of afflicted patients. All these thoughts ran through her mind as she prepared a counter attack against the ForeRunner. But she wanted to know what Zol's plans were first.

[Zolgarious Gilden]

It was so interesting, truly, that Zol had become the kind of person he was. Here he was battling viscously, fighting...killing. He remembered a time when he couldn't bring himself to do any of it. IN a life time eons away. He was a pacifist, only sparring when his parents forced him. He didn't wish to harm a single living thing especially animals. He had always found violence abhorrent always trying to find the most diplomatic and harm reductive approach possible to deescalate. When the massacre happened though, witnessing the deaths of so many...changed him. He lamented his own powerlessness for centuries he held nightmares of regret while the ones he once loved her slaughtered. Survivors guilt had gripped his very soul and when he held the vision of the Comet and it's impending destruction of the plant itself for the first time Zol experienced rage...he believed s now that it was the spark that ignited the power he possess now.

The day his aura awakened and Lilika Pylon of Emotions brought him to the world of Carna. Zol had every reason to blame the world itself, to go off the deep end seeking vengeance and vindication, any sane person would see his indignation as more than valued. His people were murdered by one of their own, then the very people he had trained for eons to protect upon his return stripped him of his anthem and discarded him like waste. At one one of those intervals in time could he have vowed an oath of hatred and blood instead, but Zol, no matter how furious he may become cannot hold onto hatred long enough to mold it into anything useful. The emotions that did linger though, the ones he felt the strongest especially when he met Erigor were the ones he shared with Okoye just a second ago.

A part of him envied her, though she said nothing of it Zol could feel the very tremors of her soul. Since the awakening of her power and the summoning of the demon her spiritual essence was practically bleeding out of her and slowly weaving a tapestry of spiritual revelation's, and the root of her power, the energetic purpose behind her strength. A what a sad tale it weaved. Though he could not ascertain the specifics what he could see is that he and Okoye shared mirrored emotions of loneliness. He felt a kindred tether, one that made him wonder if he had never met Erigor, nor Alawei what would is life had been like? Would he still have come out the same? Would his ideals still hold true?

Once Zol's onslaught laid waste to every remaining mage on the battlefield, a beam of black and crimson energy erupted from the top of the shrine like a bolt of lightning. This ripped through the surface of the foreboding monolith and filled the air with the chorus of a hundred agonizing screams. Every member of the cult, every sorcerer, guard, knight, and every captured tribute within the shrine was relinquished of their life-force. And the culmination of that energy- the avatar of the Munda Abundi would appear before his enemies via a similar bolt of dark energy. This was the ForeRunner. A being barely capable of being called a human any more. His bearish body was covered in an exoskeleton. Its roots crawled around his ash colored flesh like a parasite, pulsating with a dark miasma that could have scrambled the minds of weaker men.

”!!!”

The moment the beam shot from the shrine Zol heart nearly stopped. The myriad of life signatures he felt being so close to the shrine had completed faded within the blink of an eye. So many light, so many people…gone like a flash of lightning. He thought Cyrus among the sacrifices but then was brought comfort by remembering Meru was with him. He would be able to survive whether it was at an inch of his life thanks to Zol’s pact with him allowing Meru to manipulate his aura as well as tap into Zol’s golden power in life or death scenario and boy was this one.

Okoye's summoning was fast, its reflexive capabilities were lightning fast he dared say it had the potential to grow even faster should it receive…meals like it did today. A trepidatious future that he hoped wouldn’t come to pass anytime soon. For now the malignant tumor that was the center of this entire scheme had finally reared its ugly and he did mean ugly, head. The creature before him was so unsightly that even if he hadn’t just committed mass murder right before Zol, he'd have enough fury in his soul from sheer disgust of its rancid…essence to smite him regardless. Seeing as how though he was the reason that Zol friends might’ve been harmed for the sake of this demons avarice of power was more than enough fuel for his flame.

"..heretics.” His voice boomed and thundered as he stepped from the molten earth left at his feet. In his left hand, he wielded a scepterthat held a large mass of crimson crystals at its core. Zol would recognize this dark mass of power as a Sardonyx Cluster. In his left hand he carried a mysterious antiquity. “The ritual is already complete paladin. Whatever deity that sent you to our gates has damned you to fate worse than death.” His eyes pulsated like pools of murder. His weapon hummed with menace and horror as he pointed it toward Zol. "For you too will feed the ForeRunner.. just like your friends." His words were emphasized by the radiant glare of a sigil forming at his feet. His eyes glared at Okoye and giant ghoul that stood in front of her like a guard dog. She was a summoner of sorts? A sorcerer, but far less problematic.. laughably so.

“It…it was you?”

" Mommy, where you go mommy? I can't see you anymore...I can't see anything."

A child a little girl? Separated from her mother, fear gripped her as the darkness consumed her vision. Now all she can see is a frightening orange that sears like flame but there is no heat.

As Zol laid as on the Sardonyx crystal he chest burned in remembrance of the first time he encountered its radiation. The vision he received that foretold of the comets coming, adn the dark forces seeking to use it's power for their own gain. This bastard was one of them and wasted no time letting it be known how trivial the lives he impacted were, inconsequential to the success of his ritual. The searing pain that scorched the lives of the people of Helios, the number of his comrades who lost their lives in defense against the monster cursed by with the maddening orange flare of the demonic stone. Flashes of the little girl who lost her vision to the Sardonyx blight replayed his mind and what that awakened in him was beyond what anyone here would expect.

Zol

Was

Pissed

“You should go.. If you plan to save them, that is.." She said to Zol as she dusted herself off. Despite them being blown back maybe a dozen feet, he should have been mostly unharmed from the attack. "Your friend might he dead, but that doesn't mean you have to be." She didn't mean to sound so callous, but empathy wasn't her strong suit.”

Before could even give her admonishment Zol had already preformed a single Ava the moment the creature defended them with it's body. That single sign would cause a massive earthen hand similar to the one of gold from earlier to rise only this skill required no incantation to use. Zolgarious' first expression of Naten was a connection to the earth that was rooted to a tie the his former life, however his soul was favored by the land itself anchoring him still from the earth his new form was crafted from. This allowed him a nigh instinctual command of the rock around him to mold shape change in anyway he desired. Raising a Pilar in defense of the carriage despite its impressive size did not even require his attention to conjure. He then preformed another sign raising a similar pillar. No nothing was going to stop him from making sure this…forerunner would never be able to run…ever again.

”Don't kid yourself, you’ve vastly underestimated the Gilded Fangs if you’d think we’d die so easily. I already told you, I will not leave them nor you. As far a I'm concerned now you are an honorary fang....”

He said in response to her warning, she still seemed to have little faith in his strength, to think the tip of the iceberg she had experienced was even a teaspoon of the ocean of his potential. Zol’s fury was seething with an intensity that rivaled he pooling magma beneath his foe. The very air seemed to vibrate around them as he aura began to seep out of him like a dazzling miasma eating away at the darkness around him. This was his ability known as Vigor Flare it released his aura in combination with his wind naten creating nexus of connectivity using his soul wavelength permeate the area around him. It normally was used for its sensory details allowing him to use his spiritual awareness as a medium to collect all kinds of information and resonances with what these threads of energy touched. This time Zol had a far more useful means for its ability.

"And Fangs dont abandon fangs...just buy me a little time...I'll show you what happens when this dog decides to bite"

His golden aura was the brilliant culmination of all six aura pylons, arbiters intricately melded into a force of unrestrained existence. That was part of the reason it was the anthesis to malefic existences. Those in the darkness tend be sneaky conniving beast who skulk with their belly's to the grounds like sheepish serpents, striking at the unexpected, the vulnerable. Zol was far removed from such a cowardly notion. All that he was, all that he is, all that he would be was always on the line every second of everyday. He did not find more confident ways to mask his flaws. He wore his imperfections life badge of war symbols of honor that told the story of his existence and how despite every

Single

Last

One

He preserved and prevailed! Today, regardless of his foe overwhelming demonic pull, would be no different.

"Mystic Art: Brilliant chrysalis

The invocation saw the Vigor flare tunnel itself into the rooting deeply anchoring itself beneath the earth infested with demon energy, yet the natural bounty of Hojoku primal essence still fought and clawed against the demon affluence. It was that very energy that Zol sought to resonate with. It's "soul" if you will. He simply needed the time to find it. Mere moment later a litany of tendrils of light erupted from the earth rapidly devouring both Zol and the carriage in their grasp encapsulating the entirely of it in a coccun of nigh numinous influence. The Hands would then enclose upon the chrysalis shielding it from outside influences. He had full faith that Okoye would be able to provide the time he needed to pique and search for the "soul" of Hojoku.

2 post left

[Fate I]

Okoye's monstrosity moved its body to intercept the ForeRunner incoming bolt of energy. Its body, while massive and swollen with spiritual energy, buckled when confronted with the ForeRunner's attack..

..The very air seemed to vibrate around them as he aura began to seep out of Zol like a dazzling miasma eating away at the darkness around him. This was his ability known as Vigor Flare it released his aura in combination with his wind naten creating nexus of connectivity using his soul wavelength permeate the area around him. It normally was used for its sensory details allowing him to use his spiritual awareness as a medium to collect all kinds of information and resonances with what these threads of energy touched. This time Zol had a far more useful means for its ability..

The invocation saw the Vigor flare tunnel itself into the rooting deeply anchoring itself beneath the earth infested with demon energy, yet the natural bounty of Hojoku primal essence still fought and clawed against the demon affluence. It was that very energy that Zol sought to resonate with. It's "soul" if you will. He simply needed the time to find it. Mere moment later a litany of tendrils of light erupted from the earth rapidly devouring both Zol and the carriage in their grasp encapsulating the entirely of it in a coccun of nigh numinous influence. The Hands would then enclose upon the chrysalis shielding it from outside influences.

The ForeRunner, his keen eyes fixed on the Paladin's fervent display of power, sprouted a grotesque pair of wings from his back, resembling those of a raven, propelling him effortlessly into the darkened sky. "MEANINGLESS!" he bellowed, his voice echoing disdain down to his adversaries below. The energy Zol sought to harness had long been absorbed into the ancient artifact clutched tightly in the dark wizard's grasp—a vile creation known as the Konduit, whispered of in legends among those privy to its existence. This nefarious device not only hoarded the natural power of Hojuku but also imprisoned the souls of those sacrificed during its creation.

Zol's quest to uncover the truth would reveal the desolate truth beneath Hojuku's surface—a barren wasteland stripped of life and vitality. Even as a Paladin, the ForeRunner could see no glimmer of hope in Zol's endeavors. It seemed a futile, almost laughable pursuit, doomed to failure from the outset. "..dwell in futility. Until your last breath."

The scepter in his main hand would glow bright in tandem with the artifact he wielded in his other. The Konduit magnified the ForeRunner's power athousand fold in a matter of seconds, generating a protective sphere of crimson energy around him. But more than that- the collective energy he'd stored transformed his scepter into more of an ethereal weapon. The blade itself, invisible to those not gifted with the ability to perceive the Unseen, was unimaginably large- larte enough to slice into heaven and earth in a single stroke. And that was his plan. The ForeRunner's scythe sought to carve an enormous scar into Vescrutia's face, and Okoye would be his bullseye. They were fools to divide their forces. He would dwindle the opposition while they were separated.

[Okoye]

”Don't kid yourself, you’ve vastly underestimated the Gilded Fangs if you’d think we’d die so easily. I already told you, I will not leave them nor you. As far a I'm concerned now you are an honorary fang....”

He said in response to her warning, she still seemed to have little faith in his strength, to think the tip of the iceberg she had experienced was even a teaspoon of the ocean of his potential. Zol’s fury was seething with an intensity that rivaled he pooling magma beneath his foe. The very air seemed to vibrate around them as he aura began to seep out of him like a dazzling miasma eating away at the darkness around him. This was his ability known as Vigor Flare it released his aura in combination with his wind naten creating nexus of connectivity using his soul wavelength permeate the area around him.

"And Fangs dont abandon fangs...just buy me a little time...

Mere moment later a litany of tendrils of light erupted from the earth rapidly devouring both Zol and the carriage in their grasp encapsulating the entirely of it in a coccun of nigh numinous influence. The Hands would then enclose upon the chrysalis shielding it from outside influences..

"A fang? But I'm not-- I don't need your--" Okoye tried protesting to his presumptions , but Zol was already swept up into his cocoon of protective light before she could get the word out. She doubted he could hear her, so she wouldn't waste her breath trying to convince him she didn't want or need his help-- not like she expected him to listen. With a resigned smile, she adjusted her bangs, conceding defeat. "Uuuugh.. fine.." She thought to herself as her eyes trailed the ForeRunner's ascent into the clouds above. "Just don't be mad if he's dead by the time you get back.."

"MEANINGLESS!" he bellowed, his voice echoing disdain down to his adversaries below. "..dwell in futility. Until your last breath."

The scepter in ForeRunner's grasp radiated with an incandescent glow, synchronized with the artifact held in his other hand. With the Konduit's augmentation, ForeRunner's power surged exponentially, encasing him in a pulsating sphere of protective crimson energy within seconds. Yet, beyond mere defense, the reservoir of amassed energy transfigured his scepter into an otherworldly weapon. Its blade, concealed from ordinary sight, expanded to unfathomable proportions, accessible only to those attuned to the mysteries of the Unseen.. The ForeRunner sought to carve an enormous scar into Vescrutia's face, and Okoye would be his bullseye.

Okoye's eyes widened as she beheld the ForeRunner's formidable weapon. In their crimson depths, a mix of awe and trepidation swirled like a storm. It was a scythe of colossal proportions, capable of devouring the sky itself behind its etheral fang—an undeniable force to be reckoned with. "..whoa." she thought to herself, her inner voice barely a whisper, as she absorbed the sight before her. Yet, her fleeting moment of admiration was replaced with alarm as she watched the blade hurtling toward her with deadly intent.

With a thunderous impact, the ForeRunner's scythe cleaved a colossal chasm into the earth that stretched for miles in both length and depth. Okoye's instincts kicked into overdrive- she vanished from her position behind a blur of fleeting color, once again relying on the sole speedbased technique in her arsenal, one she developed using Zero Venkage as its model. She would have to give it a name at this point; the nuances were all but perfected from such a high volume of usage since its inception, but still.. She needed it to become second nature, a seamless fusion of skill and instinct.

Reappearing near the gate of the Shrine, Okoye took a moment to steady herself. Her heart was thumping with the adrenaline of another near death experience. She was unscathed, but weary. Before she was able to properly dodge the ForeRunner's attack, Okoye needed to dismiss her demonic sentry in order for the to properly focus her Naten into her legs. It was an incredibly difficult adjustment; one she didn't know she needed to make until she already made the decision. And despite her success, her leg muscles were suffering the consequences from such explosive movements. "..dammit." She griped through the discomfort, but Okoye's gaze never left her target. And the longer she looked at him soaring above, the more eyes fixated on the vajra like tool in his hand.

".."

The second regained her composure, she would begin to focus her spiritual energy into her palm. Her lips moved silently all the while, but her incantations didn't require sound.

[Zolgarious Gilden]

The Forerunner was wrong, as most of his ilk were when it came to their limited perspective rooted in the thirst for more. It was not being able to see the value in something as small as a mustard seed. And that was all Zol needed. The fact that the plant life was still thriving though struggling, the waters unclouded, the stone wet with Algae. It was a foundational building block of the ecosystem that collectively all embodied the spirit of Hojoku. Life existed in such a varied expression, much like naten itself. Each type of plant had its own personality, things that it responded well to, and things that inspired adverse reactions. All of it was a thread in a greater will that unless the Fore Runner utterly voided, the Island of ALL life would still be here. The heart of Hojoku still lived; it beat, though faint, and was still there. The "Vigor Flare" sifted through the land. Zol, petrified at how hollow so much of the land was. The Abundi truly had carved a gaping hole in the lands, naten its arrogance is not wholly unfounded. Whereas those who relied on dark perspectives existed in a monochrome, those like Zol could find love and appreciation in the smallest of things.

"I can feel the void inside you...I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner..."

Zol's soul spoke out into the vast void, unsure in truth who or what he was even speaking to. His words did not truly have a target. He was lamenting the death of so many. He mourned for Hojoku in her prime. What life must've lived here once before?

"But here I am...reaching out to you. If there are even the smallest pieces of you that want to live, please..."

The Vigor flare was a genuinely marvelous technique. Its spiritual microfibers extenuated his spiritual reach far beyond his position. When used at its maximum, he could dive miles and leagues far and wide, using his energy as a catalyst to interact in all kinds of ways.

"Reach back out to me..."

No matter how far and wide, the pieces of Hojuko's heart were too fractured and weak for him to pull anything together. He would not give up, though; he was certain that there was hope yet reached. The land had not given up, so neither would he. He could only hope his search was not in vain and that Okoye's efforts were for nothing. And then it hit him: he was not here alone. Besides the captives of the ferrymen, Meru, Cyrus, and Okoye were women of exceptional affluence. He was sure they collectively might pull off the miracle they needed if they aided him.

"Hello? Listen, everyone, I know you're scared, I know asking you to trust may be hard. But I need you to listen to me"

Zol's influence filtered through them like a warm hug on a cold winter night. The darkness they were in began to fade as his light permeated the carriage, allowing them to see each other's faces. Seconds later, an incarnation of Zol's astral form would manifest before the lot of them. His light was inviting, hopefully disarming them enough for them to hear his words.

"The fiend who brought you here, robbed you of your homes and lives, is currently trying to destroy the whole of this island and every last thing with it. If he gets his wish, more than just Hojuko is at stake. The entire world will be in peril, and the worlds beyond your worlds..."

His heart laid bare before them, his words honestly speaking to the gravity of the situation.

"You believe yourselves to be powerless, but I assure you it's quite the opposite. The whole reason they came for each of you is because of your exceptional spiritual affluence. They would take it from you forcefully; I would ask that you share it with me. I can reignite the will to live on the island and use that force to defeat this foe and get you all home. I will not take from you; I only ask that you play a hand in your survival. The Forerunner thinks you make inconsequential sacrifices. I believe you warriors who still draw the breath to change their fate."

The projection extended his hand outward towards the women. Whoever extended their hand would share their power with him, and he would give it to the realm.

"What say you?"

1 Post Left

[Fate I]

With a thunderous impact, the ForeRunner's scythe cleaved a colossal chasm into the earth that stretched for miles in both length and depth. Okoye's instincts kicked into overdrive- she vanished from her position behind a blur of fleeting color, once again relying on the sole speedbased technique in her arsenal, one she developed using Zero Venkage as its model..

Reappearing near the gate of the Shrine, Okoye took a moment to steady herself. Her heart was thumping with the adrenaline of another near death experience.. She griped through the discomfort, but Okoye's gaze never left her target..The second she regained her composure, she would begin to focus her spiritual energy into her palm. Her lips moved silently all the while, but her incantations didn't require sound.

“Tell me mortal, why do you struggle?!"The ForeRunner's voice echoed mockingly, reverberating through the air as he hovered above his prey. His senses tingled with the scent of her fear, a potent reminder of his overwhelming power. With just a glimpse of his might, he managed to force his opposition onto the defensive, dominating the battlefield with an aura of menace before they could even lift a finger in defiance.

A fevered, sinister laugh escaped his lips, filling the skies with its chilling resonance—a laugh drunk with power, poisoned by his own arrogance. Holding his scepter aloft, he summoned his otherworldly blade with a flourish, preparing for another devastating strike. This time, his assault was relentless, a relentless flurry of motion that ripped the very mountains asunder.

Ten, twenty, fifty strikes of his Spectral scythe rent the landscape like a maddened god unleashed. Each blow tore deeper and further into the dried mountain soil, carving out valleys and ravines with merciless precision. Even the once-proud Abundi Shrine lay in ruins, its sacred halls shattered by the force of his onslaught.

Despite the agility of his prey, the ForeRunner knew it was only a matter of time before she faltered. With inexorable determination, he pressed on. The ForeRunner descended closer and closer to the ground with every strike, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of the hunt. Swift and elusive though Okoye may be, the dark wizard relished the challenge, knowing that victory was inevitable. He would exhaust her. Leave her no avenue of escape. And then, just as she teetered at the precipice of death, he would devour her soul.. With her strength, the Paladin would be no match for him. No matter what transformation he underwent. He could barely contain his excitement beneath his grisly smile.

---All the while, Okoye successfully managed to lead the battle away from Zol and the carriage. Allowing the women in carriage to respond to Zol.

"Hello? Listen, everyone, I know you're scared, I know asking you to trust may be hard. But I need you to listen to me"

Zol's influence filtered through them like a warm hug on a cold winter night. The darkness they were in began to fade as his light permeated the carriage, allowing them to see each other's faces. Seconds later, an incarnation of Zol'sastral form would manifest before the lot of them. His light was inviting, hopefully disarming them enough for them to hear his words.

"The fiend who brought you here, robbed you of your homes and lives, is currently trying to destroy the whole of this island and every last thing with it. If he gets his wish, more than just Hojuko is at stake. The entire world will be in peril, and the worlds beyond your worlds..."

You believe yourselves to be powerless, but I assure you it's quite the opposite. The whole reason they came for each of you is because of your exceptional spiritual affluence. They would take it from you forcefully; I would ask that you share it with me. I can reignite the will to live on the island and use that force to defeat this foe and get you all home. I will not take from you; I only ask that you play a hand in your survival. The Forerunner thinks you make inconsequential sacrifices. I believe you warriors who still draw the breath to change their fate."

The projection extended his hand outward towards the women. Whoever extended their hand would share their power with him, and he would give it to the realm.

"What say you?"

They were initially frightened by his etheral appearance, but soon acquiesced to his warm demeanor. Each of them, all twenty of the captives sensitive to his visage reached out toward Zol.

[Okoye]

"Okay... let's try again. More focus this time on where we wanna go, before we get there.."

Okoye's inner voice steadied her resolve as the ForeRunner's monstrous blade descended upon her with terrifying speed. The scythe, unnaturally large and gleaming with malice, seemed to carve through the air itself as its wielder swung with manic fury from the safety of the clouds above. Once again, Okoye responded with a burst of impetus- her movement's a symphony of agility and precision.

She evaded the attacks at blinding speeds, darting and weaving through the destructuon so swiftly she left afterimages in her wake. Even as the ground crumbled beneath her from the onslaught of his scything strikes, Okoye found her footing amidst the debris, using the upheaval as platforms to propel herself through the air. Her steps like whispers on the wind, leaving nary a trace as to where Zhe truly was.

As the scythe swept down with relentless ferocity, Okoye's senses heightened, her awareness expanding to encompass every detail of the battlefield. She could feel the weight of the ForeRunner's gaze upon her, his malevolent presence looming above like an evil cloud. "..breathe.." she reminded herself, her voice a calm anchor amidst the storm raging around her. Every leap, every twist, every pivot was a testament to her years of rigorous training, each motion executed with flawless finesse. As the ForeRunner's attacks grew more frenzied, Okoye's movements only became more mesmerizing, her form a perfect balance of control, power, and technique.

In the midst of the chaos, she remained composed, her concentration unwavering as she defied the very laws of physics with each strafe. She felt herself slip into a "zone"- her focus unbroken even as the world around her spun in peril. Her keen senses took note of ForeRunner.. creeping closer to submerge himself in his own carnage.. dropping his guard in exchange to magnify the strength of his incursion. And as she continued to dance through the tempest, Okoye knew that victory was not just a possibility—it was inevitable.

[Zolgarious Gilden]

They were initially frightened by his ethereal appearance but soon acquiesced to his warm demeanor. Each of them, all twenty captives sensitive to his visage, reached out toward Zol.

The world around them shook as the Forerunner carved his madness into the Island, clawing through entire mountains and reducing the realm to something unrecognizable. With each attack, Zol could feel the trepidation in the land; the few species that had managed to survive were terrified, not knowing if this would be the last of their home. Zol could feel it all: the despair of the Island. They were so close to giving up, but just then, the women rose.

" I. I have a daughter in Heliodor. She's always been such a sweet child. She's a little clumsy, though, and I worry for her. Will you use my power to save her?"

Another woman rose

"Those dung biters snatched me from my home world; it happened so fast...they killed my husband, drained our land dry...you have to promise me...promise us now. If we give you our strength, you will destroy him and leave nothing left!!"

With a solemn nod, Zol agreed. As the women reached out to him, their bodies' would alight with the same golden hue he was. Their magic began synchronizing, and Zol acted as the catalyst for this energetic nexus. With each inhale and exhale, that power would grow, melding and congealing into a aureate singularity. The Forerunner only believed in the power of one, the selfishness of self. He could not comprehend those like Forerunner and why they would go so far as to permeate darkness and death worldwide. Many who traveled down his path were once fragile, impacted, and imprinted with power used oppressively. He understood the thumb of vengeance and how its call could sit on your neck, pressuring you to feed it. Regardless of this demon's origins, the runner would not stall Zol's action! With their power now cumulative, Zol could feel their hopes flowing into him and their thirst for retribution. Each of them had a tale of their own, most of them whose homes had been drained dry by the Fore Runner and his malefic ideals. It was so great, the conjoined essence of these women he supposed it was true after all.

The Nether has no fury like a woman's Scorn.

"I promise..."

With that, an oath was sealed, a union forged, and from the massive power of that resonance fueling his Vigor flare, Zol would reach out to Hojuko once more, only this time his reach went farther than the physical husk. With the power coursing through him, his flare would now reach beyond the veil, able to tap into the spiritual world. His eyes danced with color as the spiral of emotions left by the cursed souls and scarred earth became apparent to him.

"Hojuko, please, I can save you, let me help. Trust me"

Using his vessel as a boundless container, Zol combined this energy, compressing it to the size of a seed. As the resonance pulsated through the realm, anything spiritually inclined would feel its monument's weight as its creation blanketed the entire islands in a fearsome pull of force. That pulse sparked something, a "pulse" in spiritual existence. Like a wafting flame in a vortex, the Island's whims cried out weakly, but he could sense it. These islands will live.

"If I gave it my all, I could probably create something about three times this monument. I could even terraform this entire Island if I had half a mind."

The condensed pillar was then caught in his grip.

Now, he had a whole mind, too. The Vigor flare latched onto the sheepish resolve of Hojoku and encouraged it with the seedling of mana he gathered. If the "Soul" of Hojuku had been hollowed out, he needed to replace what was lost by birthing a new soul.

"Mikado Fae Magic..."

Though his words were soft as a murmur, the mere utterance of this invocation vibrated the very space around them. Its name was spoken, sending waves of spiritual power through the land deep into the waves beyond. It's magic so archaic that Zol is currently the only one known to know its verbiage. Unlike demons, who are the festering amalgamations of mortal souls twisted up into reflections of negative and spiteful emotions, Aymara Faerie's are a type of Fae born from the more "reputable" mirrors of mortal nature, often polar opposites of specific demonic counterparts. Mikado Fae is the epitome of those faeries within with power comparable to and, in some cases, surpassing that of Arch Demons. Zol is the sole inheritor of the will of his former mentor and friend, Alawei, the Sovereign Fae of Carna. If the Forerunner should think a deity heralded his coming, the closest thing would be the Faerie King himself. And the sacred magic he passed down to him, and that's when he remembered the promise he made to him. To pass his knowledge onto his child, the only one to survive the insurrection of Grixas. The cursed spawn whose hair was crimson as blood.

"Alawei, my friend, forgive me. To have let myself forget such a promise. My vow to you. I promise you, I will never forget again."

He thought to himself as his naten reservoir overflowed like a chalice nigh eternal. After they finished here, Zol would make good on his promise and find the "Child of the Blood Moon." For now, his intention and goal were clear: save Hojuko and destroy the darkness that had infested the land so that life one day could blossom anew. That wish fueled the force behind his following words, his magic reaching its pique.

"Yggdrasil: Sacred World tree!!"

The "bud" of compressed spiritual quintessence would be ensnared by the ethereal tendrils of the vigor flare cultivating the emotions of the fleeting wisp of will. The island "germinated" the seed within moments that very seedling of faith began to sprout its own Vigor flare, serving as its roots and spreading its budding essence through the realm, burrowing deep as his naten shaped the earth beneath them. Underneath the chasm where the shrine once lived, a burst of light penetrated the crater. The light would solidify before cracking light glass, revealing a shimmering symbol of new hope and faith. A seeding of a world tree is an incarnation of life and a symbol of its birth anew. From it would ebb and flow waves of Zol's wavelength, and even though it would take eons for it to blossom fully, Zol would personally see to its growth. Though the tree spurted, the chrysalis housing Zol had yet to open, but from within it, bulging protrusions could be seen, signifying that his morphosis was at its end.

And a reckoning was upon them.

Final post

[Fate I]

..Okoye evaded the attacks at blinding speeds, darting and weaving through the destructuon so swiftly she left afterimages in her wake. Even as the ground crumbled beneath her from the onslaught of his scything strikes, Okoye found her footing amidst the debris, using the upheaval as platforms to propel herself through the air. Her steps like whispers on the wind, leaving nary a trace as to where she truly was.

As the battle raged on, the ForeRunner's frustration became a palpable force, coursing through him with each evasive maneuver Okoye executed. His scythe, a sinister extension of his wrath, whirled with increasing desperation, each swing propelled by his mounting anger at her persistence and skill. He watched with a mixture of disbelief and disdain as she danced through his onslaught, her movements a mesmerizing testament to the talent that deluded her into accept this daunting quest.

Each graceful dodge felt like an affornt to his ego- a to taunt his efforts, her defiance fueling the inferno of his fury.

"Enough of this." the ForeRunner's voice thundered from above, dripping with contempt. “..bear witness.'

With a menacing glide, he descended from the clouds, his presence growing ever closer with each predatory strike.

Sensing that mere physical attacks would not suffice against this formidable adversary, the ForeRunner's eyes narrowed in a malevolent glare. He muttered something soft- an incantation, unleashed one of his most devastating spells—"Crimson Meteor." A blast of deadly crimson energy erupted from his suddenly emerging third eye, tearing through the air with unstoppable force, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. The projectile speed was unimaginable. The ForeRunner didn't even bother to study the aftermath of his attack- he was more than certain that nothing mortal could have survived. However, his attention was immediately drawn to a suffocating presence of mana that seemingly sprouted out of nowhere.

"Yggdrasil: Sacred World tree!!"

The "bud" of compressed spiritual quintessence would be ensnared by the ethereal tendrils of the vigor flare cultivating the emotions of the fleeting wisp of will. The island "germinated" the seed within moments that very seedling of faith began to sprout its own Vigor flare, serving as its roots and spreading its budding essence through the realm, burrowing deep as his naten shaped the earth beneath them. Underneath the chasm where the shrine once lived, a burst of light penetrated the crater. The light would solidify before cracking light glass, revealing a shimmering symbol of new hope and faith. A seeding of a world tree is an incarnation of life and a symbol of its birth anew. From it would ebb and flow waves of Zol's wavelength, and even though it would take eons for it to blossom fully, Zol would personally see to its growth.

The sight of the world tree ignited an inferno within the ForeRunner, its majestic presence a stark challenge to his dominion. He keenly felt the Paladin's influence pulsating from its core, a relentless beacon of warmth and strength, a direct affront to his sovereignty. "Blasphemous children.." he spat, his furious snarls resonating through the heavens, echoing his rage. Amidst his onslaught, Zol momentarily slipped from his mind, overshadowed by the threat of the Okoye's evasive maneuvers. Though he was still uncertain of Zol's full capabilities, the ForeRunner dismissed them as inconsequential compared to his own immense power. "Our destiny.. our NewWorld, shall not be stalled.. by blasphemous children." he vowed, his resolve unyielding in the face of defiance.

The ForeRunner held the scepter above his head, disengaging his barrier of energy as a means to conjure up his own servant of his will. “Rip it out from the root, my pet!” He roared as a runic sigil appeared in the sky above the newly formed tree, beckoning forth an otherworldly terror. The Novik, a behemoth of terror unmatched in its nightmarish essence. This monstrous entity, a grotesque amalgamation of nightmare and reality, stood as a testament to the darkest depths of fear. One Zol would be all too familiar

From its towering frame seeped a viscous, tar-like substance, oozing and slithering like tendrils of despair. Its form seemed to mock the very concept of humanity. The air around it crackled with malevolence, suffused with the stench of decay and despair as it moved through the air- its body boundless until it wasn't. Its eyes, if they could be called such, pierced through the darkness with a haunting intensity. But perhaps the most chilling aspect of the Novik was its hide—a grotesque tapestry of horror adorned with the remnants of its victims. Faces, frozen in eternal anguish, merged seamlessly with its form, their expressions etched with the agony of their demise. Limbs, torn and mangled, protruded at unnatural angles. Those unfortunate enough to be captured by its grasp found themselves condemned to an existence of torment, their souls forever bound to the will of the Novik. Their voices echoed through the darkness, twisted and distorted, puppets to the malevolent desires of their master.

The evil entity took its solid form and drew back its massive claw like appendage to chop the mighty, celestial oak at its neck.