It's funny because we're all living in a simulation and freewill is a lie.

This is some creepypasta material right here

A woman wanders down the streets, there's an incredibly bored look on her face as she glances about the city. People pass her by, and not a one seems worth dealing with. As she looks up to the sky for a moment, however, her gaze becomes curious. "What in the hell... Wasn't expecting to see some magic crap like that around here, but eh I guess I didn't have anything better to do." There's a small smirk on her face as she reaches into her red jacket, a knife flying out as she spins it around for a moment before walking off towards the eye. Her own eyes would turn blue, tiny bits of purple in them as lines begin to form all around the world. Shiki stares back at the floating eye with her own 'eyes of death'.

It was a normal day for young Setsuna, though she mostly kept to herself throughout the day, exuding an aura that lead most people to keep their distance. With that said, the girl keeps her eyes on the ground as she walks through the city streets, hands in her pockets. Not paying enough attention, she ended up bumping into a passerby “Watch it, what do you think....” Its at that moment she finally looks up, following the other person’s gaze to the large eye, the girl puts one hand over her forehead toprovide some shade for her eyes “That’s definitely not right.”

Guess I have nothing else better to do (Both of mr.detective magnums turn into a blue glowing long barreled revolver)

More cracks begin to appear in the sky as you could hear a loud booming noise. As if something was bombarding a wall. Each boom that echoed into through the town brought more cracks until finally the cracks shattered open and upside down buildings began to hang from them. Each one looking like some kind of sky scrapper or clock tower and even some other buildings from different timelines hung from the sky. From within the windows of these buildings movement could be seen. Whether they were human or not was up for debate. The earth shook as the sound of the world itself crying out could be heard. One of the buildings from the cracks had crashed down into the nearby park, splitting the earth under it and spitting dirt and sand into the air. As the dust cleared, what seemed like a broken clock tower was sticking up from the ground, It's windows shattered and clock broken. On the side of the clock, the side of it had broken off revealing a path beyond it. Out from this path walked creatures of shades. As if silhouettes took human shape and scrambled out of the entrance. They didn't attack anyone. They didn't seem to notice any of the people around. They simply wandered around as if lost. Near the clock tower was a single girl with long white hair and snow white skin. To some of you she would be a familiar face. This girl named Alice simply stared at the sky, lost in thought.

(Notices the chaos all around him) Well I can’t let this go on (Notices the flareon) Especially if innocents are involved (Puts on sunglasses and scans the eye and everything around him) Let’s see what I can find out

Shiki glances towards the creatures of shade, she isn't exactly sure what they are but she is curious if they can die... The girl though, the girl scares her a bit. As she stares upon the child she'd rather quickly note the utter absence of any lines over her body. She can't help walking up to this girl for that very reasons, eyes gleaming with the powers of death as she rushes forward at a breakneck pace. Upon reaching Alice, she'd speak in a curious tone and stare at the girl. "What are you, I can't see your death at all. Not even faintly, the possibility simply isn't there... I don't get it, you look like a human but you quite clearly aren't anything of the sort. I've gazed upon plenty of people with these eyes before, but you're the first to simply show nothing. She'd pause for a moment, realizing she hasn't even bothered to give a name before launching into this madness. "I'm Shiki Ryougi by the way, and I'm kinda curious if you know what my eyes are too... I just assumed anyone who's immune to them must, but that's kind of a silly thing to assume when I think about it."

The white-haired girl puts one arm up over her face to block some of the wind and dust. Just my luck. The tower lands rather close to her, too close for comfort, which leads the girl to stumble out of the way of the first few shades. Though none of them seem to pay her any heed "Stay back, what're you....." it doesn't take long for her to notice she's being ignored, that's fine, better actually. No need to talk to them after all. The girl looks up to the mysterious clocktower, she doesn't seem to see anyone else around it. As though drawn by some unknown force, the girl starts walking up the ramp, weaving through the shades and towards the tower

Don't forget the bread laddie. Yeah yeah I know, no way I'm going to cook... Kevin stepped outside of the store after quickly paying for the food. Though it was only really a loaf of bread. He stepped out to the red tinted street, oblivious to the people around him pointing at the sky in a mixture of terror and shock. Aye, you might want to look up. Kevin took a chunk from his bread and looked at what everyone was pointing at. Oh... "Oh"?! Do you not bloody understand what the hell is happening? Eye didn't see that. You... Well, I guess I should check the building that fell to Earth huh? I think it was around the park. Kevin began to walk where the clock tower fell.

The white haired girl would turned her ruby red eyes to Shiki, a single tear rolling down her face. "If death comes to all living things then does that mean I was never alive?" The girl would then fade from view as if a mere echo. The shades would do nothing to impede any of the ones present. The would simply walk around as if not noticing anything of whats happening around them. The entrance into the clock tower was filled with gears, large and small, still ticking away despite having no more purpose. As you move further inside the ticking gets louder but despite that the inside of the path seems to slowly change. It becomes more chaotic. More twisted. As if to bar your way forward but regardless of that you could still move through them even if only barely. Soon you hear the sound of a music box up ahead, as if calling you forward.

"Freaky" is all the girl says to herself as she continues walking towards the sound of the music, so that's what it was. It almost feels as though she knew it somehow, but of course that was impossible. Of course that never really mattered anyways, there's nothing to do but keep going, the sounds of the ticking, anyone following her, even her own thoughts would seem to fade for the moment

Never alive huh... Geez, that's almost enough to make Shiki feel bad. Almost, but not quite. Her eyes return to their normal brown once again, lines of death fading from view. "Hell if I know, but I wouldn't worry over it. Living is a bit overrated." As the girl fades from sight, Shiki just shrugs and keeps on walking. Seems as if others have decided to get into this too though huh, well she can play nice for a while that's fine. She'd grunt as Kevin and Setsuna appear, walking forward and glancing back at the two. "Right then, welcome to whatever the hell this mess is. If something needs to die then I'll take care of it, kinda my only skill that applies when dealing with magical crap." She'd glance around as they presumably advance, assuming the others are still with her as the place becomes more twisted she'd groan a bit and shake her head before looking at the two. Will they be any help? Who knows, but she's used to dealing with this stuff herself anyway. Shiki just keeps on walking.

The Flareon whimpers, then begins to pace frantically before looking around him, noticing that everyone has gone off to investigate or run away "Oh, shoot, i'm alone. This isn't good. Oh, i'm gonna die like this, aren't I? Ugh, it's probably best to work together in this situation." He jolts up to Shiki, frantically questioning her "Hey, miss? You're some kind of person that deals with these kinds of things, right? Do you mind if I follow you?"

Hm, wow it's still ticking. Kevin told Tam while looking at the clock tower. But the hands stopped. No real purpose to it anymore. Looks like it was just its time. Stop. Kevin made it to the park, close enough to see Shiki and Setsuna. He stopped right before the gears of the tower. "After you" Kevin said, not wanting to take the lead. If they went before him he would simply walk behind them, following the sound of music.

Agh! Can’t find anything (Puts away the sunglasses) Well looks like I should find someone (Notices flareon and Shiki) Hey wait for me

She'd glance back at the small firey animal, shrugging her shoulders for a moment. "Suit yourself, I don't feel any need to stop you unless you get in my way so that's fine. And yeah I guess you could say I deal with this stuff, oh and try to keep calm. I don't really care what happens but if you want to live then freaking out won't help matters." As for Kevin. she's more than happy to take the lead. Never one to shy away from danger after all... And another one joins okay, why are there so many people looking into dangerous supernatural events? "Is this city infested with people who have no regard for their own lives and or a burning desire to fight strong foes? I can't possibly imagine why you'd all be here if not for one or both of those reasons."

I’m here because it’s my job how about that

Upon exiting the path of gears you would find yourself in what seemed like an opera or some sort of theater. Seats lined the area in neat order and balconies are seen on the wall above as if the existence of the gears were a lie. The theater seemed like something out of a old Victorian photo. In the seats you would see the self same shades all seated, wearing extravagant clothes of old nobility. The entire place was packed. The ticking slowly faded into the melody of the music box like music coming from the stage. The curtains soon opened and a large device sat against the back wall, turning and making the music. Before it stood a lone woman, unlike the shades her form was clear. She was beautiful with long blonde hair and sapphire eyes. Her long white dress adorned with all sorts of decorations that simply amplified her beauty. She began to sing, her words unknown to you yet beautiful all the same. Soothing your heart and causing all weariness to drain from you. Her voice echoed through the theater clear as a bell and for now everything seemed calm. On a nearby balcony you could see the white haired girl sitting and watching the opera.

The flareon nods and struts relunctantly as he follows the group. "I don't care if I die or not, but i'm more afraid of not knowing why. This realm seems to have infinite possibilites, and that scares me. I may as well embrace it and accept whatever comes my way, no matter how scary it may be." He then turns to the detective "Hey, Dick! You said you dealt with Spec stuff, right? You think you could try running an 'analysis' on the area?" The boy looks around the area "This looks haunted..."

I’ll try (Puts on the sunglasses again and scans the area)

Oh nice, a theater. Wonder what's playing? Kevin began to look for an empty seat, if he found one he would sit down and stare at the screen. Um mate now isn't the time fo- Shh, no talking while the movie is playing. Don't you know the rules of a movie theater? ...

Doesn't care if he dies or not huh... Shiki would laugh at that statement. "Don't care huh, if you really mean that then I'm a little impressed. Actions speak louder than words though. Now, I wonder if anything here is alive." Her eyes once more glow blue and purple, lines hopefully taking shape as she glances around the room and walks forward. Blade held high as she looks up towards the stage, watching the woman and device curiously to see if she can view their Death. Beyond that... She sits down, for now, the music is oddly pleasing even to her. Which is worrisome in its own right really but she'll not concern herself with it at the moment.

I dreamed of a master from a bygone age in a far off world. She was beautiful, kind and gentle. As radiant as the sun and a voice as beautiful as the moon. Shiki looked around the area and saw the lines of this places imperfections but unlike the normal ones she were used to, these were constantly shifting and changing. It was as if the possibilities of death were in constant flux here. The woman on the stage however was different. It wasn't like she didn't have any lines or that hers were constantly changing but that they were fracture. As if her lines had already been cut. They seemed like a gash instead of the lines of death she was used to. As Mr. Detective scanned the area he would come to realize how strange this place was. It was both real and not. As if it was a illusion made real or another world that wasn't compatible with theirs trying to materialize itself fully. As if it was a mishmash of different worlds in one where the laws of physics didn't apply. This place was extremely unstable was the final conclusion. Shades came from the two sides of the curtain dressed in strange attire as they seemed to begin acting out some sort of play. One dressed in regal, noble clothes with an air of dominance exuding from them. Another was a woman wearing similar clothes to the opera singer. Soon the background seemed to change as the one in regal attire seemed to be smitten by the one in the white dress. The face of the opera singer seemed to contort a little in pain. The scene changed where the noble like person was sitting on a throne, commanding men in armor. The scene changed once again as another woman wearing extravagant clothes passed money to these very same armored men. Green with envy and a malicious look upon her face. The Opera singer voice soon turned to one of melancholy, one where those listening could feel a stab into their hearts. I felt mine master was more beautiful with every show. I understood there were many whom wished for her. Dreamed of her. Many whom wished her to become their caged song bird It was this night that I learned. The brighter the light, the deeper the darkness. This night was a song of betrayal. The doors swung open on both sides of the theater and the armed shadows moved in. A lone girl, with the same appearance as the white haired girl Alice, rushed out from behind the curtains wielding a large sword that seemed to be made of crystal. Each time she swung this blade a soldier would fall. Numerous bodies piled up on the floor. She was desperate but would let none pass her. That was when she heard a scream. She looked back in horror to see the woman on the stage, the beautiful opera singer, her master stabbed from behind by one of the actors. The young girl exuded an aura of death as tears streamed down her face. She screamed out in pain as this aura burst forth like a shock wave, damaging the whole theater. Most of the seats were now destroyed. The theater was in shambles and seemed as though it hadn't been used decades. On the stage was a rusted cage. Inside the rusted stage hung a body, skin grey with multiple swords sticking out of her back. She hung from a noose that was tied from the ceiling of the cage. It was the corpse of the opera singer.

post whenever, more like post never amirite? The girl simply looks on, though she’s never seen it before, the play doesn’t seem to bother her, if anything it carries a strange feeling, as though she already knew the script. She leans over the edge as the scene transitions to the combat, her eyes locked on the white-haired actress, and finally utters softly “In the end power ‘tis little more than a curse, for those who know great triumph....” her eyes drift to the cage behind Alice, mere moments before their tragic death, the girl doesn’t flinch, rather she keeps talking “Are defined by their failures”

"Was that... real?" The Flareon furrows his brow slight as his eyes narrow in distraught. "I don't feel like we're in any particular danger, but it won't be good if we just stay here." He turns to Shiki and the detective "Hey, guys, is it alright if I scout for some answers? I have no combat experience but I sure can move around." He stays put, waiting for the OK

Shiki stares in on shock, someone who'd already dead. And a place that shifts constantly... It doesn't make sense. "This building... Its death shifts around, never staying in one place. I've never seen something do this before." As the play shifts, she'd lazily watch the various soldiers fall down. Hmm, strange looking blade. Almost as odd as the one who holds it, yet what she can't understand at all is the cry of anguish. Part of a play or not, Shiki simply doesn't understand why someone would show such emotion at death. She glances up at the caged body, eyes still gleaming with the light of her power. The strange talking animal might more a chill rushing down its spine as Shiki glances towards it, the blue purple glow of death shinning down at him. "Huh? Sure whatever, I don't really care that much."

He nods "Understood, i'll come back here if I run into trouble." Flareon bolts through the seats and near where the shades came from, examing their fallen bodies and searching for clues of their origin along with the weapons they carry. "Those swords would pay a good chunk of my rent. But they could always be cursed." he moves closer to the stage, making sure not to draw any attention. He tries to get close to the lone girl who was falling shadows and inquisites her, whispering so that he would not draw much attention to himself. "Hey miss, i'm sorry to bother you, but i'm at a loss here. Are you an ally, or rather, do you bare any ill intent?"

Kevin began to clap as the show ended. Lad I don't think this is the time to clap. That was a very good show! When else would I clap? Even put a dead body, no way I can not appreciate that. Mate, I think you should look more into it... a deeper story is there. Why did the actor stab that woman? Why was the girl fighting? Why was the singer killed in such a way? I... I think there is something more! If you just look into it then we mig- Anyway the theater is wrecked, where to go now? ... Kevin stood up and began to look around, watching for what everyone else was doing.

When Flareon spoke to the girl he would realize she wasn't moving. He didn't feel any presence from her anymore. Instead her body simply collapsed under it's own weight into a pile of ash. Her dreams left unfulfilled. Her heart broken. She was a pitiable soul. The shadows on the ground soon began to move once more. They all began to drag on the ground and up to the stage, flowing around the rusted cage. Many brought parts of the seat with them, others the armor that the soldiers wore. All of them without exceptions began to cover the cage as the metal bits they brought with them seemed to randomly slam against its bar. Soon however, those self same shadows took shape as they coalesced with each other. After a few moments a monstrosity of metal stood with the cage as it's abdomen with a metal dress and arms. It's appearance was like a strange makeshift doll of rusted iron as it wielded was seemed like a cleaver made from the combination of multiple swords. In the end. I couldn't save her nor avenge her. The large metallic monstrosity shook a little as the bars to the cage the corpse was in seemed to breathe and then bend open. The corpse simply opened it's mouth and a scream came from it's mouth, bringing with it a shock wave that traveled through the air and destroyed the balcony that Alice sat at as if to silence her. The cage bars moved back into place as the creature then brought down the cleaver on the one closest to it, Setsuna.

"I knew it!" As quick as the sun is hot, Flareon first jumps to Setsuna's side and checks if she dodge fast enough, if not he would tackle her out of the way. In addition, he breathes a firey projectile at the amalgate in an attempt to hinder it. "Taste my ember, monster!"

Lad! Things are going south! But I want to see the credits. Tam formed a barrier around Kevin. He looked around him, realizing what was going on. He sat back down. Hm, looks like that woman in the cage is causing this. Kevin stared at the caged screamer. Shouldn't you stop it idiot!? I mean what can I do? If the people already inside here can't do it what chance do I stand? If you don't get the hell over there and help I'm going to bloody suffocate you in a barrier. I can go through them. For how long mate? ...Alright let's see what I can do... Kevin walked over. careful to stay behind the seats as he made his way to the woman. "Hey you mind being quiet! This is a movie theater!"

Setsuna continues watching as though in a trance, her head leaning on her hand, all the way until the creature raises its arm, when the girl finally blinks and looks up, stumbling back slowly That's not part of... Is all she gets out before Flareon tackles her out of the cleaver's path, its a somewhat rough landing in the ruined stands, Setsuna blinks a few more times, shaking her head before holding it with a wince "Am I seeing things now? I didn't think a dream could hurt like that."

Her eyes lock on the metal being instantly, she'd take note of the already burned out lines upon her foe's body with a slight sigh before twirling her knife around and rushing forward. "Seems you already died once, but as long as I can see these lines of death then there's still something to kill!" Her voice is a sharp contrasts to the emotionless monotone its been up to now, oddly entertained if anything. There's even a hint of a smile on her face as she rushes forward as a blur and aims to run her blade through the creature's left side and circle around to its back. She'd also shout at Setsuna without even looking at the girl. "You though this was a dream!? I'm pretty sure I'm not part of your imagination so no!"

The cleaver would rip into the ground, spreading shrapnel everywhere as some of the blades that made up its body fell off, thin lines of shadows visible before pulling the blades back onto the makeshift weapon. Flareons flaming projectiles hit their mark causing a momentary pause as it seemed to shift it's attention to Flareon. This momentary pause was all that was needed for Shiki to come close enough to slice one of the lines of death in her vision, effectively causing one of the plates of metal that made up it's body to fall lifelessly onto the ground. The metal of its body screeched as the blades of the cleaver shot out, seemingly being controlled by the thin lines of shadows as they shot towards Shiki in hopes of piercing her as she made her way to its back. It's opposite hand reaching down to Flareon as it seem to have jagged pipes sticking out like rusted teeth.

Setsuna clutches her head, blinking for a few seconds as she recovers from the impact, the girl shakes her head again and looks up towards Shiki "There's no reason to yell at me, I don't even know how I got here." Setsuna gets back to her feet, reassessing the situation, it didn't really matter if she was hallucinating, the priority is to not get hurt either way, fortunately it seemed that the monster didn't care about her too much. However, she notices it reaching for Flareon "Hey, Fox thing, watch out above you."

"This may be obvious, but I have a feeling we should try and attack the metal to disarm it. I have no combat experience, but at least I can distract!" Flareon maneuveers through the creature's body and attacks, getting around to its front and dashing side to side to dodge "Tail Whip!" Flareon flairs its tail like a faint weapon at the creature, trying to lower its defense

Shiki's fast enough to evade most of the blades even as she shoots forward, one however slams straight into the woman's left hand... And lands with a dull thud, bits of skin flaking off as she switches target and attempts to remove a line directly next to the last part she'd cut. "Yeah that's kinda my plan firey animal. Pretty sure I can kill this thing if I get past the armor." For the moment though she simply watches, and rips the blade out of her prosthetic arm. Quickly tossing it back at her foe, if only because she's curious how the thing will react.

Alright I tried... Have you tried getting close? Yeah about that... shock waves are scary. People are dying! Ok... how about this? Kevin grabbed one of the pieces of metal in the ground and threw it at the monster to distract it. "Over here tin-can!"

Shiki would be successful in cutting another line as the sound of metal falling lifelessly to the ground echoed through the theater. The blades began to recede as they reformed the cleaver. The hand that had reached out for Flareon missed its target and instead gouged out the earth from which it reached. It then threw the debris in its hand over the area, going towards Kevin and Flareon, before finally stopping. The cage the corpse was in began to expand and contrast as if it was breathing. It was getting ready for a second sound wave attack.

Aw crap, but that's more of this metal gone now... Shiki's gambling here, she's aiming to rush in below the metal and see if she can't find a more relevant line of death. With any luck, she'd find something important to cut below the armor she's been stripping off. If not, well she'll just have to hope she can figure out a way to dodge then won't she. "This has to end quickly... Gotta be a better way than just plinking bits off though right. And then there's the cage." This whole thing is a bit tougher than she'd expected really, not that she'd really complain about such a thing at the moment. At least it gives her something to do other than just wander around.

"T-this is bad... " Flareon grit his teeth and receded from attacking as he plowed his feet into the ground "Alright, I have a plan now. He mutters under his breath "This may be a little risky, b-but if it works this could end up saving lives" He shouts to the group "Alright, I need you all to stay back! I'm gonna try ramming into that creature and burning it up from the inside!" He grins slightly, as if excited.

Setsuna stumbles as the creature shakes the ground beneath her, she takes a few steps back, the girl shakes her head and closes her eyes, trying to process this whole mess around her. Though she may not know what's happening or why, the girl opens her eyes and looks up at the balcony, muttering to herself That's not how the story ended, its going off script. Setsuna closes her eyes and clears her throat, attempting to sing like the girl on stage before her That night I learned of human will the dark within their hearts She was my all, my dearest friend, and loving master On that day I never thought that I could find another.

Suddenly, without warning, the metal monstrosity......stopped. As if frozen in time it's movements had come to a complete and utter halt. Even the screeching sound of it's own metallic form rubbing against itself had silenced. Leaving the only sound that could be heard in the theater as Setsuna's voice. As if entranced, as if wanting to hear to the very end, the creature simply stood in place, no longer trying to fight. The corpse hanging in the cage opened it's mouth but instead of the wave of sound that threatened to shatter any soul poor enough to be it's target, a clear mournful voice escaped it's lips. The voice came out in song, both morbid yet engaging. As if to try to match Setsuna's tone. It's voice no longer held the beauty it once did, instead raspy and cracking and yet it continued as if the only thing within the theater was it and Setsuna.

"...it's singing again. This may be my chance!" In one moment and as soon as the metal being stops moving, Flareon draws his body back, saving all his energy for one great leap "I can't let this go on any longer, as long as there are innocents involved!" Flareon then gets a running start and jumps as soon as he gets close, headding straight for the creature's corpse heart "I really hope this workssss!" While in the air, Flareon aims it's paws and head straight towards the body so as to dive into it. He then ignites his body and surrounds himself with a ravenous flame that rages and scorns all that comes within its proximity. "F-Flare Blitz!"

Shiki stares at her now immobile foe, glancing over at the girl who's now begun singing for some reason... Seems to be working though, and the fire animal has started attacking in a way which makes getting close seem unfun even to her. "Well, seems as though this is ending...? Then again, who knows in a place like this. Can't exactly take anything for granted." She lowers her blade, but she isn't putting it away. Instead, she'd stand with the weapon ready, stance still held as she prepares to leap into action if anything begins attacking again. That said, as nothing appears to be an issue she'd also observe. Both the cage and its occupant, and the one who'd guessed a song was the answer to their issue.

As Setsuna sings her voice begins to resonate with the corpse. Slowly but surely the flecks of grey on the corpse skin begins to turn a healthy shade. The metal monster that surrounds the cage simply trembles as the metal begins to fall off the cage. The shadows holding it together simply falling limp onto the ground. Soon the legs of the creature gives out as well as the cage slams down onto the ground, cracking open as it does. The corpse standing, struggling at first before the bruises in it's body heal, the swords in it's back falling lifelessly onto the ground and shattering like glass, the noose coming undone as her clear, beautiful voice returned once more. Flareons attack was mostly interrupted by the falling metal and it's target suddenly collapsing. The woman, now in a tattered dress continued to sing with all her heart, tears streaming down her face. The only anomaly now being the knife her co star plunged through her heart. Soon her song finally reached it's end as she looked out to Setsuna. A smile on her face. "Did you.......enjoy my final performance?" she asked, nervous, anxious, as if the entire worlds eyes were on her.

"Wait, the problem wasn't supposed to solved by attacking relentlessly?" Flareon thinks for a moment as he lands on the ground "This makes no sense!"

No... No, no no Setsuna shakes her head, climbing down the destroyed seats as quickly as she can, the girl blinks, hiding her own tear as she steps back into the stage and begins climbing over the monster’s wreckage You can’t go yet I need answers. How did I know that? Why does it feel like I’ve seen this before, seen you?

Shiki just shrugs at the small creature, blade put away for now as the glow in her eyes dies down. "That happens sometimes, I don't really see the appeal myself but what are ya gonna do..." Not like she's going to just kill random people, and there's been a shortage of monsters lately. She glances over to Setsuna, before walking around the room in search of a way forward.

From the point of the stab wound blood began to spread out and stain the dress she wore. Her complexion worsening as she continued to smile. Her gaze still on Setsuna, no. Her gaze was looking past Setsuna, at a white haired girl who sat on the ground speechless. Her crimson red eyes gazing back into the opera singers eye ruby red eyes. The white haired girl was speechless, as if she couldn't respond to the woman on stage. The opera singer simply continued to smile as she finally spoke once more, with more difficulty than before. "Please, take care of her for me......promise me, Serenity." she begged the white haired girl "I-I....no. You can't...! Not now! Your daughter is waiting for you! You can't die here! I promise! I promise to help you raise her together so.....please." tears streaming down her "Don't leave." she pleaded "I'm sorry Serenity.....I'm sorry....Sets-" she said before finally collapsing The white haired girl named Serenity quickly flew onto the stage, holding the woman in her arms. "No. Siana, please. Don't die. You can't! I'm sorry! I promise to do a better job protecting you so....!" she cried out, as if demanding the woman to answer her. Her own body began to slowly break apart. She knew, just as well as me. That was a promise I couldn't make Given enough time I would have disappeared to. On the stage you would see the scene change to Serenity walking into a house where a small white haired girl was sleeping, no more than three or four years old. Picked her up and left the house. The scene changed again with Serenity running through an alleyway while carrying the child as they were being chased. Another scene where cracks were across her face and her right arm was missing as she held food out to the child with a smile. Her body was breaking down and more damaged each scene until finally a scene where the child has a fever. Serenity couldn't take the child to a doctor there so she used the remaining bit of her power to tear open a hole through dimensions. If the child couldn't live in this world then surely it could find freedom in another world. Those thoughts were conveyed to everyone watching. She came through the hole and appeared in the streets in the middle of the night. Brought the child to a doctor but as soon as she made it to the steps of the hospital her body had finally reached it's limit. Completely shattering and leaving the child their. Twas one of mine greatest regrets. Even now I do not know what happened to that child afterwards. So much time hath passed that I hath no recollection of the child's name. If only I could have acted sooner. If only I told Siana that I would look after her child. That way, she would have passed on more peacefully. If only. I wonder. Why did I dream of this past from so long ago? The scenes ended as the music device in the back of the stage collapsed revealing a door beyond it. From this point the group could decide to move forward.

I don’t.... Setsuna freezes at first, assuming the woman to be talking to her, it’s only when Serenity blasts past her that Setsuna snaps out of her stupor. The girl shakes her head, initially stepping back from the place she should not know. It was all insane anyways, yet she had a feeling that it wasn’t. The girl steps to the front of the stage and remains staring, as though not quite able to grasp what she had seen

The spotlight would once again turn on as the shadows began reenacting the opera from the beginning. The woman did not reappear, nor did the white haired Alice. The shadow that imitated the opera singer simply continued to sing without pause, this time without the music of the device in the back of the stage. Its song merely sounded like wailing compared to the woman before and without the music it simply gave a creepy vibe within the theater hall. Even the armed shadows bursting through the door and another shadow fighting them off all up until the moment the opera singer imitation was stabbed. From that point it simply replayed over and over from the start. When ever anyone wished to move forward they would find themselves in a long hallway with dusty and slightly broken wooden floors. The hallway seemed to be similar to the make of the theater down to the damage the main area had from Alice's outburst at her masters death. The hall continued eerily silent until finally it had begun to change in similar fashion to how the corridor of gears had changed. Soon everyone would find themselves walking through a office building hall with glass panes for walls that you could look out from. The hallways were filled with shadows simply wandering around as if imitating people working. They, like the ones before, paid no heed to your appearance. Outside the window, if you looked down you would see the cracked space the building was coming out from and the sky as well as the giant eye. Above you would see the ground of the earth as well as the initial clock tower you walked into out in the distance a couple miles away. You could see people being evacuated and the military taking up formation down below. It seemed they were getting ready for some type of operation, likely in hopes of solving this current problem.

Setsuna continues watching the show for a few minutes, processing what had happened as it replays in front of her eyes. The girl blinks before finally realizing she's alone. So, she runs forward, through the backstage door and shouts "Hey, where'd everyone go? If this is some kinda..... Joke....." the girl pauses with a glance outside, like the whole world had gone upside down, if she looked closely into the sky she sees the wide cityscape, though she's not certain Setsuna imagines seeing her home from here, wherever that is. Its surreal, but her dreams would never make up faces after all. Setsuna continues walking onwards, staring out the window the entire time and paying no heed to whoever's in front of her

Shiki's walking forward, moving after Setsuna with a once again slightly bored look on her face. The shadows are strange, but seemingly not a threat so she isn't overly concerned with them. The other girl's mutterings are strange though. "What do you mean where'd everyone go, and I'm pretty sure there's no joke... Just the usual madness for this place, from what I've seen so far." Strange magics, worlds ruled by concepts made real, people's souls and minds turned into weapons? At this point very little can truly Shiki in this world. The world itself appearing to be upside down, that's mildly suprising actually but not the weirdest possible thing one could see. Frankly, she's more worried with the military. Watching them closely even as she moves deeper into the hallway.

Frankly, Shiki's suspicions would become a reality as jets shoot by the building, their sonic boom causing the windows of the building to vibrate. A loud rumbling from above would allow you to see missiles being launched below towards the giant eye. The jets flying close enough to let loose their own salvo of explosive ornaments. The missiles collided with the eye as smoke covered the skies below. However, even through the smoke you could tell nothing was of use. There was however a change. It was subtle at first. The very air vibrated and a aura of gloom spread forth as if to swallow all things. Beams of light suddenly rained from the eye and struck the ground, destroying every armament that shot at it and leaving the ones that didn't. The jets were torn in two, sliced opened by the beams like a heated knife through butter. One of these jets that had lost it's wing spun out of control and collided with the building you were in. The building buckled under the impact as it shook. You could hear the noise of the upper floors being torn apart before an explosion followed ripping a gaping hole through the building. The building twisted as the ground groaned underneath your feet. The gravity seemed to be in disarray as some objects fell up and others fell down. The ground split apart and the building began to rupture until it too began to fall apart. You needed to find the doorway to the next area soon or you would be falling to your deaths. At the very least that would have been the case if not the screeching sound of strange winged creatures with the bodies of decayed crows with a humans mouth and rows of jagged teeth didn't come flying out of the cracks in the sky in which the giant eye loomed over the world from. The ground is breaking apart as time moves forward. The larger room right in front of you has four doors across from your current position and the gravity seems to be constantly shifting.

"I.. Thought you went..." Setsuna stutters as she turns around, surprised to find Shiki behind her, though she doesn't have much time to react before the jets fly by, getting the girl's attention, "Being here doesn't feel like a good idea anymore, there's an exit somewhere right?" Setsuna says as she starts running forward, only to fall as the building shakes under the impact of the jet. The girl slowly starts picking herself up as she rapidly looks around at the constantly shifting building. "You're the one who's done this stuff before right? What now?"

Shiki mutters a curse as things begin shifting, the planes aren't exactly reassuring either. Her eyes dart around madly, searching for an exit or simply a wall she can cut through the lines of death on. "I'm thinking, and yes there's probably an exit somewhere but if it's falling to bits we might be forced to move forward! I'm trying to find something I can make into a way forward." Assuming the woman found lines of death she'd draw hee blade and begin slicing away, no need to worry over damaging the walls given it's already being done. Of course, she might also find a way forward without attacking but either way she rushes ahead as fast as she can. Quite fast, all things considered though the gravity would slow her down a bit.

Shiki would see the lines of death appear around the area. The lines, like the previous area were constantly shifting around however they weren't shifting as quickly as the location they were in before. Maybe meaning this place was more stable for all that's worth. There was one thing different however. One of the four doors across the room did not have any cracks of death. That in itself may mean that door was their way forward. As shiki sprints across the room the gravity suddenly shifts and she is slammed into a desk as a result. Not enough to break any bones but enough to leave bruises. It didn't help that other objects like a flower pot and cardboard cutters were flying directly towards her. The shift in gravity would cause Setsuna to fall towards her left, landing on a divider. A desk broke free from its own weight as it fell towards her only barely missing and breaking the glass. The divider began to creak under her weight as it seemed the gravity made it so the side of the building was now the new ground which wasn't good for the two. They could see the strange creatures from outside begin to relentlessly throw themselves at the jets that managed to avoid the beams of light. Some of them diving head first into the planes turbines and others landing on the wings and tearing them apart with their claws or teeth. Setsuna and Shiki caught the eye of a few as they began to fly towards the building as if seeing another meal. The door without the cracks of death was 12 meters away from Shiki and 15 meters away from Setsuna. The swarm of creatures heading towards them would take only several minutes to reach them. Try to arrive at the door within 3 posts.

“Hey, don’t just le... Eep” The girl shouts as she is suddenly tossed to her left, ducking just under the falling desk. The girl takes a deep breath, gathering her bearings as she crawls forward looking for something she can use as solid ground. That’s it, looking around the windows seem to have these thicker support beams for where the glass was. As the divider creaks under her the girl mutters to herself and gets up, taking what few steps she can before the divider goes before trying to jump to the nearest set, they’re usually only a few feet apart so hopefully she can at least make it far enough to grab onto one and pull herself back up to continue towards Shiki “Worst day of my life.”

Shiki sighs and looks towards both the girl behind her, and the creatures moving towards them. Her blade gleams in the light as she runs to... Setsuna, a sigh escaping as she aims to get the girl onto semi solid ground. "Even I can't say why I'm helping, guess it just feels like something I should do... Let's try to pick up the pace by the way." Assuming she can actually get Setsuna onto the ground, the woman would simply grab hold of her and rush towards the undying door with near inhuman speed. Of course, that's if they aren't caught up to by the creatures first. If they were, she'd simply use her blade to try and cut them down while moving towards the door. Quick slices and stabs rushing through the air. Sorry, I've been a bit busy and tired for this past little while.

Any difficulty Setsuna would have had making it to the pillar wouldn't have matter as Shiki had returned to assure her safety. Together they moved as quickly as they could towards the door. Parts of the building seemed to explode around them the building began to bend until finally it gave way and broke in half. The half they were in began to fall to the ground below and they all felt a floating feeling or more like they both began to actually float, them and everything else in the building. The creatures outside slammed into the side of the building at full speed killing most of them but creating a path for a few to successfully enter. Maybe because of the strange flux of gravity and the sudden floating of everything with the room they chose to use their clawed wings to crawl on the floor and walls towards the two. They were the size of full human adults and their feather seemed to vibrate at the sight of the two. Current distance from the door from Setsuna and Shiki: 5 meters Distance creatures are to the two: 8 meters

"Good thing I didn't ask." Setsuna mutters to herself, a little ashamed to have needed it in the first place, but she quickly changes her tune remembering the horrible nightmare chasing after them. She simply tries to keep up with Shiki, remaining slightly behind the older woman as they seem to have some clue where they're going. Soon enough the girl begins floating, she has difficulty adjusting to the sudden gravity flip, which results in her soon turning upside-down as she sort of swims through the air "They're getting closer." Setsuna speaks more loudly this time as she looks for random things she can throw, her bag, any desks that might remain, the bigger the better as she spends most of her energy trying to slow the monsters down

Shiki shrugs, she's got no extreme stake in keeping the kid alive... But, she guesses that leaving someone to die wouldn't be quite right. "I'm gonna regret this, maybe." Shiki's eyes burn bright, turning her head back to face the things rushing towards them and searching for the lines upon their body. The sudden shift slows her down a bit less than it does Setsuna, and she'd pull the girl along while trying to keep moving forward... Before quickly tossing her towards the door with impressive strength. Assuming she's able to follow that'd be her course, otherwise Shiki's entirely prepared to try and fight these things while moving to the door if need be. "Hopefully it's a bit less hectic up ahead, and at least I can fight better on my own rather than with random junk being tossed into a melee..."

Setsuna was able to successfully slow their pursuit by launching nearby desks towards the creatures before suddenly feeling Shiki grabbing her and basically throwing her to the door across the room. Setsuna would hit the door a little hard but find herself overall safe as she has made it to the door. If she opens it she will notice that a grassy field lays beyond it. This was surely the door to the next area. Shiki would try to follow but finding it difficult without much leverage or anything to push off of as she floats in the middle of the room. Now that Setsuna was no longer holding back the creatures they greedily moved forward. Like a tidal wave of black feathers and human faces they surged forth wanting to consume all that lay within the room. The first one makes it to Shiki and immediately opens it's maw revealing rows of jagged teeth as the uncomfortable sound of it's jaw dislocating and stretching sounded. It aimed to dig it's teeth into Shiki's shoulder. Distance to door for Setsuna: 0 Distance to door for Shiki: 3 meters Distance from wave of creatures to shiki: 5 meters Distance from wave to Setsuna: 8 meters

Woah there! Setsuna shouts as she's sent flying to the door, the wind is knocked out of her for a moment, but the creatures' shrill cries quickly bring her to her senses, she immediately turns around, getting a grasp on the handle and pulling the door open, using the other side of it to pull herself into the doorway, which she leaves open for the time being

Setsuna wouldn't find any difficulty going through the door and soon after Shiki jettisoned in after her from kicking off of the creature. The door quickly closed behind them before suddenly being thrown off of it's hinges, most likely from the force of the wave hitting it, but beyond it was nothing more than more grassland. You seemed to have avoid the danger there for now. Around you was a sea of green grass. A forest in the distance behind you and what seemed to be a small village up ahead. The air was crisp and clean. A noticeable change from the polluted air you were used to in the metropolitan you called home. A gentle breeze blew across the grassland bringing with it the smell of numerous flora as it caressed your skin. For the moment you would know you escaped danger.

Setsuna would flinch at the sound of the door's destruction, but at this point there was no harm to be done. In fact, the place was beautiful, much more than anywhere she could remember. She waits for a moment before breathing out a sigh and sitting down, looking back up at Shiki So... Now that we have a moment think we should set a few things straight? Name's Setsuna Tamaki, I'm a student at Mitakihara high. Who're you? And how are you so calm?

She'd land into the nature filled area with a tumble, rolling on the ground for a moment before standing up and dusting herself off with a quick sheathing of her blade. "Well, I'm almost disappointed I didn't actually have to kill any of them... But I can't deny that against such numbers it wouldn't be great odds." She'd sigh and look around, even if this place is peaceful for now she still gets the sense that it'll get back to danger. As for Setsuna, she'd shrug at the girl's question before answering. "I'm Shiki Ryougi, unemployed as of now and not doing much of anything. As for how I'm so calm? Practice, I've been around this place for a few months actually and in that time I've seen more crazy supernatural crap than you can most likely imagine. Besides, I was already abnormal to start. I take it you don't have such experience?" With that, she'd begin walking forward. An almost bored expression on her face as she takes the lead and looks around.

"Can't we take a break?" Setsuna whines as she gets back up to follow Shiki, so as not to lose the only real reference point she has right now. She has to jog a little to catch back up, but when she does she continues "Till today the weirdest thing I'd seen's probably my hair. Few kids used to make fun of me cuz' it was like an old person's. Emphasis on used to."

Shiki stares back at her, eyes turning into a blue outer ring with purple going further in. "Listen, the longer we stay here the more dangerous it's gonna get would be my guess. That place was falling to bits, so why would this one be any different given enough time?" She examines the area around them through the lens of death, curious to see if it can be "killed" effectively or if it still remains shifting. Of course, the girl is a simple set of static lines that'd be all too easily cut if needed. "As for the weirdest thing I've seen... Hmm, might still be my eyes. I can see death, all of it. Here it's been shifting though, I don't like things I can't kill. In fact, till now I've never really seen anything I couldn't kill, at least in theory."

she's not sure why at first, but the girl shudders looking into Shiki's weird eyes, like they're seeing something they're not supposed to. Setsuna lets the feeling pass and lets out her breath "So like, this is weird even for you then? That's... A bit of a relief. Those eyes of yours sound pretty cool though. Maybe just... Don't point them at me and all."

This place would be the same as the previous. The lines of death were sporadically moving about most likely meaning this place was just as unstable as the opera theater they were in before. As they came closer to the village they would notice movement. At first thought to be people but turned out to be merely more shades like the ones they saw before. Carrying out mundane tasks you would expect of this environment. Once again you would hear Alice's voice just like the previous area. I dreamed of a time long past. Of a master who summoned me who was different than the others. One who did not wish to use my power for war. Up ahead you would see two that stood out among the shadows. Once again you would see the familiar white hair of the young girl without death. Next to her was an older man that seemed to be in his mid thirties. Scars all over his body whose tight muscles only spoke volumes of the kind of life he had lived. He was strange. When there was conflict he preferred words. He refused to let me fight despite knowing I could take care of myself Despite losing his wife and child to war and disease he didn't hate the world He didn't hold any grudges and simply lived his life peacefully He was the first to treat me like a human girl. The first to show me warmth The seasons began to rapidly change in front of you as you saw everything move as if put on fast forward. You witnessed the man age as the girl remained the same. Despite this time seemed to finally slow down to a normal speed once more when the man seemed to finally have graying hair. At this point he seemed to be in his early forties and it was currently spring. The village seemed to have had a great harvest. In front of you you would see the man on one knee before the white haired girl holding out what seemed to be a special type of bracelet. Years passed as I remained by his side, something he seemed content with One spring however, he proposed to me. I didn't understand the meaning of it at the time. I didn't understand the emotions behind such an action. I accepted out of curiosity. I wouldn't learn until later it's significance Thinking back, those may have been some of my happiest memories. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end The scene once again sped forward through a couple more seasons but when it slowed down once more you could tell there was a difference in the atmosphere. The man seemed distressed. The other shades around him seemed to be talking to him about something that caused an argument. There was obvious conflict between the group and him. He had grown older. He still seemed to have the strength of his youth but that didn't hide his wrinkles nor the difficulty he had in walking around. War. A word I was far to familiar with. It had broke out in the neighboring country with ours. The enemy armies were marching towards us but we were not informed until they were right upon us. A necessary casualty of war to slow the enemy even just a little. That is what we were meant to be. Everyone knew we were meant to be mere scapegoats. Or maybe it was calculated with the knowledge that I was here. The villagers were begging him to send me out to fight while they escape. A sound plan all things considered but he could not accept how selfish they were. In the end I volunteered myself and despite my protests he stood on the battlefield with me. The scene changed once more but this time the village was in ruin. On the nearby grassland you could hear the sound of fighting. Of men both cheering and screaming. Of curses and the word monster being thrown around. The sky had turned dark. Rain clouds choking out the light. The smell of iron replacing the crisp smell of flora from before. Nothing was left for you here but to return to that grassland and see just how much of a hell it had become.

Shiki watches the whole thing unfold with a strange look on her face, she's half between curious and sad at that which unfolds... She can on some level understand the appeal in being treated like normal, and the lack of it this woman has felt. By the time it ends, she sighs and begins walking back towards the grasslands. "Well, that was a bit enlightening... At any rate, let's keep moving. I want to try and get out." Her voice trails off, a bit out of sorts after the episode she's seen. Even if she's still moving, it's as much an attempt to ignore her thoughts as get out.

Setsuna watches the whole mess with an air of boredom, none of it seems to have anything to do with her, and she'd do pretty much anything to leave by now. "First sensible thing you've said all day. The sooner, the better" Setsuna winks at Shiki with a Grin before heading back to the grasslands with her

As the two returned to the grassland what they saw was vastly different from how is was moments before. Corpse. Corpse as far as the eyes could see. The ground itself nearly invisible under the heaping piles of flesh and gore that covered it's surface. An army or what was left of one could be seen out in the distance. In the center of this field was an ever growing hill of lifeless flesh and steel. Atop this unorthodox grave of meat were two people. One being the girl with long white hair now wearing metallic gauntlets and boots with a large unwieldy sword in hand with a blade that seemed to be made of crystal and just as big as she was. The other the man from before wearing light leather armor and holding a bow of exceptional quality. The soldiers from the army all ran towards the two in an attempt to overwhelm them with numbers. From your perspective however, it merely seemed as if they were throwing themselves at their weapons. The girl cutting down almost anyone who came too close with relative ease, cutting through their thick armor like a hot knife to butter as any who made it pass her or somehow survived her meticulous culling were shot dead or finished off by the archer that stood behind her. We fought and fought for what seemed like hours The time ticking by as if taunting our mortality This was not the first war I fought in but this time was different than the others I had someone I wished to protect Someone whose warmth I would not let cool And so I fought not only to destroy but to protect Cutting down anyone who came close to my one and only treasure But despite my efforts I neglected to remember one fatal fact My beloved husband was still human Time passed as the ground was covered in a viscous crimson that reflected the light of the moon high above. The man long ran out of arrows and in turn had begun using the very broken and damaged swords that lay around the battlefield as his ammunition. The army didn't falter as they poured upon the two like a never-ending wave of swords. The archer however had long surpassed his limits. Body in pain and movements slowed. Fingers filled with cuts and bleeding for hours as the very skin on them had long been skinned, not even being given the chance to clot as he knocked another sword to his bow. His heavy breaths and lower accuracy telling their enemies they were still mortals. Signaling to these soldiers that they need only push forward and they would soon see the light of day. The girl however took no notice. She constantly swung her blade while entrusting her back to her beloved. Never once looking back save to make sure an enemy that passed her was killed promptly. All until the moment she heard his knees give out from under him and hit the ground. That moment where her heart sank upon hearing this sound as she turned to her lovers exhausted form was just the opening the enemy needed. Javelins were throw and arrows shot. She was only able to react in just enough time to swat most of them down but that window of opportunity was all the enemy need to remove one nuisance from their sight.

She was able to swat down most but not all and as she heard the grunts of pain from her husband she had felt the need to rush to his side. A need she had to force down simply to make sure the enemies didn't flood through those cracks to finish him. From where you stood you saw numerous arrows protruding from the mans body. A javelin very clearly through his gut. He would die soon. There was nothing that could be done about that. And so his last moments were spent apologizing to his young wife as he forced himself to knock another bow. Tears streaming down her face as she screamed to him that he would make it. Pleading to him to survive. Pleas that fell on deaf ears as he released his fingers from the last projectile that would ever leave his bow. I understood No one could understand better than me the life that came to an end at my back The emotions that welled up inside me that threatened to tear me apart Frustration Anxiety Anger Hate Loss But more than anything Powerlessness These hands that were never able to hold anything Rotting away and turning everything they touched to ash I stopped thinking It didn't matter anymore It was easier to do that than allow myself to be overwhelmed by my emotions And so I let my body move. No thoughts No intent Simply killing Everything around me a target Like a machine I simply did what came natural And lost myself in the bloodshed The way she fought had completely changed. As if she was the incarnation of war and death itself she meticulously began dismantling the army as if they were mere puppets. No emotion could be felt in her actions. All that you could see was a cold efficiency making that reminded more of a machine than a living person. Almost as if peering into the twisted perverse beauty that only death could illuminate in this grotesque scene. And like that she continued, not even allowing the soldiers to retreat. She turned the plain into a massive graveyard that would have you think the mountain of corpse that lay in its center was a natural landmass that protruded from the lake of red that formed at its base. And soon you saw it. The moment she killed the last soldier. And the moment she turned her attention to the only two living souls within this vortex of malice and regret. She turned her gaze to Shiki and Setsuna.

Shiki just sighs and stares back at the woman, she can to an extent understand the person before herself. The way she delivers death upon the world, like Shiki's own eyes, but somehow more... She steps forward, the light of death shining towards the white haired woman. "I see, you know... It's kind of funny how much I can relate to your motives here. But somehow I think these words are lost upon you now, if I'm gonna die though. I'll do it with a fight." Even if she is in so far as she can tell, utterly outmatched here. In fact she wouldn't be shocked if no death exists within her foe at all, but even so she won't simply lay down. What kind of killer wouldn't try to end someone like this after all.

Setsuna, on the other hand, simply takes a quick step back. Far as she can tell she’s no one special. Definitely not on that level anyways, with not a chance against the girl in white or even her friend Shiki here Woah there, no need to jump the gun right? We’re not looking to hurt anyone. Can you... Maybe... Chill? Her voice grows less and less certain as the girl keeps talking, her at the same time there’s nothing else for her to do

As the white haired whirlwind of death comes closer, under the illumination of the moon you could see cracks over her body. Real cracks much like the ones you saw in the visions of her in the theater from before. It seemed even now she had pushed herself to her limits but she wouldn't stop until either her body finally reached its limit or her opponents were all dead. To Shiki, she would be able to see the cracks on death on the girls body. Cracks that ran along the normal ones that were visible and she could tell that those cracks were slowly getting worse which in her eyes meant more imperfections for her to exploit. The white haired girl soon dashed forward without warning, coming to the group within seconds before she brought down the large blade onto Shiki from above. Swinging the blade down as if it was a normal knife. Stranger still was that Shiki could still feel no malice or intent to kill from the attack. She was truly killing simply to kill. To bring about an end of all things before it.

No true desire behind these blows... How strange. The massive blade flying down at her rips across the edge of Shiki's shoulder, she'd already been in motion even as her foe moved across the field. And at the sight of death within this woman she'd grin just a bit. "To think, you killed a whole army. And yet despite that? I can see your death from here." There's no time for more words, the killer rushes down to the ground in a blur. Tossing dirt at her foe's eyes with her free hand, before hoping to slam her knife into one of those flaws and slice with a blur of upwards motion.

Shiki successfully threw dirt and blood into the white haired girls eyes but she didn't react beyond closing her eyes. Her body continued to move and before Shiki could slam the blade of her knife into on of the cracks the girl lifted her foot kicking Shiki in her shoulder effectively sending her back and breaking her stance. Shiki's arm felt as if is was about to be dislodged from it's socket simply by the sheer force of the kick as she followed up with swinging the blade horizontally towards Shiki in an attempt to cleave her in two. The blade ripped through Shiki's flesh bringing an end to her life. Or at least that's what could have been expected if not for the fact the blade had completely missed it's target and instead flew forward landing only a couple feet from hitting Setsuna. The sudden impact had caused blood and dust to shoot up into the air making a small red mist that soon dissipated. Upon inspection Setsuna would notice something still clinging to the hilt of the blade. A metal gauntlet with a pure white arm sticking out of it that was broken off from the forearm. Shiki would notice too without having to look back at the blade that almost killed her. She wouldn't have any choice but to notice. The white haired girl was now missing an arm and the cracks from the place where her arm was severed was filled with new cracks that spread across the right side of her body. The girl seemed unperturbed by this though as a strange black energy emanated from her left hand. She brought her fingers together as if intent on using her hand itself as a replacement for the weapon she had lost as she stabbed her had towards Shiki, aiming for her throat.

The blow rushes towards Shiki, she's not even really able to properly evade it. Instead sliding left and feeling it slam into her shoulder with what might be a crunch of bones. "Geez, I wasn't expecting this... I hate to say, but it's a little bit exciting." The enemy before her is after all Death in a way even she's not sure she could compete with. But even so, she's forced to try and keep up the attack with a lightning fast slice of her blade aiming downwards, attempting to cut into a line along the woman's left leg and with any luck take it off.

Setsuna would be able to tell simply, from how the blade sank into the earth, of it's great weight. Something that she knew logically would be impossible for her to move. The moment her hand grasp the hilt she felt a sharp pain jolt through it that ran through her entire nervous system before finally settling in the center of her chest. It was painful only for a moment before being replace by a familiar warmth. At the point of the pain she would see a small red crystal form that was the same brilliant color as the white haired girls beautiful ruby eyes. From the crystal markings spread out like the lines one would see on a microchip. Setsuna would feel a familiarity with the blade as her hand grasped the hilt, pulling it out from the ground with little to no effort. The blade, despite the obvious signs of it's overwhelming weight was only as heavy as a kitchen knife. It felt comfortable to have in her hand as if it was specially made with her in mind. Her overall strength didn't seem to change beyond what she could tell. She didn't feel any extra power flowing through her body despite the appearance of the ominous jewel in embedded in her chest. She could however feel power dwelling in said gem, it was merely a matter of tapping into that power. Shiki would find success in cutting the line in the girls left leg as it seemed to almost crumble from under her, causing her attack to barely miss Shiki's throat. Instead she would fall onto the ground and the hand that was aiming at Shiki, upon making contact with the ground, seemed to literally die at her touch. The corpse rotted completely down and then soon turned to pure calcium dust and the ground turned a pitch black. The girl wouldn't respond to losing her leg as she simply rolled over, quickly taking distance from Shiki and then grabbing one of the swords that had been lying around the battlefield. She didn't seem intent on stopping as she rose once more, this time using the sword as a crutch while a large shard of a broken blade was now being held in her mouth. She simply leaped forward at a speed that would make you think she hadn't even lost a limp as she dived down onto the ground and then immediately lifted with the blade in her mouth aiming to cut Shiki straight up the middle from below her stance. The refined matter she fought with before was now replace by a fighting style reminiscent of a wild beast.

The girl closes her eyes momentarily, in shock from the pain, before it starts to take on a more natural feeling, though Setsuna knows she's never held a sword in her life, she finds herself easily and casually able to lift this one, in spite of it being nearly her size, and many times as heavy. Its much like back in the theater where she is no longer fully aware of how, or why she acts, Setsuna merely does. The girl takes the gem's power, and begins to put it to use, rapidly closing the gap between her and the pair in combat, and saying only four words "out of the way." giving Shiki a few seconds to follow suit, Setsuna would make a single vertical swing with the massive blade, hoping to crush the injured white-haired girl while she was still struggling to move

Shiki's fast, despite the wounds she's taken she'd still heed Setsuna's words with ease, in fact, the woman would be mere inches away from the blade as she waits on her 'ally' to move it out of the path. "Heh, I wasn't you to do that... Thanks." If their foe's attack wasn't stopped by that, Shiki would turn her eyes upon the blade. She knows how to slice into a weapon after all, and cutting into it while also hopefully getting at the enemy's face is her goal here. "Seems she's more mortal than that army would make you think, were they simply that powerless? Or did the fighting take its toll upon her to give us a chance..." That second one would be disappointing, this is the most exciting thing Shiki's done in a while after all. It'd be a shame to realize that the foe was only able to use a fraction of their power and challenge her this greatly regardless.

The crystalline blade flies over Shiki's head as the white haired girl effectively tries to twist her body out of the way of the blade by using it's momentum when their blades collided. Try would be the apt word for it as she tried to use the force it was simply too much and instead sent her flying back over several meters through the blood and gore that littered the ground. Setsuna would feel her very blood boil as if it was molten lava with more power she drew from the gem. The lines on her body still faintly glowing as she continued to wield the sword. The white haired girl was sprawled onto her back only for a few moments before she lifted once more with far more difficulty than before. She continued to use the blade as a crutch but this time was a little different. The different being the tears that flowed down her grime covered face. She still didn't seem to show much emotion in her expressions but the tears themselve were an identifier that they weren't completely silenced. She let out a desperate scream as she leapt forward once more, this time all of her attention on Setsuna as she stopped a few meters from Setsuna and this time leaped into the air while spinning in order to bring her full weight down on her. If Setsuna tries to block with the sword then she will simply let go of the weapon, proving the attack to be a faint as she drops to the ground and picks up a broken sword, intent to use it to remove the arm Setsuna was using to wield the massive blade. It would seem she completely ignored Shiki in this attack as she saw Setsuna as the bigger threat.

Shit, Shiki's pushing herself at this point. Rushing towards the foe truly as fast as she can, almost fast enough to hurt herself even. It's a desperate rush, but she's aiming to tear off one of their foe's arms with a quick and precise slash along the lines as she calls out a warning. "MOVE." With the attention not placed upon Shiki, it might just give the killer in red the moment she needs to put an end to this. Or at least give themselves more of an edge, her knife sails through the air assuming she's able to catch up, cutting straight into the arm of their enemy's blade as it reaches down for a blade aimed to cut into Setsuna. Of course, considering how fast this one is there's a chance Shiki might simply be too late and end up trying to take off whatever she can reach as focus presumably returns to her.

Setsuna's foot connected with the girls chest as she was sent flying back, not without cutting into Setsuna's sword arm and creating a gash in it. She flew back from the power in the kick as she hurtled straight to Shiki like a puppet with it's strings cut off. Shiki, already heading towards her, only barely reacted to the sudden change in circumstances as the girl crashed into her body and they both were sent to the ground with the girl on top. Silence filled the area once more as Shiki felt the blood lake soak into the back of her clothes. As she looked down at her target she would realize the girl was no longer moving. That's right. Looking down she would see her knife lodged into the center of the girls back, directly inside of one of the major cracks. The cracks slowly spread out as the girl didn't seem to have any strength left to fight any further. She simply laid there, the only space separating the two being the space afforded by the hilt of the knife that pressed into Shiki's gut in order to support the white haired girl. "Why?" she heard a trembling voice come from her lips "Why must I continue to suffer?" she forced those words out "Why must I always suffer this isolation?" the emotion returning to her voice as her remaining hand reach out to the hanging moon "Why am I alone unable to die." her voice now filled with sorrow and self loathing Her arm cracked before it too broke off, shattering into an array of crimson fragments that dispersed in the wind. "Tell me" she finally seemed to speak to the two who defeated her "Do you have anyone precious to-?" Her words ended there as her entire body shattered much like her arm. The only thing left of her being the giant crystal like blade that Setsuna wielded. It too soon would follow as it broke down into crystal dust but unlike the white haired girl it did not disperse in the wind. Instead the dust, as if guided, flowed out like a stream and collided with the crystal in Setsuna's chest, as if to say it would take up residence in the girls body. she could feel it's presence within it for a brief moment before suddenly feeling nothing and the crimson gem had become a dull red, awaiting a time for it's power to be called upon again. The mountain of corpse began to collapse as what seemed like a staircase appeared under it. This staircase probably leading to the next destination.

She stares at the fading form of their attacker, pulling her blade from the woman's back with a sigh. Holding the dying foe up with her hand instead. "I... Don't know, it's kind of sad really. Almost feels like in other circumstances I could have understood you.. For what it's worth, I'm sorry." The woman's desperate struggle for that man's sake can't help but bring someone to Shiki's own mind, and as her enemy gasps out dying words the killer would look down with a slightly saddened face. "Yeah, I do. But I guess there's no point worrying about that now." She sighs and looks over to Setsuna, the gleam of death going away as she stores her blade and begins walking towards the staircase. Silently going through, lost in thought from the look of it.

Setsuna winces as the blade cuts into her arm, leaving a pretty bad looking gash, but not unbearably so, she closes her eyes as the crystal’s energy stops flowing into her, it’s not out that much is for sure, but she’s not certain how much is in it. She takes a deep breath and follows after Shiki Are you seriously more worried about that murderous psychopath than the person you came here with? Setsuns runs to catch up to Shiki’s side before pumping her uninjured fist with a grin on her face Aren’t you gonna ask why I’m suddenly such a badass, or how I did any of that?

Shiki shrugs, it's a bit shocking but people can pull all kinds of things out of forced. "Worried about her? No, just... Reminded of myself a bit, it's kind of unnerving. Anyways yeah, what the hell was all that?" Sheer desperation can push people a great deal, but she can't say that really explains Setsuna. "Honestly, i sort of expect you have no clue yourself."

The tattoo like lines that spread out from the gem in Setsuna's chest receded and soon faded from her body. As they walked down the long staircase the terrain, like before, had slowly begun to change. Soon the stairs had become mere glass steps that floated in midair and the walls smooth out until eventually disappearing. Soon they would find themselves walking on a long path made of glass, ripples being sent through the glass like water with each step they took. Stars could be seen in the distance as a blazing blue comet flew near them and disappeared in the distance. They could see a large white celestial body off to their side and from the opposite direction they could see a blue planet. It wouldn't take them long to realize that what they saw was the planet earth and it's moon. Not too much further they saw a strange fracture above the planet. Thinking back it was most likely the fracture in the sky that had the giant eye but from this side you simply saw a fracture and what appeared to be a white palace. It was a large structure that could be considered both a palace and a temple. A hallowed existence that seemed almost divine in all it's splendor. To either side of the entrance you saw a two large statues of the same person. They were statues of the white haired girl you'd encounter numerous times from before. They seemed a bit different as she was dressed in full battle garb here and at her back seemed to be wings that were made of gnarled branches with what seemed like scales behind it that served as feathers of some sort. The path would take you about 15 minutes to reach the temple and from what you could tell from where you were walking there was a black mass slowly spreading in the planets atmosphere from the other side of the fracture. At the very least you had the idea that whatever was causing all of this was most likely inside of that temple and that those strange black creatures from before seemed to be spreading down below. You had the feeling you were heading to a final battle.

"Hey, I'm not totally stupid. Lucky sure, but I at least get what was happening." Setsuna smirks as they continue walking along, looking way up at the trippy space scene, at least that's what the girl was able to make of it "I channeled the mana contained in that gem via a command seal to enhance most of the physical aspects of my body to superhuman levels.... Mind you, I can't tell you what that gem, command seal, or even mana are, but it all feels right anyways. Maybe I'm just talented."

Shiki sighs at the explanation, it does make a bit of sense to her. But dear lord where did this girl even learn those words. "You sure you aren't another freaking Magus? Because those are Magi terms right there. Now me, I don't deal with magic I've got my eyes. But uh, basic gist is mana is the general energy used for magic. Lifeforce is at least one source I think? The gem, I think those can be enchanted easily but I don't know too much. And I've never heard of command seals either, so your guess is as good as mine." She shrugs and looks up a bit, by this point they haven't reached the temple, but it is clearly visible from here. Judging by the look of it, she'd put good money on the thing being important. "Hmm, maybe we're getting close to the end? Feels like it."

"If I am no one's ever told me." Setsuna shrugs, looking aside at Shiki before bringing her focus back to the temple, probably whatever they're there for. At the very least, she finds her curiosity being piqued "I'm definitely gonna have to have some kinda talk with my parents when we get out of this. Might waiting for me while I do?"

Shiki shrugs, walking up towards the temple with a slight grin. "Sure, not like I've got anything better to do. Now, ready to end this Setsuna? I dunno about you, but I'm feeling pretty good about our odds at this point." The woman steps forward, eyes gleaming with death and her knife at the ready. One way or another, she's going to put an end to this trip.

"I have no idea what I'm doing." Setsuna lets out a little chuckle as she follows Shiki into the temple. she tries to put both arms behind her head, only to be reminded of her right one's injury, she quickly gives up on the idea "But well I guess I've been in wonderland long enough to meet the queen eh?"

As they wondered into the temple they would notice statues within the first hall they entered. Each one a different person but each one broken in half with the upper part lying in rubble on the ground. There were a few statues still intact, two of them they recognized as the opera singer and the white haired girls husband whom died in the previous world they were in. On the pedestal of each statue was a portrait, each were of war and betrayal while the ones on the pedestals of the statues that were still in tact seemed to be of warmer and happier times. As you walked through this first room you would realize there were innumerable statues, maybe even numbering in the millions that filled this hall. Each representing a different memory. There were even statues of creatures that were not human such as eyeballs with tentacles coming off of them or even dragons and other abominations or mystical creatures. If you looked at any of the portraits long enough they would even begin to move as they displayed random scenes attached to the memories of said statues. Another hallway could be seen on the other side of the room.

"Huh, wonder who these guys were" Setsuna comments while looking at some of the broken statues, of course there's not much she can tell from them since she'd've likely never seen any of them. Though the pictures seemed kinda cool. Setsuna would stare into the picture beneath one of the eyeball monsters, curious more than anything, but makes sure not to look too long so she doesn't fall behind Shiki

Shiki herself glances at the monsters, slightly curious as to if such things might appear. But ultimately she's far too concerned with staying moving to watch for long. Before too much time has passed, she's already entering the other hallway. "Hmm, think we'll be unlucky enough to meet anything else that wants us dead? I'm not gonna count on this being easy, honestly."

The two would find themselves walking down a long hallway. However, parts of this hallway were broken away suspended in the air as if time and space had become warped in this place. The further they walked the more they felt this place was somehow wrong. As if it had been twisted from it's original design. Parts of the ceiling were seemed almost as if it had been blasted outwards with the shrapnel still suspended right outside of the gaping holes. The rooms on the side of the hallway seemed half destroyed. It didn't so much as seem like a battle happened but more like it simply broke apart from the inside. Soon you would feel the tingling sensation of death creeping through the hallways. Shades had appeared in the shape of strange humanoids with goat legs and horns wielding giant scythes. Upon noticing the two you could feel a sudden wave of killing intent. As if they wanted nothing more than to tear you all limb from limb. A starvation that threatened to engulf them whole and your flesh was all that stood between them and death. That was the feeling you felt but then soon after the wave of killing intent disappeared as they bowed down to the two. No, you could tell the person they bowed to was Setsuna as if swearing their fealty to her before dispersing and returning to the void. At the end of this hallway was a large crystal door. The one thing here that seemed to still be intact. It stood strong and majestic despite the wall it was attached to seeming to be on the verge of collapse. You knew by instinct that what ever awaited you beyond these doors would be a force unlike any of the ones you faced up to this point. There would be no turning back once you passed through these hallowed doors. A battle awaited you beyond.

Shiki's a bit stunned by the display of those monsters, why would they do that... Unless that girl has some connection to this place. "It just gets stranger and stranger, first that sword and now this. Geez, you're full of surprises it seems. Good we didn't have to fight them though, that would have been a waste 9f energy. And I'm already a bit worn down from the last fight..." She trails off and walks up to the big door, it just feels like once they've entered one side will die before any one leaves. An inescapable feeling that flows through her being. Shiki stands ready to open it, looking back at Setsuna. "You ready? I've just got a feeling like this is the end of this place, and we either win, or die. No point waiting around though, I doubt we can stay here for long." Assuming the other girl was in fact ready, Shiki would step through and rip the gates open.

"Its nice to feel wanted? I guess?" Setsuna shivers as she looks at the other creatures, though there's obviously something very... Wrong about them, if they decide to treat her like some kinda VIP she's not gonna complain. Its almost like it was waiting for her anyways. Whether that's good or not.... The girl takes a deep breath, continuing on to the door and nodding to Shiki "Lets hope for the best and prepare for the worst then."

As they pushed open the gate they would find themselves walking into what seemed like a throne room. The floor and the pillars inside were made of glass that had ripples sent through them like water for each step you took. The part of the floor that lead straight forward towards the throne was a black marble. The ceiling had a large gaping hole with it's parts simply frozen in place. At the end of the room, behind the throne, you would see a large orb of darkness. The orb of darkness would almost seem like a cradle where you saw the white haired girl sleeping inside of it. She simply floated without a care, unbeknownst of her current situation. In front of the throne was another woman, an adult with long white hair as well but it's color seemed to change depending on the angle you looked at it from. She wore a long gown that seemed to be made of a special material that accentuated her tight figure. Her eyes remained closed as she turned her face to her new guest. "I was not expecting any guest. Would you mind leaving. You do not belong here." she said It was a simple statement yet you could feel the power behind each word. She would not accept an arguments. She would not accept any disobedience. You understood two things. This woman was ready to not only kill you if necessary but to erase your entire being and the fact the white haired girl who floated inside of the dark cradle was real one.

"You sure about that?" Setsuna would tilt her head, taking a few steps forward towards the woman, while motioning for Shiki to wait for a bit "Because I've been getting some weird treatment lately, and it feels right to be here. Maybe you just forgot something?"

"Foolish." an invisible pressure weighed down on you as those words left her mouth "You are an anomaly to be sure, however, do not think that because of a simple blessing from the Solver of All Formula that you are special. Your ilk has no place here. Your kind has no place anywhere. Return to whence you came and await your inevitable end." The pressure only increased as she seemed to have an expression of disgust at even hearing Setsuna's voice.

Setsuna stumbles from the surprise of some unknown pressure, but its obvious that we can't stop now, not when they're essentially threatening us with death "Mind explaining that in Japanese?" The time for politeness is pretty much out too, though Setsuna doesn't really have a weapon of any sort on her, the very least she can do is keep the other person busy and hopefully buy Shiki a chance "I have no idea who this Mathematician is, or what their blessing means, but I do take offense to being told I have no place. I mean first, I'm OBVIOUSLY here. And second, I live down on Earth. I deserve that spot as much as anything else."

Laughter. Wholehearted laughter filled the throne room. "You know not of the one whom blesses you. You, the one person she has given such favor to. Her love is wasted upon you. I pity her." she said with a small smile before lifting her finger and pointing it at Shiki. The moment she did so a clear orb floated up in front of Shiki and for a split second she could feel power suddenly condense in the orb ready to shoot Shiki in the head and probably destroy her skull. "Petty tricks will not pass my notice. Vanish from this world." After she said those words a large magic circle began to form in the sky as a rain of golden glowing spears of light rained down onto Shiki. She was trying to cut off all escape for the young girl, her face still turned to Setsuna as she continued to speak. "You know nothing and yet claim that you belong here. Tell me then, who are you?" she spoke to Setsuna

"That's what I'd like to know." Setsuna puts one hand over her chest where she remembers the gem being, in part to check if its still there and whether or not it seems to have energy "My name is Setsuna Tamaki, and according to my friend Shiki, who I would very much appreciate you not killing." Setsuna glares back at the woman, not letting herself be intimidated, feeling that if she shows any signs of weakness they might try to take advantage of it "I am some kind of Magus. By your own words, a somewhat favored one too. And as a Magus, I'm going to have to request you release the girl and leave my hometown alone."

Shiki just sighs as the attacks begin flying towards her, the orb is a greater concern than anything else given its status as about to tear her head off. She ducks in an instant, barely evading it. In fact, the orb would sail near enough to her head that the energy scrapes against her hair. "Well, that's one death avoided. Next up..." She glances up towards the spears, checking for any lines of death upon the damned things before darting into a mad dash, hoping to evade most of them... On the other hand, she's not really fast enough to do that, one of the things sinks into her left leg and causes her to mutter a curse. A quick swipe of her knife downwards would hopefully remove it, however, and despite the wound, she's still rushing towards the cradle as best she can.

Setsuna would feel the seemingly inexhaustible power dwelling inside the gem as well as the sword awaiting her call. Shiki would see only a single crack in each spear as they rained down upon her. Despite her moving towards the cradle at her full speed the orb from before would float next to her as a blue magic circle began to whir to life as it was getting closer to releasing it power once more. "Persistent" She would say as she simply swung her arm and a wave of energy spread out in the room towards Shiki again. "Annihilation is simply what your kind deserves. There is no reason to struggle against the inevitable." she said as she looked at Setsuna "Your identity is of little consequence. A Magus? A Demon? An Angel? It matters not. All things bust return to whence they came. For as long as the dream continues then I shall see to your end. If you wish to blame anything, then blame the fact you were even born." she said as another magic circle appeared at the center of the floor. This time golden light shined and the head of a golden dragon emerged from within as it shot towards Setsuna with the intent to devour her whole. "Simply vanish from this world"

"bitch you're the one who asked!" Of course, Setsuna would take note of the magic circle, taking its appearance as a reason to run to the side, letting the dragon head scrape by as she strafes around it, before running towards the circle in question "What kinda prick asks someone a question only to yell at them for answering?" Setsuna would aim to reach the circle, and if she did so she would pour her own mana, bolstered by that of the gem within her, in an attempt to re-use the spell aimed at the other white-haired woman

Shiki sighs once again, the orb chasing after her is a major issue at this point. And she scans it over quickly, searching for a crack within it. Much as she had seen a crack within the spears, if the woman saw it then her knife would sail through effortlessly and leave the magic gone. The wave of energy sends her flying backward however. She's only slightly concerned with the girl really, but that's more than she'd say for most... It'd be a shame to let Setsuna die after putting in the effort trying to help. Besides, there are people she needs to see again. With a glare across the field, she pushes onwards, despite the wounds her speed is, in fact, picking up a bit even. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but I won't let you just kill her..."

Setsuna would successfully dodge the magic and as she tried to reenact it she felt a sort of rejection. As if the power welled up inside of her but couldn't take any shape. Instead a small magic circle flickered in front of her before finally vanishing completely. Shiki would be knocked back as she regained her bearings, found herself near Setsuna. The woman would continue to sit on the throne as mana began to condense to her left and right and then suddenly turn into two more orbs. "You would presume you know who you are? Your halfhearted words fool no one but yourself. You do not even know the method to cast your own magic. Her blessings were wasted on an ungrateful meat puppet like you. Now perish." She raised her hand as two magic circles flashed before the orbs. Soon after two large golden magic circles formed once more and like before they shot out a hailstorm of golden spears, all heading towards the two. "Death is all that awaits you here."

"I was answering your question. Because that's a polite thing to do. As opposed to you just trying to dodge your way out of everything I ask." ungrateful? Grateful to who? She doesn't even know who any of these people are, and the only explanation she's getting amounts to "die mortal", not a very helpful piece of advice. Though Setsuna really doesn't know how this whole magic thing works, she does get that simply standing there and letting her opponent cast whatever they want isn't going to help, so she decides the only real option is to keep going forward, ducking low to the ground to minimize the area facing the spears, and doing her best to react to them, either by dodging an individual, or knocking it aside with her improved reflexes, though naturally she'd get hit a few times, she'd likely be able to avoid lethal damage for now "If you're so confident, then why don't you say who I am huh? And none of that "worthless mortal" crap, that could be anyone. Say it in a way so everyone knows you mean me, and not someone else."

Shiki growls a bit, she's getting more and more annoyed by this. That's a strange feeling, annoyance rather than fear. Her blade gleams in the light as she rushes for one of the magic circles. Knife ready to cut down the tiny flaws within these bits of magic, she's still got enough strength and speed to evade a good majority of the attacks. Even more so, now that's actively making an attack upon them herself. "Honestly, I don't have nearly that kind of stake in this... I'm just not gonna roll over and die without trying to get through this!" All things must die someday, that's a fact that anyone with these eyes must know. But even so, she's got too much left to do for now. Too much left uncertain in her life to simply perish. She rushes straight for one of the circles, aiming to cut into the very magic that's being cast if she can.

"Born of a master whose life ended because of petty jealousy. Loved and cared for by death herself. Blessed by the progenitor of all things end. She who will never be praised for existing. And whose single child she cared for does not even remember her existence. Truly pitiful. Truly asinine. Your existence has no meaning. It has no purpose." she said once more as she watched the spears fly towards the two. Shiki manages to get through the barrage and cut one of the circles of magic as she saw a flash next to her come from one of the orbs, as if waiting for her to move in to attack. The orb releases a barrage of golden chains that wrap around Shiki, binding her as the remaining orb floats above her. A much larger golden spear beginning to form above her head. For the most part Setsuna manages to dodge the spears that they all flew straight forward, seemingly not even effected by gravity. The woman, hers eyes still closed as her face showed indifference. As if merely stating the facts. Not even caring about the life she was soon to be ending. She simply continued to sit upon the throne that did not belong to her as her face remained turned to Setsuna. "If all you can do is run and dodge then how do you expect to defeat me? I haven't even begun to exert myself child beloved by death."

Shiki's barrage of curses at this point is best not shown on this site, suffice to say though she's not in a great mood... She does, however, manage to cut one of the chains as it rushes at her, standing up and staring down the weapon a terrible plan forms in her mind. "Here goes nothing... Hope it works." She runs toward the spear, twisting around and jumping in an attempt to scrape the golden spear that had been aimed for her head against the chains now binding her. At best, it'd leave her falling down to the ground unbound. At worst, she'd die.

"Who said anything about defeating you?" Setsuna strolls forward casually, ignoring the pain in her side, all that matters right now is she appear dignified and unafraid. "I don't know who you are, or if fighting you is even a good idea. For all I know were I to really fight and win the whole world would get thrown out of whack. That's why I'd rather we just talk. Because that way no one and no thing has to be hurt. Mind you, if you refuse, I guess we'll both find out just how 'blessed' I am." its obvious that this progenitor is not only someone important, but one Setsuna's opponent views as close to, if not an equal. So its really best to meet them with a firm gaze, and dare.

Shiki would be able to succeed in freeing herself from the chains with a shallow cut in her side from the attempt. The cut would hurt but overall not interfere with her movements. "Words. Words have ever failed man and yet you wish to use them here as if this was a negotiation. How presumptuous." she said finally opening her eyes as she gazed at Setsuna. Both Setsuna and Shiki would recognize the familiar glow in her eyes. The same glow that permeated Shiki's when she peered at the cracks of death. The only difference was the green magic circle that appeared on her Iris as well. As she gazed at the two they would feel a chill down their spines. Her killing intent washed forth like an unstoppable wave. Bathing the two in a primal fear that shook them at their cores. "Words alone will not sate my fury. It will not fulfill my wish. Only the death of all living things will bring about my deepest wish. All I shall offer is a quick and merciful death. There is no room for negotiation." Her eyes were cold. They didn't see you as living things much less an obstacle. Your existence only served as a blight to her. A blight she would forever purge from this world. She soon stood up from the throne. Her gaze nestled onto Setsuna and the Shiki. She raised her hand as a magic circle appeared once more before her, a golden dragon taking shape and then charging towards Shiki. Soon after that lightly tapped the ground with the soles of her foot and was sent high into the air where she reached into the vast nothingness and a golden sword formed in her hands. She swung the sword and a wave of energy threatening to slice her in two came from above. The two orbs shot towards Setsuna. One of them aiming to hit her in the gut while the other began to charge power to cast a spell. She seemed intent on ending this as soon as possible now.

"and then what?" Setsuna steps towards the orbs, she keeps one eye on the floating woman as she jumps straight over the first orb, aimed directly at Setsuna's gut, and uses the chance to get near the other before it can finish casting its spell. As soon as Setsuna is certain where it is trying to cast from, she would grab the second orb to point it, not at the white-haired woman opposing them, nor the orb behind Setsuna, but rather the dark orb containing the fourth girl present "Lets say you wipe everything out of existence, just like you asked. How exactly is that supposed to make you happy? You just won't have anything to be annoyed at anymore."

The spell released by the orb was a simple beam of pure energy that shot straight and true, without erring from it's path. It collided with the dark cradle and as a crack appeared in it all things began to change. A static noise reverberated in the area as it seemed to flash back and forth between the ruined battle torn throne room you're fighting in and a perfectly well kept thrown room. The glass pillars were repaired, the gaping hole in the ceiling was repaired, the cracked and broken marble floor was in perfect condition. But this effect fizzled out as you heard static noise. Shiki wouldn't see a single crack in the dragon head that flew towards her and no cracks in the sword wave attack that came to her from above. Even as she threw her knife at the dragon that neared her something strange happened. As the room became filled with static noise and continued to shift between it's ruined state and repaired state the knife flew through the dragon. Even as the dragon opened it's giant maw to completely crush Shiki where she stood it simply phased through her harmlessly and continued on until crashing into the wall in the back. Even the sword wave that had fallen down to cleave shiki in twine simply passed through her harmlessly while leaving a large gash in the ground. Even Setsuna's hands would soon phase through the orb she held as if it wasn't there anymore. An Enraged voice echoed through the hall as the woman finally turned her full attention to Setsuna. "It is only through the end of all things that a true paradise can be born! A world without suffering! A world without despair! I do not expect such base creatures who are the very beings who breed war and corruption to understand such a sublime ideal!" her voice echoed with a mechanical noise as if speaking through an old speaker. Her other hand reached into the vast nothingness before a golden spear appeared. The static noise soon ended as the room returned to it's half destroyed state. The cradle seemed as if it only needed one more attack to shatter it. Even within the cradle you could for a moment see the girls eyes flutter open before closing once more. However during this moment the gem on Setsuna's chest seemed to react as the name and formula construction method of a single spell and a single sword attack appeared in her mind. Sword Technique: Dark Blade Spell: Necrosphere Setsuna would know maybe by instinct that with her current power that she would only be able to use either or three times maximum before hitting her limit. "For as long as she dreams I will see this through to the end! I will not allow anyone to get in my way!" Soon both orbs flew to the center of the room and lifted high into the air as they began circling each other. A magic circle had begun it's construction. You knew this was on a completely different scale than before however. As the two orbs circled each other magic circle after magic circle began appear and fusing into something far more complex. She was planning to end this with this attack if she couldn't kill the two before this all ended. She swung her sword once more as a wave of energy threatening to cut the two apart swept across the room. She then raised her spear as black lightning began sparking off of it. This time she thrust that spear towards Setsuna as a bolt of black lightning shot out towards her. From then she jumped up as she readied her next attack as her spear began to glow a golden light.

"Surely you can at least understand why I'd disagree with you." Setsuna doesn't have a sword right now, so any technique called "dark blade" would be of limited use, so instead she summons her own magical circle in the air as her opponent's orbs head higher, Setsuna knows she can't buy that much time like this, but lacking for better ideas, she decides to face her opponent head-on so Shiki can do something about the orb or cage. "Even if you could make a great ole' world without us, what's the point if there's no one left to share it with? Nothing more than an empty space." Setsuna finishes building her solid red circle in the air and launches out as much as she can, launching a full 8 dark spheres to meet their opponent's attacks in midair, first clashing with the energy wave in hopes to disperse it enough to give Shiki room to operate, with any leftover going to meet the lightning and lessen its impact when it inevitably hits near Setsuna "You're seriously wanting to sacrifice not only everyone, but every THING just so you can have some peace and quiet? Yet you have the GALL to call us humans selfish? Try looking in a mirror."

Shiki mutters under her breath, staring at the magic circle with a glare as she rushes towards it. "God dammit, next time I'm bringing the family sword..." She's not really fond of it, but Damn if she isn't wishing for it right now. Even so, the woman's not ready to give up and die yet. Assuming Setsuna is able to block the attack, she'd rush across the room in a mad dash. Doing her best to evade everything she can, but likely taking some hits nevertheless. Her goal being to reclaim the blade she'd in hindsight rather foolishly tossed. She'd also shout to the girl in the cradle, hoping to disturb her more. "Hey listen, I don't know who you are but judging from what the crazy lady has said I don't think you want the world to end either! So wake the hell up, because I'd bet anything right now you getting up is the key here!" It's a rather desperate attempt, but considering she's fighting something she can't Kill desperation seems to be the default state in this battle.

The orbs would successfully hit the wave and visibly corrode and destroy it as the remaining ones collided with the black lightning that shot forth. It weakened it but did not stop it as it collided with it's target, creating a dust cloud that covered the area. "Your pleas fall on deaf ears. This universe, these planets and stars, all of it's inhabitants. They were nothing more than mistakes born of her suffering! Born at the expense of her freedom! Do not speak as if you know her pain! Selfishness? Do not confuse this with such trivial perceptions. I merely do what is needed for the greater good." she said as she watched Shiki come towards the magic circles rotating in the air. Shiki used her extra knife to cut into one of the magic circles before gravity began to take her back to the ground. "Your efforts are vain. You can not stop the inevitable." her voice echoed as the self same magic circle Shiki cut was simply replaced and reconstructed in mere moments. Setsuna would realize she hadn't been hurt by the lightning and as the dust cloud began to clear she would realized why. The crystal great sword that was sleeping with the gem had appeared in front of her, it's blade stuck in the ground and ultimately blocking the lightning. Not a single scratch upon it's surface as Setsuna saw her reflection in it. For the first time during the fight even the woman's eyes grew large in surprise as she saw the blade. "She would even gift you that." she said as her eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment before being filled with furry. "You are not worthy!" She screamed as she stopped further charging the power in her spear. This time a magic circle appearing at her back as she shot forward like a arrow let loose from it's bow, spear in hand and ready to release all of the energy held within it as she darted towards Setsuna with all the inhuman power she had. Space almost seemed to visibly tremble as she passed through it. She would no longer tolerate Setsuna's very existence.

“Yeah, I can tell you’re deaf. It’s obvious.” Setsuna takes a deep breath, though she’d likely find the sword fairly light, she grabs hold of it with both hands to better use all her strength, in spite of her aching, injured arm. She doesn’t have much of a choice but to meet her opponent head-on, covering her blade in a dark energy as she does so to make this a little closer to even “You ever thought that maybe they’re trying to tell you something? Or do you just not have those?” hopefully while she’s keeping their opponent busy Shiki will be able to finish breaking the cradle, thought Setsuna might not be certain of what’ll happen, it’s obvious their opponent doesn’t like it

The woman brought her spear forward in a blinding light of divinity as the two weapons collided. Setsuna could feel the power inside the gem working in over time as it filled her body to it's upmost limit just to prevent her from faltering. The more power she squeezed out of the gem the more she felt her body burning from the insides, first from her blood and then to her intestines and even her skin. Her body felt like it was on fire the more power she would draw out and even then she was still being pushed back if only barely. A shock wave shook the entire palace the moment their weapons collided and the power struggle was displayed in a flash of golden and black energy. Even the stray energy from the collision sparked off of the collision tearing the entire area apart the longer their weapons were locked. Black and golden lightning sparked off the collision and arced through the room. Some of the energy even reaching to where Shiki was as it threatened to engulf her. The glass pillars had begun to melt. The marble floor cracked and broke. A crater began to form under the two as they vied for supremacy. Shiki would have difficulty getting to the cradle because of the excess energy but as she neared it she realized one thing. Despite the cracks that were still on it from Setsuna's earlier attacks her eyes themselves still saw no flaw in their design. No cracks of death appeared on its surface. She knew that the only thing she could possibly do was to exploit the weakness that was left behind by the earlier attack. Her only chance would be to attack the cracks in the cradle until it gave way. "I don't understand. Where are you getting this power from! Why must you continue to stand in my way?!" the woman screamed as she lifted the hand with the sword readying an attack to hopefully end the already struggling Setsuna.

"Dammit all, I hope that this works..." She gazes down at the cracks, a grim smile forming as she begins her work. Ripping into them with her knife in both hands. Aiming to do as much damage as possible with every bit of her strength. "Come on come on, it's already damaged I can finish this..." She'd place her knife under the cracks if they'd widened enough. Aiming to yank from there and tear out more of the damn things as quickly as possible. She gets the sense Setsuna won't last forever, so working fast is her highest priority here.

"I don't want to die." There was nothing Setsuna could do but push back, her right arm searing where she was cut earlier, it would be a lot faster, easier to just stop. But then she would die. That much is for certain. With the reach of her opponent's spear, she likely wouldn't be able to pull off much of anything, so instead, she simply pushes until the last possible moment, glaring at her opponent "And you can't make me." as soon as her opponent's sword starts to come down, Setsuna would jump, hoping for the energy from their clash to knock her across the room, far from an ideal situation, and crashing into the wall would no doubt hurt a lot, but its better than losing her head for it

Just as Setsuna wanted she hopped backwards and the energy between the two was released, sending her barreling back into the far wall. A crater forming on impacts as she could feel her ribs cracking and her skin breaking. Her whole body was wracked with pain as she slid down the wall onto the ground. "Don't try to escape!" She said as she held her spear towards Setsuna and a magic circle quickly formed. Before she could let the magic loose however her eyes became wide once more as she turned to Shiki. Ignoring Setsuna, a magic circle appeared at her back as she shot towards Shiki once more. Intent to end her before she could break through the cradle. Both her sword and spear shining a golden light as she came closer. "Get away from there!" Shiki would see that her attempts were working. The cracks in the cradle spread out more and more as she worked to break through them. One more push. One more desperate push was all she needed. The sound of a bell ringing could be heard within the throne room. The two cyrstal spheres that were floating high in the air had combined into a golden bell. The magic circles had all but stopped rotating as a large magic circle shining a gold light appeared above them. At different intervals spheres of golden energy had begun to form. Large majestic wings seemed to take shape on the outer rim of the magic circle. With each ring of the bell you could feel some of your power being sapped from you as a pressure weighed down from on high. It felt as if all the divine power of a god was forming above, ready to bring about it's final judgement on all those who would desecrate these halls. The magic had completed and was getting ready to fire. Only one more push.

Setsuna could barely feel anything at that point. Probably a bad sign. Still, she had done well. Though the girl's vision is hazy, the crystal sword drops to her side. Setsuna reaches out one hand towards her opponent as they turn away from her, muttering as she attempts to start up a magic circle "yeah, you better run" and finally falls unconscious

The bell reaches it's 12th ring. It's zenith was met. The orbs of gold began to turn clear. It's construction complete. The magic circles began to unravel as they covered the clear orbs. Like an infection, they spread across their surface until finally taking a different form. The remaining lines of the magic circle would remind one of the branches of a grand tree. Then one of these clear orbs dropped from those branches. It hit the ground and broke apart and as it did a shadow formed. A shadow that would make one think it alive. As if it contained all the sins of man. This shadow would only give birth to more darkness. It would spread. Swallowing everything around it. Space, time, matter, atoms, mana, knowledge, soul, conscience, life, death. This darkness would swallow all things it touch. And so it spread. Like a plague, it spread through the room to devour all things within it. It didn't stop. And you knew if it even touched you your existence itself would simply erase. There wouldn't be anything left. There wouldn't even be memory of you that remained. Shiki's desperate attempt widened the cracks. They slowly chipped open bit by bit. Even as the woman appeared over her and brought her two weapons down upon her her focus did not falter. Even as the darkness reached her and threatened to swallow her whole her focus did not waver. Instead she poured all of her strength into the singular task of breaking that which by all rights shouldn't have been capable of destroying. And like the sculptor who continues to chip away little by little to create their art, she too gave her all to break through the cracks. And her efforts were rewarded. The cradle cracked open and the eyes of the one within it slowly fluttered open. The darkness consumed all and the attack from the woman slammed down upon Shiki's back. Only for both to pass through her without harming her in the slightest. The other clear orbs that hung from the pseudo branches began to fizzle out of existence before they had the chance to do whatever it was they were meant to do next. The woman stood on the ground as she looked at her body turn transparent. "I see.....so I've lost" She seemed to say with indifference as if this was expected. The room had begun to switch back and forth between a repaired state and a ruined state over and over again before it had returned to a pristine state. The glass pillars in the room glistened as the walls and floor returned to normal. "Do not think this will end here. I am merely a shade. An echo that can only exist between the cracks of dream and reality. A sign of things to come. Even if you beat me here nothing will change in the grand scheme of things. For she cannot dream forever." she said as her gaze turned to the awakening girl with white hair. "Even you will one day succumb to fate. For now, continue to dream of death." she said before she finally faded from the room. The girls body floated down from the cradle and she landed on the throne as her eyes opened and looked to Shiki. "Twould seem I hath caused you trouble......." she would sigh before rising from the throne and looking around the room before settling on the body of Setsuna.

"Using mine power to erode the boundary between dream and reality. Twas unexpected." she said as she flew over to Setsuna. A warm smile appearing on her visage as she wiped some of the blood from Setsuna's cheek. "You've grown up to be a strong and beautiful woman, mine pride and joy, Setsuna." She spoke warmly The room began to light up as it began to break down. "I shall awaken soon. I apologize that I can't continue to watch over thee. When thee hath awakened this will all just seem like a dream......but that is fine. Tis simply another story best forgotten." she said as she placed her forehead on Setsuna's with a smile. The light of the room engulf everything within. Shiki's vision would fade as well before everything turned to black. The sound of an alarm clock ringing filled the room. As Setsuna's eyes fluttered open, slowly adjusting to the light she would realize she was in the bed of her room. Nothing out of place from anything else. She would vaguely remember the dream but maybe because of just how strange it was it could easily be dismissed as a dream. At least it could have been if not for the red gem that remained attached to her chest, brimming with power for her to call upon as well as the crystal blade that slept within it. Shiki's vision would return as she found herself dozing off in a nearby park. The area filled with the chatter of passerby. Her body felt a little sluggish but all in all she was perfectly fine. Nothing seemed out of place. Even the events seemed more like a far off dream. Whether she believed it to be a dream or not was up to her. All in all, this seemed like it would be just another day. A day like any other. What are dreams? I wonder when I hath begun to have them. When I began to dream of a red sky and a familiar figure When hath I remembered her name? The name of the child whom was raised with all of mine love

Shiki's hands dart for her knife in an instant, the compartment of her arm opening as quickly as she stands up and looks around. "What the hell, I was in the middle of a fight with... I still don't know what she really was, or what Setsuna is as of now." She'd sigh and stretch out, working some of the stiffness out of her muscles and putting the blade away. "Guess that's over for now, wonder if there'll be a next time though..." The woman shakes her head, walking off down the streets for her home once more. "Whatever it was, guess I'll be ready. That didn't feel like any dream, and if something else appears that dangerous... Better take that out again just in case." And so she leaves the scene, eyes darting around now and then as if she expects an attack at any moment. In truth, she does after all that.

Setsuna rolls out of bed, hitting her alarm clock, a bit harder than she needed to to shut it up. The girl rubs her eyes, knocking out the last bit of sleep. She stands up, and feels for the gem in her chest, though the details are blurry to her, she has some vague memory. Something very weird is going on. And like it or not, its involving her. Without much of a clue, the girl quickly gets ready to go out, shouting to her parents as she leaves "I'll be heading out for a bit, call you if anything comes up alright?" she had always been an independent girl, at least for her age, so it wasn't oo unusual a scene for them, no need to worry them until she gets a bit more confirmation at least. And all she had for that was the face from her dream. "Lets just hope that 'Shiki' is real. Can't be too hard to find someone right?"