Welcome to Gaia! ::

*Brimmstone shook his head, then addresses the group*

"You all seem to believe that learning more will help you. Did you ever wonder why I don't tell you everything? It's not because I enjoy keeping secrets. Knowing the truth is a burden. Not to mention...."

*he walks over to Kold and glares at him right in his face.* "You have absolutely no right to demand answers from me. You spoiled brat. You really have no idea how good you have it, do you?"

*Brimmstone looks pained, as if bringing up the masked boy made him remember something horrible from his life. He leaves the room. Reminiscing in this place is bad for keeping secrets though.*




*The scene shifts to a feudal Japan setting. It is Yamato: the city dedicated to worshiping the Seasonal Deities. A city divided into four sectors, one for each season. What's strange is that each quarter of the city is set in a different season.

The north is a winter wonderland, with a crumbled statue of Cryos: The now Fallen Deity of Winter on the ground. In its place is a shiny new statue of Phrigustus: the Deity of Winter.

The south has a statue of Vulcagni: the Deity of Summer. Her sector has several trees for shade, with the statue serving as a sundial.

The west is more like a corridor with autumn trees and falling leaves. The trees never seem to lack any leaves, nor does the ground accumulate too many of them; yet the in-between of spring and winter is ever present. Rakauleves: Deity of Autumn's statue is in fact the tree at the end of the corridor, whittled to resemble him.

Opposite is an open field with cherry blossom trees scattered around. In the center is large pond with coyfish. Flouriana: Deity of Spring stands next to the pond and acts like a fountain, watering nearby flowers.

In the center of the city is a large circular area with nothing but statue of a shining golden dragon. Its elegance is only matched by its intimidating presence. In the middle of its underbelly, which is facing outward, is an etherial door. Once every two hundered years can this door be opened, and today is that day. The door opens, and three figures emerge*


*There is silence, then the one in the middle speaks.*



"Good. The gateway has been opened." *he turns to the Masked Boy* "You know your mission. Go.

*he turns to the man with the scythe.* ""Azrael. Bring him here and well shall continue. It should be a simple task for you."



"Very well." *Azrael reaches through space and creates a rift. Death Angels can transcend time and space to grant death to the living so that the cycle may continue. Azrael is the High Angel of Death, meaning he is the greatest of them all. This angel will eventuallly become Algol, as Prometheus had mentioned. He pulls out from Asgard: Heavenlly Plane of Deities, Phrigustus: Deity of Winter. No one else could be able do so without Heaven's direct permission.*



"Wha...? Who are you?! How did you do this?!"




"It is time you've played your part, Phrigustus, in my grand design. Do not worry, your legacy will be remembered."



"I'm not sure who you are, mortal, but you are arrogant to say the least if you think I have any reason to do as you say." *he points his hand at the cloaked mastermind.* "Glacial Cannon." *being a deity-class fighter, a Glacial Cannon from him should freeze anything in its path, regardless of anything. However, it comes out around the same strength Kold would have. Impressive, but far below his normal level of power.* "What is this...!?"




*the cloaked mastermind laughs insanely* "Mortal? Being a Heavenite has changed you I see. You are nothing but a mortal yourself. A dog who has been given food to be tamed by the Seraphim. Allow me to remind you how truly powerless you are. But you see, anything can be countered with enough preparation and planning. This boy here has the ability to weaken and even nullify cryomancy. Show him what else you can do." *he nods to the masked boy*



*the masked boy raises a hand and paralyzes Phrigustus*

"Hmph, a strong human is still only human. There was never any hope for victory once I arrived. But don't worry, I won't kill you....in the traditional sense. Thanks to the master's plans, you shall live on." *he raises Phrigustus in the air with psychokinesis. Etherial hands come out of the boy's head and reaches into Phrigustus, latching onto something, and tugging it out. A shining white/blue orb stands there is in his hand...and Phrigustus becomes motionless."

"It is done, master."

*the mastermind injects the orb into MB's body and he becomes filled with energy. The orb is in fact Phrigustus' soul and his divine powers. With it, the Masked Boy's abilities will be amplified a hundred-fold. The boy absorbs the souls of everyone in the area, killing everything....except one.*

*the point of view this flashback is taking is from a person, and the pain and mental strength of resisting his soul from being taken can be felt by everyone experiencing the flashback. Only one person we know can do that.*

*Our protagonist rises after rubbing his head, then leaps towards the boy and punches him straight in the face, breaking the mask and knocking him through the statue. Even if MB is powerful, his body is still underdeveloped and in the early teens. It really hurts.*

*he glares at the masked boy, remembering him from before* "My family.....! My friends....! EVERYONE!!!! YOU TOOK THEM ALL AWAY!!! YOU'LL BE BEGGING FOR DEATH BY THE TIME I'M DONE WITH YOU!!!!" *he creates an inferno around them to prevent them from escaping, and creating a particularly strong flame barrier around the etherial door.*

*the boy returns, with a crack in his mask. All that can be seen are cyan-azure eyes.*



"Master, this one is strong." *he staggers* "I will take care of him myself." *the masked boy's cyan-azure eyes glow with an intense bloodlust and hatred. He dashes around. "Glacial Cannon!" *he fires powerful ice beams from his palms, courtesy of knowledge and power of Phrigustus.*

"Power Geyser!" *Brimmstone punches the ground and magma geysers erupt in a row headng towards the Masked Boy. Even if they miss, they explode after solidifying.*

*The Masked Boy, inexperienced with this new surge of power...cannot fully control it and thus can't use it as much as he'd like. Some times it'd come out too powerful, other times it wouldn't come out at all. He resorts to using his psychic powers against him, with the Psycho Reachers (etherial hands) converging on him.*

"ENOUGH!!!" *Brimmstone's determination becomes power, and blows away the hands. Not even the psychokinesis seems to affect him. Brimmstone is too enraged to notice that he had awakened his Clear Haki at that time.*




*the mastermind seems genuinely surprised and intruiged by this.* "Haki? Interesting. While all humans possess this, a power that transcends weapons and gimmicks, very few are able to use it...let alone use it at this level. His rage has gone so far that it can overpower psychic abilities. Very fascinating. If he survives, I may have some use for him after all."


*While MB impressive fighter at this age, is simply no match for Brimmstone's will and becomes overwhelmed by anxiety. He grips his head and his thoughts start to leak out and influence things around him.*

"NonononononononononoNOOO!!!!" *MB's body becomes overcome by his emotions, and his psychic powers go out of control. There's a bright azure flash of light, and the flashback ends.*



*the scene shifts again to another location and later time. Entire cities are decimated, landscapes are covered in blood, and the survivors are in a panic. This is several years later. Gaia is in Chaos. This is the Great Cataclysm.

In the distance a huge monster with cyan-azure eyes roars. It's massive. Everything in its wake is ripped apart just by being near it. Factions of all kinds are fighting against it. The self-proclaimed agents of justice, the Divine Paragon, are launching attacks at it from their airships. Brimmstone's army has taken heavy losses but don't show any signs of backing down . But amidst all of this, seven people show up from out of nowhere to face the beast head on.



*Brimmstone stops and notices the group of seven*

"So you're the Seven Swordsmen everyone keeps talking about. Are you here to lend us a hand? If not, then stay out of our way."



*the scene shifts again to a defeated beast. Its body has taken heavy damage of all kinds, but most notably burns and sword wounds. Only two people for miles are left standing*

*Brimmstone pants and tries to stay standing, which is impressive to say the least.*




"Suzaku...can you move? We can finish him....!"



"Jubei.....!" *Brimmstone tries to say more, but is barely able to retain consciousness as it is*


*the now legendary battoujutsu master, Jubei, cuts open the core of the beast.*



"What...? There's someone in there...!" *she reaches in to pull the person out*


*Brimmstone tries to stop her...but his body won't move.*

STAY BACK!!! *psycho reachers shoot out of the core. Jubei is thrown back. In the process her left eye is damaged and her right arm is ripped off with her sword in its grasp. The arm and sword are thrown near Brimmstone.*




*Brimmstone summons every last ounce of strength he has. 'I don't care if I die...I can't let him get away with this anymore....!' He grabs the sword from Jubei's arm and somehow forces himself over to the core. He gathers every last ounce of strength he has to slash the Masked Boy's face.*


*the mask protects his face just enough to prevent fatal damage, but the mask is completely destroyed and a huge gash is created over his face. Brimmstone looks down and finally sees the face of his nemesis for the first time.

*a boy with spiky blue hair, a boy no older than 12*

*The boy blinks and clutches his forehead, screaming in pain. Suddenly a flash of azure light shoots out of the gash and a tremendous amount of energy is scattered. The beast that ravaged the world was an entity of tremendous power. Very few know the whole truth about why or how it came to be, and this memory is a fragment of that truth. The power released from the gash is over 98% of its power. The beast completely dissolves and nothing is left but the boy inside. Somehow, the wound is completely closed up and leaves the signature scar.*


*Brimmstone passes out from exhaustion. He wakes up what must be several hours later. The boy is treating his wounds Jubei's arm, her sword, and Jubei herself are nowhere to be seen.*



*Brimmstone stares at this boy, dumbfounded. 'What...what the hell? What's going on here? He's trying to treat my wounds? I don't understand.....'*



"Mister, I don't know who you are....but I can't leave you here like this. Isn't there someone who can help you?"

*Brimmstone coughs up some blood. It's a miracle he's still alive at this point. He was clinging to his life through sheer force of will. He had to know more.*

"....boy....! What are you doing here...?"



"Me? I don't know. All I remember is...." *he clutches his head "I was supposed to find someone....but that's all. Who...am I?" *he turns to the spikey red haired man.* "Mister...do you know my name?"



*the boy suddenly tears up and has a look of deep sorrow and regret on his face. The boy isn't even aware of it. Could it be....buried deep down, beyond his memory loss...a conscience with a sense of remorse is there?

*Brimmstone gawks at the boy.* 'This boy...he's caused so much destruction and carnage...and yet, I sense that there's more here than meets the eye. Hori.....that cloaked man....this boy...there's some connection. I'll find out the truth, I swear. No matter what it takes...I'll find the truth behind all of this. I know this boy is the key to that.'

"Idiot. Leave it to my younger brother to forget. Korudo, it's me...Hotsu. Let's go home.




*the scene shifts one last time to the Lunar Hope, six years ago when Brimmstone and Kold had their showdown. Brimmstone uses Megas Claw to pull a familiar mass of energy out of his chest. So it was Phrigustus' soul all this time. But...does this mean Yokoshima was posing as Phrigustus afterward? Even back then, Brimmstone's motives were known only to him.*

Raiden's coughing gets worse as he reacts to seeing the memories. At having his shoulder squeezed, he gives his sister a hug.
I know Kyla...I know. For all we went through, for the times we fought, everything was worth it to be able to call you my sister and fight along side you. And...
He lowers his voice so that Kold won't hear.
He'll be ok...you know? Kold. He shapes his own future. He decides what direction he's going in. He may need time. He might be distant from you for a while. But he still needs you. You have to stay at his side and be strong for him. Because if everything falls away from him, you have to be the one standing there reminding him of who he is, instead of what he used to be.

*Kold's expression goes from furrowed eyebrows in anger from Brimmstone's lack of explaining, to a raised eyebrow at the memories, to double raised eyebrows at the revelation of Phrigustus being 'killed' long ago, and lastly a glazed over stare at the Masked Boy's identity."

*It's faint at first, but the room builds up a static sound, like waking up to a TV on a channel with nothing on it. The shift goes to Kold's own thoughts. It's unclear whether Kold is accidentally broadcasting his thoughts via telepathy, or the room is reacting to his mind. Either way, a bit of what's going on in his mind is leaking out and everyone else is able to hear it.*

*Kold clutches his head. The static becomes louder and more clear. Countless voices of the dying.

"Myleg!Where'smyleg!?Runawayoryou'llbeeaten!Monster...you took them all away!It hurts...Where's my child!?How couldthishappen!AAAAAHHHHH!!!Whyisthishappening?!ThereisnoGod.Give mebackmyfamily,youbastard!Who'sthatpokemon?Madness...Willnoonesaveme?Mysoul...it'sbeingdevoured....it'spikachugoddamnitaaah!Wasitallfornothing?Ihatethis.StopStopStopSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP STOP STOP STOP STOP! SHUT UP!!!!"

*It seems like those dying voices have mixed with Kold's consciousness, or at least his thoughts. Kold's struggling to maintain himself, but everything is flooding back into his memory*


*the setting is shifted to Sun Spiral Island. Kold is the same age he was as the Masked Boy the group saw a few moments ago. The situation is drastically different though.*



"Hotsu! Why did you kill our father!? Why did you kill Phirgustus?!"




"You can't stop me. You're too weak."


*the two have a brief battle, but Brimmstone easily overpowers Kold. He laughs maniacally and slashes Kold's forehead with his fire sword. Kold sceams in agony, then in his desperation, he makes his way towards Brimmstone and throws him into the volcano*




"Ha ha ha ha! Foolish little brother...I'll return...someday!!"

*Brimmstone goes splash into the volcano, seemingly finished off*

*all the while during this flashback, the image is flickering...like something's wrong with it. Could this be a false memory like Gentaru mentioned?*


*After throwing Brimmstone in the volcano, Kold collapses from blood loss.*

*the memory repeats itself again, but when Brimmstone strikes Kold's head with the fire sword, the image shatters. There is nothing but darkness and silence. Then there's a muffled voice from outside.

"What...? There's someone in there...!" *there's a crack and some light leaks in. Someone's reaching inside.*

"STAY BACK!!!" *psycho reachers desperately reach out to kill whoever is that's opening the core. They tear the woman limb from limb. "No....! I couldn't save her. I can't control it...! *Kold's voice is heard, though he sounds younger. These must be his thoughts back when he was MB.*

((For the sake of consistency during this next segment: This is MB speaking out loud and this are Kold's thoughts of his past self as MB


*A bloodied man with red hair holding a sword approaches. It's that same man from before, at that one time.*

*Kold looks up at the man and tries to hold back the psycho reachers.* That man again. Please, you have to kill me!*


*the image flashes back to when he first met Brimmstone. This sequence of events is confusing, but considering Kold's train of thought...it's not surprising.*


*Brimmstone is glaring , remembering him from before* "My family.....! My friends....! EVERYONE!!!! YOU TOOK THEM ALL AWAY!!! YOU'LL BE BEGGING FOR DEATH BY THE TIME I'M DONE WITH YOU!!!!" *he creates an inferno around them to prevent them from escaping, and creating a particularly strong flame barrier around the etherial door.*

*Kold returns. Part of his vision is clearer because his mask is cracked. His right eye is reflected in his mask. He has the same blue eyes, but the cyan tint remains intact. His eyes show nothing but malice and cold fury, but behind him...his consciousness, he is in great turmoil. He had just annihilated an entire civilization. Was what the Master doing really the right thing? He couldn't very well go against him, but it still tore him up inside. For now, all he can do is play his part and act the way Master instructed.*



"Master, this one is strong." *he staggers* "I will take care of him myself." *the masked boy's cyan-azure eyes glow with an intense bloodlust and hatred. He dashes around. "Glacial Cannon!" *he fires powerful ice beams from his palms, courtesy of knowledge and power of Phrigustus.*

"Power Geyser!" *Brimmstone punches the ground and magma geysers erupt in a row headng towards the Masked Boy. Even if they miss, they explode after solidifying.*

*I can't...control this power...! It's too much!

"ENOUGH!!!" *Brimmstone's determination becomes power, and blows away the hands. Not even the psychokinesis seems to affect him. Brimmstone is too enraged to notice that he had awakened his Clear Haki at that time.*



*the mastermind seems genuinely surprised and intruiged by this.* "Haki? Interesting. While all humans possess this, a power that transcends weapons and gimmicks, very few are able to use it...let alone use it at this level. His rage has gone so far that it can overpower psychic abilities. Very fascinating. If he survives, I may have some use for him after all."


What is he!? How can he just ignore those attacks?! Am I going to be killed?! This man has been wronged. WHAT SHOULD I DO!?

*The countless souls that Kold had absorbed, for his master's ambition are quickly taking advantage of Kold's mental weakness. Kold cannot contain all of their fury and negative emotions. They overwhelm him and eat away at his consciousness*

"NonononononononononoNOOO!!!!" *MB's body becomes overcome by his emotions, and his psychic powers go out of control.*


*the image flashes inside Kold's mind. Kold is trapped inside a shell of psychic energy, meanwhile he is surrounded by a maelstrom of azure souls. Kold finally manages to see what's going on. His body is moving on its own, but it's much bigger and more powerful than before. He became some sort of monster. He watches, helpless, as he rampages all over Gaia and consumes more souls. With each life lost, Kold's heart weighs more and more.

Master...this isn't what I wanted! There's no way this can be right! Someone....stop me! Kill me! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!


*the image changes, one last time, as Brimmstone strikes Kold in the forehead. Almost all of the souls exit Kold's body through the wound. So many lives, so many thoughts interfering with Kold's own soul...eating away at him. At last...it's over. At last...I can die.....but do I even deserve to die now....?*




*Kold falls to his knees, exhausted from this whole ordeal. He looks up at the ceiling with glazed-over eyes. He starts screaming in agony, with tears streaming down his face. Centuries upon centuries of effort trying to redeem himself have been in vain all along. There's nothing he can ever do to atone for what he's done. Kold has lost all hope. His psyche shattered, Kold's life is in danger.*

Kokujo was shaken from whatever he was pondering from the last sudden memory. Kold was a mess, he was beyond a mess, and if he was left alone there was really no telling what might happen.

Kokujo wanted to help, he hardly really showed it, he hardly knew how in the first place, but Kold was his friend, he felt he needed to do something, he needed to help. Emotions were stirred in Kokujo's long darkened soul that he still lacked the knowledge to fully handle.

Fortunatly, Kyla was much better at this sort of situation and sprang into actio, knowing what she needed to do. She knew Kold better than anyone, so if anyone could bring Kold back from this terrible shock, it would be her.

"Right..." Kokujo nodded in response to Kyla. He wasted no time, kneeling to press his hands to the ground and excersise his control over the rooms shadows once more. Black Shadow arms rose from Kolds own shadow and restrained him as best Kokujo could manage without making them too tight. He wasn't used to trying not to hurt people, but with Kold in not much of a mental state to activly resist, Kokujo could put a lot more focus into maintaining the balance of pressure as Kyla tried to talk to him.

*Kyla bites her lip so hard that it bleeds. All she wants to do is hold Kold tight and comfort him. But soft kind words won't help this time, and the only option left is to be harsh. The last thing in the world Kyla wants to do. Kyla takes in a slow deep breath and punches Kold in the cheek as hard as she can without doing any actual damage. Forget your stereotypical, weak-a** b***h slap, she really seriously punches Kold in the face, then grabs him by the jacket. Her voice growls as she proceeds to yell at him*

HOW DARE YOU?! You're damn right you killed those people. And you know what? There is no going back and changing that. And all those people? Yeah, they probably died hating you. But you know what? They probably all hate you even more right now. You don't deserve life? You don't deserve death? Don't you DARE give me that bullshit now. If you're really sorry, and you really want to atone for what happened then don't you DARE start thinking that way. It was Yokoshima that made you a pawn, don't you ever forget that! If you let yourself wallow here in the past forever then you may as well be pissing all over the graves of those people you killed.

*She lets go of his coat and stands back a little*

Stand up Korudo. Mourn. Feel sorrow. Feel however you need to. But get...the hell up. Stand up and do the only thing you can for those people. Stand and fight Yokoshima. You are no longer under his control. You have the power now to walk on your own feet and fight him. If you give up now and loose yourself in your past then you are wasting all that death and all that pain. THOSE PEOPLE WILL HAVE DIED FOR NO PURPOSE WHILE YOU SAT BY AND DID NOTHING EVEN WHEN YOU HAD THE CHOICE!

*Her voice changes from harsh to stern as she continues, but changes the topic*

Brimmstone didn't want you to know this truth. Whatever his motives, clearly he wanted to spare you this pain, like any sibling would. But you wanted to know. We all did. And since we all chose the truth over ignorance, then we all have to live with it. What do we do now? Forget the reason we came? Walk away because we're too afraid to face what we wanted to know?

*Her cloak is covering her hands, and Kyla is extremely glad for this, because despite her composed and buisnesslike attitude, her hands are shaking horribly. She's terrified to the core, but too stubborn to cave into the fear at the moment*

I'm moving forward. I'm deciding to go on and fight Yokoshima. As far as I'm concerned, this is just one more reason to kick his a**. Not that we needed more reasons. He's manipulated too many people. I won't have him hurting my loved ones any more.

*The punch in the gut was a suprise, as Kyla had been expecting some kind of reaction, but not quite that. She turns her head and spits out a mouthful of blood as though it were a minor annoyance. Her gaze is towards the floor because she fears that looking Kold straight in the face will give away her own emotional turmoil, and her consience is screaming at her that there will be time for her to let this out later, but that this is Kold's moment, and the worst time ever to be selfish. The truth is, that when Kyla was harsh with Kold, it went against her entire personality. She knew full well that her actions might cause a rift between herself and Kold that might never be repaired. But the moment she saw him start to wallow in despair she was forced to make a choice. It was either let Kold loose himself, or force him to move forward at the risk of fracturing their relationship. Keeping Kold from loosing himself in the past was more important. So Kyla had choked down her own feelings and decided. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath and waited until she could look at Kold with a stern and serious gaze instead of an angry one. When she finally spoke, her voice was clear and serious, but far less harsh than before.*

You are right of course. I don't pretend to understand what you're feeling right now. Only that you shouldn't let yourself become lost in it. Even an ignorant child can see that you are in a great deal of pain, and that it would be an easy, even an understandable thing to be swept away in such grief. For striking you before, I apologize. But...at least you're on your feet.

*She shifts her gaze to Kokujo and Raiden*
Anything you'd like to add?

*Kold looks at Raiden, then turns away and says nothing. Raiden had to deal with quite a lot as Yokoshima's puppet, so he would understand more than anyone. It was somewhat comforting to know that he wasn't the only one. Though compared to how he feels now, it may as well be someone saying, "I've chipped a tooth before" when your own head was cut off.*

*he looks to Kokujo. He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling that they would clash in the future. Maybe they would become enemies again. Kold smirks. If someone's going to kill him for the world's sake in the future, it would be nice if the world thought of Kokujo as a hero.*

((OOC: To be clear, the above statement about Kokujo is simply a reaction to how he's feeling now. Kokujo's a worthy adversary; someone of Kold's respect. I'm actually not foreshadowing anything here. xp ))

*he looks down at Kyla. Kold did regret punching her in the stomach, a little...but for once Kold couldn't accept her feelings. Not this time. She was still only a child in relative terms, and yet she is so strong. Her heart is more caring and stronger than anyone else's he's known. She has the greatest strength of a human, and she's not even human. And even after everything, at least up until now, she loved him. Kold....a puppet that should never have been born. For some reason, she loved him. Even if he was a demon, knowing her made life pretty good. ....yes. For her sake, he'll keep going. Even if he had to endure this pain alone, he owes it to her to at least stick it out for as long as she's with him.*

*Kold turns back to Raiden, and places his hand on his shoulder.*

"Of course."


*he walks towards the stairs*

"There's nothing more I can do here. Even if I'm the world's biggest joke, we don't have time for this."

*Kold forces himself onward. His words are more of a New-Years' Resolution than intention...but he made his body proceed through the door anyway.*