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If R.D. felt anything of Lament's power, his face showed no sign of fear or worry. His eyes only narrowed further. "And now you want to do something that'll seal not only this Dark-link, but Lumiya's power as well?" he said, voice full of bitter sarcasm. "I'm beginning to see why Azaleas was able to pull off his mad grab for power. How many more unwise decisions are the lot of you going to make before you realize it's too late? Reinstate Kuro as the Dark Balance? Hope Ziatoch does the dirty job of killing one of your brethren for you?"

He shook his head and started the struggle against Serenade's power, to try and move. "The only Balance here that knows what needs to be done here is Kuro, God help you. The rest of you are too goddamn out of touch with the worlds to know what danger you're in. You don't even realize how close you were all to being erased! You don't even know what's now sleeping in this very tower, and you think any of you stand a chance against Azaleas and Ziatoch?"

R.D. began to laugh, and none of it held any mirth--just bitter resignation.

Edited by RisingDragon on April 8, 2013 at 23:56:42


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"I can't expect a youth like you to understand the workings of the E.D.C., or the responsibility of a Supreme Balance. You do not yet realize how much responsibility comes with such power, and such a title." Lament said with a surprisingly calm demeanor. "If I don't put a strong enough seal on you it will likely be broken and send the darkness in you into overdrive, and you'll go insane in a matter of hours. But, if I place a more powerful seal on you, you'll merely suffer a loss of power, which you will regain when I remove the seal. Now, if I do nothing, you might have..." He paused and did a quick examination of the hotheaded warrior. "Four days."
~Not even enough time to round up the army from Ventre.~ Kuro thought to himself.

"Azaleas is my only concern. His power dwarfs Ziatoch's--there is no comparison. Whether or not he will choose to use his full power on the heroes of Earth or even Ziatoch is another matter... But, to answer your silly little question: Yes. If the time came for us to intervene we could handle the situation in Beta. But until the E.D.C. declares that Beta is in a state of emergency we can only watch, and allow you passage through the Nexus."

"R.D., you are very young, and your knowledge of the multiverse is still quite narrow in comparison to those in this tower, so heed the words of the Council. They might be wankers some times, but most of the time they know what they're doing. They'll help you as much as they can without breaking protocol, so stay on their good side." Kuro said kindly, and then moved close to the boy's ear to whisper something. "Also, don't piss off Lament--he has enough power to wipe out pretty much all of existence without breaking a sweat...and the same goes for Serenade." With that said the spirit turned to the Balances and grinned. "Take good care of the boy, you hear? My time's up. Gotta go." Kuro said upbeat, and then seemed to just dissolve away.

"You can release him Serenade. After all, it isn't like the boy can hurt us." Lament said nonchalantly, and Serenade complied. "Now then, have you ever had a seal placed on you?"


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If this is what we have protecting the balance of the Multiverse, it's little wonder the Omega Core planned to reset everything, was R.D.'s train of thought. They can't even take Ziatoch's threat seriously and refuse to act against the monster that's been killing them off one-by-one.

"Have you ever had amnesia before with your memories forcibly locked away by a superweapon?" R.D. shot back as he tested his motor control--how the bloody hell would he know if he's had a seal placed on him before? He knew Kuro wanted him to cool it and work with these fool Balances, but their constant underestimation was beginning to grate at his nerves. "You tell me. How long is this seal supposed to last? If I have to keep it on while I kill Azaleas, we might as well forget about it."

Edited by RisingDragon on April 8, 2013 at 21:17:28


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Quote from post #231868:
Originally posted by Juno
==Nexus, Past==


Lament arched an eyebrow, slightly surprised by Meta's tactics. But, nevertheless, they were amateurish to one who had regularly trained with the greatest combatants in the multiverse.

The Supreme Darkness spun his wrist around to release himself from his opponent's grasp, and then jumped back a bit to avoid her strikes. When he found himself surrounded by clones of Meta he couldn't help but smirk. He had seen this strategy many times before, but only one person had ever managed to utilize it perfectly enough to actually hurt him, and that person was Kuro. Could Meta do the same?

"You speak of products made by Kuro. They have learned their weaknesses, and how to overcome and/or avoid them. They make the impossible seem possible. How? Because their creator demanded it." Lament replied sternly. "You want to become as invulnerable as The Seven? Spend a few hundred years in here training, and maybe you'll get there. But honestly, you probably don't stand a chance without the proper tutelage..." His smirk grew just a little as he paused. "Does that anger you? Does it get you all hot and bothered knowing that if you were only able to train under the right individual you could be even greater than The Seven?" The Balance slipped his hands into his pockets a moment, and leaned toward Meta. "You know what makes it really funny? I know the only three people in the multiverse who could get you to that level of power and skill."



Meta screamed her lungs out in Lament's face as her clones shot at him and would chase him should they need to, to pummel him with hands lit with shadow and flame and lightning. "If that is what it takes, I will do it! And then I'll come back to wipe that cheesy smirk off your face!" Her anger seemed to have turned not only against her father and the state of the Beta dimension, but Lament now as well as he taunted her.

"Lemme guess, that makes you, Serenade and the dead Satan?! Well, lucky me, I'm no Light Balance, so training under Serenade would be useless!" Lightning sparks from her arms and shoulders and winds began to flow around the room, growing rapidly in speed. It wasn't even consciously so on Meta's part, or so it seemed. The black and purple marks of Kuro-Raikou briefly shimmered into a pair of wings, before the image died out again. "And dead men tell no tales!" She leapt after her clones and at Lament to get up close into the thick of the melee again to strike, strike and strike again. "What do I have to do to beat you, read your frackin' mind?!"


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Lament did not speak, he only watched and listened calmly. When Meta asked her final question the Supreme Darkness showed his teeth as he smiled and connected telepathically with Meta via the dark-link. "Yes." He replied, and then suddenly he was gone from the girl's sight. "Just as I have read yours." He said from the other side of the room, still using the dark-link. "You are a Dark Balance, Meta--not of this time, but nevertheless... The dark-link is our greatest tool, and deadliest weapon." He said as he stared at Meta from afar with a stern look on his face. "You have seen it's power before, and you have seen it now. I used it to read your attacks, and move out of the way with incredible speed and precision... If you want to become more powerful, more skillful, and more cunning than The Seven, then you must master the dark-link. You have the potential, for you are a Balance, and they are not."

===Nexus, NOW===


"Let me put it to you simply..." Lament started gravely. "Without this seal there will be no fight against Azaleas." He paused for a short moment as he thought about how to word his next sentence. "Azaleas has the powers of a Dark Balance, and you are showing serious signs of corruption. Now, I've seen people like Azaleas turn good, honest men into terrible monsters, so imagine what he could do to you with that darkness growing inside. With the power level he's reached you would be a puppet, and he'd be your master." The Supreme Dark Balance gave that a moment to sink in, and then headed toward the elevator. "So, how about you quit complaining and believe me when I say that I know what I'm doing?"


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Meta looked around after Lament disappeared until she found him again. "The Dark-link? Ts! That better not be some hogwash you're trying to sell, like my father!" She spat on the floor. "Whether it'll be by killing my mind or by mastering this 'dark-link' thing, I fully plan on getting to the top and bringing those f*<#ers down."

She took a sharp breath. Her next words would cost her. "Tell me how."


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R.D. shook his head. "You're forgetting that my mind is blocked off, but if you say so," he muttered, still feeling doubtful. Too much was going on, that neither side knew about, but he knew it to be a wasted effort to continue fighting over it. "Let's just get this over with so I can see how well it holds."

He had a feeling that his own abilities were going to cause complications with this down the line.


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Lament just smirked at the boy's ignorance. He really had no idea what the dark-link was capable of. Mental barriers meant nothing to a power such the dark-link, just as the orders of a colonel meant nothing if the king spoke against them.

"Very well, boy." Lament said as he stood on the odd elevator. "Come along Gyro, R.D., we'll do this on the run if possible."
Gyro was slightly reluctant, he was not in the mood to go back to that hellish dimension so soon, but he knew Lament's orders were absolute. The Dark Balances stood on the elevator waiting for R.D. to join before heading up several thousand feet.

==Nexus, Age of Darkness==


"You want me to teach you how to use it?" Lament asked calmly as he slowly walked toward Meta. "I should warn you, it is not an easy task, and many give up after a few hundred years, yet long before ever coming close to being able to use it on the level you would need to in order to surpass The Seven."


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R.D. approached the light, as Kaitlon had instructed him to, but stopped just before entering its terminus. He looked up, at the nigh-infinite floors of the Nexus. A light on each floor... except for several that had gone dark.

Distantly, he thought back to a battle against a titan in the chaotic, prismatic sky. Of the black rift that swallowed up everything, and the Avatar of Destruction that had torn it into being.

R.D. wondered just how many of those darkened floors were Ziatoch's work, and how many of them had been his and Dragon Drive FINAL's. Slowly, he shook his head and stepped into the beam of light with Lament and Gyro, soaring up after them on the ride.


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"I worship the supreme comrade Cossack!"
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"Now then, Gyro, if you would assist me in doing a quick analysis in order to deduce what method and seal would be most effect..." Lament said, allowing his voice to drift off at the end.

Gyro and Lament's eyes shined purple as they looked him over from all sides, peering into his flesh, bones, nervous system, brain, and the inner workings of his mind and soul. There was nothing about R.D. that they could not see.

"I would suggest an archaic seal, possibly from the Darmoth volumes, or maybe something stronger... Yggdrasillian?" Gyro said analytically as he glanced over at the Supreme Darkness.
"I don't think it will be necessary with you traveling alongside. I suggest the Karna Sanitum out of the book of Ybain." Lament said in a similar tone.
"I see." Gyro stated. "You're worried about his sanity as well?" He asked via the dark-link.
"A bit." Lament replied. "Let us begin."

The two circled R.D. for a moment with their hands clasped together as though they were in prayer, all the while the elevator was soaring up past the hundred-thousandth floor. The Balances began chanting in a language not of Earth and not of Hell, neither was it of Heaven nor any dimension R.D. had been to before. The phrases shot out of their mouths with amazing speed, and then suddenly Lament stopped in front of R.D. with his hand aflame. He stopped chanting, but Gyro did not.

"This is going to hurt." Lament warned as the flames on his hand went to his index finger and turned white hot. He then went to burn a cross into R.D.'s chest about 5 inches down and 2 inches across.
Once the cross was complete Gyro ended the chant with the sealing words: "Karna Sanitum." He then placed his palms on the boy's back, and then the burn mark became a white metallic cross embedded in the boy's chest.

"Keep an eye on the cross, R.D." Lament warned sternly. "The darker it becomes the worse the corruption, and the weaker the seal."
"If it turns black the seal is broken, and the corruption will likely take you over. But, I will do my best to strengthen it if needed." Said Gyro.
"You're in good hands, young man. Gyro's specialty is magic seals. Now," he paused shortly. "How do you feel?"


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R.D.'s eyes tightened from the pain as he was branded by Lament's flame, and his body flinched a bit, but otherwise it was nothing he wasn't able to bear. He'd felt worse pain--this was nothing compared to Dragon Drive FINAL slamming its claw through his chest, or the blinding pain that accompanied Re-Tuul's Meteor Breaker.

What bothered him more was the psychic and spiritual tightening he felt, like a second skin set over his body a size too small. He grimaced at the feel before putting his shirt and overshirt back on. "Feels like someone lit my chest on fire," he muttered dryly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a test to run."

He stepped back from the two of them, and seized Lumiya's energies. His eyes dilated and took on a deadened look, and at once, he channeled, causing a stunning array of violet bolts of light to scatter across his visible skin in a systematic array.

For an instant, R.D.'s body flared with a baleful, silver-blue light that would make Lament uncomfortable just to be near. It was only there for a split second, a brief sliver of Crystalis to test the seal placed on him.

R.D. was silent for several moments afterwards as he let go of Lumiya, causing his skin and eyes to return to normal. His expression was unreadable, but inside his fears were confirmed as he felt the reverberation on Lament's seal.

"Well, let's hope it lasts long enough for me to get used to this... Dark-link," he finally said. Lament's power was unfathomable, he was sure, but it still had that one fatal flaw to it. "It's not going to last long if I have to generate more Crystalis."


"Why do you care that I care that you care enough to care that I care for caring?" "Conversation isn't your strong point, is it?"
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= Nexus Past =


"A couple hundred years?" Meta grimaced. "That better not be the only thing you're gonna teach me if it'll take that long. I've got much more time than that, ten times as much! But I don't want to be meditating on some psychic weirdness all day and night."

She paused, seeming hesitant for a bit, but then something flared up in her eyes. "Let's do it. Teach me all you can." Another pause. Was saying that too demanding? "Well, at least starting with everything about being a Dark Balance." She added with a bit of a smile.


Edited by Morphman on April 24, 2013 at 10:38:33


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Lament smirked at Meta's eagerness. She certainly did seem to have a tendency to rush into things. Oh well, she'd realize soon enough what she had gotten herself into.

"Very well, Meta..." The Supreme Darkness said as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and came within a few feet of the girl. "First, we will go over the basics. What the dark-link is, how it is used, and what its weaknesses are. We begin in ninety minutes in the library."

The silver-haired Balance then walked away, heading toward the exit. "I suggest you wash up and try to relax beforehand..." He paused just in front of the door, and then turned to look at Meta with an impish grin. "It will take a while." He stated, and then chuckled lightly before vanishing from sight.

==Nexus, Present==


The Balances weren't too sure what the boy was doing at first, but after a few seconds Lament realized, and a disapproving look came over his face.

"Conserve your energy, R.D.--don't do anything to create a negative reaction with the seal. Gyro is good, but that doesn't mean you can be reckless." He said firmly, his eyes cold like those of an ice dragon.

"We're here." Gyro said as the elevator slowed to a stop over a million floor up. "The passages to Ventre are tricky." He said as he stepped out onto the glowing white floor. "The chaos in the dimension has made them a bit unreliable, so we may not end up exactly where we're supposed to."
"Take care of him, Gyro. He's strong, but he is still very young." Lament said in something of a fatherly tone via the dark-link.
"I will, sir. You can count on me." Gyro replied. "Follow me." He said to R.D. as he trod the circular walkway.


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"Well, dimensional portals throwing me into trouble is hardly anything new," he remarked. He ignored Lament's remark on the conservation of energy--there really was no avoiding that with what he was going to begin. He began to follow Gyro onto the Ventre floor, looking about at this level of the dark tower.


"Why do you care that I care that you care enough to care that I care for caring?" "Conversation isn't your strong point, is it?"
"I worship the supreme comrade Cossack!"
"OugharagarraaahhHHH: When 'Ow' just won't cut it."
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= Nexus Past =

Meta pondered as she watched Lament leave. Relax? It would be hard for her to do so, with all the things on her mind, all the goals she left so far in the future. She went to clean herself up and get ready nonetheless, for she wouldn't miss this for the world.

Well, maybe not the world...

Within 90 minutes, the training she believed would teach her all she needed to know to defeat her father and his Beasts and set the world right would begin. She arrived right on time.



(Considering we probably won't be RPing out the entire thousands of years of training and Meta will stay in the Nexus until the time Hydro sent her back arrives, timeskip? She'd prolly be present at, or at the very least nearby, where R.D. is right now. IIRC, R.D. could pick up personal power signals, so he could sense her, as she wouldn't be hiding it while in the Nexus.)

Edited by Morphman on April 25, 2013 at 13:57:39


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(OOC: Time skip will be needed. But, let's at least touch on the lessons.)

Lament stood in the enormous library that The Nexus housed waiting for Meta to arrive. The shelves went at least ten stories high, and there were about twenty rooms to this library, each about an acre large.

"Right on time." Lament said with a grin as he watched the girl enter. "Have a seat." He said, and then a black board appeared behind him in a puff of smoke and a desk and chair appeared before him. "I hope you are prepared to take notes, because I talk fast, I use big words, and I do not repeat myself. Let's begin."
At that moment the chalk seemed to come alive and started writing on the board: The Dark-Link ~ What It Is.

"The dark-link is a complicated yet very simple thing. To put it in basic, it is the essence of corruption, which is to say that nothing can truly be corrupted without it. Why? Because whether the corrupter realizes it or not they are using the dark-link to infect their target. The dark-link is the essence that allows a being of darkness to infect another being. But, let us go more in depth. The dark-link has also been considered to be the thoughts, intentions, auras, souls, and even the energy of all evil or impure beings made up into one all encompassing invisible and intangible entity. Some of its users choose to think of it as a radio that picks up on all of the thoughts and et cetera of evil beings, and can be tuned to any specific being of darkness. However nice of an analogy that is, it is inaccurate. One of the foremost authorities on the dark-link, Kuro Balance, said that 'it is like a two-way puppet string connecting all impure beings. If you want to hear the thoughts of a sadist tug on the string connected to his mind, and if you wish to have a demon for your personal plaything just pull the right strings. However, make sure the one on the other side of the string is weaker, or you become the puppet.' This analogy is far more accurate. By using this as a guideline it is easier to comprehend and sometimes simplify the complicated aspects of the dark-link, such as corrupting a soul. If you are able to locate the string connected to a soul then you should be able to bend it to your will, and if you succeed in doing that, then you should be able to impose your own darkness upon it." Finally, the Supreme Darkness paused for a couple seconds. "Any questions so far?"


(OOC: Gotta get ready for rehearsal, I'll reply to R.D. when I get back)


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(OOC: Alrighty, sounds like a plan. Figured that'd be done, yes. Good luck with rehearsal!)


When Meta came in, greeting Lament, and found in reply a desk, chair and black board in front of her, her mouth dropped. "Oh no." Was he kidding? She figured she did have a lot to learn, but actually getting taught like lowborn peasants in their schools?

She sat down hesitantly and, not having any on her, searched the desk's drawers for pen and paper. Finding it, she hastened to get at least the key words and definitions of Lament's lecture down. It wasn't easy. She hadn't ever done this before, or remotely anything like it. Memories that resembled it leaked into her mind, but she knew they weren't hers and couldn't recognize whom they belonged to. Was this the same as what happened before, or was it the dark-link subtly at work?

When Lament finished, she pondered on questions, her mind flooded with information, but she didn't wait long. "Yes, what if two people are equally strong and adept at using the dark-link? And could you use certain kinds of magic in combination with the dark-link, like enchantment to make it easier to control them, and perhaps make up for lack of control of the dark-link itself, or boost its power?"



(OOC: Took a liberty with the desk for practicality.)

Edited by Morphman on April 26, 2013 at 13:45:21


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(OOC: RD, why do you keep calling it a dark tower? o.0 There's a big beam of golden light down the center illuminating the whole place.)

"In the rare event that two equals face off against each other using the dark-link the victor will likely be whoever has the most stamina, but if they are truly equal in all ways there is no sure method to determine who will come out on top." Lament quickly answered his student's inquiry. "As for your second question: Magic does not effect the dark-link, but there are other methods for boosting its power. For example, if another being of darkness were to use the dark-link to enter your mind, not as an attack but as an assist, they could lend you their power and knowledge of the dark-link on top of what you already possess. Now, if you're asking if using a spell to weaken an opponent will make it easier to control creatures with the dark-link the answer should be clear. As I stated earlier, you can control another being of darkness with it so long as that being is weaker than you. Now, when I say weaker I do not strictly mean physically; mental strength is key, and their skill with the link is also very important."

==Nexus, Present==

Gyro walked past several portal, each one showing stars, planets, and the darkness of outer space. "Do you know where in Ventre you need to go?" He asked as continued moving along the path.

Meanwhile, Lament had other matters to tend to. The silver-haired Balance teleported away to the library, where he was sure his student would be meditating as he had instructed. "Meta Balance." He called out to her. "The time has come for your final exam... Are you ready?"

Edited by Juno on April 26, 2013 at 14:02:42


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(OOC: It's a reference to the Dark Tower series, how the Dark Tower holds up all dimensions and is the center of the universe. Also because R.D. saw it as a dark tower on the outside given his environment prior to entry.)

"Ventre's version of Earth," R.D. told him. "Specifically, a city on it that holds a way to communicate with the entire world at once. I have a proclamation to make."

R.D. looked around, frowning. While he had been distracted before, the resonance occurring in Lumiya was getting stronger and more insistent. "What the hell is causing that?" he muttered, mostly to himself.


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Gyro listened to the boy's request, and was a little troubled, for he knew there was but a single place like what he had described. "I know of only one location that can do that in Ventre... The Palace of Fallen Heroes; Azaleas' domain." He replied gravely, stopping in front of a portal that showed the planet Earth.

The Balance looked back at R.D. with one eyebrow raised. "Causing what?" He asked, obviously a bit confused.


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= Nexus Past, Thousands of Years Later, Making it the Present =

It felt almost like she had been sitting in a serene stasis for many years when she was brought out of it by Lament. Her eyes snapped open with a crackle of lightning, and her eyes were briefly washed over by a golden glow before settling to their normal reds. Her mind felt different now, after all these years. Honed. Ready. Dark. Every movement she could feel the synapses in her body firing with an awareness that had come with so many years of training and meditation on use of powers she had had, but not mastered. If she were to face the same Electra as before, she didn't doubt that she might even be stronger than her in the magics of wind and lightning.

She rose slowly, deliberately, and looked at her teacher. "I'm ready," she told Lament, regarding him as her master the way a student does his teacher, rather than a worker does his boss, though she had always refused herself to call him that out loud. The title of Dark Balance did come with an added sense of pride.

She felt the Hand of Chaos that covered her left hand vibrate and send off a mental hum towards her, which caused her light disturbance. She gave it a frown, but pondered it no more briefly than a second or two. This moment she had waited for for ages, trained for for ages, and she would not let the damn thing distract her from glory.


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Lament had told her some time ago what the last test would be, so he wasted little time getting started. This would not be your average exam by any means. No... This was to be a battle of the mind, a test of power, cunning, and skill. It would show whether or not Meta had truly learned all the Supreme Darkness had taught her.

"You must last twenty minutes against me using only the dark-link. If you are rendered unconscious or fail to impress me during those twenty minutes you will have to retake the last four years of training, as I said before." Lament said coldly. "You have first move, Meta Balance. Begin."


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She took a deep breath. This wouldn't be easy. Lament was a formidable opponent, she knew that. This time the assignment was to last, however, and the defensive was usually the easier side to be on. Still, she wouldn't allow herself to cut herself a little slack. If she would have to retake the last four years of training, she would be too late. The long time spent in the Nexus had been disorienting versus the Beta realm, but it had been made clear to her that around this time was when the Dark Apocalypse was happening, the time she originally came from. She might not have another four years, and getting the Sword of Time afterwards and reversing time to travel back to this point and setting everything right before everything would be destroyed would just make things worse, cause a time paradox, and who knows what horrible world-destroyer could end up showing up because of it. Lament was bound to know that, but did he know something she didn't pertaining to this very moment? Did he have a measure of foresight, knowing that she wouldn't fail, and thus wouldn't have to undergo teaching for those four more years, and thus would be in time to prevent everything from going to Hell even further? He just had to, she decided, as she finalized readying her mind against his assault, fortifying it even as the thoughts within had gone this way and that in the meantime. She had been taught well. She was going to prove it, and the ambitious side of her dared even add a glimmer of the thought that she might one day surpass Lament.

After all that training and gaining power, she figured she could best most Dark Balances already, and her father topped her list.


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R.D. was silent for a moment, his mouth pulled back in a thoughtful frown. He shook his head, clearing his mind and putting away the resonance. "It's nothing. Just Lumiya acting up."

He could've sworn he'd felt that resonance several times before, though. Never mind that.

"So, the Palace of Fallen Heroes?" he spoke up. "How fitting. Sounds like the perfect place to make such an announcement."

He looked back over at Gyro Balance. "Anything in particular I should know about the region surrounding it?" he asked. "Any demon viceroy or something?"


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Gyro was curious as to what exactly was going on with R.D., but chose not to ask any more questions at the moment. ~This boy is not in his right mind if he thinks he can make it into Azaleas palace by himself. After all, I'm only supposed to act as his guide.~

"Anything in particular I should know about the region surrounding it? Any demon viceroy or something?"
"How familiar are you with Carnax?"

==Library==


"Taking the defensive, are you?" Lament asked via the dark-link. ~Maybe she isn't ready. I thought I had taught her better than that.~ He said to himself, and then launched a psychic assault using the dark-link on Meta's mind, comparable in power to dropping several atom bombs in her head. If she remembered her lessons she would survive...


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"Not a whole lot, I suppose," R.D. admitted. "He's the de-facto leader of the remaining Five Beasts underneath Kuro, and that he excels in power."

Once more Lumiya's resonance swept through him, as if encouraging him towards something. Or encouraging something or someone else--there had to be something around here affecting it.

He made an aside glance, as if thinking. "I'm guessing with Azaleas over in my world, he's filling in for him," he continued. "I'm more concerned with regional commanders, whatever cronies he and the other Beasts send my way before they realize what they're up against."

As Gyro would make his answer, another thought came to him, his experience bringing up other bits of knowledge that he could find useful. He waited on the response before asking, "I don't suppose you know what the terrain around this Palace is like, do you? A city with some high-rises or a really tall tower or two?"


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"Ventre is nearly a mirrored dimension of Beta. You can expect the same of this Earth as you can of your own, but about ten times worse. However, there is one particular commander I would watch out for if I were you..." Gyro paused a moment, and bowed his head momentarily. "There is a mighty warrior that guards the palace walls in Carnax's stead. There are some who call her Lady Death, others dubbed her as the Destroyer of Men..." Finally he looked up. "The Seven Beasts just call her Wrath."

"The Palace of Fallen Heroes is a city. It seems when Azaleas took over completely he expanded his home several hundred miles. There are only jagged mountains, the palace and the mighty guarded walls that surround it." Gyro replied plainly. "R.D., I must protest to you going there; it's a suicide mission."


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"Fighting Dragon Drive FINAL is a suicide mission," R.D. corrected. "Fighting Azaleas without the full might of Lumiya is a suicide mission."

He glanced at Gyro. "So far I've done both and lived, so I can't let Carnax or this Wrath woman scare me into submission. This has to be done, Gyro. Azaleas is out of the Council's control and everyone but the Supreme Balances seem to know it," he told him. He looked forward once more, his expression set. "I'm the only one he's afraid of. I'm the only one who can stop him now and not leave the world a cinder."


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It was clear that this boy was determined, and downright stubborn. Gyro wasn't going to be able to talk the kid out of this. He let out a defeated sigh. "Very well." Without another word he stepped through the portal, expecting R.D. to follow.

The area the two entered was a room nearly the exact opposite of the white room Kaitlon had made, and was filled with portals, and above each one was the name of the province written in light. "Stay close." He said commonly as he walked by about a dozen portals before coming to one that showed black cliffs and mountains. "Beyond those rocks is Azaleas' palace." Gyro Balance stated, and then turned his gaze to the young warrior. "I hope you have some tricks up your sleeves."

The Balance looked at the portal again, and sighed. He hated Ventre--it was a vile and chaotic place, and nothing like his beloved Synto. But, even so, he was prepared to enter that hellish place once again in order to help the Rising Dragon. "Whenever you're ready."


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"The defensive is the easier option," Meta replied through the link, "but you know what they say about defense." She then began with a quick assault launched at the back of Lament's mind, trying to sabotage his subconscious first, and then immediately follow up with distractions both left and right, quickly, to just plant the seed and get out of the way again. With a few more such strikes, she felt more certain of the tactic that was pure to her: she tried to read Lament's mind and launch at him a full-frontal assault at a weaker point, surrounded by imagery of what little she knew of things Lament liked or desired, or at least once did.

Edited by Morphman on April 30, 2013 at 15:46:44


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