Sage Frontier Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of two Fakes! ❯ The Endless Abyss ( Chapter 48 )

DISCLAIMER: I don't own SaGa Frontier. SquareSoft does, and they said that I can have control over Fuse's scenario. What sucks is that his scenario was cut from the game. Cheapskates.

 

Aeon didn't like having to lead a team of merry morons through the corridor of darkness, nor did he want to send them into a world where any slight in magic could cause it to collapse. But he did so. He did so only because not doing it would prove far more harmful than anything even Zozma would try. So, he walked through the portal, the others following. Blue wasn't sure what to make of the short journey, to be honest. It was pitch-black, and he half-expected to fall off of the invisible floor they appeared to be walking on, but other than that, there was nothing to make the corridor stand out in his mind. It was like walking through a tunnel. Barely any magic at all…

 

When they came out, they were in a courtyard. It would have looked nice, and at first glance, the fountain in the center was marvelous indeed. But as they got closer, Blue saw that the fountain was overgrown with moss and did not work, and that the lawns were overgrown with weeds. Some weeds were so thick and hardy that it broke up the few patches of sidewalk still left. And though the court itself was enclosed, he could see the walls were crumbling, losing a battle against the ivy that was engulfing the place. And beyond that was a large castle, darkly sinister against the dusky purple of the sky. Much like the courtyard walls, ivy was threatening to choke it to death as well. Blue shivered. How could anything live here?

 

“Where are we?” he asked quietly, as the portal behind them vanished. Ildon and Zozma seemed just as curious, albeit just as cautious as he was. Aeon just sighed, trying to straighten what was left of his coat.

 

“Nesce, the world of the Espers,” the time-keeper replied, “Or, whatever is left of it.”

 

“Looks like a bomb hit the place,” Zozma remarked, glancing around. Even Facinaturu looked more lively than this place, and he hated being in his own world. Aeon gave a snort that sounded like a mixture between amusement and bitterness.

 

“Three thousand years of neglect will do that to a world,” Aeon replied quietly, “This world was on its last hinges. No one even thought it would still stand after what happened. We're quite lucky we've arrived.” Zozma looked over, realizing that this was actually serious. He should've known. After all, Espers were much like Mystics - their brand of Mystics, anyway. They loved living in luxury. This was the complete opposite.

 

“Tell me she's alive,” he said, and Aeon nodded, but didn't look at him. Instead, he looked up at the crumbling castle, at what had once been the clock tower. The large glass clock face had long since shattered. He remembered how it had broken; a desperate attempt to flee with one's life had done it.

 

“She is, and she's waiting,” he told them. Then, he led them out of the court, and through the large doors into the structure.

 

The sight was only minimally better. The hallway was destroyed, all pillars obliterated and the marble remains scattered across the cracked floor. The tapestries once adorning the walls were torn apart, and the chandelier in the center had fallen long ago, becoming home only to spiders and dust. There was no light, only slits falling from the moon above. Blue shivered again. No life to be had, but he felt magic as ancient as the worlds themselves. Then, he saw something move, and walk toward them. No, not something. Someone, who had a second figure with them, too.

 

“Who is there?” came a low voice, distinctly female. There was a German accent to it that didn't sound right to Blue, but the voice held authority to it that said she didn't expect to be ignored. And when she came in the moonlight, Blue was sourly surprised. The woman was not old - not physically, though he knew underneath the youthful look was a spirit as old as most races. She was not tall, either, barely standing at five-foot-four. She had two bat wings on her back and a long, spiked tail that lashed impatiently. Her long hair was tied back in a sash, and she wore a blue tail coat with unattached sleeves. The pendant on her chest marked her as an Esper Prince.

 

And next to her was a man, much taller than she was at six feet. He wore a black cloak, and his blue hair streamed down his back. There was an X-shaped scar on his face, and he looked even more imposing than Fuse did. He also looked as though he had no room for humor, or to entertain guests. He bore no jewels, and he was not an Esper, but Blue had no idea whose power was stronger.

 

“Who are you?” the woman asked, more forcefully this time, “…Aeon?”

 

“Sith, I've brought the Time Lord,” Aeon said calmly, and added, “As well as a few people who require your aid.” The woman, Sith, did not look happy in the least. Blue could see her features clearly enough. She was beautiful, but her expressions were incredibly harsh, much like her voice. That expression soured as she looked at the newcomers. She wasn't impressed.

 

“With what?” she asked flatly, and Blue winced. Such bitterness toward those words.

 

“To find someone,” Aeon replied simply. Sith looked at her companion for a moment. He shook his head, though about what, Blue couldn't tell. Sith sighed, looking back at Aeon.

 

“I'm busy restoring what is left of my world, and you expect me to drop my work and find someone,” she reiterated, and Aeon nodded. She snorted almost disdainfully, “You ask a lot, Aeon.”

 

“I've done more for you,” he pointed out, and she looked at him, “Sith, your reality isn't the only one affected. This man…” he pointed to Blue, “…lost his brother because time was spliced apart. You understand that pain. You lost Sceppiro.”

 

“Do not dare to bring this up right now,” Sith snapped angrily, and crossed her arms, “I may have lost my family, but I am not responsible for every problem that crosses Oblivion. Not any longer. I fulfilled my sentence. Bring it to Bahamut.”

 

“So he can tell us that Rouge is lost forever?” Aeon retorted, and Sith fell silent. Aeon sighed and said, “I never knew her defeat would make you so heartless.” Sith's eyes hardened as she stared at her old friend. Heartless… yes, she had been a heartless, once, years ago. The man next to her, with the scar, was the only reason she was pulled out of it. Sighing, she took his hand, and he smiled warmly at her.

 

“Aeon…” she said, backing away a step, “Who is this person, and what is the reason?” Aeon smiled at her. That meant he'd done his job. Sith was on their side, whether she wanted to be or not. He looked at Blue, feeling he ought to tell her, since it was his brother. Blue stepped up and knelt before the woman.

 

“My lady, the person in question is my twin brother, Rouge,” he said to her, “He and I are magicians from the Magic Kingdom. He… he vanished after I threw him into the doors of light within a mystical replica of the Luminous dungeon.”

 

“A stupid move indeed,” Sith stated firmly, and Blue felt the weight of her words crushing him, “I have heard and known what you've done, young one. If not for your foolish action, your brother would be with you now.” Blue looked up at her, tears stinging his eyes. How did she possibly know what he'd done, and how did she expect him to predict a difference in reality? Her eyes betrayed nothing short of disappointment in him. She was an Esper. She would have sensed a shift long before even the Time Lord would have.

 

“How the hell could we have known it would happen!?” Zozma yelled at her, and the man with the scar snarled viciously at him. He realized that he might be dealing with two Espers, and wisely backed away. Sith, however, calmed her companion with a wave of her hand. It didn't dissipate his growl, but he didn't move to attack.

 

“If your race is as strong as mine, you should have at least thought of it,” she said sternly, crossing her arms, “And you…” She looked directly at the Time Lord, “…should have warned them. By your actions, time has been altered considerably and we may have lost the Hero of Magic.” Blue looked at the older Mystic. He had no idea what was going on, but Sith's words hit the poor man hard. The Time Lord couldn't look at her.

 

“Hero?” Blue asked her. She glanced at him for a second. Her eyes seemed to see much more than a magician in that second.

 

“Avatar, young one,” Sith said to him calmly, “There are, in effect, twelve. There are always twelve Avatars, each one representing a different side of the same dice. When one falls, it rebirths within the next millennia. But for obvious reasons, we do not like to lose our own.” A thousand years was a long time to go without a Hero. So then… Aubergine was gone?

 

“Rouge and I are Heroes?” he asked her, but Sith shook his head. Her expression softened for once.

 

“Aubergine was… an exception,” she explained gently, “A manmade avatar, a false replica. A farce.”

 

“What do you mean!?” Ildon asked her, and his brows creased, “I'm sorry, my queen, but you are telling us our friends are nothing more than fakes. They are, and I assure you, everything but fake.” Sith considered him carefully. There was a knowing glint in her eyes as she looked over. Something that said she knew well what she said.

 

“What I mean is that Aubergine was created using science, not within the bounds of nature,” she replied easily, and the room grew cold, “Humans are a hard lot, and magic is restricted to them for a very real reason. Aubergine was created with one purpose: to break those limits and create someone who could wield every type of magic within Oblivion. They nearly succeeded.” Blue knew where the flaw was. It was in the fact that he and Rouge let each other live, and loved each other. They had grown up as brothers, not as rivals. That was why they had been separated when their parents died.

 

“We foiled them,” Blue whispered, and Sith nodded.

 

“Because of your bond with your brother, you both are Heroes. The Twins of Magic,” Sith said emphatically, “But that comes with a cost. The Hero only lives when both brothers are alive.” So if Rouge was dead, it was no wonder she was so annoyed with the Time Lord. They'd just lost one hero, and in his world, it was the year 2007. Almost one thousand years before a new Hero of magic would be reborn.

 

“Rouge is dead,” Blue said quietly, and didn't notice Sith was looking at him. She looked away for a second. Perhaps that had been a harsh thing to imply. What happened was a tricky thing to explain; she had only seen it happen twice in her long life, and both times, she hadn't even physically been there. Who was she to proclaim Rouge dead?

 

“Perhaps not, but if he is within the Endless Abyss, he won't have much time before his soul is devoured,” she explained, and everyone's attention sharpened, “The Endless Abyss is much like a black hole. It sucks in the energy of lost souls. That is what fuels the magical links throughout Oblivion; energy from these souls.” Blue felt himself getting sick. If that were true, why didn't the Espers do anything to stop it? He had been told long ago that Espers were responsible for the peace of Oblivion, and in effect, every world within. Surely, it was their job to oversee such a huge problem.

 

“Sith, how long does it take for this to happen?” Orlouge asked her. Her lips thinned. And her eyes glinted underneath her glasses. With the reflected moonlight coming up off the marble, it illuminated her face in an eerie manner. Blue suppressed a shudder.

 

“How strong is his soul?” she countered in reply, “I cannot say for sure, as I've never met him.”

 

“If he's anything like Blue, he'll go kicking and screaming,” Fuse said to her. Sith thought about this carefully. Blue looked strong enough, and she felt how powerful his will was. Yes… Rouge had some time. But still, it was nothing compared to what it could take just to touch such a plane. Even with her slowly waning power, the Abyss was no friend. It would never yield, not without a price. A price she knew the man beside her would never pay.

 

“We may just have hope,” she said, and then turned, “Follow me.” Blue smiled warmly. He had never thought he'd receive an Esper's help, but something must've gotten to her. Without hesitation, he followed her down the darkening hallway. Whether anyone followed them, he didn't know.

 

Sith led him down the hall and then up a half-broken flight of steps onto the second floor of the castle. Here, chunks of the outside wall were missing, and moonlight spilled in, casting long, silver rays on the broken floor and up the crumbling walls. Blue looked as they walked down a side passage, and saw torn portraits of past lords of the castle - Sith's family, he guessed, as they all had the same black hair and green eyes. Most of the pictures were of men; only two were women. One, he knew, was Sith's mother. The other may have been a cousin, for she had red hair, not black, though the resemblance to Sith was uncanny.

 

After a short distance, Sith turned again into a slightly-open door. Blue followed her, and they walked into a large round chamber. Here, the walls had not yet broken, and the moonlight streamed in through cracked glass arches. The throne near the back was broken at the top, and covered with a black sash on the seat, and the floor had sustained moderate damage over the years. The chandelier, however, was perfectly intact. Blue found that quite odd, considering the state of the rest of the castle. Sith didn't seem to notice. She simply walked toward the center of the sparse chamber, and when Blue stopped, he nearly yelped when he felt the blue-haired man walk right past to join her.

 

The couple stopped dead center of the room, and turned to Blue. He blinked, wondering what they expected from him. Neither said a word, but then Blue heard something in his mind. At first, it translated as just a gentle push. Then, that link sharpened into a spear, and it went past his mental defense so quickly. He knew instantly it was Sith.

 

`Blue, come here,' Sith said calmly. Blue nodded, wondering why she hadn't asked him verbally. Was she worried Orlouge would see? She hadn't said no one else could come along, and when Blue looked back, he saw that the others had followed. They simply knew that Blue would be the most anxious. It was his brother on the line, after all. Maybe it'd look less terrifying if it looked like he was going without her instruction.

 

When Blue was just a few steps away, Sith said, “Opening a portal into the Endless Abyss won't be easy, even for Esper Princes. But it is doable, and I know the way inside. I simply need more power.”

 

“One of us?” Zozma asked her, but Sith shook her head. No, it would not be wise to drain one of them, especially since all of them were going through. The man beside her stepped forward, and finally spoke.

 

“Me,” he said, and his deep voice scared Blue more than the scar on his face. It sounded almost threatening, and in that instance, Blue now understood why the man's power felt so hostile. It had been so pointed, and his expression so sharp. He had to be Sith's husband. Especially since, when Sith touched his arm to calm him down, it actually worked.

 

“Neither Saix nor myself will be going inside of the Abyss, so it's fitting that we should exhaust ourselves,” Sith explained gently, offsetting the hostility in her husband's demeanor, “But you… all of you will be instrumental to the survival of whatever is left of our worlds.” Her words sounded so definite, that it would've been only typical if a flash of lightning had erupted outside in that second. Blue knew she spoke the truth. It terrified him to know that, because there would be no backing away. Even if he ran, he knew now that if they didn't save Rouge, the world would end. But why?

 

“Sith, what's going to happen if we don't go in?” Blue asked her seriously. Sith took a deep breath, and didn't speak for a long moment.

 

“If you do not, then I fear the one who caused the collapse will destroy Oblivion,” she replied seriously, darkly, “This web holds many threads, and they all lead to the center. You will find what you seek there, but only if you have the courage to go through.” Another deep breath, another long moment passed. “Do you have the courage, Blue?”

 

“Rouge is worth my getting that courage,” Blue admitted truthfully, “He's my brother. I can't run away.” Sith smiled, and it looked odd in the darkness. Was it a trick of the light? Was it genuine?

 

“I said the exact same thing before I lost my brother and sister,” she said quietly. Blue shook. Did that mean that even Sith's courage had failed? He couldn't understand why, but he found himself wanting to understand more. He hadn't thought much on it, but perhaps there was more meaning to Aeon's earlier comment, about the man named Sceppiro. Perhaps Sith's situation had been akin to his own.

 

“What happened to them? To your siblings?” he found himself asking, before he could stop it. Sith's smile grew more… sinister. Almost demented, but not quite.

 

“It was nearly five years ago, in another world,” she began, “There was a woman - a Mystic named Rath - who plotted to destroy Oblivion by erasing my family from time itself. By trying to tamper with the memories I had made in different worlds, and by gods, she nearly succeeded. Leading me on like a dog on a leash.

 

“It ended here, in Nesce,” she continued grimly, and her smile faded, “She had gone too far, removing my family from the contexts of time without destroying us. She had made us into phantoms. No history, no memories… nothing but the present. I vowed right then to take her head to Bahamut himself. And, I literally did. Sliced her head clean off.” She paced around for a moment, and Blue never took his eyes off of her. Why did this feel familiar to him?

 

“It was a battle to the death. But not even I could foresee what she would do. The second her life ended, there was a horrifying explosion. Her entire body, her entire world, was set to explode the second she was disposed of,” Sith said, and now her voice shook with emotion, with regret, “It devastated so many worlds, and killed so many people! And to think it was from my own hands, again. I had to relive the horror of knowing all of those souls bled and died because of me, because of the fact that I had to kill, or risk the destruction of the entire universe.” She stopped pacing, and now she stared straight at Blue. That knowing look, that familiar link. Their eyes locked, and neither blinked for so long.

 

“What hurt the most was that she was my own cousin,” Sith finally said, “Since my birth, we were destined to fight to the death over the throne of Nesce. Only one could survive.” Now Blue understood. A forced rivalry, a battle of power, a test of will, and a trial of pain. He knew Sith had never wanted what she was forced to enact. But there was one difference that separated her scenario from his; Rouge had loved him. Rath had obviously not loved Sith. And it was that lack of love that forced Sith to be merciless. He could see it in her eyes, the eyes that wanted to shed those tears.

 

“You lost your brother to that explosion,” he concluded. Sith nodded stiffly, and the air between them grew cold.

 

“My sister was killed in Domino, along with her fiancé,” Sith confirmed, “My brother was killed trying to keep me from being ripped apart in the tear of Oblivion that had erupted. And my husband…” She looked at Saix, her eyes filled with tears and her body trembling, “…had no choice but to pull me out before we both were killed.” Blue smiled weakly, and was glad that her husband had the foresight to save her life. But still, to tell him this much… she must know something he still didn't see. Would one of them need to die to preserve the universe? Was that what Aubergine was about?

 

“I'm sorry for your loss,” he finally said, deciding that any connection at all, he would ask about later. Sith let out a breath, and seemed to relax a bit. Maybe they were kin, in a way, due to the horrifying nature of their destined rivalries. He couldn't be certain, since this was the first time he'd met someone with a similar fate.

 

When Sith finally looked at him again, she smiled warmly and took his hand. Hers felt warm, and Blue felt at peace when she said, “We all have the ability to change our destinies, Blue. It's not what we were born with that matters. It's through our actions. Choices, and decisions. Remember this.”

 

“What if I choose the wrong thing?” he whispered, knowing that if he chose to save his brother, it could possibly mean the end. He had no idea what waited for them within the center of the abyss.

 

“There is no such choice,” Sith assured him firmly. Blue felt another weight lifted off of him, and Sith sensed it as well. Good. One less thing to worry about when she sent them off to save humanity. All at once, she let go of him and turned quickly to her husband. Saix shifted uncomfortably, and one of his pointed ears tilted in slight bewilderment. If she had asked him anything within their thread, he didn't quite understand her.

 

“Saix, it is time,” she said quietly. He nodded, his attention suddenly sharp again. He turned and stood underneath the right side of the chandelier; Sith took the left, and they faced each other. Blue and the others watched as the couple closed their eyes, and then murmured something in words they did not understand. Both of them began to glow a faint blue - Saix's was less pronounced, but Sith's aura was terrifyingly potent. Then, their chant grew louder, and Blue saw a molecular distortion in the air between them.

 

The air wavered, and there was a faint thrumming sound in their ears. Blue blinked and glanced about, wondering if there was something in a distant room to cause such a noise. But he was aware that it was all due to whatever spell the couple was enacting. He turned to watch again, and had to suppress a gasp. Now he understood the point of the chandelier, and why it was in such good repair when nothing else could match it. The portal - a fiery, teardrop-shaped doorway that floated in mid-air - was positioned right underneath it, in the very center of the room. No, not just the room, and perhaps even further than the castle itself. It was in the center of the world itself, of Nesce.

 

Blue watched for a long moment as the portal wavered and then steadied. The rim of the arch blazed a deep crimson, and sparks of fire roared and sputtered from within. He could already feel the heat pouring off of the interior, could feel that flood of power already waiting for them. That was the Endless Abyss, the mirror of Oblivion. But whereas Oblivion was a void of darkness and cold, the Abyss was going to be hot as all levels of hell - quite literally, it seemed. Rouge could not possibly stand such heat for long.

 

Turning to Fuse, Blue said firmly, “We jump in now.”

 

“We're right behind you, boy,” Fuse replied just as seriously, and cocked his laser pistol, “Ain't much we're going to be able to do, but if we're the heroes now, it won't matter. Let's go in there and save your brother.” And if they were lucky, perhaps they could pull Ciato out of his madness as well. Without a goodbye to Sith, Blue drew his sword and jumped straight in. Fuse and the others followed wordlessly, loyally.

 

The Endless Abyss was both what Blue expected, and quite the opposite of what he expected as well. Two sides to a coin, much like every other plane he'd heard of. He expected the heat and the red haze of hellfire and death. But he had also expected to be fighting without the limits of gravity. When he entered the portal, he did not expect to land on solid ground. And when he did land, he managed to trip. The Abyss should have been like space was - without gravity or structure.

 

Yet, there it all was. He was standing on the ground, and all around him were formations of volcanoes, spiked outcroppings, distorted towers of who-knew-what, and seas of molten lava. It was hard to get a grasp on what they should be looking at first, or even avoiding altogether. Nothing more than a mash of chaos and danger, yet somehow, it all made sense. They were in a chaotic realm, a realm where mortals should never go, where even the kings of death and the gods themselves feared to tread. With the sparks of fire and the sounds of demented and lost souls all around them, the Endless Abyss was spread far and wide. It was a living nightmare just to see it all.

 

“Where in hell do we start?” Zozma asked, his voice nearly drowned out by the sudden eruption of a lava geyser, some two hundred feet from them. Blue resisted a snort. Hell seemed like a good place to start, but even that looked relatively peaceful compared to what they were facing.

 

“She never said we'd be stranded in the middle of nowhere,” Ildon grumbled irritably, drawing his thin sword as he looked toward a large tower, on a rocky island some distance away. Thunder crashed far beyond, and he cursed, “If we get out alive, I'm going to kill her.”

 

“Killing an Esper is the worst crime imaginable, boy,” Fuse reminded him, but for once, he wasn't sarcastic in any way, “You do that, and not only will my boys be on your ass, so will every living thing that Sith's spoken to. That's a lot of people to deal with.” Ildon would've retorted with some nasty comment, but right then, he was having some trouble just remembering that they had to find someone amidst the fiery hell.

 

“Let's see how many will back her if she sends them here, too,” Ildon simply mumbled under his breath. Blue felt a little bad for him - after all, none of them had to join him for this - but he reminded himself that this was Ildon's choice as well as his own to come. Sith never forced them to do it. She simply asked them if they had the courage to even try.

 

Blue now wondered how many of them truly did as they stood in the abyss, surrounded by nothing but barren wastes and the souls of the tormented. Out here, it would take every ounce of courage just to walk, just to imagine what they could be looking at next. Would it be a ghost? Would it be a demon? They could never know for sure, but they'd face it all eventually. Now Blue understood why Sith hadn't forced them. Not even she would come here willingly, and he knew the soul that burned inside of her. Could he possibly be that strong, without Rouge by his side?

 

He knew that he had to be. Even if he wasn't, he'd find the courage Sith needed him to have. This was even more than just losing a sibling; if he didn't find that courage, the entire universe would fall. So, with Sith's final words burning, and with a deep breath, Blue lifted his foot and took a step forward. There was no rumbling in the ground, no tremor that threatened to open the earth and swallow him. The fires didn't grow to devour his soul, and no demon came to claim him. He simply walked forward. He had shut his eyes to keep out the horrors of hell, but now he opened them. Nothing had changed.

 

“Rouge?” he called. For just an instance, he felt that familiar energy when he found his courage. But it was gone before he fully registered it. He let out a sigh, looking around. He expected to see a spirit, or a will-of-the-wisp. He saw nothing but the ocean of lava in the distance.

 

“What's up, Blue?” Zozma called, and Blue turned toward the others. They were waiting for him to do something, waiting to follow him. That's when he realized now why Sith had spoken only to him. Aubergine was alive - he was Aubergine now. He had to be. Rouge was still alive, he simply didn't have the power to hold any of Aubergine's energy. But Blue… now he understood why Sith's words hit him so hard. He smiled a bit, though he couldn't quite see why. He was now responsible for the entire universe.

 

“I know where we have to go,” he said quietly, and Zozma stared at him skeptically. But Blue merely continued smiling, and he pointed behind the group, toward the roads. They turned. The roads split off and went down random directions until they seemed to melt into the lava. Blue stared, thinking of how much it resembled a spider's web. Threads. Choices. Decisions. He had to decide which road to take. He knew any would take him to the center of the abyss - he just didn't know what each road would have waiting for him.

 

In the end, he took the centermost road. Not because it looked straight or relatively peaceful, but simply because he felt no need to change his course. All things began and ended within the center, and he intended to stay in that center on whatever level of the word he could grasp. For a long while, the path was straight, and all other signs of the other roads seemed to vanish the instant Blue's mind had been made up. Lava bubbled in thick pools on either side, and the heat pouring out of them was almost unbearable. It reddened his skin and cast an eerie orange glow on his blonde hair. But he barely noticed it, for he had much more on his mind to think of. Though he kept his eyes on the road, on the path ahead of him, his mind kept wandering around, trying to find any sign of Rouge's soul. Sith had never said how far he'd need to go to actually see his brother.

 

It felt too far, and after nearly three hours, Blue stopped. It was so abrupt that Zozma nearly knocked right into him and fell into the lava. Quick reflexes and Blue's peripheral vision saved the Mystic, but the same couldn't be said for Blue - he now had to deal with a very annoyed Mystic prince, who honestly couldn't see why he had stopped at all.

 

To Zozma, the place looked exactly like where they had started three hours ago; red, lava-filled, barren, and too damn hot. He tried to see whatever it was Blue saw before he just let his rage topple over and throttle the mage. He tried to understand that Blue needed time to think and to plan. He even tried to remind himself that Blue lost his brother and needed some grieving time. But to Zozma, who had never had siblings or even wanted them at all, all he saw was that Blue had no idea what he was truly getting them into. And that was why fists were so useful. They knocked common sense into moronic idiots like that.

 

When Blue did nothing for too many minutes, Zozma decided resistance meant nothing and asked, “Why the hell are we stopping here?” He glanced over and saw that Ildon was probably wondering the same thing as well.

 

“Because I don't think we're going the right way,” Blue replied distantly, turning to look at the road ahead, “We've been going in a straight line for too long.”

 

“Did Sith not say all roads will lead us to the center?” Orlouge pointed out calmly. While that was true, Blue understood what a spider web was. The threads were never just straight. They curved and arched and weaved and zigzagged. Their threads were as twisted as the minds who made them. This should have been no different.

 

“We are not going the right way,” Blue insisted firmly, without looking at them. He didn't care how many didn't agree. He knew something wasn't quite right. But what was the secret?

 

“You want us to turn back? Now?” Fuse asked him incredulously. Blue suppressed a low growl. He wasn't asking them to do anything. He just needed to see, to listen. He needed to understand the abyss a bit better. The secret lay within them, somewhere, but he couldn't understand. Sith hadn't said much about the abyss at all, now that he thought about it.

 

“What was the secret, Sith?” he murmured, closing his eyes and going deep within himself to try and remember everything the Esper had said. Threads. Choices. Decisions. Courage of the soul. Changing destinies.

 

That's when it hit him. Sith had given him exactly what he needed. To change his destiny, he had to literally change the landscape. And he could do it. Sith had not said the abyss was a constant thing. The abyss was like space; made of nothing. He knew how to make something from nothing. And if he really was a Hero, he could do this. He grinned. It almost felt wrong on his face, but damn it, he knew how to proceed. Energy from the soul fueled the abyss. That meant every thought controlled it, too. He thought they were getting nowhere, and that was exactly what happened. What if he thought the path to be different?

 

“Want to know what I truly think?” he asked them after several moments, and his tone caught their attention. He sounded mischievous, and even Zozma began to wonder how much the abyss was damaging his sanity. Zozma arched a brow.

 

“Er… what do you think?” was the nervous reply. Blue's grin grew, though his back was to his friends and they could not see him. Yes, Sith had given him everything he needed, and she'd done it without them knowing it.

 

“I think this road needs to curve a bit more and show us more of the abyss,” he said lightly. Nothing happened, though, and it only served to confuse his team. Zozma snorted and shook his head, and Fuse glanced around, trying to see what Blue was truly up to. No magic was used, and there were no ghosts or the like around.

 

“That's nice, boy, but we need to keep going for that to happen,” the cop replied innocently. Then, something did happen. The road ahead literally shifted, the scene ahead shattering like glass before their very eyes before reforming a second later. And this time, the road curved. The road branched. It twisted and turned, going around geysers and rocky pillars that had not been there before. The roar of the lava rivers surrounded them, and a new sense of fear came pouring in. Blue had just done something, and in their minds, it was a very stupid thing to do.

 

“What the hell did you do!?” Ildon yelled over the roaring. Blue finally turned, and he looked at peace. He reformed the abyss, and made it possible to see truly where they were. The illusion of a single road was gone. They had new choices to make, new roads to go down. They had new ways of reaching the center.

 

“The abyss is controlled with thoughts,” Blue told them, his calm voice ringing out above the roar, “I knew we would never reach the end. So, I changed the abyss.” It sounded so simple, but even Fuse knew that such a thing was no small feat. Blue truly was what Sith said he was. And he proved it with that instance.

 

“Oh. Well… good,” Fuse said with a shrug, “As long as you know what you're doing.” Blue resisted a chuckle. Fuse had absolutely no idea what to make of what he said. Fuse, unfortunately, was not gifted with magic. This must've blown his mind away. And for the others? Well, none of them were particularly happy with the change, either.

 

“I liked it better when it was just a nice, little road, and there weren't all these stupid pillars and lava geysers waiting to murder us,” Zozma mumbled grumpily, and then said more simply, “Think whatever you thought ten minutes ago. Make it a nice road again.”

 

“I think you ought to shut up,” Ildon retorted unhelpfully. And in that instance, Blue proved that another thing he said was true: the abyss really was controlled with thought. The scene melted again and turned back into a single road. But it didn't stay for long, because as soon as Blue registered it, the scene shifted yet again. This time, they were on just a tiny island, completely surrounded with molten lava. He had no idea who thought this was a funny idea, but he was sure whoever it was would be pushed right in. And he was looking at Zozma.

 

Unfortunately, the abyss did not seem to know whose thoughts should've been more powerful. As Zozma and Ildon kept their thoughts to a raging war, the scenes and views shifted constantly and uncomfortably. The island suddenly stretched on and on endlessly, and then shrunk again before ten seconds passed. Then it stretched and wavered like a sheet of rubber, only to collapse and turn into the spider's web yet again. Blue felt his mind twitch as he watched it all happen. Rightfully, Sith had given this ability to him, and thusly, he knew he was responsible if they all just suddenly died. But for whatever reason, two idiot Mystic princes outweighed the authority of a Hero. And they were doing what idiots do best: they were making fools of themselves and the world around them.

 

It lasted no more than ten minutes before Blue finally lost it. He hadn't wanted to, and he tried to be understanding and patient with them. But they were literally in the hell of hells, and one could only take so much of a never-ending scene before one lost whatever was left of his ever-shrinking sanity. When the road began to actually break up due to the power behind the two Mystics' thoughts, Blue knew they had no time left. The abyss was ready to fall apart. With one breath, he screamed the only word he knew that might just put an end to their foolishness: “STOP!”

 

“Huh?” Zozma turned, both Mystics snapping out of their war as Ildon grunted, “You interrupted us.” But right then, Blue didn't care. Right then, he stopped them from exhausting too much of the abyss's power as it tried to figure out whose thoughts should control it.

 

“And just in time, no doubt,” the mage snapped back angrily, “Any longer, and you two would've torn up the abyss.”

 

“Really!?” Zozma asked, eyes widened in awe. Blue resisted the urge to punch him. That wasn't anything to be proud of. That would've meant their deaths. Then again, this was Zozma, the prince of destruction. Anything that meant their deaths would excite him.

 

Ignoring him, Blue took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on the scene that had been there before the two Mystics started messing with it. He felt - yet he didn't see - the scene melt away before him, that single road shifting and changing, and the scene once again becoming a tangled web of pathways; each one leading to the center, but each one heading its own way with its own obstacles. When Blue let out his breath and opened his eyes, he saw the scene as it should have been. The paths were intertwined and connected, jagged yet somehow still passable. The haze was heavier now. The abyss still had a life of its own, and was not pleased at having to shift so many times to suit such wild thoughts.

 

“Well, that's more like it,” Blue murmured, taking a step forward. Then he stopped. It felt considerably warmer than it had, than it should have been. Blue felt the sweat roll down his face, and he narrowed his eyes. He had straightened the abyss out, but something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

 

“Why is it so damn hot?” Fuse asked, practically panting as he joined Blue at the front. That was a good question. Why was it so hot? Blue wondered if perhaps he had shifted something that ought to have been left alone. But that was impossible; he couldn't shift something he didn't know existed. And Sith hadn't warned him about such a thing, either.

 

Taking another breath, Blue stepped forward again. The heat rose further, bordering on nearly unbearable. He broke out in a sweat, and this time he backed away. There was no way he could continue onward, not on this path. He would be burned alive by an unseen force. He could already hear his heart pounding, thunderously loud in his ears. What had he done? What had he shifted? Concerned, Blue closed his eyes and tried to focus. He needed to make a safer route, one his friends could traverse without harm.

 

The abyss did not shift this time. Its energy, and its patience, had been completely exhausted. Blue felt his own energy being leeched when he tried to shape the world around him. And it was a leech he knew he could not handle. He was not Aubergine, not yet. And he knew when to give in. Sighing in disappointment, he opened his eyes and shook his head. There was nothing more he could do. They were stuck with the paths he created, and they would need to find a new way to go. He couldn't help but feel fully responsible for this. This was the abyss in his mind, after all. Because of that, he couldn't even look Fuse in the eye. He turned his head toward the outer passages.

 

That's when he noticed something he hadn't seen before, even when he first shifted the abyss to suit his needs. Perhaps a thousand feet away stood a large island, connected to many, many pathways and surrounded on the northern edge completely by dark, red rocks that no doubt fueled part of the scorching heat. And on that island was something else, something that was quite unlike anything Blue had ever seen before. It was shaped like an oval and suspended above the ground by about a foot or two. There was a light, orange glow to it that illuminated the rocks behind only slightly. Blue narrowed his eyes to get a better look.

 

At first glance, he thought he was looking at a crystal within the oval. After all, it was a simple dot in the center. But then he saw other things within the oval - wisps and tendrils of blood-red mist that looked strikingly similar to veins. All of them pointed to the red dot, which suddenly looked frighteningly like the pupil of an eye. But it was no eye. For, despite the warm glow emitted, neither eyes nor crystals pulsed or throbbed the way this… thing was throbbing. Blue realized now why his heartbeat had seemed too loud. It wasn't his heart. At least, it wasn't his heart. He realized with absolute terror why it had grown so warm, why he could not go further.

 

What he was staring at was the very heart of the abyss. The very heart of Oblivion itself. And that heart was about to explode.

 

-----------------------------(End Chapter)

 

With the help of Sith, Blue and the others managed to get into the plane that no god treads: the Endless Abyss. But now, they have no way to escape, and Zozma and Ildon exhausted the energy within the plane itself! With one last charge left, Blue has managed to shift it back and bring forth the path and threads he wants. But at what cost? For, by doing so, he's also revealed the heart of Oblivion, which weakens with every second. What can they do when that heart is set to explode? Can Blue find Rouge before time runs out? Or are there other surprises waiting for them? Find out next chapter, and click that Review button!