Morana, What Is Thy Fate?

A furious fit of coughing disturbed the zen-like atmosphere as two figures wandered through the bountiful meadows of Elysium. Being supported by Mercer's hand, Reina stumbled along whilst using the sleeping vessel of the Morana blade as a cane. As the pair inched closer and closer to their destination, Reina's soft skin withered away as the surface cracked like dried dirt in the desert. Her long, flowing hair was disheveled as strands of its silken luster fell out. Dark rings appeared around her eyes as her cheeks became gaunt. In addition, the muscle mass within her body declined.

"The progression is escalating," Mercer analyzed from the side.

"Yes...all of those curses placed on me so long ago kept me bound to Purgatory. It was meant to be...the slowest form of death that any individual could experience. However….when I became the new Sovereign, those effects were suspended. Upon breaking the chains and leaving, the effects returned but multiplied in tandem to the number of years in which I remained in Purgatory. Being the Queen of Cocytus allowed me to delay it for a time, but after fighting against Legion...it would seem that my time has come. Even returning to Cocytus would not save me. I would just be a Queen whose destiny is to perish on her throne," Reina explained.

"To think you carried this burden in secret for as long as you did and hid it from my son, whom you are soul bound to."

"Not all things are meant to be shared. If Raizo knew...the full extent of my condition, he would not have committed...himself to the training that I have given him thus far. In fact, he would probably be...furious with me that I allowed myself to suffer in such a way… He and the other children are the ones destined to bring these cycles...to an end. I am...of a generation that is meant to...leave my knowledge to the ones that follow. If this is my fate...so be it, but alas...I regret nothing. All that I have done...was for her sake, so that her vision…may be fulfilled."

"Your faith never wavers...even now as you approach the end, your convictions hold strong."

"Well...to quote your son, I would rather die for what I believe, than live a life without meaning."

"Tell me something, Reina-san. Did you ever think that you would reach this point in your long life?" Mercer asked curiously.

"No...I never really thought of death before. I knew it was natural to meet one's end at some point. Even when I was just a human girl fighting in a grand war, I knew that I could die at any moment. To that end, I was never truly...afraid of death. As long as I died fighting for what I believed in, my life would feel complete. After all of these eons...that feeling still persists."

As the pair continued their walk, they saw the golden rift in the distance that served as the portal leading into Sanctuary. Standing nearby it was the solitary figure of the ever-positive wife of the God Hunter, Lucy Grayson-Mercer.

"Yo, O' Great and Extra Thick Tanned-One, 'sup?" she greeted in a teasing tone trying to lighten an already sorrowful atmosphere.

"So you too have come to see me off? Goodness, I was hoping to keep this a quieter affair," sighed the weary Queen of Cocytus.

"Yeah well...I dunno what's gonna happen next. But if this is really it, I gotta make sure I can keep my kiddo's spirits up. I know for a fact you wouldn't want him mourning you for long."

"Indeed, I would prefer that he carried on and lived up to the destiny that lies before him; however, I know his heart."

"So you really think this is it for ya?" Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"For the first time in countless centuries, I can honestly say that I am unsure. Perhaps this is just the end of an era where the torch is meant to be passed along, or maybe it is a test for...ah…." Reina began coughing harder now as she felt her lungs close up forcefully whilst spitting up blood on the grass below.

Mercer crouched down beside her whilst patting her on the shoulder but she merely shook her head.

"It is time…" she muttered whilst gripping onto the sleeping blade in her right hand.

A violet aura rippled out from the blunt object as its energy was drained into her body. The proud Sovereign drained anything left of her residual aura within the armament as she reclaimed the full totality of her strength for the final time.

"This can still serve as a key...to passing between any world and Purgatory. Ensure that...it goes back to Alexis so she can reforge it, then give it back to my Master...I mean...my protege. Also...there is this for my people in Cocytus. My final words...and my will is all recorded here," she said as she used her other hand to grab a scroll from her pocket to pass off to Lucy.

"As the sun sets on my life, let it rise on the dawn of a new beginning," Reina declared as she mustered the last ounce of her strength to stand on her own two feet before heading towards the golden gate. Mercer and Lucy watched together from afar as the great pillar known as the Blade of Akasha made her last walk into the open rift that would lead to her final rest.

"And now...the page turns in this new chapter of life," Mercer murmured watching the First Wolf disappear in golden light.

*****

War never changes, no matter what age it is waged in. The costs of it can never truly be accounted for, whether it is with the many that are lost or those that are born after it. It connects the land and divides it, destroys dreams and creates hope. It is a cycle of violence that always contains a residual after effect regardless of the timeline. During the Age of Gods, it was an endless conflict that continuously spread carnage.

Mortal and Divine walked hand-in-hand. This era was thought to be one of prosperity where the created and the creators were meant to have understanding of one another as existence would perpetually grow and evolve into something greater in the great cycle of life. Yet jealously and ambition always found a way to worm its way into the most vulnerable of hearts which led to conflict and eventually war. The gods fought one another in the constant debate of who was stronger, more fit to lead, or whose philosophy was better suited for life as whole.

Whereas man only fought in the name of the faiths they pursued or for the sake of plunder and conquest. Of course, the pettiness of such endeavors only persisted because of the lack of wisdom and the misuse of influence from their divine benefactors. And thus, the bloodshed consumed the masses engulfing the world in territorial death matches leaving none untouched by its apocalyptic wake.

Before the known world and structured civilizations in the form of nations were born, humanity often segregated themselves based upon practices, culture and tribal groups. With the great war consuming the known world in this ancient era, alliances were forged and broken all at the same time. In one particular tale of infamy, a den of thieves and barbarians known as the House of Exile terrorized the masses.

Cold and unpredictable, this wild group of untamed bandits was a coalition of tribes that believed in nothing other than greed and plunder. To that end, they swept across the land like a plague devastating any caught on their bloody warpath. They left horrific swaths of desecrated households piled high with carved up lumps of flesh whilst taking advantage of the less fortunate. The men raped any women that tickled their fancy, sometimes in the presence of their families and loved ones while enslaving all the rest. They did whatever it took to appease their insatiable appetite for chaos and destruction.

Only one tribe was brave enough to stand up to them in spite of their numbers and tactics in guerilla warfare, that was a group known as the Okami Clan. Every time the House of Exile clashed with the Okami clan, they lost in the battlefield. The warriors of the Okami proved to possess not only superior skill in one-on-one confrontations, but also demonstrated greater strategy on the battlefield because they knew the lay of the land better. For months, the House of Exile was stonewalled by the Okami which all but broke their spirit for conquest. However, the underhanded barbarians realized that if they could not beat them on the battlefield without being overwhelmed then they would have to change the game in their favor.

Seemingly organizing a retreat, the House of Exile went quiet for weeks which was long enough to bring down the Okami clan's guard. Then in the dead of night, the territory that was occupied by the patriotic warriors was engulfed in searing flames cutting off their retreat. In an instant, the camps were overrun by the barbaric monsters as they slaughtered every person attempting to put up a fight. After all was said and done, the survivors of the group were enslaved and forced into servitude of the Exile bandits. Among the remaining Okami were the parents of a certain unborn warrior.

Reina was born into slavery. She grew up with her family in service to the House of Exile. However, that changed when she turned 7 years old. She, along with every other child around her age were taken into custody by their overseers, were randomly selected to be used for the whims of their masters. Whether it was forced labor camps, personal slaves, or child soldiers, she would be exposed to a world of violence unlike any other.

Chipped teeth, sleepless nights, the fresh, warm taste of blood in her mouth were just some of the tamer results of her long road of oppression. Being tossed into a small arena only to be beaten by other kids, set loose in the woods to be chased by vicious man-eating hounds, and physically mutilated and brutalized by her masters were some of her more vivid nights. Yet regardless of that fate, Reina never broke.

"Here, take my hand," she said to the other kids whose faces were drenched in mud as they desperately ran from their would-be captors. Even if the gospel was all about 'survival of the fittest', Reina defied that with every ounce of strength in her little body.

"You really think you can save all those brats?" one of the huskier men looking over the kids shouted in anger before punching the girl in her stomach.

Reina grasped both sides of her belly as she absorbed the pain whilst coughing up blood. Then a sharp sting soon followed across her face as she was slapped to the side.

"Get real, you little shit! You and the rest of these piles of trash are nothing more than broken dolls meant to be ruined for our amusement. You think that hope exists in this world?"

The man kicked her in the gut over and over again before stomping on her causing her bones to fracture and break apart.

"Yeah, writhe in pain like the dog you are!"

The overseer continued to beat on her senselessly, until someone interjected.

"Does it make you feel so good to bloody a child? One who is less than a quarter of your size and possesses an eighth of your strength? Perhaps you are insulted by the fact that she holds twice the heart and pride that you do?" a mysterious man said appearing in a long white and black haori with a hat on his head, a sword at his side.

All Reina remembered from there was the hazy sight of the overseer's head flying away as his body dropped to the ground. The man in question knelt beside her and patted her gently on the shoulder.

"You truly are a remarkable one. You are destined for great and unfortunate things. This may be sudden, but if you desire, come with me and I will train you on how to survive this world and conquer its injustice."

To that end she agreed.

Years passed the girl by. She was trained by the mysterious stranger for some time as he served not only as her protector and a mentor, but also as a secondary father figure. As she acquired greater skill, Reina was eventually permitted to join the ranks of the group known as the Syndicate. Their goal: to liberate the oppressed and bring about an end to the era of war.

As the battles waged on, so did the lives that came and went. Her mentor died in battle as did many of those she grew up fighting with in the Syndicate. Even though the House of Exile eventually crumbled into ruin, the path of the warrior was one she felt was a solitary one. As a result, she left the Okami clan as the survivors went on to settle in the present day lands of Mercury. Reina was not one whom placed her trust in many people, but that changed when she met a certain swordswoman known as Musashi.

They were complete opposites. Reina was the quiet, calculating type that exercised caution whilst predicting how her foes would move before taking them down. Musashi was vivacious and straightforward type that liked to cut to heart of the issue without taking care of discretion. Granted, this led to many quarrels between the two but they achieved a bond of trust that no one could break. They were best friends, one could even argue that they were like sisters. In fact, though their approaches with the sword were different, they often fought together in perfect sync.

"Oya, you're still here?" she said with a cocky grin during one mission in particular.

The pair was in the middle of an assassination contract that involved climbing up to the top of a 100-floor tower. The person was somehow clever enough to ensure that the structure had no secret passage ways for assassins to break into thus leaving the duo with the only choice of busting through the front door. Reina suggested that they just climbed the outside the fortress and ascend that way, but Musashi firmly objected saying something along the lines of: "Where's the fun in that?"

As they busted through the front entrance to the towering spire, it was not long before hundreds of armored soldiers rushed to the opening foyer with steel in hand. As they took up their battle positions, Reina and Musashi drew their respective swords to take them on unfazed by the challenge. A resonating battle cry echoed throughout the chamber as the soldiers came rushing in towards the women from all sides thus cutting off their escape. Without a word uttered between them, the women just looked to one another and nodded in unison before beginning their long fight.

Dancing through the onslaught like lightning, running freely as the wind, and flowing unimpeded like the water, the two women sliced apart their foes with ease. Their inferior plates of armor was nothing compared to their superior steel blades as limbs, entrails and severed heads littered the ground whilst blood sprayed the air. The echoes of pain mixed with the continuous thumping of lifeless corpses falling to the ground quickly drowned out the excited cries of blood thirst that the soldiers boasted only moments before. Effortlessly, the women carved up their foes leaving naught but death in their wake. They continued their crimson waltz up the stairs to the next floor where the next batch of victims awaited.

More ground troops poured in, they still charged in recklessly just as the first batch only to meet the same fate as their comrades. Without skipping a beat, the combined skill of the two sword maidens continued decimating their opposites in symphonic harmony. Hundreds had fallen already and hundreds more followed suit. It was a sight for sore eyes, a horrific display that began to stir the flames of fear.

This endless waltz persisted onto the next floor and the one after that. These two women boasted prowess unseen by the likes of these hardened veterans. Sworn soldiers, criminals conscripted into service, wandering souls drafted into the ranks for added bulk, and so on comprised this massive force. Each and every one of them were being butchered by the sting of death that followed behind these flowers on the battlefield. Were they truly human? It was hard to see that given the casualty ratio. What was even more terrifying is that they were in perfect unison with each other's movements the entire time.

Attacking and parrying, evading and countering, each movement that Reina and Musashi shared was harmonious and seemed to complement one another. When they were separated in a room, their movements ran parallel to one another as they simultaneously hacked away their foes. When their paths crossed, they intersected at certain points weaving through crowds like a double helix often jumping over and under one another at the same time to bring down larger or heavier armored foes. As the cascade of carnage continued onward, they eventually reached the top of the spire.

Waiting alone in an empty antechamber illuminated by candles was a singular warrior in traditional robes akin to that of a shaman. He had a singular two-handed great axe lying in front of him as he waited for the invaders to approach. Walking into the domain, the two women covered head to toe in blood stepped into the room ready to eliminate their target.

"The Dancing Sword Maidens of Death, truly a title worth the fabled ghosts of the night that have brought down many targets for the mighty Syndicate. I must say that I am honored to bare witness to your skills firsthand. But alas, I must keep my head for my own aims. I take it due to your countenance that nearly all of my men are dead? A pity, but expected. Perhaps you two would be interested in becoming my retainers?" the old, hardened warrior extended.

"Sorry but...a nice hot bath in the springs is callin' my name so I'd really like to wrap things up, ya know?" Musashi cheekily expressed.

"What my friend is saying is that we have a duty to carry out. Your life has been rendered forfeit and must cease to exist if we are to bring about an era of peace. Warmongers like you have no place in the new world to come," Reina elegantly explained.

"So be it," their target said as he picked up his weapon, "But do not think that this fight will be nearly as easy as cutting down my men!"

Even after cutting down thousands of soldiers, ascending 100 flights of stares, and battling almost non-stop for quite possibly hours on end, the mighty giant did little to impress either one of them. Compared to the hell they have seen and experienced in their lives and all that they endured to survive until this very moment, his strength meant nothing. After a few brief minutes of impressive blundering and overly exaggerated movements from the giant, the two finished him off in one decisive strike.

They rushed in at the same time with their swords in two and weaved past each other in a double-helix formation before closing in and hacking at his vital spots running around him as if creating a tornado of sword strikes before finishing him off with a swift decapitation.

"May your death atone for your deeds carried out in this life," Reina uttered whilst flicking the blood off her sword and sheathing the blade.

"Another job well done. Well then, let's get what we need and hit up the springs for a nice bath. Then some delicious ramen awaits! All that slicin' and dicin' got me starvin'!" Musashi shouted boisterously.

"Good grief, you really are a handful," sighed Reina.

"Yeah but ya know life would be boring without me around!"

From that point, it seemed like an endless tale of bloodshed continued onward. Friends came and went, the people you cared for one day died the next. It was a long run of hardship and success before the long shadow war came to an end and the first major empire was established. Nevertheless, the world still had enemies in the shadows and that meant that someone would have to be there to make sure the chaos could be kept contained.

As more time seemingly escaped the woman, eventually the Syndicate's influence had spread to a point where it was too much to keep as a single group. With the new world dawning upon them, the question of the group's future remained. Different ideologies spawned proposals of where to go from there which eventually gave rise to the creation of the Conclave. This led to the creation of Five Orders: the Jade Dragon, martial artists in pursuit of the mastery of the fist; the White Tiger, insatiable renegades that wanted to do whatever they wanted; the Iron Monkey, wandering monks in pursuit of enlightenment; the Amethyst Lotus, the noble group that adopted the mentality and creed befitting knights; and lastly, the order that Reina founded herself—the Obsidian Wolves, the ones that kept to the shadows to serve the light.

The first empire that united much of the land under one humanely structured rule was the first sign of peace amid years of hardship and chaos. As the fighting slowed, so too did Reina's need to participate in battle which only gave her a sense of anxiety that war would break out again in the future. As such, she never once let a day go by where she did not train. Musashi was off finding her own path, so she had no one to confide in or really keep herself grounded. Eventually, this led her to documenting all of her knowledge under the philosophy of the Gateway Trinity and the development of the Resolute Blade Arts.

Even with her time spent to recording her experience in battle, it still was not enough to still her heart. Therefore, without warning, she informed her followers that she needed time to herself and escape her surroundings. She left one of her closest lieutenants in charge of her affairs whilst venturing deep into the mountains in order to discover the answer she sought.

She was in the middle of climbing the trails of one of the snow capped summits when the weather took a turn for the worst. Violent, howling winds, torrents of blinding snow combined with the harsh cold of the thinning atmosphere caused Reina to seek shelter inside a nearby cave she stumbled upon by coincidence.

"Come…" a quiet, hollow whisper echoed within the darkness whilst the woman began to build a fire.

"What...the…" the female warrior said in disbelief.

"Come to me…" the whisper urged from the depths, but as far as Reina could tell, only darkness waited within.

"Trust your instincts," the voice instructed which led the girl to move in reflex and descend deeper inside the shelter.

As she did that, she eventually stumbled upon an open area where a lone bush encased within the quiet hiss of pale, blue flames resided. Reina felt no fear or apprehension, instead she felt an assuring sense of pure serenity.

"What...is this…?" asked the unsure swordswoman as she inched closer.

"Hello Reina," the voice whispered in introduction.

"Who are you?"

"I am the one believed by your father and your forefathers. I am the one who is all there is, will be, and ever was. I am She who is above all things."

The entity referred to the Okami clan's belief in the form of one true god that ruled above creation and had a plan for all sentient beings in the world around them. As enlightening as it sounded, Reina never truly believed in such things especially given how the gods egged on the conflict within human hearts. Nevertheless, her nerves were going haywire under her skin, yet the aura staved off that anxiety.

"If you really are what you say, what could one as powerful as you want from someone like me?"

"You have been chosen, Reina Arashi, as one who shall manifest a miracle. I say unto you that your womb will be blessed with a child and within this child, a special property will take shape. This gift will flow from generation to generation until the day that the Seventh is born and destiny is made flesh."

"You have to be joking," the girl chuckled in disbelief, "Someone like me would bring that into the world? I was a slave turned into ruthless killer who has taken lives for some form of peace for this world. I am hardly a saint."

The voice shot back a swift counterargument.

"You who risked everything for the sake of others, to liberate the lives of those whose will to fight was vanquished. You stood up to fight back against oppression, and though you suffered loss along the way, you continued and brought salvation to those left in bondage. You, who care not for power or gain, selflessly gave your life so that others may have a chance to live. You may think you are a sinner with nothing but blood on your hands, but I see someone who has a potential to bring about a Great Reckoning that all of creation needs."

"You...honor me with your words. In fact, it is humbling that someone of your wisdom can say that about an ordinary human being like me. Though, how can I bring about such a revelation when I have never known a man's touch before? I still maintain my innocence."

In an instant, the burning bush reached out and enveloped her. In what seemed like a split-second in time, was actually an intimate moment where time did not exist. For in that moment, she felt the touch of someone greater than anything she ever realized before. She came to know intimacy by the grace of the Goddess-Above-All and thus was granted the gift of life within.

"In due time, your child shall be born. Until then, I bestow this upon you—a blessing that will reveal itself in due time."

From there, life went on. When Reina descended the mountains and returned home, a few weeks passed. She was welcomed home with open arms; however, there was a change in her heart, as was there change in the hearts of those whom followed her. Feeling restored from within, Reina wanted to share her old clan's beliefs with the Obsidian Wolves and try to create a wave of change that would take the Order in a new direction to serve the land. It was received with mixed results. Half were on board for it, while half resisted the idea. This caused a division within the Obsidian Wolves. Knowing that this would not go over too well, she sought help from her family which led her to traveling to Mercury to find her remaining relatives in the Okami clan.

Her pregnancy became known to the Order before too long. This caused a bit of controversy considering no one knew whom the father was and they suspected that Reina offered herself to some demonic entity whilst staying in the mountains hence the change within her. This enhanced the rift within the Obsidian Wolves and would eventually boil over to a point of betrayal.

A few months after giving birth, Reina found herself betrayed by her own subordinates. A man named Ventus, one of those in her inner circle, and 12 of his followers ambushed her and tried to stab her to death whilst taking her child from her. As she was left to die, the gift given to her by the goddess she held faith in, manifested and changed her into a Celestial Goddess. Morana was born.

From there, life repeated itself except her fight was for the glory of the goddess known as Akasha. She brought the Age of Gods to an end almost entirely on her own whilst cementing her legacy in the halls of Elysium. This brought much renown and much jealousy, namely from one of her fellow Sisters of Death, known as Nix. Because of her previous life as a human, because she received so much power that it literally shook the early foundations of Divinity, Nix hated her. She convinced others to go along with her plan to take down the Sword of Akasha just because of her origins. As a result, Reina found herself betrayed once again except this time she was tethered to Purgatory.

As her personal history replayed before her eyes, the Queen of Cocytus merely sighed.

"It is truly hard to believe that I endured all of this. My only regret is that I never got to truly meet my child. If only I could hold her and tell her how sorry I was that I could not protect her. If only I could apologize for not being the mother that I should have been to her."

While she was confessing her personal regrets, the atmosphere all around her began to change and a different scenario altogether unraveled before her eyes.

*****

"You are naught but a spider…" whispered a voice from beyond the veil of darkness.

"Who is there?" Reina called out in surprise unsure of what was happening to the world around here.

"Caught within a web of its own making," muttered another voice different from the first.

"One whose last thread has been spun and is one cut away from the end," expressed a third voice.

"You are a parasite caught in time…" the trio of voices declared in unison.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?"

The voices did not respond. Instead, Reina was caught inside a hazy mist of darkness and thrust into the unknown.

When her eyes were opened, she awoke to a familiar memory. The bellowing hollows of a violent blizzard tore through the shadowy night as she found herself within the darkness and safety of a particular cave. This area was one that was familiar to her, yet foreign at the same time. Before, she visibly visualized all of her past experiences as if it was a live movie taking place; now, that feeling was gone. She was taking part in the production first hand.

"This is when I met her…" she muttered to herself as she stood up within the dimly lit space and pressed further into the darkness. Stepping carefully not to cut her feet under the jagged stone or lose her footing and fall face forward, the woman continued moving toward the space where she encountered the burning bush.

"It should be right…" Reina was saying before she found herself entering the open space. She witnessed the formation of a bush present in the midst of an open clearing; however, the only light emanating from it was the faint light of the moon shining through a small hole in rock formation as the storm slowly settled.

"I...don't understand. This has to be a joke...right?"

She continued to wait for a few more minutes, but the bush never ignited with the glowing flames of Akasha. Nor did she ever hear the voice of the Goddess-Above-All.

"This is just a falsehood. I am still Morana. The power given to me by Her Grace will never be taken away like that," Reina said whilst reaching out to ignite the area with the kiss of purgatorial flames to incinerate this illusion. However, there was no sense of divinity flowing through her veins.

The picture of the world around her folded up like paper before fading as her eyesight was veiled by darkness once more. Then she found herself within the confines of a temple that she knew she visited when she traveled to Mercury.

"This place…this was the night in which I was betrayed. I remember this moment all too well."

She looked over her shoulder to see the silhouettes of various figures armed with daggers emerging through the darkness.

"Ventus...and 12 other cowards. So you have come to kill me because I proposed a direction to serve a higher power, right?" she called out.

"So your madness is true then. Ever since that little bit of soul-searching in the mountains, you proved your judgment to be hindered," the man in question called out whilst flipping back his hood to reveal his long silver hair and green eyes.

"Is accepting the belief in a god truly taboo?" Reina wondered.

"What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind so bad that you don't remember why it has come to this? You wanted us to leave the Empire and dissolve the Order. To divide up our numbers amid the other factions of the Conclave while you traveled the world as the Emperor's ambassador. You said that assassins had no place in the world and that even if we serve in the shadows, we have to find our own light! What kind of noble bullshit is that? We're all murderers, ruthless killers of the night that come and go like the wind! You wanted to tear down the foundation of everything we've ever known just so you could have a sense of security in yourself!"

"What...that does not sound like me at all. No...I wanted us to forge our own path and relish in the belief of my ancestors, to accept higher wisdom!"

"You aren't making any sense even now! It doesn't matter...we are all in agreement. For the sake of our future, you must die here," Ventus concluded.

"This is not making any sense, none of this feels real at all. Yet it feels real all the same. That reason he stated does not match up with my real memories. So...this reality must not be real either. Nevertheless, I need to know something…"

"And what of my child? What will become my baby after you 'deal' with me?"

"Did you hit your head or something? You never settled down for anyone. Which is why your death will end your weak bloodline here and now. The Obsidian Wolves will leave you in the forgotten records of history as we evolve into something greater. Yes...we'll leave the term "Obsidian" behind for what we will bathe in—Blood. On this night, I decree that the Order of the Blood Wolves will be born from the ashes of Obsidian!"

"Therein lies the problem Ventus, you will have to kill me first to make that happen."

"Easy enough...you already ingested the Jade poison put into your tea for your last meal. We're just here to finish the job."

"W-What…?" Reina stammered as her vision began to fail and her body collapsed underneath the weight of something unknown.

In that moment, the 12 other conspirators rushed her and started stabbing her body over and over again as she was rendered helpless to stop it. Her sense of pain was distorted as the world faded in and out from her eyesight. Ventus was the last to walk over whilst reaching down and holding her by the chin so that she would see his face.

"You will be forgotten after this night. No one shall know your name or what you have done for this world. Your legacy ends here," he declared as he pierced her heart with the final blade.

"This is not right...none of it is right. A world without my meeting Akasha cannot be real. I refuse to accept this reality. Even in my dying breath...I know that even if I was not chosen to become her sword, she would not abandon this world."

A veil of darkness coated her consciousness, then all at once, a new blanket of reality unfolded before her eyes—a nightmare all too familiar to her. She awoke to a battlefield immersed in ash and flame as green meadows were devoured by the crimson embers of hellfire. The night sky that held the glistening serenity of the moon was dyed with a reddish hue as the insidious light of a bleeding moon gave rise to the splintering of space. Within the rift was the everlasting, ever-changing twisting formation of the Root given shape.

As the light of its glimmering radiance rained down upon the Earth below, only one person stood above the rest receiving its bountiful blessing inside a golden book: Sakinah Vashti. Her visage was evolving to new heights as she felt the coursing strength of the limitless entity that embodied the existence of all things running through her veins. Reina, seeing this first hand, knew what needed to be done.

"We have to-…" she was about to say before turning her head to see another horrific sight: the fallen vessels of Team AKARA.

Arayashiki loomed over the bodies of Akaro and Akame as she gripped their hearts in her hands while they bled profusely underneath her heel. Vesta's body shriveled up like a dried fruit as her remaining essence as a Stormbringer was ripped away by a phantom of Sakinah. The same fate was carried out on Adena as her status with Agni was stripped away from her once again. Hikari was split down the middle from behind as she was flayed open in the same manner in which she punished people publicly—the infamous Blood Eagle. As for young Inari, the strong-minded Princess was hacked into pieces presumably by Arayashiki given her remains were littered around the Black Death's feet.

"Onee-sama!!!" the familiar, desperate shriek of Raizo was heard. Reina adjusted her gaze and saw the near-powerless youth stumble over his feet with Soteria in hand trying to get to Sakinah's location. Upon further inspection, the Queen of Cocytus could see something that was borderline inconceivable and heart-wrenching to behold.

"Thank you for lending me Metanoia Murasame, Arayashiki. This combined with Ginnungagap as well as Morana are more than enough," mused the Progenitor.

"Give my Onee-sama back!" Raizo cried out desperately.

"I see you are not even trying to acknowledge that I stole your beloved weapon away from you. Then again, who knew that all I needed to do was take away that woman's left arm."

Reina raised an eyebrow and looked to see that her left arm was indeed missing, but that felt like something that did not make sense at all. There is no way that she should be able to use that weapon since there is no contract between them.

"Reina-san, good to see your senses have returned to you. I guess the shock of using the Golden Ark to overwrite the law of your Soul Oath was too much for you to mentally handle. Thank you for giving me another edge to get what I needed. I had to stop this pesky woman from unlocking her power just in the nick of time."

The visage that unfolded was a gruesome one. Metanoia Murasame was pierced straight through Kimiko Hanate's stomach, the Ginnungagap penetrated the heart, as the Morana blade was hooked into the nape of the neck. Those three locations simultaneously cut off the woman's mind, body, and soul all at once, a feat that was only capable because Sakinah was forcing the Root to allow it.

"ONEE-SAMA!!!!" Raizo screamed in total exasperation as he rushed straight towards Sakinah's location. However, the woman's eyes merely relinquished an insidious glow as she opened her mouth to unleash a devastating beam attack—one that blasted a hole clean through the boy's entire body causing him to evaporate into dust.

"Behold, the new Goddess-Above-All is born unimpeded!" she declared as the sheer might of existence allowed her to evolve to that point. In that instant, everything was blanketed in white.

"Everything that I have longed for, everything that I fought for...the Perfect World begins here. Team AKARA is no more, the Cycles have ended, and no longer will anyone have to suffer under the rule of a false ruler anymore," the voice of Sakinah echoed within the ears of the Sovereign as her eyes gradually opened up.

"Welcome back, Queen of Cocytus...or should I say, former Queen? Well, I suppose queen in name only would work. Nevertheless, rise and shine, your new reality awaits," antagonized Legion with a sly smirk on her face.

"What...is this?" Reina asked as her eyes were still hazy thus her vision was unable to provide a clear picture of what was going on before them.

"I won. Everything you and Team AKARA struggled for in vain has vanished at long last. I have attained the victory I sought and thus created reality in my image. You are all that remains of the old world, well...so to speak."

"Impossible...you were defeated...I know that was the case. I saw you perish at the hands of the Stormbringer."

"I am afraid you are mistaken. The world you have the privilege of breathing in has no recollection of that final battle...only its participants. There is no war, poverty, hunger, disease, suffering, or death. The perfect paradise that brings all the amenities one could ever ask for without cost has been brought to fruition. All one has to do is accept me as their Goddess-Above-All."

"Lies...all lies...I will have your tongue for spewing such ridiculous things."

"You say that, yet you watched as all of your comrades fell one after another; even with the deaths of your beloved Raizo and noble Kimiko by my hand. You are all that is left and you are truly powerless. I mean...without the concept of death, you can live as a witness to my boundless generosity. I hope you enjoy the view~" Sakinah teased playfully.

As Reina's vision cleared up, she could see the reflective surface of glass just a few inches away from her face. That was when she realized that she was only a severed head encased inside a special display that kept her well-preserved.

"Oh by the way, no one else can hear your voice aside from me. You are in my private chambers after all. Do not fret, I will still allow you see just how well I can rule this world through a crystal or something. For now, how about you enjoy this next little bit of fun?"

A knock on the door came before a solitary figure entered inside. It was a young male with black hair and white bangs over his face with seemingly glowing red eyes wearing black armor.

"Onee-sama...you summoned me?" he blushed a bit realizing how he was permitted entry inside the woman's private chamber.

"Indeed, Raizo. And you know exactly why, right?" Sakinah chuckled with a seductive tone of voice.

"W-Well...yes but...I...can't help but be a little nervous," the male with the same name and face of the Stormbringer that Reina once called 'Master' responded.

"Don't...in fact, leave it all to me," she said with a snap of the fingers causing the youth's clothing and armor to disappear thus exposing his naked frame.

"E-Eh?! That was so sudden!"

"Hush, it will only get more interesting from here."

She pulled the boy by his hand and dragged him to her massive queen-sized bed before pushing him back against the soft, velvet sheets. She discarded her own stimulating garb thus exposing her full, naked glory to the boy before jumping on top of him.

"I'm in dire need of a pleasurable experience, be a good boy for your Onee-sama and service me thoroughly, yes?"

As the two began to entangle on the bed, Reina was forced to watch the entire time. A world where Sakinah won and achieved her goal, a world where she was the Goddess-Above-All and the records of Team AKARA as well as all of the brave warriors whom fought alongside her to take Legion down was but memories?

"No, I cannot accept this. This...this is not how life was meant to be. Why am I seeing this? How could I lose in such a pathetic way? My dear comrades, my master, and my beloved Akasha-sama...taken away without a fight? This is all a lie! A deceitful lie!"

Just like before, everything faded to black.

"Everything that lives is designed to end...for that is the stroke cast by the sword of fate," one of the mysterious voices from before stated within Reina's consciousness.

"We are perpetually trapped in an endless cycle of life and death," the entity continued, "Behold…"

The darkness was illuminated once more as the unfolding of a new visceral reality manifested. The realm shook with great pressure as if she was trapped inside of a collapsing cave. The sight of the heavens filled her eyes, except the cosmic beauty of deep space was rendered into a savage nightmare.

The brilliant stars were devoured by whirlpools of stellar mass clouds of darkness. Planets spontaneously combust into flames as asteroids and comets violently assailed one another. The nebulae tore like curtains as the innumerable, independent complex structures of infinite multiverses detonated like bombs one after the other. Time shattered apart like glass, the fabrics of space shredded like strips of paper while the presence of the root rippled out of control.

Her eyes captured the fate of humanity on Earth. The multitudes of mortal life faced mass extinction once again as their home world seemingly broke apart. Rivers of lava burst from the seams in the cracks of the Earth's surface as chasms of smoldering flame and molten rock consumed those captured in its wake. Colossal waves from roaring tsunamis battered coastal civilizations as the occupants were drowned out and washed away. Deadly thunderstorms spawning destructive tornadoes ripped across the land sweeping up their victims and hurling their bodies elsewhere. Then voices of madness drove many insane as riots and salacious activities of mass murder and obscene acts of terror was carried out against one another.

Where was Team AKARA? Where was the Counter Force? How could all of this happen without anyone stepping up to stop it? As Reina's vision shifted, the Queen of Cocytus would unfortunately discover her answer.

The realms of Elysium, Inferno, and Purgatory were smashed together into one singular landscape. The Counter Guardians, Epic Heroes, the races of Cocytus, condemned spirits of Inferno, and even allies from other multiverses were all gathered up to fight in one place. Despite the power of their combined strength, all of them were mere hollow vessels scattered about like dead ants from a fumigated colony. The sight was not only gruesome, but heart-wrenching.

"By Akasha's grace...what manner of evil is this?" she whispered to herself whilst gazing at the devastation.

Her eyes captured the worst sight of all: the fate of her closest friends and family.

"Ashura, Yaten, Zion, Garuda...it cannot be…" she stammered in disbelief as she saw their battered and bloody corpses spread about on the landscape.

"Lucy-san...Mercer-san…"

The sight of the Mercer family and their maimed bodies filled her eyes next. Mercer and Lucy held each other in their arms as cursed, ethereal blades penetrated their bodies whilst the other members of their family were hacked to bits and left as bloodstains on the grassy plains.

"No…not again…."

The fate of Team AKARA was laid out before her once again. Akaro and Akame both lost their arms and were arranged in a way that allowed them to be together, but unable to hold one another. Hikari's exterior was completely devoid of all skin thus leaving her muscle and tissue exposed to the entire world. Inari lost both arms and both legs as she was impaled into the ground. Adena's body was a molten blob of flesh as she desperately tried to regenerate, but her form was too unstable for that. Vesta was nowhere to be found.

Watching her friends and family in such a dismal state was Kimiko currently restrained in black chains held by numerous shadowy silhouettes whose mere existence was incomprehensible to most people. As for Raizo, he was currently being held up by his throat by the entity that was responsible for all of this. With soulless, black empty eye sockets, a wicked grin, long claw-like talons, black angel wings and pale skin, Azoth the Fallbringer was reigning victoriously.

"You are chaos...parasites that breed destruction. We are order. The balance of life is complete by the sealing of your fate. Resistance is futile, your show of force is in vain."

Azoth squeezed his hand around Raizo's throat as the Stormbringer's legs kicked about in endless struggle. Kimiko could only afford to watch as tears streamed down her face.

"Master...I...I cannot allow this. I shall not allow this to stand!" Reina cried out whilst desperately calling on all of her strength as Morana to make the final journey. She felt her power rushing through her veins as her strength gradually returned, but as she went to rise up to face the Fallbringer, an all too familiar rattling of chains echoed within her ears.

"What?"

She looked to her left and then to her right only to see the visage of golden chains binding her wrists. Upon further investigation, she discovered that these chains were thoroughly wrapped around the entirety of her body. Then as she observed her surroundings, she noticed that there was a thin, blue veil encapsulating space. Closing her eyes, she cast a view of herself from outside of her body via astral projection; that was how she discovered the truth. Reina was trapped inside a mystical sphere similar in structure to a crystallized tetrahedron. She attempted to move her limbs to break her bonds, but it was to no avail.

The escalation of anxiety and desperation filled Reina's lungs as she tried even harder to shatter the chains. She watched the events continue to unfold before her as if she was there firsthand, but also as a spectator on the outside of the Omniverse looking in. All she heard was the thumping of her heart as everything in her eyes seemingly slowed down. Azoth's grip around Raizo's neck tightened even more as the would-be Crusader's vision hazed over while his lungs began shutting down. Then she noticed that the Fallbringer's freehand was reaching up at a certain angle. Kimiko's tears streamed down her face while attempting to escape, but she was rendered powerless.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Reina screamed out. Then...it happened.

Azoth's other hand pierced through Raizo's body out the other side. The boy's body went limp as his blood and guts spewed everywhere. The Son of Mercer was no more.

"Alas, the Seventh Cycle has reached its conclusion."

The phantasmal being of judgment tossed Raizo's body to the wayside whilst drawing its long cleaver. The entity stabbed the blade into the ground which created a ripple that turned all life within Akasha's creation to dust. As the totality of higher dimension space dissipated, only a limited few remained. For Reina, she was a special case becoming the witness whose punishment was fated due to her unwavering devotion:

She alone witnessed the endless destruction of reality over and over and over and over again. Tens of times, hundreds of times, thousands, tens of thousands, and so on...each with the same result—the destruction of the Omniverse and Azoth's total victory for the sake of its master.

"It is all useless…"

"An endless joke…"

"You struggled and fought in vain…"

The trio of voices reached out to the nigh broken consciousness of the faithful warrior. She knew that everything she saw was a series of falsehoods, yet a small portion of her heart wavered. The woman who lasted through the ages serving loyally as the Blade of Akasha found herself lost. Betrayal, failure, and vulnerability, the atmosphere of the visions she endured could be summarized in those three words. The first was something she was used to. It was one of the curses passed down through her bloodline beginning with her all the way down to Raizo. It was painful to experience, and it could easily alter one's perception of others; however, it was something one could grow from and overcome.

The second was also something that she knew all too well. Life's many teaching moments often come from failure. It is devastating to fail, to know defeat after trying so hard for something...but defeat is a wall that is meant to be broken through. She knew that out of everything she ever lived through, her greatest triumphs came from overcoming her previous failures. Even if somehow, fate dictated that Sakinah would win; it would be a hollow victory...one that could only last for but a moment. Some days one will know light of glory, others will be the shadow of shame; however, the process of learning one's mistakes and possessing determination will often erase the failures of yesterday.

Yes, betrayal and failure were two concepts that she was familiar with and could adapt; the last, however, was...something else. To feel vulnerable had multiple layers in her mind. She had moments of feeling weakness, but that visage of Azoth haunted her for a brief period. That moment...that war...it was the endgame. Everything in the Omniverse will be decided when that entity descends. What amount of training will Team AKARA and the other heroes have to do in order to defeat something like that? Did she pass on enough of her knowledge to make a difference? Why did she have to meet her end now of all times?

"If such a fate truly awaits the world...then why now did I have to die? Perhaps I overestimated my strength. Perhaps...my time is at an end…" Reina initially thought to herself giving into doubt. It was then that a pale blue ember began to emit in the darkness.

"No...this is not my ending. My work is not over yet. I still have my part to play and you gave me my purpose. This is not meant to be a permanent scenario. No...this is just a conclusion to a long chapter of my life. The next arc in my journey is set to begin."

As Reina's determination escalated, the blue ember grew to a roaring flame evolving into a raging inferno that encapsulated the shape of a black wolf. In that moment, the darkness surrounding her spirit slowly cracked spreading across every direction then shattered into tiny fragments.

"I must admit mysterious trio, you almost had me. That last vision almost crushed me. However, you forgot something about me. I have lived through countless eras in history since the Age of Gods. I have witnessed some of humanity's and divinity's greatest moments as well as their darkest. I have survived darkness that should have erased life countless times because hope was all lost. Wars that consumed innumerable lives, broken hearts that suffer with trauma and regret, memories that could break the mightiest warriors' will, and so forth. Eons of ups and downs plagued by a seemingly endless cycle of violence. Even with all of that death and destruction, there was one thing that was always true: hope prevailed. That alone tells me that there is a reason why I have to keep on living.

Even after being cursed and banished to Purgatory, I still survived. Akasha's grace surrounds everything in the Omniverse whether anyone wants to admit it or not. All one has to do is just take a moment to humble themselves and listen. As such, I cannot be kept here in this afterlife. My destiny is not tied to the end of my existence, but to the evolution of something else. Nevertheless mysterious trio, will you show yourselves now?"

In that moment, three distinct figures wearing identical, dark purple with pink flower printed kimonos emerged. As their faces became visible, the women all shared the same appearance with midnight colored eyes and jet black hair, yet each featured a different hair style. Going from left to right, the first had long, wavy hair; the second featured a short-length bob hair cut; and the last had medium length hair in a pony tail. In spite of their anonymity, once Reina got a clear view of their faces she understood.

"It all makes sense now. I never thought I would have the pleasure of meeting you three. Then again, considering how your oldest sister and I ended things...I suppose it was fate. No pun intended. The Three Moirai—Clotho, Lahkesis, and Atropos—the Daughters of the Goddess of Night, Nyx...commonly known as the Sisters of Fate," Reina identified each of them in the respective order.

"Yes, it would appear you knew this day would come," Clotho chuckled whilst flipping her long hair back.

"Our dearest sister Nix knew that the curses would eventually wane in efficacy," Lahkesis followed suit.

"Hence why she instructed us to wait for the time when you were at your weakest," Atropos concluded.

"Yeah...that figures. She never was the type to take care of business on her own. I wonder...how is she?" Reina smirked to which the triplets gritted their teeth.

"Like you don't know, you killed her after all!" they spat out in unison.

"I told her she would die for that."

"You are a wretched coward," Clotho criticized.

"Striking down your target when she was asleep?" Lahkesis followed.

"You say her actions were underhanded, yet yours was no better!" Atropos concluded.

` "Oh please, I only reached out to her from the Astral Plane with my ghost. Besides, the technique was only experimental at the time and I needed just a nudge from Cthulhu to make contact. Granted it was rather ironic considering how she relished in her assassination ploy during her dreams only to be assassinated by me as her nightmare."

"Which is why you shall know no rest!" they screamed aloud.

"Is that right? I never knew the Sisters of Fate to be the combat type, but if you insist on taking me on...then regardless of the state I am in, dealing with you three is child's play."

"You are right," Clotho began.

"As three, we are naught fighting material…" Lakhesis ensued.

"As one however…" Atropos ended.

A lime green aura emanated from the three of them in unison as they walked closer together. In that moment, their silhouettes combined into one being creating a massive pillar of poisonous light. As the radiance faded, a synthesized being stood with a monstrous appearance. The visage of the three women was fused into a three-faced entity that looked to be holding three difference facial expressions at once. She was ridiculously muscular to the point where it was grotesque to look at as her veins visibly pumped the blood throughout her body. Her skin was ashen silver as she wore Amazonian style leather and golden plated armor across the breasts, the lower arms, the legs and around the waist. In her hands were two sickle-style, golden broadswords that were each one-half of the infamous scissors that cut the threads of fate.

"We are combat ready. We are Aranea…" the harmonized voice of the sisters echoed out.

"Then allow me to face fate head on," Reina uttered with determination taking a stance whilst donning her full red and black battle attire and Kanemitsu in hand.

"Oh? Do you really think that fighting fate will be easy? Very well, you shall know the true fear behind defying the inevitable!"

Reina and the fusion of the Sisters of Fate called Aranea kicked off of the empty darkness all around them and collided head-on to a deadlock between their swords. The monstrosity towered over the Blade of Akasha by at least another five to six feet rivaling Zion in sheer body mass. Nevertheless, the Queen of Cocytus did not waver before her foe.

The dark void surrounding them changed upon impact creating a new landscape that was covered in a wide open meadow that was lush green from the resulting plant life. Small flakes of snow fell listlessly over the area as the sky above was filled with the glow of purple, pink and green wave formations known as an Aurora. The twilight space would serve as the battlefield as the two danced with their blades in two, sparks of light scattering all over the place from the myriad of slashes.

The Sisters of Fate were not warriors. They did not wage onto the frontlines of the battlefield or provide back up as supply units or support units in war. They held no tactical experience in combat, but they controlled things from the shadows. Manipulating and influencing fate was much like being an assassin. Their targets never knew when they were coming, they never knew when they were being watched, all they knew was the sting of death. The trio observed all life from their private den coursing through the infinite organisms that filled creation deciding when to sever the threads of life. Nevertheless, those that diligently sought them and intended the use of force met the amalgamation standing before Reina. Individually, they were powerless; together, they were formidable enough to defend themselves when needed. Though lacking in technique or signature moves of their own, they studied the lives of enough epic heroes to have a mutual understanding of movement in fights. In addition, warriors of their interest were studied carefully so that they may learn better movements for battle.

Reina dived in with her long-bladed weapon as she thrust her honed edge straightforward. Aranea used her right hand to parry the weapon thus using her weight to throw the Sovereign off-balance whilst following up with a diagonal swing from the left. Reina sensed this and twisted her body to flip in the air to the side, corrected her direction by turning on a proper turn of her heel before reaching in with her sword once more towards the muscular brute's abdomen.

Though well-built and sturdy-bodied individuals were usually thought of as slow, Aranea was surprisingly agile and could move much more fluidly than Reina originally anticipated. The ugly monster twisted her abdominal region as the blade trickled past then capitalized on the opening to bat the blade downward with one of her weapons while the other was swung towards her target's neck.

With a shocking adjustment, Reina brought up her right arm in an L-shape and used the plating along her forearm to block the edge of the weapon just enough to avoid damage. However, the force behind the attack was enough to force her position backward thus sliding across the green field underneath her feet.

"We have observed countless warriors in our time. Agile, speed types like you prefer precision-based attacks that slip past their opponents' guard and hit blind spots without wasting unnecessary movement. You go for a conservation of energy tactic that allows you to be swift enough to quickly take down your enemies by wearing them out and forcing them to take defensive measures. At the same time, you conserve your own stamina. It is an elaborate combat strategy; however, it is one that can bear considerable risk since your movements become patterned. Once your enemy takes note of that pattern, you can be easily disrupted."

"What an astute observation, I suppose your hybrid form at least gave you more intelligence in spite of the brutish appearance. Still, if that makes you feel like you are that much closer to beating me...prepare to be disappointed."

Aranea merely chuckled at the woman's sense of confidence.

"Your pride is something else to behold, however, you still do not realize just how vulnerable you truly are."

Reina tilted her head, "What do you mean? You have yet to land a single blow on my body that has managed to draw blood."

"Is that so? You are dueling with the Sisters of Fate, do you really think we need to make you bleed enough to kill you?"

The Queen of Cocytus felt a strong pulse ripple throughout her body as she heard the sound of her heartbeat echo in her ears. Her vision blurred and she lost feeling in her arms for a brief second causing her to drop her sword on the ground. Her knees buckled which made her collapse to the ground. She felt nausea overwhelm her and her strength gradually fade away.

"What...is this feeling? What did you...do?" she muttered.

"Our attacks were not meant to damage you physically. They may have felt like real blows meant to tear off your limbs or carve up your flesh, but that was not the true aim. The real goal was hidden the entire time. We were actually cutting your threads of fate."

"B-but...I am not…"

"Dead? Well...there are more layers to the concept of fate than any mortal can understand. Yes, severing a thread of fate often construes to cutting one's life causing their death; however, it is much more complex than that. We sisters have the ability to manipulate the fate of one's existence whether it is memories, objects of significance, powers, and so on. In your case, we have been steadily severing the threads of fate that contribute to all of the powers and abilities granted to you by the All-Mother—your celestial strength that sets you far above many in the Primordial Hierarchy. Everything that makes you the infamous Morana, the Blade of Akasha, is being torn away from you," Aranea explained before chuckling in mockery.

"That is...not possible...all of my power was given to me...by Akasha-sama herself. Your authority...should not be able to…"

"Well, why do you think we showed you all of those visions? You may be adamant in your belief, but there is always a way to evoke doubt in some fashion. All we needed to do was fan the flames of it enough to cause a stir in your faith. In short, a small part of you was shaken and those long-standing doubts and regrets you buried deep inside your heart were brought to light. As a result, those threads of protection layered by your unrelenting faith in Akasha weakened."

"Tch…" Reina gritted her teeth as she reached out towards Kanemitsu whilst summoning what strength she could muster to stand on her own two feet. Even though she was in a compromised state, she could not afford to give up here.

"Of course, we would not expect anything less from the woman who conquered Purgatory."

"I have to admit, she blindsided me with that. I can already feel my powers draining away. Even Kanemitsu is starting to feel heavier than normal in my grasp. I have to make sure she does not land any more…"

Reina's thought process was interrupted when Aranea rapidly closed the gap between them.

"How did she gain…"

The monstrosity then delivered a devastating blow by kneeing her in the stomach which knocked the wind out of her lungs for a brief second. Immediately, Aranea brought her two blades to bear and proceeded to swing down on the woman as she seemingly floated in the air for a short second. Narrowly escaping, Reina brought her blade above her head to protect herself and the threads of fate that seemingly surrounded her.

"Useless!" cried out the beast as she swung down her cleavers with all her might.

The devastating blow caused the Queen of Cocytus to stumble back. Seeing those clumsy motions, Aranea swooped towards the woman to follow up with quick two-hit combo. Though Reina evaded the attacks…

"Another two threads severed…" chuckled the three-faced creature.

A cold chill washed over the long-haired swordswoman. She felt like something was being taken from her, something that was vital to the core of her being. In that moment, she saw glimpses of memories from the past. She saw the instances when she first met the members of the Cardinal Four. Zion and the other Kappa were slaves meant to carry the weight of Tartarus' throne and pull his chariot throughout Purgatory. Ashura Gozen and Yaten-Douji and their respective people were used as disposable pawns of entertainment in gladiatorial events. Then there was Garuda, she was like a scared child locked in the closet for days on end. Her magic was forcefully used for whatever the previous Sovereign desired and was often kept in isolation and beaten if she made contact with the outside. As their liberator, she brought all of them together to help bring down the insidious entity.

All of that foundation being built was somehow torn away. It wasn't that she was made to forget the bonds she forged, but it was as if a piece of her heart was shattered. It was like someone taking something important that they held dear, but they cannot fathom what exactly it was they lost until they were reminded of it in a certain instance.

The second visual was that of her best friend, Musashi. She was the first friend that Reina ever had in her life, the first one that she could call a sister. The combat experience they shared together, their bond that strengthen over the hell that was war, their eternal closeness forever etched into their souls like an engraving in steel...gone. Such pain caused the Sovereign to fall over in agony. She felt pieces of herself being snatched away bit by bit.

"This is…" Reina gritted her teeth using Kanemitsu as a support to stand.

"It hurts doesn't it?" Aranea cocked a wicked grin, "Fate works in mysterious ways. With each thread severed, a part of you dies. You are experiencing death on a microscopic, existential level. As we cut each tie that is holding together your being, a part of you is lost. Every memory of every moment that contributes to who you are today is ending. This is true degradation. Physically, you still have the strength to fight with all the prowess you have acquired from your life. Mentally, you are beginning to waver. You may have the fortitude and discipline to escape even the darkest of psychological torture from an outside presence, but even that has to wane in the face of Fate. The closer you hold something dear to you, the worse it is. And this affects you spiritually. This is the end for you, Reina Arashi."

The victim in question raised her hand up and slammed it back down on the ground causing a chasm of frost blue flame to emerge which made Aranea back off. The freezing heat singed the hem of the monster's dress as well as nudged the surface of the skin on her femur for a brief second. Then the Specter of Death rose to her feet properly and held her blade up.

"If you really think...I will go down without a fight. You are horrifically mistaken. This is only the beginning of what I can muster to defeat you."

"Prove me wrong then!"

Aranea and Reina initiated their epic showdown once more. Sparks flared out as their blades collided causing the atmosphere to be riddled with the harrowing echoes of steel crashing against steel. Their movements were in tandem with one another, the meadow underneath their feet was displaying signs of destruction as indents in the Earth appeared and cracks along the ground spread out. Stars fell in the background above their heads as the crescent streaks from the motions of their swords were illuminated by the light from the auroras.

"I have to find my opening soon...it feels like my body is getting heavier. I can barely hold my grip on Kanemitsu."

Though she was managing to keep pace, Reina was showing signs of lag and fatigue. As a result, this allowed Aranea to take advantage and sever more threads whilst pushing the Queen back thus robbing her of proper footing. With her balance disrupted, Aranea was able to deliver more punishment by severing more threads around Reina's vessel whilst landing direct hits on the woman's body; her armor cracking apart and her clothing showing rips in the fabric as a result.

"How many more threads do you have left? I can see your life fading away. The memories flashing across your mind, how does it feel knowing that each one of those moments are slipping away thus weakening your ability to remain tethered to life. So you will fade away…"

Aranea took both of her blades and overlapped them into a complete pair of golden scissors as she opened them up and cut the space over the beauty's head. Like strings controlling a puppet, Reina felt more of her body going limp from the shock.

The time and training she spent with Team AKARA flashed across her mind next. The hope she placed in them as she recognized them as the next generation to protect the World was something that bolstered her resolve about the future and that was taken from her. Then she saw the moment when she met Raizo for the first time in person and the year she spent with him in Cocytus one-on-one. Taking the Throne of Purgatory and becoming the Sovereign, defeating Tartarus, slaying the various gods and sealing away Legion during the prelude of the First Primordial War, her birth as Morana...all of these valuable memories that solidified her identity were stripped one after the other.

"One last thread to cut...look at you now. The once noble and feared Celestial Goddess of Death, the Blizzard of the End, the Blade of Akasha, Morana, reduced to this."

Reina's strength faded more and more with each passing moment. As a result, her appearance subsequently changed. The fabled armor that she rode into battle with crumbled into plates of iron on the snow dusted grass beneath. She now on wore a white kosode over top a black hakama, similar to the casual attire she wore whilst in her castle in Cocytus. The burning ember that seemingly illuminated her eyes to a bright yellow color diminished to a soft hazel. Even her long, flowing hair fell out thus being long enough to barely touch her shoulders. To make matters worse, she could not even hold the blade gifted to her by the Goddess-Above-All anymore. As blood seeped down her forehead, she panted heavily whislt exhausted from the trauma.

"You are nothing more than a stray dog clinging desperately to its last leg of life. Admittedly, you did well to survive this long. However, Nix-neesama would not have it any other way. Nevertheless, your fate is sealed. Relish in the last moment you possess perhaps of your beloved Akasha, whom has forsaken you."

As Aranea held the golden scissors ready to clip away that last hairsbreadth of life, Reina's mind flashed back to the moment that set everything she was in motion.

The burning bush filled with the Akashic blue flames...that was the birth that gave way to all that she was. Becoming a member of the Syndicate and the work she did to establish the Conclave and the Order of the Obsidian Wolves were but stepping stones to this key moment. It was here that she was entrusted with Destiny in a literal and metaphysical sense.

"You gave me a cause to believe when I felt hollow and numb. I was empty...on the verge of just finding away to end it because I felt like there was nothing left to fight for. And then...you changed everything. Nothing else mattered, I just wanted to live up to the expectations you set for someone like me. Tell me Akasha-sama...did I fulfill them?

The deeds I carried out…the wars I have witnessed...the lives I have taken...the bonds I forged...they all carry the foundation of who I am, of what I believe. Yet...I still feel like I somehow failed you. Not only for falling into Purgatory, but because I am powerless to stop what is to come. I tried to alleviate these regrets by instilling my hope in the generation to come...but I still feel like I have yet to live up to the legacy you left for me. I want to rest...but I feel incomplete.

Akasha-sama...will you restore me?"

Reina's mind clouded over inadvertently giving in to accepting her fate. Then her consciousness was dragged elsewhere to one of her more painful memories in time. She saw her younger self knelt down on a muddy battlefield, piles of corpses scattered about in various places around the surrounding area as large wooden complexes were struck ablaze. Crumbling foundations of castle ramparts collapsed into piles of rubble on the ground. Regardless of this chaotic display, she alone remained knelt in the dirt as rain fell down upon her face.

In her arms was the body of a singular man whom the woman held a great deal of respect and admiration for. After all, he was the one who took her under his wing after freeing her from slavery and brought her into the life as a member of the Syndicate.

"Shishou please…stay with me! I can't bear the thought of losing you!" she cried out. The man in question had deep gashes across his body from where his enemies slashed him at and three large arrows protruding from his body.

"Reina...it seems that we must part ways. Such is the life of those...in our trade," he said weakly.

"No Shishou, do not speak in such a way. I will get you help. Just hang on, back up is surely coming!"

"You always were….a stubborn child….but listen to me...please. Allow your Shishou to impart some wisdom on you...one last time…"

"Shishou…"

"I have...taught you everything I know. You must forge your own...path here. Your life will not be an easy one. You will...drown in bloodshed...and potentially lose your way, but...do not despair. Keep your head held high even in your darkest days… Be as swift as the wind and as deadly as lightning, a storm of devastating potential. Triumph over every obstacle in your way. Do not aspire to rule, but do not hesitate to lead… In this age...where mankind is lost in darkness and the heavens in disarray, seek out your own truth and hold those convictions to your heart. Remember….that among the many, nothing will stand fiercer than the one. May the Great One keep a watchful eye over you. I know I will...wherever my soul ends up. This is….fare….well….my child…"

"Shishou...hey...please...wake up. I do not want to be alone again. Shishou...Shishou!!!" she cried aloud.

"Yes...Shishou...after I was taken from my parents and my home...and before I met the allies I gained in my journey both before and after I became Morana, you were all that I had."

"Reina...my sweet little Reina. My, look at how much you have grown," a familiar voice echoed out.

The woman found her mind enveloped in a space of golden light surrounded by clouds. In that area, she discovered a lone silhouette coming to greet her. He was a taller male that stood a little over six feet tall. He wore a cloud-patterned, azure blue, jinbei kimono with black pants fashioned at the shins by tan kyahan guards. Traditional black socks, and brown sandals with red stripes composed the rest of outfit. His face was obscured by a red tengu mask secured around his face by a black ribbon only exposing his white hair suggesting his older age.

"It...cannot be...Zatoichi-san?! I mean...Shishou...is it really you?!" the proud woman shouted in disbelief finding her heart transforming into that of a child once more.

Instantly she ran over to embrace the man whom wrapped his arms around her like a loving parent would. Within this span of time, Reina felt her heart burst open as tears uncontrollably poured down her face.

"It is good to see you once again...even if it is under these strange circumstances," the man called Zatoichi said.

"Shishou...I never thought I would get a chance like this again."

"I know child...I know. And I am so proud of the woman you have come to be. Who knew that the little girl I trained would become a woman of such imposing strength, and a goddess no less."

"Regardless of what I am….I am still the same Reina you raised. If it was not for you, I would not be where I am today!" she proclaimed.

"I only did as instructed by a higher guidance. Nevertheless...though we may not be bound by blood, no father could ever have asked for a better daughter."

"And no orphaned child...could ever hope for a better father."

The two shared that tender moment before Zatoichi gently pulled away from her.

"As much as I enjoy our reunion...the time for you to come to the other side is not now."

"What do you mean? Surely I have reached the end of my long life. As much as I have known victory, I have been bested...by the Sisters of Fate. Perhaps this is the punishment I have been escaping from for too long."

"Nonsense! I never taught you the meaning of accepting defeat! As long as you still draw breath, victory will always be a possibility for you to grasp!"

"But...Shishou...have I not fulfilled my purpose? I have done all I could to pass on everything I know for the next generation and the generation to come. I have reached my limit...there is no way I can hope to stand against the threats the World will face. Is it not yet time for this blade to be retired?"

"Allow me to ask you a better question: do you honestly believe that this is meant to be your end? Your entire legacy up to this moment from the time you were a fabled swordswoman during the dark ages of humanity history to becoming the Celestial Goddess of Death and the Blade of Akasha onward. Do you truly believe that such a noble journey must have such a disappointing conclusion?"

"No...I do not. In fact...I find myself unable to accept death from this sad curse. Yes...I made the mistake of dropping my guard and yes I paid dearly for it; but I overcame that situation which led to me becoming Queen. I disciplined myself and waited patiently for eons to come back to the real world whilst granted the privilege of meeting my descendant foretold in the Goddess-Above-All's prophecy. Even now, I feel like my work is left undone."

Zatoichi nodded, "Exactly...now then, is the girl that I raised up and trained day and night to become the warrior she was destined to be really going to give up here?"

"No...I cannot. I must not lose here. Everything that I am...everything that I am meant to be does not end here."

"That's my girl. Once upon a time, I told you that you be a storm of devastating potential. Show those sisters that the last name 'Arashi' is not just for show."

"Yes Shishou, with pleasure. It was...an honor to see you again and hear your words of wisdom. Thank you. Even though you are gone, you are still teaching me."

"Always remember, I am watching over you. If you ever need to talk, all you have to do is reach out to me and I will be there. I am so proud of you, Reina."

"Thank you, Father…"

Then Reina's consciousness was dragged away from the golden clouds of the afterlife and brought back to her current reality.

"Farewell Morana…" uttered Aranea holding the golden scissors over the final thread. In one swift action, she went to cut it but the blades cracked.

"What? I-Impossible. What is the meaning of this?!"

"Simple...really...I am choosing my own fate."

Reina reached forward to grab Kanemitsu that were lying on the ground underneath Aranea's grotesque feet. Feeling a sudden change in pressure, the amalgamation of the fates stumbled back whilst witnessing the last thread hanging over Reina's body pulse with an Akashic blue flame with dust particles of a golden radiance.

"How?! How is this even possible?! Nearly all of your threads were severed so how is it that you are gaining so much power?!"

A dark crimson aura began to spiral around the Kanemitsu blade with sparks of obsidian electricity. A haze of indigo miasma bubbled out of Reina's body causing her body to ignite like a cursed flame with the spiraling wind of cerulean aura. The air around them nosedived straight into subzero temperatures as the woman's hair grew back to its original length and her eyes shimmered with a demonic yellow glow. Her original black, red, and gold armor and overcoat returned to her as the guise of the Queen of Cocytus re-emerged stronger than ever causing the entire alternate dimension to rattle within Sanctuary.

"I apologize, Aranea. You worked so hard to overwhelm me in order to cause me to break so that you can end my existence. I shall still give you that chance to do so...but first, I hope you are prepared to accept my firm objection to your deeds. My name is Reina Arashi, Queen of Cocytus and first in my name. The Blade of Akasha, the Sovereign of Purgatory, the Specter of Death, Celestial Goddess of Winter and Ruin, commonly referred to as Morana openly accepts your challenge. And I will show you how I control my own fate."

"No...no...IT CANNOT BE! THIS CANNOT CONTINUE! THIS IS YOUR ENDING!" Aranea cried out whilst summoning all of the aura she possessed; however, her pressure was still infinitely outclassed by her foe's.

"Allow me to show you my legend in one move that I never got a chance to use against Legion. Mugen no Shinseina ishi…."

Upon the invocation of those words, the space around them changed into a brutal tundra that could chill anyone to the core of their being thereby freezing their souls. The skies above layered over with impassable black clouds as frost covered mountains rose up all around the combatants. An intense, blistering blizzard consumed the area making it nigh impossible to perceive anything visible. Aranea already felt the skin peeling from her flesh as she was assailed by this harsh environment.

"W-What is...this place?" she stuttered during her inquiry.

"Cocytus, not the real one I am afraid but a perfectly replicated environment that is exactly like the original," the distant voice of Reina echoed out.

"Where are you?! Fight me you cowardly bitch!"

"Oh I am near enough...ironically when I use this move, my targets are supposed to be assailed with soul crippling mental torture; however...I wish to forego such unnecessary deeds and get straight to the point. Where you feel the depth of my strength that I earned by the blood, sweat and tears poured into my training, cultivating myself into becoming the ideal warrior that Akasha-sama needed me to be!"

Countless silhouettes appeared around Aranea which revealed themselves to be the black-armored Tengu fiercely loyal to the Sovereign herself. Each of them were imbued with the power of Reina's Resolute Blade Arts. Following that, the Queen's voice echoed out.

"Earth Stance – Ryusei no Aki!"

Aranea was captured within a pocket dimension of isolated time and space. In the seconds that followed, the beast-like entity witnessed the cosmos open up in the darkened skies above as numerous celestial bodies appeared. It was then that massive projections of blades manifested and punctured the planetary objects thus shattering them into billions of fragments that rained down upon her. Truly the definition of a Meteor Fall.

"Wind Stance – Mugen, sen-mai no Arashi!"

A couple hundred of the Tengu phantoms reached for their swords and went through the motion of drawing their blade and sheathing it again in a blur of motion that the fates could not ascertain. A multitude of strikes that was sustained outside of space and time on a higher dimensional plane of existence then assailed the monstrosity thousands upon hundreds of thousands of times. As pieces of the beast started to fall off, the punishment only continued.

"Fire Stance – Yume no haretsu!"

Another batch of the phantasmal soldiers then took aim with their hands as a myriad of colors reminiscent of the crimson, indigo, cerulean and black shades lined up with Reina's aura appeared. All of these energies were released in unison and hit Aranea head-on without delay thus sending the Fates creature spiraling into the air.

"Water Stance – Okami no Shutsugen!"

Rushing at the flying target came a surge of shadows with blades drawn. Each one struck the target and swiftly slashed at her hundreds of times in a single second multiplied by the thousands of Tengu warriors that pursued her. After the seemingly endless onslaught, the sliced up body of the girl began to listlessly fall into the next technique awaiting her.

"Void Stance – Kanashi Kiba!"

An Iron Maiden appeared composed of the Tengu waited below. Consumed within it, Aranea was assaulted by the visages of her deepest fears...some of which showcasing all of her siblings being brutally massacred by her own hands as indicative of controlling fate. Once released, she was stumbling about as her healing factor barely kept her hybrid body together. Her mind was already numb, unsure of her surroundings anymore for a period of time.

"Heaven Stance – Eien ni Ochiru…"

A massive projection of the Kanemitsu appeared whilst charged with every single element that Reina could control. In one swift swing, a massive crescent slash of concentrated energies descended upon the target thus erasing the ground below for a brief minute.

"Ultima Stance – Zentai no Michi."

The Tengu all combined into one entity, a giant six-armed being of imposing nature wielding six weapons that held each of the six Blade Arts within them. Unable to stand or put up any sort of resistance, Aranea hopelessly ate six consecutive strikes that shattered every single bone in her body.

"Begone…"

The domain of Cocytus suddenly held cracks all around its foundational space. In that instant, the realm shattered as countless shards of dimensional glass then proceeded to pierce the entity like a hailstorm of bullets. The act was caused by Reina actually holding the reality marble in her hand and crushing it into nothingness which spat out the creature into the original three sisters that composed it.

"Now do you understand the full bounty that I was blessed with? Falling to your hands would be an insult to everything that I stand for. If I am meant to die, it will be on my own terms and by someone worthy of losing my life to...not three little girls who cannot let go of the past."

Clotho, Lahkesis, and Atropos gritted their teeth in anger as they were insulted by the woman.

"You…"

"will not…"

"...escape your fate!!!!"

The three women, albeit clumsily and horrendously so, quickly jumped to their feet and merged into the brutish monstrosity once more with their scissors in hand. They rushed at the woman with all their might intent on cutting her head off. As the blades entered the range needed to make the cut, Reina closed her eyes.

"Reina Arashi, my most faithful blade...this is not where your story concludes. This is but an end to a chapter in your life. A closing epilogue to an arc in your story leading into the next phase. With all that you are, take up the mantle, the first step in the next leg of your journey…"

"Let your will be done in my life, Akasha-sama. I once more entrust my all in you. I thank you for the life you have given me…"

"Become the storm you were always meant to be, my daughter…"

"Zatoichi...I pray that wherever you are watching from in paradise, you continue to watch me grow and go even further beyond myself."

"At the end, the understanding is met. The revelation of the blade and the totality of one's soul can only be achieved at death's door...the way forward is clear. And so my soul ascends…to eternity."

The realm was blanketed in white which caused Aranea to stumble over and double back. In that moment, the aura around Reina shifted. The tremendous power emanating from her body just disappeared as if nothing was there altogether. This startled the Fates. They saw her standing there, but there was nothing coming from her. Her existence was indeed there, but there was something missing. She had no ill will, no sorrow or overwhelming emotion. She was just present, like a blank slate.

"What is this….what are you?!" Aranea exclaimed.

Reina merely grabbed her blade and sheathed it for a second before carrying it at her side thus strolling over to the monster.

"Oh, you're approaching me? Just because you erased your presence, do you really think it wise to approach me?"

"I now know...what I need to become. If this is the end of my 'life', then this is my final revelation. The Art of Truth: Pathfinder – Shori no Yakusoku, Owari no Kyoukai."

"What the hell are you on about now?!"

Without the utterance of another word, Reina drew her blade out of nowhere as if it was just a regular, casual motion. The honed edge stretched out and reached its target without delay and separated Aranea's head from her bulbous body.

"I forgive you."

The technique was known in the common tongue as The Promised Victory, Boundary of the End. The empty space they were in was materialized as a blank page, the archetypal space representative of the concept of Eternity with infinite possibility. The action with the sword was Reina's understanding of the absolute promise that as all things must end, so too shall things begin anew. It was a testament of the belief inside the Sovereign's heart that Akasha will never fail and the Root will never give up on the concept of life.

Aranea was cleaved not by malice, or anger, or hate, or murderous intent. She came to an end across the realm of possibility because her existence was ended by one holy act: forgiveness. Reina's final move was not an act of murder, but the purest sense of purification. It was simply the end of that possibility to be layered over by a new blank page for something to begin.

"It is over...at long last…" Reina said as she sheathed her sword at long last bringing the battle to an end. A glowing white orb floated in the air nearby thus floating over to the woman in question. With a raised eyebrow, she reached out to it and felt a mysterious energy wash over her.

"Interesting...but...now it seems like I am at an impasse. I cannot afford to pass on, but I am unsure I can go back the way I was. What a predicament," she chuckled.

Little did she realize, Reina transcended all of existence, possibility, karma, and duality itself. She defeated her own death and now is at point where everything within reality is like a dream. Her new purpose...her new stage of life would begin here. She just needed some words of encouragement.

"It is not yet your time…" a new voice entered the space. Reina turned around to find a singular girl with short brown hair, yellow eyes, and a midnight-colored gown with a yin-yang medallion adorned around her neck at the collarbone. A black and white, triangular printed sash was draped around her neck as she wore a matching top hat with four golden disks on it.

"Hello Mother," the girl said with a smile.

"It...cannot...no...is it truly you? My…"

Tears welled up within the woman's eyes. At the same time, the phenomenon was shared by the unknown female.

"It's me Mother…" she smiled.

"Kurai!" Reina called out her name before rushing over to her and holding her close. The woman only ever knew her daughter's name thanks to Akasha telling her of her survival once upon a time; however, they never had the chance to meet due to the various extenuating circumstances encapsulating both their lives. Memories of her child and the life she missed out on was so painful that Reina had to seal her thoughts away to keep from dwelling on her.

"At last we may finally meet...there is so much that I wish to tell you…" Kurai said with a smile.

"And I you...but first, I just want to apologize for failing you as a mother."

"No Mother, you do not need to be sorry. You never failed me and I never hated you, not once. You had your role to play as Morana and I have mine to play as Statera. We are both chosen by the All-Mother to fulfill a greater sense of destiny. And that is why I am here. It is not yet your time, Mother. Your Life's Story is just now at its dawn…"

"Statera?" the dark-skinned beauty was perplexed.

"While you had your role as the Blade of Akasha, I had mine given to me when my power awakened as the Keeper of Balance," she expressed vaguely.

"I see..."

"Besides, you now have the new mantle of the Primordial Goddess of Fate to adhere to. For now, you must awaken as something greater than your current self."

"I will...but can we just share this moment a little longer?"

"Yes Mother, I would not have it any other way."

In the arms of Balance,

Blessed by the All Mother forevermore,

The Pathfinder soars, rekindled purpose to her blade.

The scourge of light upon the dark,

Blade of Akasha upon the night,

She who wrote this tale since time immemorial is truly set free.

True Grand Saber awakens…

Such is the tale of the Undying, Reina Arashi.