[b]Awakening[/b]

[i]Collab by: Rtron, Synthorian and Wild Wind[/i]

The first thing she was aware of, as she slowly became conscious, was the cool metal in her hands. [i]The Harp…[/i] a voice she wasn’t sure was entirely her own whispered in her mind. It didn’t matter. What did matter was that she was sure it was hers, and she was sure it was right where it was supposed to be. Speaking of herself, who was she? [i]Luciana…[/i] that same voice whispered, and as before it felt right. It was who she was. What defined her and shaped her. As she regained more of her senses than just the feeling of cool metal in her hands, she became aware of the fact that she was clothed. That was always nice, she supposed. [i]Being naked and having no idea where you are always tends to lead to conclusions.[/i] She thought, before bolting upright into a sitting position, her eyes fluttering behind closed eyelids. What few memories she had were flooding back. Her death primarily stuck out in her mind, and she opened her eyes, glancing about in a distant but nonetheless curious way. It was an odd feeling to know that she was dead, but not dead. She had been alive, but had no memory of that time. Did she leave loved ones behind? Enemies? Had she been a good person or a bad one? Why did she have a harp and know how to play it? Still, she had a couple of questions that just needed to be spoken out loud, even if there was apparently no one in the room with her.
 
“Where are we, and why aren’t we dead?”

Solus stood in the shadows of the room. He had noticed her stir and as such, remained here to welcome her to a world that she most likely won’t remember, let alone remember the world before this one. “An interesting question to ask, right after your Awakening…” Solus responded.

Luciana snapped her head over to Solus, regarding him for a moment. Chimera. She could tell that instantly, though she didn’t know how. It was another curiosity in a growing list. “We do not find that such an interesting question, Chimera, considering that we distinctly remember dying. And we distinctly do not remember dying here. And we assume that when you say ‘Awakening’ you mean, ‘Resurrection’.” She turned her body to face him, hands almost protectively over her harp, gently petting the one white piece of it. It calmed her, for some reason.

“That’s because you killed yourself to save the world. I was there.” He replied. “You’re here because the world is in peril again… I just hope you don’t stupidly kill yourself again.” He said bluntly.

Luciana laughed. It wasn’t a mocking sound, she genuinely found what Solus said to be funny. “Chimera, the world does not need saving. The Gatekeepers, Chime and Melody keep the peace between the two and the humans live their lives blissfully unaware of the full extent of Heaven and Hell. We’re flattered that you think we have enough power to save it, but even combined our powers could only barely match a Hellion’s, and we have to use our powers separately. What is the real reason you brought us back from the Void?” She paused, tilting her head at Solus’ shadowy form. “We suppose the term ‘Chimera’ is rude. Our name is Luciana. What is yours?”

“I see your memory isn’t fully intact… You killed yourself to shatter what was called the Essence of the World, it provided anyone who held it with the power of a Demigod. The person who wielded it, Judas, used the Essence to destroy Melody 200 years ago. And Chime was killed by the Fleshshaper 3 milleniums ago. There are no such things as [i]Gates[/i] anymore.” He moved further into the room, and took a seat on a vacant old chair. “Do you know what year it is right now?”

Luciana smiled. “We must say, we’re impressed by your insistence upon the lie. The Essence of the World, Judas and the Fleshshaper.” Her face darkened at the demon’s name, hatred washing over her. She didn’t know why, but the demon Fleshshaper was a foul being, only fit to be killed. “Only one of those is real, and he has no  desire to come from his experiments. We do applaud the creativity though. But come now, end the pretense and tell us the real reason you brought us back from the dead.” She shook her head at Solus’s question. “We have never paid attention to the years, only to what was happening at the time. And there will [i]always[/i] be Gates, Chimera. For there must always be [i]Balance[/i].” She spoke with a conviction and a belief whose source was as unknown to her as her hatred of the Fleshshaper.

“Then I guess all I can do is show you, since you are all so convinced of otherwise when you have been dead for the past 200 years.” He got up off the chair. “First things first. You’re going to met the Essence of the World. And then, I will show you where the Gates used to be. But then again. Aaurus did order me to resurrect you, so perhaps…” He pulled out a black swirling sphere. Luciana could feel the very Void in it. “you might want to speak to him yourself. If I can’t prove it, then he can…” He extended his hand for her to take the sphere from him.

Luciana sighed. This was growing to be annoying. All she wanted to know was why she wasn’t dead. “We find this insistence upon a lie less amusing and more irritating now, Chimera. But if you insist, we will play your game.” She shivered in reflex as she looked at the orb in Solus’s hands. She could feel the Void in it, the cold, unfeeling realm of death. Still, she reached for it, taking it from Solus’ hands.

Then, blackness surrounded her. She was in the empty Void, floating in a swirling endless darkness.

Fear. It was a reflex, a natural reaction to death being all around her. Not even emotional death, with purpose. Just cold, uncaring, oblivion. Still, she managed to gain control over herself after the first few moments of sheer terror. She didn’t know what she was, but she wouldn’t be scared by the Chimera’s parlor tricks. [i]We’re waiting Chimera…[/i].

Something hit her foot, a stone, that seemingly appeared out of the dark. More came, and began to form a floor around her. Walls and columns formed, and newly created arched ceilings closed the darkness away. The hall seemed infinite but familiar deep in Luciana’s mind. All she could do, was walk forward.

Luciana was uneasy. The hall was unfamiliar to her, yet intimately familiar as well. Hazy half memories drifted, bringing nothing but pain with them. She grabbed her head as white hot bolts of pain shot through her skull, gritting her teeth to avoid screaming. She wouldn’t give the Chimera the pleasure of hearing her scream. So this was it. He was an enemy from her past life, and she had done something so terrible to him that he brought her back from the dead to torture her. Regardless, there was nothing she could do. She hadn’t even taken her harp with her into this dark place. As the pain faded away, she walked forward.

It seemed like minutes of walking had passed until she reached a massive set of closed double doors, intricate in their detail. Luciana could feel a very familiar essence beyond.

Luciana paused in front of the doors, taking a deep breath. [i]Something terrible is going to be beyond here. We know it.[/i] She thought, bracing herself. As she felt the presence beyond, her feeling of uneasiness grew, and more hazy memories surfaced, before she could be crippled with pain again, she pushed open the doors.

Beyond, was a throne room, with destroyed pews lining the length of it, and a Black Throne, with a single being sitting on it, sadly staring at it’s own feet. “So even my Avatar could not convince my daughter to behave…” A male booming voice spoke out.

Agony. Pure bolts of pain lancing through her skull. The figure, the voice, the throne, all were familiar. She [i]knew[/i] she had seen them before, but all that came to mind were hazy, indistinct memories and pain. She fell to her knees, hands gripping her skull as she nearly shattered her teeth keeping a scream in. “We. Are. Not. Aaurus’s. Daughter. We. Are. Not. A. Gatekeeper.” She spoke through gritted teeth, practically spitting each word out, her voice smothered in pain.

“Luciana was the Gatekeeper of the Surface. You, Luciana, were created late, when the joining between me and Lucy had occurred.” He lazily raised his hand, and the pain in her skull dulled, but some still remained. “You destroying yourself was… saddening for me. How could my daughter be so foolish… so… ignorant?”

The pain faded away, long enough for her to look at the hazy memories. She ignored Aaurus, or whatever it was on the throne. For what felt like ages, she looked at the memories, willing them to make sense. Slowly, ever so slowly, they cleared. She remembered. “We- [i]I[/i] remember wars. Deaths. Insanity. Betrayal. [i]I[/i] remember failing not once, but twice. [i]I[/i] remember doing the best [i]I[/i] fucking could with a sinking GODS DAMN SHIP!” She was screaming at Aaurus now.

“There you are…” The voice acknowledged his daughter’s return.

Luciana ignored him, walking towards the throne. She was angry. As angry as only one who knows that someone could have saved something and only watched it slowly fall apart can be. “How could I be so [i]foolish?![/i] So [i]ignorant?![/i] How could the father and mother sit there and watch as everything they built and tried to keep alive FELL APART AND DIED AROUND THEM!? How could you let Chime die!? Melody die?! The worlds were always meant to be apart and you just let them mix! I was supposed to protect the human race so I did the best I could! There are no more [i]Gates.[/i] There are no more [i]Gatekeepers[/i]. Humanity was about to enter a dangerous world and I gave them the tools to not only survive in it, but [i]thrive[/i]! I did what I thought was necessary when all hope was lost and all hell was about to break loose! If I couldn’t [i]return[/i] Balance I would [i]Make[/i] balance!”

“You have only slowed down their progress… The Essence Abomination was to be destroyed, not adapted. The Gates and their Keepers were a social experiment, that later developed into a genetic one. The destruction of the Gates lead to the creation of Chimeras, who now reign supreme. I have finally succeeded in creating something that can defeat [b]Him[/b].” He stood from his throne, the power of his rise shook the ground below Luciana’s feet. “Balance was restored naturally, without your aid. You have only caused imbalance. That, is why I have judged you as a fool, and ignorant pleb. An unfortunate failure that I have crafted…”

Luciana was aware that she was treading on dangerous ground. She was too filled with wrath to care. “Thanks for telling me [i]daddy dearest[/i].” She hissed at him. “I was created to keep the Balance and when I saw the balance falling apart, when the two people who I cared about most in all of the three worlds died, [i]I kind of lost my fucking sanity.[/i] So don’t criticize me for doing what I saw as the best course of action, with no guidance from my [i]father[/i].” The word was said with mocking, hateful, sarcasm. “Criticize yourself for not doing anything about it! For not stopping me from [i]slowing down their progress[/i]. For not stopping the Fleshshaper from killing Chime and Judas from killing Melody. Everything that happened, whether you like it or not, is your. Fucking. Fault.”

“Oh, it is… Because I commanded it. They were destined to die from the start. But you, were not…” He looked at his own hands for a moment before speaking again. “It no longer matters. In 2 Progaian years and 3 days, we all, myself included, will be wiped from existence, by a single being I tried to stop milleniums ago. That is, if Solus, whom I’m sure you now remember, fails…”

“Good to know, and why do you need this [i]unfortunate failure[/i] to help your perfect little fucking Chimera win this war against what you failed to kill? I’m a failure remember? Why would you bring back an ‘ignorant fool’ to fight against something when you already have something that can defeat [b]Him[/b].” She glared at him for a few more moments, before speaking again. “Just send me back to the fucking Void already. At least Oblivion was quiet.”

“He insisted…” Aaurus replied. “And he would not tell me why…”

“Bring him here then. So he can tell [i]me[/i].” She retorted, clearly still angry.

“No… Go back from whence you came!” He thrusted his arm forward and blasted Luciana out of the Throne Room, and all the way down the Hall until her eyes were blinded by a white light.

She awoke in the room from earlier, back in the realm of normalcy. Solus was still sitting where was earlier, and was staring at the floor between his shoes.

“Gods fucking [i]dammit[/i]!” Luciana screamed as she came back to the real world. She whirled on the Chimera, advancing until she was an inch from him, completely unaware of the tears streaming down her face. She was angry at Aaurus, and Solus was his avatar in this world apparently. What’s more, he was the entire reason she was back from peaceful oblivion. That made him good enough to take her anger out on. “Solus. You have one chance to give me a good reason as to why I should help prevent the world from ending and help that [i]motherfucker[/i].”

“We have about 2 years before the world ends. And I can’t save it on my own.” His answer was simple and to the point. “Otherwise, the balance you brought upon the world would have all been for naught, and worthless. There are 10 Billion people out there who like living…” He paused for a moment. “And if we survive this, I’ll help you end Aaurus’ pathetic and miserable life.”

“If you think I give a fu-” Luciana’s jaw closed with an audible click. She stared at him for a moment. If he wasn’t lying, this was her chance. Sure, killing the creator of the three worlds would probably be a horrible idea and undo everything they did to save it, but she didn’t care. The Balance was gone, her sister’s were murdered along with the two people directly responsible for their deaths. She didn’t care about [i]smart[/i] anymore. She just wanted blood. “If we’re going to do this, you better have a plan. Because right now, you could probably beat me. Only three of my forms survived being resurrected from the Void. The human.” She gestured to herself before she began glowing a bright white light. When it cleared, in her place was her Tamer angel form. “The Surface Tamer Angel.” Her voice was softer, and more lyrical now. Her harp gone, and in it’s place three rings. She began glowing a bright red light, and when that light faded in it’s place was her demon form. “And the Surface Demon.” Her voice wasn’t a singular one, rather, it was composed of many smaller, insectoid ones. With a bright grey flash, she returned to her human form. “So. Why do you need me alive, when Chime and Melody were much more powerful?”

“Chime and Melody were lacking in something you have. Your chimeric, and human nature. You were far more powerful than them. They wouldn’t have even been able to destroy the Essence of The World if they tried, like you almost have.” He stood up from his seat and continued. “We have a lot of work to do to you power back.” He said. “After this is all over, I hope you stick around. We could do a lot of good together.” He gave her his hand, hoping she agreed and would shake it.

Luciana snorted in disbelief, staring at his hand for a moment. She took it. “We’ll see if I stay around. Good is far from my list of ‘things to worry about’. I hope you have a great plan for getting my power back, because last I remember, it was spread across the human race so they don’t get torn apart and enslaved by the Demons and Angels.”

“They have come a long way in 200 years. They have the weapons to wipe them out without your power, thanks to the intervention of the Essence and the Peacekeepers. Don’t worry about them.” He let go of her hand. “And as far as you getting powers back, I have just the thing in mind.”

“Good.” She hadn’t stopped caring about the human race. Hard to do that when your entire, very long, life had been dedicated to making sure they weren’t annihilated. She tilted her head at him for a moment. “And what, exactly, would that be?”

“Solid Static Essence, also known as Alerium. It’s what Aaurus is made of. When he created all of this, he used a piece of himself to forge the worlds. Because of that, it has become a natural resource that is very rare and difficult to find.” The Chimera explained.

“And you know where some is. And how is it supposed to help me?” Luciana was clearly skeptical of the entire situation. But hey, it could help her get her powers back, and more importantly, kill Aaurus.

“Alerium is the building block of the soul. With the new essence it will give, you will regain your powers. Anyway, I suggest we-” Solus was interrupted by his senses when he noticed someone, standing in the doorway.

Zi's hair was a tangled and she looked like she just woke up but her eyes were wide open and she blinked in confusion, looking at Luciana.

“It worked?” She asked disbelieving. Then she remembered her manners and shook her head to clear it. “I mean, hi. I'm glad you're alive again.”

“That makes two of us who are glad I’m alive, and three of us who are surprised it worked.” Luciana said with a small smile, wiping her face in an attempt to make herself look less of a mess..  “Hello. Judging from how your Essence feels, you must be the piece of Hazumi that broke free. I’m Luciana, though you already know that. What’s your name?”

“Zi.” She admitted, feeling stupid. “The piece of Hazumi” was all she would ever be and her name only confirmed it. Her eyes darted between the Legend and the Demigod and she felt like she was literally shrinking. What was she doing here? Her place wasn’t here, it was back there, in that apartment, in those arms, being shot at, being hugged. “Um..” She looked at Solus. “I was wondering if you could call me a taxi. I’d like to go home now.” She asked bluntly and feeling even more silly for her lack of social grace.

Solus thought for a moment. Letting someone out into the world who knew that Luciana had returned was probably a bad idea. But then again, he couldn’t keep her here. “My phone is on the desk over there.” He pointed to the far end of the room, where a smartphone was lying on a table.

“Oh but..” She got the phone and fidgeted with it. “... what is your address?”

“Well… there is no address. You will just have to walk down the mountain to Thorpe, which does have an address.” He smiled, but he was totally serious.

Zi’s arm dropped disappointedly, even though she had somewhat expected it. She would have to fly down, no matter how tired she was and that was always a challenge. With a sigh she dialed the number and asked for a taxi in half an hour.