[img]http://i.imgur.com/2uDBgEK.png[/img] [b][u][center]???[/center][/u][/b] “Selan!!” The dancer’s body skidded and slipped off the edge of the freefalling clock tower, Estelle, like Lute, turning in horror moments too late to catch her. Estelle could only watch in horror as Selan fell beyond her hands, the swordswoman dashing towards the edge of the platform, her hand outstretched, frantically trying to reach and save her friend the way she had saved her. But it was too late, as a massive hulking piece of debris fell in-between her and Selan. A section of two adjoining brick walls fell from the sky, impacting against the Clocktower wall, and shattering it in two. The sudden jolt threw Selan off one end, and behind her, Lucien’s hunkered down body, whom Estelle had been protecting just a second ago before leaving to try and rescue Selan… he too slipped and fell off the other side. She couldn’t believe what was she was seeing. The horror she was repeating. Again, she was unable to save her friends. Again she had to endure this pain, this nightmare… even though her friends could now see her and hear her, she was still too powerless, too weak to do [i]anything[/i], and it- With an almighty, unprepared suddenness, the falling clock tower suddenly stopped, as did the other raining pieces of cogs, gears, ladders, cubes and debris. Their fall was altogether suddenly halted as they collided into a sea of pitch black, inky darkness, the permeable liquid being thrown into the air to rain in small droplets over the Pride. The clocktower swayed slightly, Estelle holding her ground with the aid of her Fireblade stabbed into the ground. She could feel the black, cold sticky goo hit against her skin, and it chilled her, forcing her body to emit an involuntary shiver. Opening her eyes, she looked around her, surveying what she could of her surroundings. All around, pieces of the floating platforms that her and her friend had stood and jumped upon, all now rested atop the black sea. She could see them all, drifting some distance away from her in one direction or another. Even Selan and Lucien, the latter with Xandra, could be seen lying in a daze on a small piece of salvation. They were alive, thank Dyn. And then Estelle noticed what was occurring to the platforms she and the rest of her friends were all on. Slowly but surely, each of the platforms grew rapidly smaller, as one by one they all sank into the oily sea, never to return again. She wanted to run to her friends, to hop across the platforms that she could, to make sure Selan, Lucien, Xandra… everyone was alright. But one step was all she took before she froze in fear. She could see Aria and Lute right in front of them, and see the looks of disbelief etched on their faces as they gazed at something behind her. A something that threw a giant shadow over Estelle’s whole body. She turned, her hand gripping her Fireblade tighter… …and then once she saw what was standing in front of her, she felt all strength fall from her body. Tears grew in her eyes. A large, stocky built man stood a foot away from her, as big as Gaoh in both height and musculature stared back down at her. A man garbed in dense blue armour emblazoned in fine, golden ornate detail along the rims of the shoulder plates, chest, knees and elbows. An impossibly giant, heavy axe, the blade carved and forged in the shape of a lion, held effortlessly in one hand that would test any lesser man to hold with two. A man whose rugged facial features stretched to a frown beyond his thick beard down at Estelle, his eyes meeting hers. A man with a gaping, sizzling hole burned straight through his chest. “L… Lar… go…” Estelle whimpered, her knees shaking. She knew it was the Dream Eater, but she couldn't move. [img]http://i.imgur.com/nGhQ7Pq.png[/img] “Estelle.” The Lion began to speak, his voice a booming thunder growing louder and louder. “Estelle… I died for you. For all of you. And this is what you’ve become?” “Largo…” Estelle’s voice trailed into quiet nothingness. Largo’s, meanwhile, gripped the handle of his axe tightly. “You disappoint me, Estelle.” Largo shook his head. “None of you were worth it.” The Lion’s axe swung down, aimed at a diagonal cleave through Estelle’s shoulder to opposite hip. It was by pure reflex action that Estelle brought her sword up, to hold against the axe and prevent it from killing. But the action and momentum was still awkward. Even though she managed to deflect the killing blow, the following shockwave was triumphant enough to send Estelle flying back, sailing over the sea of blackness, to skid to a crash near to Dylan. Meanwhile, on the ever shrinking remains of the fallen Clocktower, ‘Largo’ turned, taking a step forwards towards Aria and Lute. He cocked his head to the side, his eyes soundlessly judging the pair of them. “Disappointment attracts disappointment, I see.” Largo spoke. Once more his arm and axe swung out with tremendous speed and force – an invisible blur. And from it, a sharp shockwave sliced through the air towards both Aria and Lute, despite the distance between them. A shockwave sharp enough that, were it to connect, it would sever both Guilders into two at the waist. [b][center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDZhx9kBo0Q]CITY OF THE DEAD[/url][/center][/b]