Written By: Epicstu Wyyvernwriter

“Sir, we’ve found it. Its… its Dead. Hell has finally arrived. The Multiverse is now within your grasp, my Lord.” proclaimed one of Searl’s officers.

On the bridge of his Inter-dimensional Battle Cruiser Searl stood with Zesrial stabbed, blade first, into the ground before him. Her hilt held tightly in his grasp, he smiled, “take us in.”

“Jumping Realms in,” an officer announced and others began preparing. “3… 2… 1” a tear formed in the fabric of reality before the mighty ship. Casually it slipped through leaving the Realm it was in behind as it entered the Realm where Hell had been summoned. “Brace for impact!” A violently hurtling black hole imploded and then exploded just before impacting the cruiser, sealing the tear in reality. “Sir,” red lights and alarms blared over the officer’s voice, “the breach closed too early. Over sixty three percent of our rear is still at our previous location. We are Dead in the vacuum, My Lord, and our scanners can no longer detect Hell.”

Lifting Zesrial up with the gauntlet that was his right arm, Searl inspected her Wyyvern’s mark. It surged within the God-Metal forged arm from her and its wings were spread over the right half of his face, “he is not dead, yet.” He walked up to the sealed doors leading off the bridge. Zesrial’s blade sparked and it scrapped down his hand as Searl slide her to the tip of her blade. He swung her, shattering the door with her pummel. Using her momentum he swung her back around and grabbed a hold of her hilt again.

“What are your orders, Sir?” asked his loyal officer.

“Go down with my ship,” Searl replied, “and take the rest of her filthy crew with you.” Then he left the bridge in search of his prize. Making his way into the hanger he turned to face the hangar bay door and in the emptiness of space he saw, “Edward.” The Fennec Fox of thick beige fur walked toward him with a thousand yard stare. The fur upon the tips of his muzzle, tail, and ears had become white like that of his paw-like hands and feet. His plate armor, forged of his Will made metal, covered all save for his head, tail, arms, and feet. A scarf of chainmail wrapped around his neck, the Fennec had no weapon and the ground he walked upon did not exist. Searl stood at the ready, Zesrial’s hilt held ever tighter as the rival God approached him at a casual pace. Anxiously impatient, he waited for Edward to enter the hanger bay returning the Fennec’s thousand yard stare in kind. As he did, “AH!” Searl ran forward, jumped into the air and wound Zesrial back to slam her down hard upon Edward, but instead found gravity against himself. He slammed down hard against nonexistent ground ninety degrees from where ground was. Edward stood over him, picked him up by the throat, and slammed him back down again before stomping him through the non existent ground into the wall at the other end of the hanger bay. Searl slid down from the wall landing on his feet, “that’s knew. AH!” On a bolt of Heaven’s lightning he moved to Edward with a slash to cut him in twain, but Edward simply walked through the air at an angle until he was upside down directly above Searl as he made it to him. Grabbing Searl by the top of his head Edward brought him within eye contact and headbutted his chin sending him head first to the nonexistent ground Edward stood upon. Then, grabbing is ankle, Edward swung Searl around and through him into the wall again. Zesrial fell from Searl’s hand upon impact and Edward held out his hand to her, but Searl did the same and she went to him instead. Enraged, Searl flipped Zesrial around and let her blade slide through his reforged hand until he held her by the tip of her blade as Edward ran at him. 

A bolt of Heaven’s lightning drove her pummel into Edward’s chin with Seal’s uppercut as she said to her love, “it is over. He has won. I am with his child now.” Edward hit the ground unable to fight anymore. “I am sorry,” she wept.

A grin grew on Searl’s face and he leaped into the air, bring Zesrial, blade first, down and through Edward’s heart. Kneeling over Edward, Searl twisted Zesrial’s blade, “I win! Me! Searl!” Then he got up, pulled Zesrial from Edward’s corpse, and took a few steps forward as he looked off into the vastness of the Multiverse. He breathed in deep his victory as Hellfire overtook Edward in a pillar shaped inferno that pierced through from one end of the Multiverse to another. Searl turned to him and held out his left hand, “now Hell itself bows before me,” but Hell would not move from his knelt down position. “You bow to me now, shield. Come to me! I command you!” 

His head hung low, Hell smiled, “I am not bowing to you.”

Heaven’s brilliantly purple Dead lightning surged violently though the gauntlet that was Searl’s right arm until, “aaahhhhh!!!” it shattered. Searl fell to his knees grasping the stump past his right shoulder as Zesrial left her Wyyvern blade form. Her heart beat. Her lungs drew breath. Heaven was alive again. She held out her left hand to Hell who took his Wyyvern shieldwall form and came to her.

Hell impacted Searl sending him back into the wall again as Heaven took Hell’s Wyyvern’s mark up her left arm and over her left eye as it burned into her flesh scorched in Hellfire. From her Wyyvern Shieldwall of Deceit, Zesrial pulled a mace which dropped its spiked end and became linked to its hilt by a bolt of her Dead lightning. Swinging the ball of twenty six-inch spikes, Zesrial tried to ride her Dead lightning to Searl, but Hell weighed himself down and would not allow her to move him. Zesrial cried out in anger toward Searl as Hell left his Wyyvern Shieldwall form and held her close, “I know… I know,” he said, “you know this is not the way.” Heaven’s tears touched Hell and she could feel he Blizzard’s breeze. “Tears from the Living Realm, Heaven, resurrected my Goddess via the sacrifice of one who loves her above all else. Holy waters,” Hell said unto her as he left.

“And there is nothing that will ever change that,” Edward smiled at Zesrial. “My Goddess, my Realm, my Blade. My Love, there is nothing I need forgive you for.”

Zesrial took her Wyyvern blade form for Edward, “my God, my Wall, my Knight, my Love,” and gave him her Wyyvern’s mark sending it up his right arm and over his right eye, burning it into his flesh lit with her Dead lightning.

Gently placing Zesrial, blade first, upon the ground before him, “wait here,” Edward walked over to Searl who had finally returned to his feet and placed a paw-like hand upon his shoulder, “Searl, you are hereby relieved of your power. You will live hated by all Life and all Dead unable to die until the child you gave to the one I love above all else kills you itself.” With that, Edward walked back to Zesrial and left Searl to his new fate.

*          *

“You need that child born, don’t you,” Ember asked Aleister.

“Yes,” Aleister replied.

“Was there no other way?” she asked him.

“None that would give me the outcome I need,” Aleister replied, “and I need the child dormant until she is with my brother’s child as well,” he said as he made it so Searl’s offspring would only be born as a twin to Edward’s.

“When will Zesrial be with Edward’s child?” Ember asked.

“Not long before he loses her again,” Aleister replied, “but that is a long way off and not yet among our concerns. Now please be quiet. I would like to watch the fight.”

*          *

Alone in a church, an elderly woman knelt before the altar of her Lord, “Freahira,” she looked up to the one who called her name.

“Edward?” tears began to stream down Freahira’s face as she stood up. “You’ve got her back,” she said with a smile. “I always knew you would.”

“I know,” Edward smiled upon her. “I know all that you have done in my name and am glad. Which is why I would like to offer you a job, if you’ll stand in my name again.”

“You know I would, my God,” Freahira replied, “but I am old and frail. Not much of a knight left in me, I’m afraid.”

“Not old,” Edward said unto her and she became young again, “experienced.” Then he held Zesrial’s blade over Freahira’s shoulder and said, “kneel.” She did and a hood formed over her head as armor forged of his Will made metal adorned her. Then he placed Zesrial upon both her shoulders one after the other and said, “now rise, my Warpriestess, Leon Aventis is coming.”

In Freahira’s right hand she found a sword in the likeness of Heaven and in her left hand she found a shield in the likeness of Hell. “Which one?” she asked Edward.

“All of them,” Edward replied.