Ch 49: The Duke of Lies

Amy and Serius continue their endeavor to save Alexander, and on the brink of losing to Scott, Grey is suddenly pulled into a strange realm. Is this strange character before him the Nameless One?

            Without warning, Grey’s mind blanked out, and he opened his eyes to find himself lying on the floor staring up at a black domed ceiling. Voicing the first thing that came to his mind, Grey muttered, “Am I dead?” With a chuckle, a nearby voice said, “Not yet…” Sitting up and looking around, Grey found himself in a circular room with no doors. Dim light streamed through the tall windows that lined the walls, illuminating the black marble floor. In the center of the room there was a large black throne, ancient letters engraved in red into the back and the armrests. 

Looking around for the source of the voice, after a moment a strange looking figure stepped out from behind the throne and said, “Now then, shall we talk business?” He wore a buttoned up gray business coat with silver buttons and a blue tie. His pants were gray with white stripes and rather tight looking, as though his long legs were little more than sticks. On his feet he wore black and white leather dress shoes, and over his head he wore a big, pointed gray hood that cast a shadow over his face. Underneath the hood, serving to obscure Grey’s vision of his face even more, the figure wore a black mask over his eyes and nose. 

Grey noticed a creepy smile on his face as the unfamiliar person made his way over to him, and he also noticed his long black pointed tail swishing from side to side as he walked. Getting to his feet and facing the mystery man, Grey said, “And who or what are you?” Stuffing his white gloved hands into his coat pockets, the figure said, “Who you ask? Why I’m nothing more than a humble businessman, here to offer you a deal no one can refuse…” Eyeing him skeptically, Grey said, “Yeah, well I might just be the first to refuse. Do you at least have a name?” Chuckling quietly for a moment, the businessman said, “So it’s a name you desire is it? Hehehe… I suppose I can give you a freebie.” The businessman’s creepy smile became a wide, creepy grin as he said, “Call me Alias.”

            Looking around again, Grey still did not see any way to escape other than breaking out one of the windows. Walking over to one of them to get a better view of what was outside, Grey asked, “Wasn’t I just getting my a*s kicked? Why am I suddenly here?” Getting close enough to the window to see out, he saw nothing but white nothingness as far as the eye could see. Turning around to look at Alias, who had stood in place patiently waiting for him, Grey added, “Where IS here?” Removing his hands from his pockets, Alias raised a white gloved hand up and pointed a finger at his own head as he said, “Where is here? It depends on how you look at it. That which we perceive as the here and now is defined by our minds. Physically speaking, you have not gone anywhere. You are still lying on your back on Marsalia Isle, all but defeated, about to be slain by a man you once called your friend. Your mind, however, is now within the darkness you keep hidden deep within you. At this depth, I doubt even Eazel the Plane Stalker will disturb us. As for why your mind is here now, it is because you seek power.” 

On his guard, Grey said, “Are you the Nameless One?! The one who used me to try and kill Alexander?!” With a chuckle, Alias said, “Yes, and no…” Then Alias began to walk towards Grey as he said, “Surely you of all people should be more open minded to the difference between darkness and evil. It can lead one down the path of chaos and destruction, but it is the one who wields the power that makes that choice. Have you forgotten the power of the True Edge, the power with which you bested Alastor Bastille, the usurper of the Nameless One himself? It uses darkness as well as light, just in case you’ve forgotten.” Stopping in front of Grey and flashing his creepy grin at him, Alias said, “And it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Within you is a core piece of the Nameless One. So much more power is waiting, just sitting there inside of you. That’s what I’m here to offer you Grey. Power.”

            Sitting in the seat behind Serius and Amy petting his cat, as he watched them sitting there, eyes closed, silent, Rufus muttered, “Must be one hell of a conference call…” Sitting next to him, Schmitt laughed his hearty laugh and said, “C’mon now Rufus, keep yer pants on. Only been ten minutes since Serius went in.” Resting her head against the window as she sat in the seat across from Rufus, Saria said, “I wonder what they’re talking about…” Folding his hands behind his head and leaning back, Schmitt closed his eyes and said, “Knowin Alexander, I’d wager they’re formulatin a plan to put one over on Ala Morte. I think I’ll just rest up a bit while we’re waitin on em…” Looking out the window and seeing the ocean only a short distance away, Saria said, “I think we’re almost there… Should we wake them up?” Schmitt simply replied, “Nah…” Narrowing his eyes, Rufus said, “You just wanna sleep, don’t you?” Ian let out a meow of agreement. Grinning ear to ear, Schmitt said, “We old folks need our rest too, y’know!” 

Suddenly there was a loud thump from the roof of the passenger car, as though something heavy had landed on top of the transport. Quickly opening his eyes, Schmitt said, “What in blue blazes was that?!” More thuds sounded from the roof, and staring up with an unnerved look on his face, Rufus squeaked, “M-maybe we just drove through a localized hailstorm?” Suddenly claws poked through the upper wall of their side of the transport and Saria shrieked, quickly getting out of her seat and staring out the window as one of Altera Veritas’ humanoid anomalies crawled down the side of the transport to look through the window with its glowing red eyes. Rufus and Schmitt got out of their seats as well, and Rufus exclaimed, “These guys again?!” 

Rushing over to Serius, Schmitt tried to shake him awake as he said, “C’mon now, I don’t care what yer talkin bout in there, we got big problems here!” As the anomaly smashed the window in with one of it’s clawed humanoid hands and crawled through it, Rufus shrieked, “What do we do, what do we do?! We can’t handle this by ourselves! Oh, I’m too young to die!” Rushing up the aisle with Mana in tow, Bella shoved Rufus aside and cleaved the anomaly’s head from its body with her spear. Turning to him as it disintegrated, she said, “I’m still here.” Unsuccessful in rousing Serius and Amy, Schmitt drew his tazer and said, “Damn good thing ya are!” As a bladed arm stabbed through the ceiling and began to carve through it, he added, “I’d say we need all the help we can get…”

            Walking the streets towards the mysterious palace at the center of the city born from Alexander’s mind, even though there was not a soul about, Amy and Serius felt as though their every move was being watched. A chilling breeze wafted through the streets, stirring what dust and litter was lying about. Glancing down an alley as they passed by, Amy thought she saw something skittering about in the shadows. As she paused and stared for a moment, Serius said, “Do you see something Amy?” Glancing at him, she started to say, “Well…” Turning back to the alley, Amy saw that nothing was there and quickly said, “It’s nothing, sorry…” They continued on, and just as they were almost at their goal, they encountered something interesting. A glowing veil of energy was in place around the palace, rising from a titanic rune circle formed upon the ground all the way around the palace gates. Approaching it cautiously, Serius muttered, “What is this? Some form of barrier?” 

Walking up to it as well, Amy reached out and used psychic energy to create a shield around her arm as she said, “Let’s try this.” Her arm passed through the veil easily, and withdrawing it, Amy said, “Well it didn’t stop me from putting my hand through, and my barrier didn’t take any damage.” Kneeling down and looking through the energy at the rune circle, Serius said, “It looks like a Rune Swordsmanship spell. I am somewhat familiar with the rune circles for barrier spells, but I do not recognize this one at all. Judging from your experiment it seems relatively safe…” Looking unconvinced, Amy said, “I’m not so sure. I sense something… scary from it…” Rising Serius said, “How do we proceed then?” Staring at the veil of energy, after a moment Amy grumbled, “We don’t have a lot of time, and I’m sure now that Alexander is in there somewhere…” With a nod, Serius said, “Let us go then.”

            Stepping through the veil, as a chill washed over them, Serius and Amy found themselves in the darkness of night. The mysterious palace still stood before them, blue lights flickering in the windows. Making their way through the gates, they reached the main entrance only to find it sealed by enormous stone doors. Forming his basilisk armor over his right arm, Serius said, “Stand back.” With all his might, Serius slammed his stone fist into the doors, attempting to force entry. The strike did not leave a scratch, and stepping back to stare at the doors in frustration, he muttered, “Deus Calx. Possibly reinforced…” Approaching the door, Amy said, “It doesn’t have any kind of lock I could undo either. Still, I might have just the thing…” Gathering a mass of EDE into her right hand, Amy formed it into a leather glove with a metal socket on the back of the hand that looked as though a form of gem or crystal fit into it. Seeing it, Serius said, “Insigne Memoriae? You’ve mastered your Grand Anima Weapon as well?” Looking at the glove with a slight sense of pride, Amy said, “It was my desire to protect Grey, to save the others, that made it possible.” Glancing at him, she added, “If you don’t mind me asking, what feeling was it that brought out Aer Dominus?” Serius was caught off guard by this question. Looking away from her, he simply said, “We have more pressing matters. Just how will Insigne Memoriae help us get in? You only possess Reaper’s memory shard, don’t you?” 

Summoning Reaper’s memory shard into her other hand, as she slid it into the socket of Insigne Memoriae, Amy said, “Actually, after the battle with the golem in Daemonholm I picked up its memory shard as well, but for this it’s better to use Reaper. Just watch…” Raising her hand at the door, as Reaper’s shard glowed in the socket of Insigne Memoriae, the doors began to ripple like water and then a large hole formed. As Amy lowered her hand, she turned to Serius with a grin and said, “In we go!” As they stepped onto the moth eaten carpet of the dark entry hall, lit by blue flame candles upon the walls, Amy said, “Now for the hard part…” Moving onward down the hall, passing a pair of rusted armored suits, Serius said, “How long do we have still?” Brushing aside a dangling cobweb with a look of disgust, Amy replied, “Thirty minutes maybe, it was a long walk to get here. We might have to split up.” Then, out of nowhere a torrent of wind burst through the hall, extinguishing the blue candles that lit the hall. Shielding himself with his arms, as darkness fell, Serius heard Amy scream. Then as the wind died out, he quickly said, “Amy, are you alright?!” The blue flame candles relit themselves, and as light returned to the hallway, Serius could not see Amy anywhere.

            With a defiant look, Grey stared back at Alias as he said, “I refuse!” Stuffing his hands in his pockets once more, Alias muttered, “My, my, so hasty. Hasty, hasty, hasty…” Turning away from Grey, he wandered back towards the throne in the middle of the room as he said, “Think for a moment. Can you really defeat your former friend as you are? You may feel fine here, but the moment you go back you’ll be just as exhausted and powerless as you were.” Unwilling to listen, Grey said, “Screw you! You think I don’t know what you’re trying to do?! I’ve been consumed by the Nameless One before! This power you’re talking about comes with a price that I’m sure as hell not paying!” 

Stopping beside the throne, Alias turned with a grin and said, “I would consider the fact that this decision does not concern just you, because in truth everything you hold dear rests on the choice you make. Even now, all your friends are in terrible danger…” Alias raised a hand, and Grey’s eyes widened in fear as images flickered through his mind, revealing the perils his friends were facing even now. The images stopped, and clenching his eyes shut in frustration, Grey thought, “Everyone… Damn! What do I do?! If I do this, won’t I just become another enemy for them to face?!” Watching him calmly as he stood there worrying, Alias said, “You’re truly fretting over nothing. I don’t remember ever mentioning this ‘price’ you’re talking about. Whether or not you are consumed by the power I give you, it all depends on you.”

            Grey looked at Alias in surprise. Reaching up to adjust his tie, after he was satisfied that it was perfectly straight, Alias said, “You’ve been consumed before, that’s true. However, both times you’ve returned to your former self, retaken control despite all the odds.” Holding out his hands at his sides with his palms up in a questioning gesture, Alias continued, “Don’t you see? You’ve accomplished something that neither Alastor nor Alexander ever have. Both require a vessel to keep the darkness in check, lest their bodies be possessed or slowly dissolve into the Nameless One’s essence.” Pointing directly at Grey, Alias continued, “You however, suppress it with nothing but the strength of your heart. You’ve slipped up a few times, to be sure, your self control faltering in the face of your tragic past. Yet if you invoke that power willingly, I have a feeling it will be quite a different story.” 

Getting to his feet and slowly taking a few steps towards Alias, Grey stopped and stared at him for a moment. Unable to believe he was even considering it, Grey said, “How can I trust you? There’s gotta be some sort of catch!” Laughing quietly for a moment, Alias replied, “Oh don’t worry. Whether you are consumed or not, I will get something out of this little arrangement. Should you be consumed, I’ll know that you’re not worth my time. If you overcome it or at the very least overcome it for a certain period, I get to see just how powerful you become, something I’ve been very interested in for quite a while now…”

            His anger flaring, Grey said, “What am I, your experiment?!” Flashing a creepy grin, Alias said, “Something like that…” Offering his hand for a handshake, Alias asked, “So have you made your decision Grey?” Narrowing his eyes, still unsure, Grey said, “Before I decide anything, you’re gonna tell me just who the hell you are! You say you are the Nameless One, but you aren’t? Which is it?!” Crossing his arms with a reluctant grin, Alias said, “I must say, you drive a hard bargain! As for which is the correct answer, they actually are both true. You’ve learned that the Nameless One was once an Observer, correct? While it is true, there is more to the story. The Nameless One was born from two entities. The other entity, like the Observers, is something that was reborn upon the rewrite of the Inanimate Dream. A being that represents the element of darkness, The Embodiment of Emptiness, Vanitas…” 

Raising a finger in the air for emphasis, Alias said, “Both light and darkness must always exist. The calamity that occurred in the previous existence that forced the Old Gods to remake the world was caused by an imbalance of sorts, which resulted from the original, called The Embodiment of Darkness, somehow becoming too powerful. As a being that embodies the forces of destruction itself, if The Embodiment is not kept in check by an opposing force, his power will unravel existence itself. To avoid such a fate, the Old Gods created a new world where Origin and the Observers would serve as the opposing force. However the Observers were flawed. They were not reborn with all the knowledge of their predecessors, and were also capable of evil. It was not long before one of them strayed, seeking to become a God once again, and in order to do so, he began consuming other Observers to gain their power. Once he’d gathered a decent amount, he tracked down the reborn Embodiment of Emptiness, which absorbed him to be reborn yet again as the being known as the Nameless One.” 

Scratching his head in thought, Grey said, “Then you’re…” Chuckling to himself, Alias said, “The Observer of Death, the fool who tried to become a God. My body and essence have long since dissolved into the Nameless One’s essence. As a part of him, I cannot go against him. Yet strangely enough, by being absorbed our consciousness was conjoined somehow, making our will virtually the same. We feel the same desires, the same curiosities. He hungers for your power, but he also feels my desire to see how this ‘experiment’ as you call it will turn out, and thus I stand before you with this offer.” 

Extending his hand again, Alias said, “And so, now that I’ve answered your questions, I’ll only ask once more. Do we have a deal Grey? Your friends are waiting to be saved. Use the strength of your heart and accomplish what I could not…” Staring at his outstretched hand a moment, as the words he spoke back in Ferid’s foyer came to his mind, Grey suddenly smirked and said, “I don’t need to become a God, sorry. I’m going back to save Scott and everyone now, and I’m doing it with my own power!” Suddenly the world around them began to fade, and with his creepy grin wider than ever, Alias said, “Bravo.”