Ch 5: Gaze Into Nothing

As the new Seventh Spirit of Light, Grey now must face Vanitas, the Seventh Spirit of Darkness, in a battle to decide the new Origin. Does he now have the confidence to accept this burden?

            “Is this what you were after all along?!” Grey demanded as he stared at Vanitas in rage. An aura of True EDE swirling around him, Vanitas formed his blades and took a battle stance as he said, “Don’t worry, you’ll get what you wanted either way. I fully intend to use your power to settle the score with the Nameless One and all the other fools running about meddling in the Seventh Spirits’ affairs!” Suddenly Vanitas bolted at Grey as he added, “Now let’s begin!” Barely raising his swords in defense, Grey exclaimed, “I don’t believe this!” Striking out powerfully, Vanitas knocked Grey sailing hard into the wall of the sanctuary, and striking it hard as he lost hold of his swords, he bounced off to land sprawled out face first on the floor. As Grey struggled to his hands and knees, he muttered, “D****t, I was really starting to trust you! Now I’ve got no idea just how much of all that was a lie!” Looking up at Vanitas as he slowly strode over to him, Grey said, “For that matter, I still don’t get it! Me the new Origin?! The world’s Light?! I’ve accepted that I was chosen as Origin’s will, but I’m not some god!”

            Swiftly kicking Grey while he was down, Vanitas sent him crashing into the wall again as he simply said, “You hate the idea that much?” Flopping back onto the ground, Grey groaned and raised his head to look up at Vanitas as he choked, “So what if I do?!” Letting the winds themselves take hold of his swords, Vanitas released hold of them and bent down to grab hold of Grey’s collar with one hand and lifted him up by it. Holding Grey dangling before him with one hand, Vanitas balled his other hand into a fist and began pummeling Grey with it. Striking Grey with punch after punch, Vanitas finally whirled him around and hurled him across the sanctuary to land with a thud on the floor near the black throne. Starting to walk slowly over to where Grey laid, his swords following him on their wind currents, Vanitas said, “That’s too bad. Not only will a mere mortal stand no chance against me, but it’s anyone’s guess how much longer this world can be kept in balance without at least a proper Lux…”

            As Grey struggled up, he called his swords across the sanctuary and back to his hands with telekinesis as he turned to face Vanitas with a look of confusion, saying, “You’re talking almost like Origin is dead. Can you guys even die?” Pausing in his stride to stare at Grey with a faint smile, Vanitas replied, “All beings, regardless of how powerful they are or whether their form changes with the passage of time, were birthed through creation and will therefore eventually meet with their destruction. It’s actually for that very reason that I, as a being of Emptiness, can still fit the role of the Seventh Spirit of Darkness. No matter how many things enter the world through the grace of Light, the other side of that coin is that they must one day return to nothing. To return to nothing, to be destroyed… Emptiness and Darkness can be interchangeable in this sense.”

            Listening to Vanitas in utter confusion, Grey finally said, “I’m guessing that’s a yes… If Origin really died back in Amanus’ final battle though, just how the heck did I end up being He of the Infinite? For that matter, shouldn’t this balance of yours have fallen apart a long time ago? It’s been a thousand years!” Shaking his head as though he were dissapointed, Vanitas said, “Really, must I explain everything? Seperated into two halves, Deus Amictus and the All Heart, Origin put himself at too great a risk by entering Alastor’s heart to face the Nameless One. Unable to triumph, he had Amanus incapacitate both the Nameless One and Alastor long enough to seal the All Heart. To make matters worse, Alexander sealed Deus Amictus immediately after, crippling his power almost completely. He remained in this world its true, but Origin was at a loss until you came along. He saw something in you, something that I can see now was very real.” Raising a hand to point directly at Grey, Vanitas declared, “Entrusted with little more than a worthless sword, you’ve unsealed Origin’s power step by step, making it all the way to stand against me! The mautauians called Amanus ‘the great He of the Infinite’, but he was just an errand boy compared to you! Hurry up and acknowledge the truth, because you were hand-picked by Origin, who sealed his fate to empower you! You’re Lux’s one and only replacement, Grey of the Infinite, the Seventh Spirit of Light!”

            Struggling to take it all in, Grey blurted out in desperation, “But do I really have what it takes?! I’ve barely reached what I’m not even sure is the highest level of Void Energy, I haven’t even learned to summon Deus Amictus at will! I know I’ve been alright so far, but…!” Taking hold of his swords once more and dropping into a battle stance again, Vanitas said, “But what?! I’ve already made it clear that I won’t let you run away now! Besides, no one ever said you had to wield Origin’s power in his very image! You’ve proven countless times the unique gifts that you alone possess, powers that have come to rival those of a being revered as a god! If you doubt your current power can measure up, then continue to improve as you always have! I’ve told you what you must do to wield my might! Now come!” Staring at Vanitas for a moment in hesitation, Grey turned his gaze downward and clenched the handles of his blades in frustration, and then crying out in aggravation, he took a battle stance as well as he shouted, “Fine, I get it! This sounds like an absolute pain in the a*s, but if I can really pull it off as the person I am, without going and becoming something I’m not, I sure as hell can’t turn down your power if you’re putting it up for grabs! That seal is gonna be mine Vanitas!”

            Barreling forth at Vanitas, Grey exclaimed, “Void Energy, Level 3!” His Void Energy erupting around him as seemingly tangible aura, bolstering his power, Grey lashed out with furious strikes as he drew near Vanitas. Yet moving with the same instantaneous movements with which he had defeated Pestilence, Vanitas simply smiled faintly and said, “You won’t beat me that way I’m afraid. You alone hold the power to overcome my Instant Adaptation, but I’m not going to tell you how. Though I suppose I could give you a hint…” Leaping away from another of Grey’s strikes, Vanitas flew into the air and, to Grey’s disbelief, waved a sword at him and unleashed an Ein Soph Aur. Watching Grey dive aside as his mighty energy wave tore across the sanctuary, Vanitas called out, “Gaze into nothing, and seek out the looking glass.” Rolling back to his feet, Grey channeled EDE into his blades as he called back, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?!” Channeling EDE into his own blades, as they became surrounded by powerful winds, Vanitas readied his swords and replied, “It’s your hint. A very generous one at that.”

            Vanitas swung his swords, and Grey moved out of the way and began to strafe across the sanctuary as wind blades rained at him. Raising a blade as Vanitas fired another round of wind blades, the advanced enchantment on Grey’s sword shined and a dark orb shot out to meet the oncoming wind blades as he shouted, “Gravity Well!” Striking a wind blade, the orb exploded into a field of intense gravity and drew the wind blades in. Staring at the gravity well hanging between them, unable to see Grey anymore with it in the way, Vanitas murmured, “It’s not a bad trick, but I’ve already seen it. It poses no threat to me.” Speeding quickly into view, Grey ran across the wall of the sanctuary as a blur of speed, taking aim at Vanitas with a sword and firing a few True EDE spheres as he chanted, “Susicivus, Septimo Spiritus Nox Quod Ignis!” Skulls of darkness shooting out from Grey’s sword, as Vanitas dodged and deflected Grey’s True EDE spheres, the skulls moved to come at Vanitas from both sides in a pincer attack. Knowing they would home in on him even if he evaded, Vanitas simply raised a sword at each one and fired a sphere of True EDE to destroy them both, yet as soon as they were blown away the effects of Grey’s Susicivus spell activated and each skull exploded into a storm of fire arrows that all flew straight at Vanitas. Trapped in between the hail of flaming arrows, Vanitas did not move and disappeared in numerous fiery explosions.

            Running along the wall around the room at high speed, Grey raised a blade and chanted, “Cesso, Radiata!” Then raising his other blade, he chanted, “Secundus Cesso, Septem Signacula Verum Voluntas!” Stabbing a sword into the wall and charging his legs with Void Charge, Grey left the blade behind and propelled himself off the wall, shooting straight through the air at the smoking aftermath of the blast in which Vanitas had disappeared in. Floating unharmed within the smoke, Vanitas merely floated aside as Grey shot through it at him and swung with his remaining sword, and he called out as Grey sailed past, “You’re wasting your time, your spells won’t be enough this time Grey.” Flipping in the air as his momentum carried him straight to the opposite wall from which he’d pushed off from, Grey planted his feet on the wall and charged his legs with Void Charge once more, quickly shooting right back at his opponent as he absorbed his remaining sword into his hand and called out, “We’ll see about that!”

            Vanitas merely avoided again as Grey charged his fist with Void Charge and swung it at him, yet this time Grey powered up his aura and used it to keep himself aloft, flying after Vanitas with a storm of Void Charged punches as he tried to position himself so that he could drive Vanitas towards his other sword stabbed in the wall. Evading again with instant movements, Vanitas realized he was slowly being backed towards the sword stabbed into the wall, and he drove Grey back with a blast of wind he summoned up with a swing of his sword. Channeling EDE into his blades as Grey righted himself in the air, Vanitas swung them and unleashed a barrage of True EDE spheres at him as he called out, “Too obvious!” Quickly raising up the hand that he’d absorbed his sword into, Grey flashed a smirk and shouted, “Gravity Well!” Shooting from the palm of Grey’s hand, another dark sphere shot out and exploded into a second gravity well, and floating out of range hurriedly as the expanding field of gravity threatened to draw him in, Vanitas muttered, “He was expecting that?!” Suddenly he heard Grey chant, “Pluvia Eversio, Vultum Verus!” Streaming around the gravity well, arrows of True EDE guided by Grey’s telekinesis bore down on Vanitas in another pincer attack, but standing his ground, Vanitas thought, “He’s just trying to force me back. It doesn’t matter even if I fall for his trap, but I won’t be fooled so easily.”

            Taking the numerous blasts of True EDE head on, Vanitas was unharmed thanks to his Instant Adaptation, but his eyes went wide as Grey’s fist plunged through the smoke and slammed into his chest. His sneak attack successful, Grey hurried to activate his incantation before Vanitas understood what was happening so that it would not be stopped by his Instant Adaptation, quickly shouting, “Secundus Iacio!” Seven small silver rune circles forming in the air between him and Vanitas, they began to generate an invisible force in Vanitas’ direction that sent him shooting directly backwards to crash into the wall behind him like a bullet. Hanging in a crater in the wall, Grey’s sword was stuck in the wall was right next to him, and Grey swiftly activated his final incantation, chanting, “Iacio!” The advanced enchantment on the sword stuck in the wall was instantly absorbed to summon a third gravity well, and now well within its range, Vanitas was trapped in it before he could even think to escape.

            Held in place by the intense forces of gravity, it seemed Vanitas was at Grey’s mercy. But simply closing his eyes with a sigh, Vanitas said, “I’m a bit ashamed to have let myself be trapped like this, but you’ve accomplished nothing.” Opening his eyes and gathering EDE, as the rune circle on his hand glowed brightly, strange light radiated from his body out across the room and the gravity wells all dissipated instantly. Watching his carefully laid traps all be washed away effortlessly, Grey called his other sword back with telekinesis and grit his teeth as he thought, “How the hell do you beat something like that?! Screw adaptation, that power of his is more like invincibility! A lot of things are kinda weird about his powers too, he’s supposed to be darkness or emptiness, but it’s like he’s got a big jumble of abilities that mostly belong to Alastor and me. That seal he’s got seems to be more than just a seal, but even if that’s his secret, can I really afford to risk destroying it when it’s the whole reason I’m doing this…?”

            Freed, Vanitas floated out of the crater in the wall and moved to hover level with Grey, and as he met Grey’s gaze he said, “I would hope by now you’d understand you’re up against a power that cannot be bested with only brute force or clever tricks. I’ll say it again. Gaze into nothing, and seek out the looking glass.” His aura surging around him, the rune circle on his hand shining, as three silver rune circles appeared in the air around Vanitas and glowed with power, he aimed a sword at Grey and added, “I’m going to get serious now…” As a ring of silver energy formed at the tip of Vanitas’ sword and condensed into a single point of power, identical rings of silver energy formed before the silver rune circles as well, and with eyes wide Grey activated his Flux restriction ability just as Vanitas said, “Quad Halo.” Monstrously powerful beams of True EDE firing out from Vanitas’ sword and all three of his rune circles, they all tore through the air at Grey and struck upon the swirling silver vortex that had erupted around him. The massive amount of energies being absorbed into the swirling vortex caused it to surge and churn, and inside it Grey struggled to contain them as he thought, “There’s no way, my Flux can’t absorb it all!” Quickly raising a sword, he chanted, “Tunica Aqua Custos!” A protective layer of water forming all around his body, just as his Flux vortex was about to overload, Grey severed it from his own aura and crossed his arms before him in defense. Overloaded with the massive amount of power, the Flux vortex exploded along with Vanitas’ attacks, Grey disappearing in a mighty blast that filled the sanctuary.

            Falling out of the aftermath of the titanic explosion to land hard upon the floor of the sanctuary, bleeding and battered, only alive thanks to the protection of the water based spell he’d cast before the blast, Grey seemed defeated. Yet staring down at him, Vanitas thought to himself, “It’s not over. Even if you stumble, your will to move forward is more formidable than that.” Lying unmoving, face down on the ground, Grey’s fists suddenly clenched. Slowly but surely, Grey began to pick himself up. Bringing himself to one knee with a groan, Grey reached down and picked up his sword, and then unfused his other sword from his hand. Raising his head to look up at Vanitas, blood running from a wound on his forehead, Grey had a look of pained irritation in his silver eyes as he chanted, “Gemina Indelebilis Verus Lux!” A new advanced enchantment spreading across his swords in the form of white and silver runes, as Grey’s swords were empowered with light and True EDE, Grey said, “Hymn!” His swords suddenly beginning to hum, almost as though they were singing, their resonating melody causing Grey’s wounds began to heal faster.

            Slowly getting to his feet, Grey stared up at Vanitas and thought, “Gaze into nothing? Seek out the looking glass? What’s the hidden meaning here?” Taking aim at Grey again, Vanitas began to charge up another Quad Halo, and wracking his brain as he watched Vanitas prepare to attack, Grey thought to himself, “Gaze into nothing… Didn’t Vanitas say something earlier? Something like ‘return to nothing’ was what his power does? Then if anything around here should be related to ‘nothing’, it’s him right? So if he’s the ‘nothing’, I’m supposed to look into him?” Staring up at Vanitas, as Grey strained his silver eyes, he suddenly realized something and quickly thought, “Wait a second! Vanitas, he’s not real! I didn’t notice at first because of that massive aura, but he’s not just bursting with power, he’s nothing but EDE! There has to be a real Vanitas somewhere controlling him, and if I just follow the flow of the EDE he’s channeling with my sixth sense, I’ll find him!”

            With no time to spare, Grey looked away from the fake Vanitas and the powerful attack he was preparing, using the powers of his silver eyes to follow the normally invisible flow of EDE straight to the black throne in the middle of the sanctuary. Yet there was no one there. Staring at the throne in confusion, as Grey sensed Vanitas’ attack preparing to fire, the rings of energy condensing into single points of power, he raised a sword at the throne and cried out in frustration, “This better work!” Grey fired a sphere of True EDE at the throne just as the fake Vanitas was about to unleash another Halo, and as it went sailing across the distance it suddenly exploded just in front of the throne as though it had struck something. Instantly, the power the fake Vanitas had been preparing to fire down at Grey faded away along with the fake Vanitas himself, and as the aftermath of Grey’s attack cleared, Vanitas could be seen sitting upon the black throne, a large cracked mirror with an oval shape and a silver ornate frame floating in the air before him. Applauding Grey with a faint smile upon his face, Vanitas said, “Marvelous. You’ve broken the illusions of my Nihilum Vitro.”