I felt a pain sting in my eye, right before I lost the connection to the realm of essences, indicating that my catalysator is gone.

"What the..." I muttered, before looking into my bag. I then doublechecked the bag, and it was true:

The catalysator, a gift from my old master, is gone. It wasn't that much of a material loss, I could create my own catalysator anytime, but it meant much to me.

It was the last thing, besides the usage of the essence-realm, left from what Sor'Gat gave me, the only thing he gave me I still had to remember him. I stared at my bag, an old, brown bag to hang around your shoulder. I looked again, just to make sure. Inside the superdimensional bag was my knife, the old firestone, the black sand and the lizard's egg, but the puppet was gone. The voodoo-puppet Sor'Gat gave me back then, not just as a sign of friendship, as a barrier from evil, but also as a promise. A promise that whatever happens, we would meet again.

I didn't realise it really until now, but for all I know Sor'Gat is long since dead...

I fell to my knees, still floating over the forest, and stared around in utter shock about my realisation.

There was something on my cheek, something cold... I cried. I cried realising my mentor was dead, and all I had left to remember him were the technique's he gave me, useful for tracking, but I never really learned how to use them to fight...

It was then that my floating stopped and I fell like my tears.

"Third'n valkji?" I shouted, having felt the distortion of one of my waymarks. "Can'cha comes here?" It was unnerving, it felt like 2 other people used my waymark as theirs too, causing it to vanish. This is a case happening very rarely, seeing how rabbits doing that usually die quicker than others.

Seriously, who would do that on purpose? The last time I remember someone else pouring essebce into one of my waymark as their own was with that ghostey...

A ghostey which I felt return  a day ago. "He couldn't've don' it? Couldche?"

"What is it, Shaman?" the third Valkyrie, Lightning Dust, of Flight-ring, the last fortress of and for valkyries, asked, after entering the Inner Sanctum, my meditationchamber.

The Inner Sanctum is a circle with roughly 5 metre radius, and with pillars all 60°'s 1 metre away from the outer walls. The whole thing is built out of marble, a huge waste of ressources if you ask me.

Lightning Dust wore the usual grey valkyrie-armour with built-in saddlebags, with decorations all over it. It reminds me of the armour in the Crystal Empire... those were funny times.

A valkyrie is basically a pegasus, but with much higher speed and a natural way to boost said over natural limits without feeling backlashes, and they also have a natural talent with swords, going back to their blessing by the Old Gods. They reincarnate at the pillars of the Old Gods, if the last one would be destroyed they would lose their memories and be reborn the usually way... through real birth, one of the reasons Flight-Ring is that as good defended as possible.

"Need'n material for'n waymark" I told her, causing her to sigh.

"You always need ingredients for some crazy essence-thing, why can't you let us live one day without you wanting something?" she asked, shooting an angry glare at me before turning around and walking outside.

Really, who was he to order them around like that?, Lightning Dust thought, after leaving the Inner Sanctum, and went down the corridor.

She then turned around the corner, and after entering the Great Hall she encountered the Second Valkyrie. Spear clung in her wing, her head with rainbow-hair held up she sat there, guarding the Great Hall from within. Lightning Dust never really liked Rainbow Dash.

"He wants something again, doesn't he?" Rainbow sighed. That was one of the few things they agreed on, what does Sor'Gat need those things for anyways? Lightning chuckled, before answering: "Yeah, he does. It's still a mystery why he was selected as Prime Guardian by the last of the Pillars, the Pillar of Recreation.

As long as a Pillar still stands, they have hope to rebuild the others, for the might of the Old Gods can spread again as long as there still is some.

"Anyways, I've got to get the things he wanted now." Lightning told Rainbow, just for Rainbow to ask what he actually wanted. "He wanted the materials for a waymark, wait...", she said, while searching for the list of materials needed for a waymark, so she could shave the list into Rainbow's face. "Here, that's what we need. Now sorry if I can't do smalltalk, but I have work to do."

He smiled while watching the scene's unfold in his crystal-balls.

Jack Frost, deeming his master long dead since, was crying, but that wouldn't last long. He didn't think so, he knew so. After all, why should he use emotional wrecks for his creation?

Pitch Black, overeager to learn and improve his shadow-powers, unknowing that he had used them often and much more skilled before, was ignoring any safety-measures and wrecking havoc to his surroundings.

And then there was Sor'gat... he was a threat. And he had his ways of eliminating threats before the time comes. It's good he has so much time left before Sor'Gat has to have vanished. He could watch him for a while longer, who knows? Maybe his powers could be integrated too...

"Master, it has started." a silhouette vaguely resembling a pony said, right before stepping into the light and revealing its real shape and colours:

With a tail like a squirrel, hooves like a goat and horns like a minotaur, it looks disgusting with its neonblue body, pulsing like its whole body is a heart, and darkgreen hair, seemingly flowing down like slime all the time and yet not moving at all. He looked into its eyes, crimson eyes without any signs of something else but crimson existing, yet somehow hypnotising so you can't help but stare inside its eyes. This effect is probably stronger because the rest of its body looks so disgusting, but the point still stands.

He chuckled, then said: "This Jack Frost... he might prove useful later, Creeping Madness, if he is strong enough..."

"What do you mean, Master?" Madness asked, without showing any signs of curiosity, disinterest or other emotions.

"Send Citrine, tell her to kill him." he told her.

Madness stepped back into the darkness surrounding him. He looked around, nothing is really visible but shadows, nothing but his windows... windows allowing him to watch anything he wants to watch.

"There is more to you than that..." he muttered while making the window showing Jack come closer, and zooming in Jack. "...some secret you must be hiding... you couldn't have survived back then without it."

He remembered it still, how it seemed hopeless for them, but suddenly his forces were beaten... he fought Jack, the only one who could have done that, and yet... yet his troops were still being beaten by something...

Suddenly, a transdimensional interruption made his window go black for a few seconds, then it was showing Jack again.

Who was looking at some kind of red device thing, looking like a gear with yellow teeth on it with something even he couldn't identify. He got excited when Jack opened his mouth, finally he would know the secret:

"What is this piece of..." he muttered. 'Oh' he thought 'so that is not his secret... I should probably look how my plans are going now... can't let them go unsupervised, can I?'

'In a week' I thought, watching the other members discuss my plan, 'In a week I am going to have my revenge on her.'

I didn't know what to make out of it. This... thing just came out of a portal. I remember looking into it, and I remember that I saw hundreds of things at once. Thousands of me's, thousands of warriors in a metal armour, thousands of mages, thousands of all kinds of creatures. I remember seeing everything at once, and yet I don't. I know what I did see, but I can't remember any pictures about it.

That... portal was mindblowing. I just hope it was the only of its kind... wait, I didn't mean it like that! I didn't want...

*Zap*

...to jinx it. I didn't bother to turn around this time, waiting for the portal to close. I heard objects hitting the ground behind me, but I didn't turn around.

And then, with the sound  of air rushing in a vacuum, it disappeared. I turned around, and looked at the objects that just came.

I wondered if they would have voices too, like the gear. It would be funny if that portal would give away essence-containers. The gear's voice said:

"My name is Jacob, but you may know me better as Iron Man.  I am a prankster, a warrior, an inventor, as well as a pal. If your intentions are good and you hold love in your hearts,  I will be there to help you.  If you need a shoulder to cry on, a partner in a mission, someone to talk to, or an ally in battle, just clutch this gear and call for my aid!"

I remember reading about Iron Man in my childhood... he had some kind of super-armour.

But back to the NEW objects, there was a three-coloured ball, the upper half was red, the lower half was white. The line between was black, with a ring at one point, surrounding a white circle. I held it up, and there really WAS a voice:

"Hear me now, those of you who have been Displaced across the universe! Those who desire strength unparalleled, and ferocity in battle like no other, simply call out for me! I am Geo, the Flame Pokémon! For those who want to roast the heavens and scorch the earth, call upon me with this, and know VICTORY!"

Huh, if he could back that up he could come in handy someday. Geo, the Flame Pokemon? I remember that show, I never was really into it, that's probably why I didn't recognise the Pokeball instantly. A pokemon called Geo? Tch, they didn't even bother to invent names, they just took already existing words if that name is anything to go by. It's not called Geology without reason...

I looked to the next object, a wide black disc with some kind of helmet ingraved into it. I put the Pokeball into my bag, and then I grabbed the... coin, and turned it. Oh, no coin, it's the helmet on both sides. Suddenly a voice boomed through my head, and I held my hands against my ears to silence it, but it was no use:

“I am the Overlord! Scourge of Equestria! Corrupter of innocence! If you seek to dominate the weak. If you wish to destroy all who oppose you. If you are willing to pay the price, then you may call upon my aid!”

I slowly reached a tree, tripping and falling, right before the voice stopped. Baffled, I looked at the coin, and thought: "That shouldn't get into the wrong hands..." before putting it into my bag, beneath everything else.

I looked at the last essence-container and... OH MY GOD! Is that sandman-sand? I looked at the miniature-statue of Sor'Gat, and grabbed it shortly after. "Guardian of the Lost" I heard, by seemingly hundreds of quiet voices echoed. 'That's not sandman's voice...' I thought, before shrugging and placing it into my bag too.

I stared at the things lying before me:

A short metal stick with a single button on it, spreading the following message around it: This is Rocket. You need help out there? Me and Groot will come help you if your intentions are good. Need help with bandits, a couple of extra hands with a plan to rescue slaves, help assassinating a corrupt politician? Me and Groot will be there, and if you're one of those people who don't like killing, don't worry, we come with stun settings. And for those of you who would bring destruction upon the innocent, if you dare to call on us, prepare to battle. Don't even try it."

Then there was also a diamond, its inner powers calling to him, telling him of yet another person out there:

"I  am the protector of the innocent, warrior of the weak, call upon me for assistance and I shall come. Call for the Gravity Shifter and I will make those who harm others beg for mercy as they are crushed at my feet. Hold this gem close to thine heart and I shall be at your side as a fellow warrior!"

I tried hard not to laugh, and failed. I mean, seriously? I was scared of having done something bad when overpouring the container, and it seems like others did the same thing!

Why did I ever doubt that? I had no idea. But I knew that I had to keep those things somehow, just for laughs and memories.

I started channeling the shadow-space-ability, so I could keep them in there...

I looked upon the cursed object, somebody really overpoured my essence-container. The side-effect, that you would get a strange essence-container seemingly from another plane of existence... it has come true.

It kind of reminded me of Jack, it being an eight-pointed-snowflake with a five-pointed-magicstar infused into it...

I didn't bother listening to the voice of madness coming from it, but rather just picked it up. Then I walked out of the Inner Sanctum, just to bump into Lightning Dust in the hallway.

"Ouch" Lightning muttered "What is it now, Sor?"

"I'm look'n for objec's now. Thanks for'che material'n." I told her, before taking her saddlebag off her back and proceed my just started journey.

I was cursed now, so I should gather the cursed objects of the Forbidden Temples to maximise my chances of survival, not that it will help very much.

I sighed, this is going to be so much trouble... Cursed Ones always live an interesting life... Next Chapter: And neither has to be bad. Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 4 Minutes