Episode 20: Spiriting the Darkness

Lost…

I forgot who I was…

Getting stronger, I was willing to accept…

Hell...I am finally awakening from…

Towards the beyond, reborn, I now seek what you see right before you…

"So King Nero has finally come to terms with who he truly is..." Ninja Time God Rarity said, setting up a cliffhanger at the beginning, rather than the end. "But will he ultimately choose demonic power or true salvation? Find out next time on the finale of Dragon Ball Z!"

"Though I'm more into Jojo's Bizarre Adventure these days," replied Fantasy God Discord, "I'm every bit as excited as you. However, depending on how things go, there might not even be a next time for a finale…or at least that's what we'll tell them, ho ho..."

FG Discord clicked his fingers, and a piece of paper magically appeared before them. Both of them looked at it with sneers, already knowing what was on it from being the ones who wrote it. They then looked down at the castle they were hovering over from the clouds, and paid special attention to the roof of the place Spira and Nero now resided in…

"Since already knowing who's going to end up being declared the strongest under the heavens is too boring…" NTG Rarity remarked.

"...we're going to have to shake things up for the sake of those over the heavens…" FG Discord continued. "And no, that is not a Jojo reference…"

"Oh my God!" NTG Rarity exclaimed in response to the tired old joke...as she shouted what she did like Joseph Joestar would. Both of them shared a hearty laugh before FG Discord interjected…

"And that reminds me of our lackey, our favorite little cake demon...do you wonder too how Mr. Baker is dealing with Nero and friends?"

Inside the castle, the cakey substance that was splattered against the wall from Nero decapitating the Pinkie Pie clone began to slide off the wall in a foreboding way. None took notice right away, however, as everyone was completely focused on Nero after what he had just said and done…

"What do you mean, Nero?" Spira asked the inevitable question. "Why are you calling yourself a demon?! Why do you want to be like one?!"

"It isn't about what I want…" Nero solemnly answered. "It's about what I have to accept...even if I don't want to be a monster, I can't change the truth. This is the way God intended me to be...a demon. I am the darkness. I crave death. I crave souls. I can only deny these evil feelings, not the fact that I feel them. And there is nothing that can change that fact...nothing that can change me…"

"That's crap!" Spira angrily retorted. "I don't even care at this point if this is the way you were "meant to be"! You don't have to be this way if you don't want to! I'm sorry that I made you feel that you couldn't love who you were, but no one is forcing you to be someone you hate! And if there is someone trying to tell you otherwise, direct us to them so we can show them that they're wrong!"

"Oh Spira…" Nero replied bemusedly. "How can you not see it? You are the one trying to tell me otherwise…"

"What?!" Spira yelled.

"Let's just say that everything I've said up until now is completely wrong, and everything you've said is completely right." Nero compromised. "What difference does it make? Am I still just going to have to continue on suppressing what I really feel every moment of my life? Am I still just going to have to look everyone in the eye and commit the sin of lying to them for the "greater good"? Am I still just going to have to live an unhappy life for the sake of their false comfort?"

"No!" Spira exclaimed. "Never! I already told you before, that's not how I want you to live!"

"That is where you end up in your dilemma, then." Nero said coldly. "Because at least I've finally accepted myself while you still can't accept me. If you still want to deny that I am a demon…"

Nero, still with one of his forelegs transformed into a dark blade, got into a fighting stance…

"...YOU BETTER COME AT ME BACKED UP WITH SOMETHING GOOD."

Spira looked at her brother, remaining silent as she watched his dark aura pour out. She felt she was reliving that moment when she had first fought with him at their mother's house all over again...as she shut her eyes in prayer once more…

"Appear before us and show us the way...not my way, but yours…"

However, unlike back then, Spira had completely put aside the personal interests in her mind to make room for the interests of the one she believed in…

...This is what the one she believed in made clear to her…

I am not what you see and know not

I can not be covered or discovered

For I am the darkness and the light

I am the unknown who knows all and makes all known

Including I, whom once known, can not be made unknown

For how can the known be made unknown?

The known only sleeps inside all of us, waiting to be risen

Just as the dead only sleep to tide the wait to be reborn

But I am not what is risen and reborn

I can not sleep or die

For I am the eternity and the truth

I am what always was and what will continue to be

That which sight and knowledge can not ignore

If they attempt, they give me a false form

You are the one I ask, "Which one is not me?"

Spira instantly thought of Fluttershy and what she had talked about, and slowly but surely, started to realize the trick before she answered with…

"All of them. All is one, all is one that is not you. It is one that must become all, all that is within you."

"You have answered wisely," replied the one she believed in, "even as I have given you a riddle with no answer, a puzzle that can not be solved. Yet it clears the minds of those who seek me, making them realize that I am not a puzzle. I am not the question of the moral dilemma, but the solution. You need not ask me questions, for I am the answer…"

This caused Spira to remember talking about the times her questions would be rejected by people in the church, which she discussed with Fluttershy…

"I think I got it now." she said in self-reflection. "It wasn't you who had something to hide, it was those who didn't really know you who had something to hide…"

After remembering what Fluttershy was telling her about Starcatch and Nero, she realized what had to be done…

"It is the one who pretends to be you that must fall…" she spoke out loud, looking at Nero. "The one who is deceiving all…"

As Spira held out her front hooves, which glowed with a bright light, Nero grinned in excitement.

"I take it you want to fight this out…" Nero said gleefully, his aura of darkness growing larger. "Am I not mistaken?"

"..." the Helllights and the Nightbringers donned looks of disapproval on their faces as they turned to Spira…

"Yes." Spira answered bluntly. "We will have no choice but to fight."

"Are there any conditions you wish to set?" Nero asked in a creepily cheerful tone.

"There are." Spira replied. "First, we have to both swear that we will not kill each other. Second, you must swear that if I am to win, you will let every soul inside of you free. Do you find either of those conditions unreasonable?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Nero laughed. "Not at all!"

"Huh?" Spira went, as the Helllights and Nightbringers also shared her confusion at how quick he was to submit to her demands in such a nonchalant manner. "You...don't have any objections?"

"No, just one question." Nero answered, still smiling. "If I win, what's in it for me? You can offer me whatever you wish."

"How bizarre…" Spira thought. "Why is he being civil and submissive to a fault? Even if he just feels that he's certain to win, what motivates him to be so diffident?"

"It doesn't take a genius to tell that I have an ace up my sleeve…" Nero mused in thought. "...thus why I've prepared two aces in the hole, thanks to my "friends"..."

"He knows I'm aware of what he wants…" Spira told herself in thought. "And if the circumstances were different, I'd offer him what he wants without hesitation, but...I guess I have to be the one to double down after all…"

"If you win…" Spira began to speak, realizing she would have to disregard how the warriors would react. "...you can have my soul…"

Nero's creepy grin grew wider than ever, and after sticking his tongue out impulsively, he told her…

"IT'S A DEAL."

"HOLD IT!" the Helllights and Nightbringers yelled, grabbing Spira and Nero's attention. "Don't we have a say in this too?!"

"Indeed you do," responded Nero, still maintaining his oddly calm and composed approach, "our monarchy is no patriarchy. We are open to letting the opinions of the people influence our decisions. Isn't that right, sister?"

"...Yeah." Spira answered, still puzzled. "It is ultimately our right, but I want to see what they think too. So what do each of you feel about this?"

In response, everyone else in the room voiced their thoughts on the situation…

"Don't get me wrong," said Gordon to Spira, "I am all open for a civil...fight, but if you were to lose, you should have no obligation to hand your soul over to your brother. Let's just call this off and focus on working together to find a way to defeat those gods."

"Honestly," interjected Ricard, "I fail to see any reason for this battle. I have no qualms regarding allowing Nero to remain our king, so long as he is kept in line. Besides, like Gordon said, he's not even the true enemy in all this. More than ever now, we need to work with each other, not fight with each other."

"Sorry guys," said Vincent to Gordon and Ricard, "you're cool kids, but there is no way I am going to accept that our king is a demon. Maybe a fight is unnecessary, I can't deny that, but I refuse to stand for false peace. I fail to see "the other side of this" when this situation is so black-and-white. Our queen needs our help to take down this monster. If we are going to come together, I say we impeach Nero. Who's with me?!"

Vincent exclaimed that while holding out a foreleg with a wide smile on his face, only to be disappointed by no one else raising their foreleg in agreement. Trish sighed.

"I almost feel sorry for you." she remarked in bemusement. "I thought the trauma you experienced with your wife and child's death would make your view of a situation like this more mature, but rather, it has clouded your judgement."

"Say what?!" Vincent angrily retorted. "I am not childish or wrong for speaking out against a demon and wanting you guys to do the same!"

"You are oversimplifying the situation." Vergil interjected. "Prioritizing feelings over facts may not be wrong, but it certainly does not work in the real world."

"...Alright then…" Vincent replied with a frustrated growl. "Elaborate on what you think the situation is…"

"The situation is that we need every bit of power we can get if we're going to defeat those nutjob gods and get our land back to the way it was." Dante explained. "Getting rid of Nero would be the stupidest thing to do right now, as he just might be the strongest one out of us all. Even if you hate him with all your heart, there's no denying the fact that we need him."

"How insulting!" Vincent retorted. "Why would we ever need the help of a devil to take down the devil?! If there is someone we should be getting help from, it's Spira! All of us should be helping her stop her brother before taking down those gods ourselves and proving the power of good! How it will always triumph over evil! How the hell am I in the wrong for wanting us all to stand up for what's right?!"

All the other warriors sighed, growing weary of this conversation. Spira felt sorry for Vincent…

"He must harbor a grudge against my brother for consuming Captain Leo's soul." she thought. "And while I understand his frustration, I have a strong feeling that incident happened much differently than he believes it did…"

Nero also felt pity for Vincent, albeit for different reasons…

"Holy lord, this guy is a complete basket case!" he thought. "Is he so insecure in his opinions that he needs to treat his idea of what's right and wrong as fact and expect everyone else to just go along with it? As much as he pisses me off, I pity him. Guys like that always get played for suckers before the real world throws them out like dishwater. I'd love to give him a nice wake-up call, but it's not worth it. The truth is best saved for the grave, heh heh heh heh heh…"

Eventually, Dante decided to try leveling with Vincent in a different way.

"Look," he began, "if things really were as black and white as you say they are, we'd be all for your proposal despite our personal thoughts on the matter. Our opinions are secondary no matter what's really going on, and it's a fact that Nero could help us do something that will help us make everyone happy. This has nothing to do with "who's right", this is about doing the best we can for what's right."

"But then you have to ask yourself, does anyone really know what's right?" Ninja Time God Rarity asked in a hearty tone of voice.

"And is one so absorbed in their own idea of what's right really deserving of knowing the truth and sharing in the fruit it brings?" Fantasy God Discord asked in a sly tone of voice.

"YOU!" the warriors yelled as they jumped back and struck a fighting pose in response to the abrupt appearance of their foes.

"And of course, only now do you actually acknowledge our existence, ho ho." NTG Rarity taunted. "It amuses me so, how distracting conversations like this are to mortals."

"Even when you're well-aware of who's really in charge, debating about a puppet is so much more engaging!" FG Discord teased. "How pathetic!"

"Ha!" Nero exclaimed. "I'll tell you what's pathetic! Spending all your time playing around with us just because you have nothing better to do! I would think such prestigious gods would be more preoccupied, but it turns out even I'm busier than you!"

"Well, it is your "big day" after all." NTG Rarity replied, unphased by Nero's taunt. "Though I'll have you know that playing around with you is merely part of our job...especially on everyone's "big day"..."

"What do you plan to do?" Spira asked seriously, still having flashbacks of what Fluttershy talked to her about. "Is this about the ascension through Starcatch? The spiriting?"

"Both." FG Discord answered. "After all, yours and Nero's story is the last one to take place before everything either ends on a silent note or a new dark sky is allowed to be created…"

After FG Discord said that, the cakey substance that had slid off the wall was now beginning to react strangely, appearing to be growing larger…

"And that's to be determined...by the outcome of our battle?" Spira assumed.

"Very right." NTG Rarity responded. "May the winner be determined by what's best for everyone…"

NTG Rarity then clopped her hooves together twice, causing Spira and Nero to vanish and reappear on top of the castle.

"...by everyone else…" FG Discord finished what NTG Rarity said as he turned to the warriors with a sinister look in his eyes...his eyes that showed spirals like King Nero's...

It's finally time they all knew the full truth of what this spiral really means…

As he began this explanation, King Nero took off his purple robe and stretched back in preparation for the fight, revealing the spiral seal on his stomach that the exorcist had mentioned.

It doesn't simply represent an infinite evil that will open the gateway to another world…

As NTG Rarity said this, the reflection of light moving in the shape of a spiral could be seen in Spira's eyes as she saw light energy fill the outline of the seal on her brother's stomach…

"So that's how you were able to master the fusion of Yin and Yang so quickly…" Spira remarked.

It also represents an infinite good eternally intertwining itself with an infinite evil...and only that will create the gateway to another world…

As FG Discord explained this, his words were proven to be true, as in the sky above Spira and Nero, the spiral that had been seen earlier was now beginning to rotate very quickly. It formed a vortex just like the one that had been seen over Starcatch...before the top of the tower of Starcatch began to emerge from it. Both Spira and Nero were awestruck as they looked up at it, knowing for sure now that everything the spirits inside of them had told them about it was true.

"I feel...energy coming from the tower…" Spira told herself in thought. "Spiritual energy...could there be souls inside of there? The spiriting is linked to that tower, I just know it!"

"It's glorious...mwa ha ha ha ha ha!" Nero declared maniacally. "Just like I remember...only this time, when I go to it again, I'll be able to show my "master" who's boss…"

"You've...been there before?" Spira asked in confusion. "When?"

"Does it really matter when?" Nero retorted. "Like I told Twilight...time is endless."

"Who's Twilight?" Spira asked, still perplexed.

"The one the spirit who inhabits me is born from." Nero explained. "My "master" created her from Twilight's soul. They're both part of The Eternal Three…"

Spira then remembered what Fluttershy had told her once more...this time, she recalled what Fluttershy said about being a piece of the The Eternal Three...and after finally putting everything together...she felt true rage course through her body for the first time in her life…

"OH. FUCK. NNNNNOOOOO!" she bellowed furiously as she released an extremely radiant aura of light from her body before she charged at Nero. Nero sinisterly sneered, easily dodging the first punch she threw at him with her right front foreleg. He kept up his sneer as he then easily ducked under a kick Spira threw with her right back foreleg, then easily rolled to the side when Spira tried to turn it into an axe kick. He proceeded to use this opportunity to trip Spira, cutting her back forelegs with a dark energy blade as he rolled. Spira fell backwards, an opportunity Nero took advantage of to tackle her from the front and pin her to the ground.

"Tsk, tsk." Nero mocked as he held a foreleg transformed into a dark blade to her throat. "You're out of practice. It didn't take me long at all to get you in such a precarious position."

"How did you dodge all those attacks so easily?" Spira asked, showing surprisingly little concern for her disadvantageous state.

"You're asking me what the secret of my ability is?" Nero retorted. "At a time like this? If you must know, it's because I am shadow. Your body is exuding great amounts of light, which extends shadow. All I had to do was transform the part of my body you were targeting into dark energy, making avoiding your blows easy."

"Very clever…" Spira complimented him. "But don't forget that darkness makes light grow brighter...your style of fighting works better from a range…but as for close combat..."

Spira created two balls of light with her front hooves, which were so bright from the shadow Nero created in looming over her that Nero was blinded, giving Spira an opening to shove him off her and stand up. Nero jumped back and growled at her as he felt a burning pain in his chest from being shoved while her hooves had magic exuding from them.

"You're crafty yourself, I admit." Nero returned the compliment. "Because I was blinded, I didn't know exactly where you were going to strike, thus I couldn't utilize my dodging technique. I still have the upper hand here though, as a one-time trick like that won't work again…"

"True." Spira agreed, again not shaken by the prospect of being the underdog. "The odds are still in your favor. However, the match is not decided until only one of us is left standing."

"Well then…" Nero replied forebodingly as he licked his right foreleg that he had transformed into a dark energy blade. "...how about we have this next exchange decide the match...by seeing who gets knocked to the ground first…"

"I'm ready whenever you are…" Spira declared as she held out both her front forelegs, bright balls of light energy shining in both front hooves.

"I'm finally going to get to see my faith be rewarded by you honoring your commitments…" she thought with a smile on her face.

Around this time, the Helllights and the Nightbringers had come to a terrifying realization. They trembled as NTG Rarity and FG Discord sneered while holding the paper from earlier in front of them.

"You...you want us to help decide…?" they said with a stammer.

"The fate of the entire universe?" NTG Rarity nonchalantly finished. "I don't see why that horrifies you so much."

"If it's because you're afraid of making a foolish decision that might jeopardize others, fear not!" FG Discord pretended to provide them solace. "We do that all the time, ho ho ho!"

"So that's why he was so quick to agree to Spira's conditions and listen to our opinions…" they mused, referring to Nero. "Because he believes you have his victory guaranteed!"

"Well, not exactly." NTG Rarity replied. "Nero strongly considered the possibility of us stabbing him in the back as we're technically doing now. He believes that even if he's fated to lose, he should try to defy that fate…"

"But alas, that is impossible." FG Discord deviously gloated. "Just like with Twilight… Our word is final. So our question to you is not just, "Will you betray your king in the name of "justice"?", but also, "Will you choose God to save your world or Satan to save the universe?"."

The Helllights and Nightbringers were speechless. They had never been asked a more difficult question. The decision NTG Rarity and FG Discord had metaphorically described to them was the decision of who would win the battle above…

...would it be Spira or Nero?

They had to pick either one or the other. There was no option to choose a tie or another winner. How could they ever make such a decision? Who was there to help them? It seemed that the only one who could possibly help was someone who had also been forced to make a choice like this once...but no mortal with such experience was there…after all…

"I was only a former mortal for a very short while before I was given a decision to make very much like this one…" a god from behind said. "...and even now, I suffer the guilt for choosing what I thought for sure was right as my friends and I all agreed. The decision that my comrades and I were given wasn't given to us by these gods however...it was given to us by their boss…"

Fluttershy chuckled ominously to herself as Spira, the one her spirit was inside, made a swift lunge towards her brother. Nero, after having taken a step back to rev himself up, spun himself towards his sister with his dark energy blade ready. Spira projected the ball of light from her right front hoof at her brother's head. A seemingly startled Nero stopped spinning and grabbed his face with his left hoof in pain, leaving his chest vulnerable to Spira's next strike. However, as Spira swooped in to hit him there, Nero's chest simply became dark energy that stretched away. Nero guffawed, as with Spira unable to connect her attack in time, she was left wide open…

*SHING*

Spira stopped her attack as she solemnly looked up at her brother, smirking at her menacingly as he watched blood trickle down her face from her forehead. He had stabbed the very tip of his dark energy blade into his sister's forehead.

"You realize what this means, right?" Nero boasted. "I win. If I didn't have to obey your conditions, you would be dead right now. So give up and declare me the winner."

Spira's once serious look contorted into a wide smile before she gracefully told her brother…

"No, I refuse. The match is not over yet. The winner has not proven theirself just yet..."

"HA HA HA HA HA!" Nero laughed louder than ever. "Are you serious?! Are you really that desperate?! Talk about a loser's excuse! What, you think it was just luck that I was able to dodge that attack? Why do you think I came at you with one blade instead of two? I intentionally held back, allowing you to get a shot in so you would relax your guard and give me the perfect opening! Still, I'll humor you. Why do you think I've not won yet? Tell me."

"Because you've yet to show what you have to show." Spira replied, still grinning. "This was never a street fight, after all. This was a battle of vows. And if you had broken your vow in killing me when you had that chance, you surely would have lost."

"You're every bit as naive as you were back then if you truly believe that." Nero retorted, referring to Spira during the first fight they had at Terra's house. "Battle of vows? There is no battle that is won with honor and integrity. Not in the real world. If you believe otherwise, whatever. But what I don't understand is how well you're taking this. Doesn't it wound your pride that I could have killed you?"

"No." Spira answered, unmoved. "I'm just glad that you didn't. And I'm especially glad that you never planned to..."

Spira's smile beamed greater than ever as she finished her sentence with…

"...and never will."

Nero was completely different upon hearing his sister say that, his smile fading. Thinking back to how his sister never believed that he truly was a monster, he said to himself in thought…

"So that is what you believe in after all...not a false god who uses lies of false justice to put meaningless chains on us...but a loving, eternal spirit who wishes to free our souls from the darkness…"

At this moment, the outcome of the battle was clear…

"I surrender." Nero told Spira as he retracted his dark blade away from her forehead, restoring it to the form of his foreleg. "Even if I made you give up, there would be no point. I wanted to fight the Spira whom I believed was misguided...but I see now that that Spira has changed…"

Nero then began to turn and walk away, but just as his sister had done that night, she called out to him…

"Stop. It's not over yet."

"Hmm?" Nero responded as he turned back to her. "Oh yeah, that's right. I'll fulfill my promise of freeing the souls inside of me...that is, if they want to leave. Believe it or not, I never forced them into my stomach. They all willingly offered themselves to me for their own personal reasons."

"That's not what I meant…" Spira said in dissent, to Nero's surprise. "There is so much more I want out of you, my brother…"

And at that moment, Fluttershy made a sigh of relief. A short while later, she sent a message to Ninja Time God Rarity and Fantasy God Discord in their minds saying this…

Feel free to tear up that paper and bring the soldiers here to see the victor claim the spoils of battle. The winner turned out to be our favorite after all…

NTG Rarity and FG Discord snickered to themselves, knowing what she meant. Happily ripping up the fiction they had written on the paper, knowing it would never be reality now, the Helllights and Nightbringers shared in their joy as they realized that their choice to win had been declared the victor of the battle. As NTG Rarity and FG Discord teleported them to the roof of the castle, they went to congratulate the winner…

...King Nero.

"...What?" Nero had asked his sister earlier when she told him that he had won. "How did I win? I forfeited."

"Don't you remember what I said about this being a battle of vows?" Spira retorted. "The moment you resolved not to kill me, not because you had to, but because you truly didn't want to is the moment that you won. In that moment, you realized that upholding your vow to righteousness and your faith in the true God was more important than proving to me that you were right about living the way you do. There's no way to surrender a battle you've already won."

"So by goading me, you were just testing me..." Nero realized. "I'll even bet that you never planned to win from the start, which is why you never used Yin and Yang…"

Upon saying that, Nero made the crystal ball Spira had given back to him when she eventually mastered the art of combining light and darkness, interested in reminiscing. Suddenly, he noticed that the spirits of Fluttershy and Sombra that had taken residence in Spira's body were now being drawn out of her and pulled towards the crystal, where they were sealed.

"If I had relied on their powers to defeat you in a fight and take the throne all for myself," explained Spira, "I'd merely be playing right into their hooves. For they would take control of me and lead this world down the wrong path. So instead, I chose to lead the entire universe of the Dark Sky down the correct path. Though I can defy Fluttershy's will, I can not stop the spiriting from happening, for that is the will of The Eternal Three. Brother, we are still not strong enough to go up against those who are leading the universe astray...do you know now why I offered you my soul if you won?"

Realizing all the sacrifices his sister had made and what he would have to do, Nero started to cry…proclaiming from the bottom of his heart, he called out...

"I love you, Spira! I'm sorry that I ever believed you didn't!"

Nero then begrudgingly opened his mouth to draw Spira's soul out of her body and towards him, consuming it and swallowing it tearfully. He continued to weep as his sister's body slumped to the ground, and her soul descended into the abyss of darkness that was his stomach...but his tears soon subsided when he felt a warm, comforting light radiating inside of his stomach, causing the spiral seal on it to glow. He then began to feel a multitude of such lights beam all throughout him before they departed by passing through his stomach, leaving through where the seal was and causing it to fade behind them. All the souls he had consumed, his father, his mother, and the nobles, were leaving…

Watching in awe as the souls of the nobles smiled before fading away, finally departing to the afterlife, and as the souls of Leo and Terra floated by his shoulders, putting a hoof on each, Nero asked Spira…

"How did you do this?"

"I am combining my own soul of light with the darkness that was sealed inside of you." Spira answered. "No longer will you be a demon who needs to eat souls, but a greater being whose source of nourishment is the combination of light and darkness that creates the essence of the true God…I'm not sacrificing myself for you...I'm sacrificing myself for us..."

"...my family…" Spira finished as Nero finally smiled a joyful grin, one that Terra and Leo shared.

"I guess we were good parents after all…" they thought. "...to have raised such good kids who learned from our bad mistakes...a world that they're leading…"

They then left to return to their old house as they finished their thought with this…

"...is one we would love to linger in for a long time…"

And now, King Nero could finally look upon his sister with full appreciation and love. Though her body was unconscious, she had a beautiful smile on her face. He could even see that the wondrous white hair and mane she never showed off symbolized the humility of her pure soul of light. He then looked over at his soldiers, and marveled at how they were able to see what his sister truly wanted, even as they explained to him that they had help from a god...a veteran of the Awakening project who had worked under NTG Rarity and FG Discord…

...Joseph Baker, the God of Science. Remembering that his mother, Noimman, was a scientist who knew and practiced things far beyond any mortal's knowledge, he chuckled ominously. He then turned to NTG Rarity and FG Discord and gave them a serious glare that showed not spirals in his eyes, but balls of light glowing as light and dark energy was leaking out of his eyes.

"YOU GUYS BETTER GET READY." Nero said to them confidently, his voice changing as he channeled the soul of Spira living within him. "BECAUSE I NO LONGER FIGHT AS A DEMON...BUT AS A TRUE GOD!"

The Ending of King Nero's Story.

Finally is the story that unites all...