Edward was sitting outside the fort looking into the Badlands. This was the site of his biggest blunder but also the site where his current life started. He was so in wrapped in his thoughts he didn’t hear Shang and Alexis approaching behind him. Not that he really cared at the moment, as not even and Ursa Major stampede could get him to move.

Alexis glanced at Shang, who glanced about, noticing that very little grew in the area. She noticed the sorcerer wasn't meeting her eyes nor anyone else's.

Shang's pupils were glowing a dull dark emerald as he could hear the ‘canon’ Shang snarling he wanted the power of the souls within Edward. “That will not happen, Sorcerer. If I have to conscript us both to the Netherrealm, so be it, so shut up,” he growled, very aware of the draining effects upon the magic of those not native to the Netherrealm. As he snapped that, he felt his darker counterpart's presence retreat. “And don't forget, I can consume your soul just as easily as the other way around. Are you willing to risk that?” he snapped, the glow fading from his irises.

Lucario grimaced as the surrounding Aura was almost nonexistent. That gave a very strong advantage to tracking anything, yet at the same time made it very difficult as, if anything had similar sensory talents would likely immediately notice the new Aura signature.

Alexis lightly tapped Edward's shoulder.

“Tell me you two,” Edward said gazing into the Badlands. “When you look out off this cliff what is that you see?” Edward got to his feet but his eyes never looked to the others.

“Emptiness, regret, impulsiveness,” Alexis said quietly.

“What about you, Shang, Lucario? What do you see in this wasteland?” Edward still gazing out in front of him.

Shang took a deep breath. “I see very little in vitality. I sense a struggling flow, much like a clogged pipe. Perhaps it is the natural flows of energy here we are picking up on?”

Lucario cocked his head. “I sense a lack of Aura… like something sleeps, yet just needs the right key to awaken,” he said quietly.

“Interesting,” Edward said turning to see the others with a hollowness in his eyes that could only be described as soul-wrenching. “Another question is: What do you think could have caused all of this lifelessness?”

Alexis shrugged. “I don't know,” she said quietly. That wasn't quite true, though she knew well the pain in his eyes… as she had seen it in the mirror for weeks after what her ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’ had done to her.

Lucario grimaced but shrugged as well. “I do not know of anything that could do such a thing,” he said quietly.

Shang exhaled as he suspected the answer, but snorted. “Unknown to me,” he said quietly.

“You three just so happen to be looking at it,” Edward pointed to himself. “I was the one that created the Badlands for this Equus,” he motioned with hand and then turned and sat back down on the edge of the cliff. “This is what happens when justified anger turns into Sinful Wrath and blind fury,” Edward remembered all too well what lead to the creation of the Badlands like it was yesterday. “Want to hear the story?”

“Did it have to with a very stupid Minotaur? Because in mine… we had a Minotaur dignitary who lost his dignity… when he and his guards tried to attack a few of my mother's personal guards… and my mother herself. Suffice it to say, only the dignitary made it out of the palace… and begging for mercy,” Alexis said quietly. She touched her right collarbone, fairly sure Celestia had noticed the scar that bisected it as well as the upper right part of her chest. It had come from a heavy Minotauran blade.

Shang blinked, mildly surprised at that information. “That sounds nasty,” he remarked. He did, however, notice Lucario cringing at that knowledge.

“Yes it involved Minotaurs but not just a few,” Edward used a memory project on himself as he told a summarized version of the events. “Not long after the first Sage’s Stone was made rumors of its power spread like wildfire. Soon, the Minos’ were on the warpath by secretly attack pony villages and settlements in this area along the Everfree. I set out to stop these raids on the Kingdom but everytime I arrived only to see burnt buildings and slaughtered corpses were strewn about.” Edward paused for the moment to catch his in order to calm down. The others notice the anger coming from him. “I was able to catch up to the Raider just in time to same one village. Theos bastards mached me and the ponies and made light of the suffering. They called it fun,” Edward started to shake a bit. The projection only showed a Laugh muscular man with two horns on either side of his wearing light plate armor with a large short broad ax dripping with fresh blood. “I then started to get angry, very angry. Called them Bastard and every name under Tia’s sun until he said. ‘How dare you ruin our fun you pathetic pony bastard,’. He tried to cleave me to pieces but I deflected his blows. I yelled back about there fun and said I would kill Minos I saw. I was so angry I unknowingly invoked the Void Stone’s power-draining ability. For days I slaughtered soldiers, mercs, and raider until I was completely consumed in madness, hatred, and bloodlust.” He shuddered at the images of himself literally tearing Minotaurs apart barehanded. Red energy coming into and covering his body as he consumed the magic and life energy of the very land and souls of every living creature near him. “I was drowning in wrath. For two and have to three weeks I wandered this once lush land turning it into what it a barren waste where not even a small flower can grow. That’s how I came to be known as the Crimson Butcher. It wasn’t until Tia, Luna and Starswirl showed up that I was stopped. Even then I almost killed them. They were able to bind my long enough for Luna to tell me how she felt and bring me back to myself. But my fighting was far from over. But that’s apart of the story for another time.” Edward’s project stopped and he got up and looked to the three that were behind him once more.

“You drained the active life energy and magic. I can feel it… sleeping. It's dormant and deep… but Faust thinks my being hatched around her may have sharply enhanced my Aura Sensory talents,” Lucario said as he pressed his forepaw to what appeared to be naught more than a dead, dry hunk of cracked clay.

Alexis’ eyes were narrowed. “I'd have reacted the same way, most likely, and I suspect not only Dante and Vergil but my father, too, would agree that those things were in need of being put down… permanently. Slaughter of innocent lives is never the right thing to do,” she said in a low, dangerous voice.

“That’s still no excuse for needless bloodshed and needlessly draining the land of its vitality,” Edward said in regret.

‘I’m afraid you're completely wrong Lucario,’ Faust said in a stern tone as she and Sparda, with Mileena being dragged on the ground behind him, joined the group. ‘What Edward did to the land here can never be reversed. That’s the way his power works is that it drains until there’s nothing left at all. Whatever aura it is you’re sensing, it’s whatever was left.’ she looked to Edward in understanding. ‘There is no reviving the Badlands.’

Lucario frowned slightly. All of his senses told him it could be possible to ‘reconnect’ the natural Aura, unaware that, in truth, he was sensing the dispersal of the natural leylines channeling magic through the ground. At the borders of the Badlands, those lines, for lack of a better term, had been effectively ‘cauterized’ in a magical sense, leaving a broad swath where no truly active magic flowed within the earth.

Alexis cocked her head, spotting Mileena. “You know that I intend to put her down, permanently,” she said quietly. Admittedly, she had never actually killed, knowing that none of the monsters within that training course were truly real, and she hadn't truly intended to kill Berial, though she had little doubt the demon would remember her.

Shang cocked an eyebrow, noticing the slightest tremble in the young hybrid's body. The experienced Kombatants noticed what it meant immediately, that the young woman had never truly, deliberately drawn blood from another nor had she killed purposefully.

“We all know what you intend to do Alexis,” Sparda said sternly. “I want to see what you will actually do.”

“The real question is, can you truly do it?” Edward added crossing his arm. “Killing without a reason is never a path someone should walk. Of course, Mileena here is just a manifestation of a fighter so once you defeat her she should turn into a Soul Gem, Right Shang” Edward looked to him curiously.

“Possibly. I can't be sure. What I am certain of, however, is that she won't make it easy,” Shang said wryly. He had yet to encounter Mileena's Soul Krystal, so anything was likely. He paused, his eyes narrowing on a boulder not too far away. “Hmmm, this should be interesting,” he thought, noting the boulder in question was a Soul Krystal, yet the resonance, he noticed, wasn't linked to him, but Alexis.

“I think it’s time we wrapped this up,” Edward said as everyone found themselves in an open area. It was obvious that an intense battle already occurred here from all of the damage present. “This is where I had a fight with my niece. Just the place you need. Open no places to hide and you can go all out if you need to.” Suddenly black chains shot from the ground and formed and form a sort of dome. “This shadow forge dome will keep you two confined here. Any questions or requests?”

Alexis rolled her shoulders, a small smirk crossing her face. “Nope. This is gonna be fun,” she deadpanned.

A hole opened in the dome. “Sparda, if you would be so kind as to escort Mileena into the arena,” Edward gestured. “Alexis you can go in after she’s in there. I’ll undo the chains on her once you’re ready.”

Sparda smirked as he tugged Mileena by her leg before tossing her through the hole, letting her tumble through.

Alexis rolled her shoulders as she took a deep breath before darting forward and leaping through the hole before using a shoulder roll as she instinctively focused her nanites to form body armor as she rolled to her feet.

Shang smirked, noticing that the Soul Krystal disguised as a boulder was half buried in the ground a few feet behind Alexis, well within the dome. “Hmmm, this'll be interesting, indeed,” he said thoughtfully. He blinked, noticing a pale emerald aura swirling around the stone very faintly. “Ah, there you are, Jade,” he thought, feeling Kitana watching with great interest.

“Interrupt anything and you pay dearly,” Sparda warned the sorcerer with a murmur shooting him a nasty look.

“That goes for everyone,” Edward added as he raised a hand causing the chains binding Mileena to disappear allowing the fighter to get to feet and stretch before her eyes lustfully came to rest on Alexis. “I will personally make any of you the next center of attention in a fight with me.”

“I have no intention of interrupting anything whatsoever,” Shang said seriously. “Though I do know of something I am certain will give Alexis an unforeseen advantage,” he quipped with a smirk.

Alexis’ ears twitched, able to hear the conversations, but ignoring them in favor of the snarling and growling Tarkatan-Edenian hybrid with dual sais gripped in both hands. A smirk crossed her face as she rolled her shoulders.

“Your blood will taste sweet… as will your flesh,” Mileena growled in what most would call a sensual voice.

“The only thing you're going to be tasting is your own blood… and the dirt,” Alexis shot back.

“I doubt that, as you have no skill,” Mileena growled.

“Because I haven't shown you any of my skills, but by the time this is over, you're going to wish I hadn't,” Alexis growled.

“Let the match Begin!” Edward shouted sending a dust wave across the field.

Alexis darted forward before sliding on her knees to evade the thrown sais before she popped up with a rising knee strike, catching Mileena under the chin and staggering her for a moment before locking both arms around Mileena's torso before using a release belly-to-belly suplex to slam the Tarkatan hybrid on her face hard before Alexis tightened her core muscles and curled into a very tight handstand before driving both feet into Mileena's chest, the blow driving the air from her as she tumbled a couple of times before recovering, regaining her sais in the process.

“Nice opening counter from Alexis,” Edward commented as he clapped his hands together and made benches for everyone. “But, big mistake in letting Mileena get her weapons back.”

‘I agree, can I have popcorn.?’ Faust asked.

“Here you are my dear,” Discord said handing Faust a bag of pink popcorn.

‘Thanks Dissy,’ the pokemon wagged her tails in happiness as she munched on the popcorn.

Shang tilted his head, thinking. The style Alexis was using was powerful, yet fluid, holding, to his eyes, aspects of Capoeira, Tae Kwon Do, as well as whatever this ‘Ansatsuken’ style was. “I think she did that deliberately, lulling Mileena into a false sense of security by playing on what she expects her to be: a sloppy, untrained fighter,” he said thoughtfully.

“Agreed. She is playing both physical warfare as well as psychological warfare. If Mileena believes she is unskilled, she will grow arrogant and sloppy, leaving exploitable opportunities,” Goro rumbled.

“The Ansatsuken was originally based off of a sword style. So, it’s perfect for when one faces off against an opponent that uses blades like Mileena. It’s even deadlier if you can empower it with Hado,” Edward explained rubbing his chin. “Hm. She’s straining to use the style though. Not just on purpose either. Looks like it’s putting quite a strain on her. I’m not surprised as she never really knew of it or even used it properly before.”

Alexis caught Mileena's forearms as she attempted a stab before she fell back, throwing the Tarkatan hybrid into the air before launching into a vicious spinning tornado kick where she spun several times and struck Mileena with impacts that either audibly thudded or crunched as Mileena hit the ground hard from the Tatsumaki Senpū Kyaku. She was barely breathing hard, though Mileena had visible bruises darkening her flesh and more than a few cuts freely bleeding.

Shang’s eyes widened slightly, noticing thin looping chain tattoos on Alexis’ wrists and ankles. “Did you place gravity seals upon her? I'm seeing seals on her body, yet… that explains why she's straining. She's even now pushing her body and strength despite the normal gravity. The question, however, is what setting does she have it on?” he said cautiously.

“Whatever those seals, I didn’t put them on her,” Edward retorted. “She must have placed them herself. I do have a few spell books in the chamber with gravity magic spells for minors in them. She probably found one of them and modified it. Basic magic spells are some of the few around here that can be rewritten and combined with others fairly easily.”

Alexis exhaled softly as her armor gained streaks of crimson rather than yellow. “You want to play weapons, eh? Let's play,” she said softly. As she shifted her stance, a sheathed blade forming in her grasp as she unknowingly took a stance very similar to a certain Grimm masked swordsman with one hand on the sheath, the other lightly gripping the hilt of the blade. Her irises, rather than their warm aquamarine-teal color were a cold, hard, deep sapphire blue. Her body felt like a coiled spring as her unblinking gaze was locked on Mileena.

“She can use the quick draw technique. If she can pull it off, that would her an edge in surprise attacks as well as boost her speed and reflexes,” Edward looked at the sheathed sword. ‘It won’t hold up to more than three of her own strikes,’ Edward thought as he saw Alexis’ grip tighten ever so slightly. “She needs a reinforced blade in order to use that technique multiple times in a row.”

Alexis noticed Mileena's legs tensing before she charged, leaping after only a few rapid strides before bat-like crimson wings flared out from her back before she dove for a stabbing strike. Her blade shot out of the sheath like it had been fired from a gun as she flicked her thumb sharply, the butt of the hilt catching Mileena square between the eyes before she caught the falling blade, deflecting Mileena's stabbing blows upward, but gaining deep cuts along her shoulder blades. In an instant, however, she'd opened a deep slash from Mileena's right collarbone just shy of her throat to her left hip as well as a long cut running from her left shoulder to the middle of her forearm. Slight bits of white were visible in the wounded arm, revealing scraped if not fractured bone.

Mileena dropped heavily to the ground, twitching with pain as blood flowed freely from the sudden wounds. She stabbed upward with her good arm at Alexis, a burst of dark crimson energy hurling the Alicorn hybrid back before she slammed into the boulder behind her with a loud crunch as the boulder fractured and pale emerald light flared out.

Shang winced as Alexis slammed into the boulder before his eyes widened slightly at the flare of light. “What is she up to?” he muttered. He could feel Alexis’ body and spirit merging with Jade's surprisingly. As the light faded, he noticed immediately that the crimson streaks were a deep emerald.

Alexis coughed, blood trickling from her lips as she could feel the intense pain in her back from cracked vertebrae and cracked if not broken ribs. Her eyes fluttered open before revealing the dark coppery brown eyes as she rose to her feet, swaying a bit before her hand slipped behind her back. She drew forth a deep darkened gray metal staff that shimmered with a pale violet aura.

“Clever my daughter, very clever,” Sparda nodded with an approving tone.

Shang drew in a sharp breath, recognizing the staff from Kitana's memories. It was Jade's Assassin form.

“You will harm her no more. Had I not shielded the worst of the damage, it could have been fatal. Now… it will be fatal for you,” a voice not Alexis’ spoke from her mouth. She shot forward, a bright emerald aura flaring as the Shadow Kick caught Mileena just beneath the hollow of her throat and throwing her back before a thrown sai was deflected by the staff before it slapped Mileena hard across the face with a mingled meaty and bony crunch.

“So,… Jade, was hidden in the stone after all.” Edward looked to Shang with a smirk. “This is getting interesting and you look annoyed that Alexis got that Soul Crystal.” Shang’s eye twitched at that comment.

Edward returned his attention to the field. He smiled at the action being displayed down in the area. He was starting to get a fired up himself. He was definitely strong physical, magically, and mentally but that didn’t mean he didn’t still enjoy a good fight. Whether it was against some who could put up a decent challenge for only a few minutes or a truly strong opponent that could fight for days Edward was one the usually didn’t turn down the chance for a good one on one battle. He remembered Shang had been talking with one of his souls about wanting to take the souls in Edward’s body. Shang had broken his other half on the subject it gave Edward an idea to have some fun with the sorcerer and perhaps benefit from him as well.

“Hey Shang, why not have a match with me once Alexis is done with Mileena?” Edward asked as he brought his right fist to his face. “I’ve fought Alexis since she came to my world but I have yet to fight you.” Edward evil smile never left his face. Shang could tell this was a man that had seen and fought many wars and won countless battles and won. I man who had died and came back. “What do you say, Sorcerer? Wanna face me?” Shang was uncertain about this as when looked at the alchemist when he was in this state of mind he saw not the kind man he had come to know but a monster that was far more terrifying and powerful than even Shao Kahn.

A soft snort escaped Shang. “I rather expected Alexis to awaken Jade. Did I expect them to effectively merge? No. But frankly, I would prefer a rest from Kombat. In my Equus, it was either training for Kombat or a small tournament somewhere. It got rather… dull… quickly,” he said dryly.

“So you don’t want to face me? Too bad,” Edward shrugged in disappointment. “And I was going to offer you a Philosopher’s Stone.” he turned his attention back to the arena.

“What has you so interested in challenging me, Edward? I suspect my ‘dark counterpart’ has to do with that, ” Shang said bluntly.

“I want a good fight and I overheard your conversation with him,” Edward deadpanned. “And I don’t like being eyeballed as food or as some sort of way someone can grow stronger more easily.”

Shang laughed at that. “The ‘canon’ Shang, the soul stealer sorcerer, is locked in here,” he said, tapping the side of his head, “and although he and I have both noticed that we don't need to consume souls, he insists that it gives greater power… as far as I'm concerned, he's full of shit. All it does is taint and corrupt what soul you already have and though my Discord didn't give me a choice on the bloody matter, I refuse to use such an ability. I suspect that the aging curse set by the Elder Gods of Shang's home dimension either lost contact with his particular soul signature, or, if as I suspect, my body and his merged with me being dominant, it disrupted the soul curse as I have never nor will I ever use my abilities for my own gain, unlike ‘him’,” Shang deadpanned. He noticed Jade putting away her staff as Mileena sprawled on the ground.

“Very well then. I’ll drop it,” Edward looked back to the arena.

Goro was cringing as Jade had driven her staff with a hard flick and a dull clang square between Mileena's legs before driving it into her back with a very loud crunch before watching her fall flat on her face, skidding several feet on her face.

“Ooo, that was a nasty one,” Faust commented as she and Discord continued to share popcorn.

“Indeed.” Discord added.

“Pretty sure she'll need a chiropractor after that,” Shang deadpanned.

Jade paused as she tilted her head. The deep emerald tone of the streaks upon her armor faded to a soft, creamy golden white tone. Almost the same moment, Alexis was tackled by Mileena who reared back, tearing off her veil to reveal her fangs.

Alexis grimaced at the sight before she caught the straps of Mileena's armor and jerked her close, right into a headbutt, then repeated it twice more before kicking her off. Blood trickled down both their faces, Mileena's more so.

“Oh, someone's gonna need to visit the dentist after this fight,” Edward laughed. “And maybe a trip to the plastic surgeon too.”

“If this bitch doesn't back off, she’s gonna need a mortician, ‘cause if she tries to shank me again, I'm gonna remove her tonsils without anesthetic… through her ass,” Alexis growled with her eyes narrowed, holding a hand to her left side just above her hip where blood ran freely from three puncture wounds. She caught Mileena's wrist as she darted forward, sais held low but angled upward. She twisted, hyperextending her arm before in two quick strikes followed by two very noticeable crunches, she snapped Mileena's wrist and dislocated her elbow as she disarmed Mileena. The Tarkatan hybrid twisted, spinning the other sai into a reversed grip as she spun as Alexis ducked before driving a vicious forearm strike into Mileena's ribs, time slowing for a few seconds as Mileena's ribcage fractured, before she straightened into an uppercut that very noticeably knocked loose more teeth and heavily cracked Mileena's jaw as she was forced into the air before she was caught by the hips and slammed into the ground in a brutal Spinebuster that fractured more of her spine.

What was immediately noticeable was that Mileena stilled almost immediately. Alexis’ eyes dropped, spotting six blade tips… Mileena's own sais, protruding from her chest. One had impaled her heart and exited through part of her right lung whilst the other was sticking straight up through her chest, impaling the upper part of her heart, the aorta, whilst one of the side blades had torn a hole in her vena cava, the largest vein within the human body.

Shang whistled. “Damn, that was a brutal finish… and apparently an unintentional fatality,” he said, noticing Alexis turning away from the body which ignited in bloody crimson and dark indigo flames before the body was incinerated.

“Don’t turn away from your opponent,” Edward called out to Alexis looking to the fighter with a serious look in his eyes. “Alexis, never look away from someone you’ve killed in an honorable fight such as the one you’ve just had. Look upon them with the respect that you gave them in your match. Show them the same honor to them even in their final moments.” Edward brought down the field and appeared next to Alexis. “Alexis, I know it’s rough taking someone's life in a fight. Even when if it is a death match like the one you just fought but it was still a fight and she deserves your respect.” He looked to the burning corpse as the smell of the burnt flesh filled the air.

Alexis’ gaze flicked to the corpse. “Why did she burn like that?” she said quietly, unaware of vampiric myths. She noticed Shang frowning as if troubled.

Shang's eyes narrowed as he'd sensed her soul fleeing, or more precisely, being drawn away, from her physical shell. However, what had done so, he could not sense.

“She’s right here Shang,” Edward held out a red glowing gemstone hovering in his palm. “I trapped her using Seith Magic. Then I turned her into a Philosopher’s Stone with a bit of alchemy. What do we do with her now?”

“I doubt it really matters, though I'd be cautious, as though she can appear batshit crazy, she can be dangerously cunning,” Shang deadpanned. He noticed Alexis wincing as she dismissed her body armor, leaving her neutral dull silver and dark gray bodysuit. He noticed immediately the blood trickling down her side between her fingers as she clamped her hand over her side.

“I know crazy my friend. I had to piece my mind back together from when I was first entombed in stone and that took over fifty years. And let’s not forget that I have several souls in my body that I hear fairly often and some of them are much worse than Mileena,” Edward turned to see Alexis holding her hand. “In need of some healing, I see,” Edward grand Alexis’ hand as gently as he could manage but she still winced back. A crackle from red electricity was heard and then Alexis’ pain was gone. “There you go all better and your nanites well fix the scarring in a few minutes. “Edward looked to the stone still in his left hand and then held it out to Alexis. “Your victory means you got the spoils or decide her fate.”

Alexis hummed thoughtfully. “Spoils? Such as what?” she said curiously. She looked thoughtful as she didn’t see that many physical spoils and she had no interest in Mileena’s sais.

“I don’t know,” Edward shrugged. “All I know is that souls are pretty much an endless supply of energy. I don’t like using mune if they’re good though” Edward looked to Shang curiously. “What are some of the benefits she could from Mileena’s soul?”

“She would have little choice but to serve you. Perhaps with time, she will become kinder. She could also train you in unorthodox Kombat Tactics which would, no doubt, be quite helpful, especially since Jade has a liking for you, from what I can tell,” Shang commented. “Perhaps if Blueballs annoys you, threaten to have Mileena eat him,” he said thoughtfully. He found the fact that Rarity slapped him hard in the back of the head for that rather amusing. “What other advantages you may gain, I don't know. None of my ‘allies’ are hybrid races if you get my drift,” he deadpanned.

“Sounds like a good deal to me,” Discord noted popping up with everyone in toe.

“What I wouldn’t give to see the look on Blue’s face when that happens,” Spike laughed. “I wish Ed would’ve been free before the Gala last year. Then I would’ve been able to kick his ass when he insulted Rarity.” The drake held up a fist.

“Oh thank you, Spikey-Wikey,” Rarity said pulling the dragon into a hug.

“Course thanks to Ed putting him through training he can put up a fight now but still can’t touch me or Shining,” Spike smirked

“He’s can still be a big ass, at times, but his attitude has taken a major turn for the better,” Polearm added giving Nyx a piggy-back ride. “His main focus has been training so he can get stronger so he can beat Ed in a fight so he can have bragging rights.”

“How are you feeling Alexis?” Twilight asked.

“Yea sugarcube, that looked like a pretty tough fight,” Aj raised her eyebrows in concern.

“That was awesome,” Thunderlane said looking at Alexis with sparkles in his eyes before looking to Aj. “And you go on adventures like this often Aj?”

“Calm down a bit Thunderlane,” Edward interjected as he handed Mileena’s stone to Alexis. “This has to do with me, first off. Secondly, Aj and the other are the Elements of Harmony so they have a duty to defend Equestria. Third, I doubt Aj would want you to get involved with these duties,” Edward place a hand Thunder’s shoulder as he whispered to him.” She cares a lot about you, kid. Just give it time and you’ll be able to do your part too.”

“Hey, Thunder when are you going to join the Bolt Core anyways?” Rainbow asked.

“You can discuss that back in Ponyville Dash,” Edward said before looking to Alexis. “So, what are gonna do with Mileena?”

“I intend to keep her close on hand, no pun intended,” Alexis deadpanned, forming a ring which held the gemstone securely as she noticed both Discord's smirking at the joke. “As to how I feel… sore, but it was nothing compared to that night with those three Minotaurs that tried to assassinate my mother… of course, they injured her guards pretty badly, although they didn't know I happened to be sleeping with her that night and couldn't sleep…” she sighed, dismissing the bodysuit before shifting the vest aside to reveal the darker toned scar that bisected her right collarbone and clavicle and stopped roughly a third of the way over her chest. “Most of the injuries I got were scrapes and bruises… this one, though… knowing the human anatomy should have killed me… and it nearly did. Collapsed lung on top of heavy blood loss, shattered collarbone, heavily cracked clavicle, three shattered ribs in the back, four in the front,” she sighed.

Shang snorted. “If you say…” he deadpanned.

“What, ‘you should have seen the other guy?’ Really… I didn't just stomp a mudhole in him… I stomped a whirlpool in him… And walked it so dry it would have been mistaken for Bonneville,” she deadpanned with a smirk.

Shang whistled. “That bad, eh?” he said dryly.

Goro let out a bellowing laugh. “You would make a good Shokan,” the Outworlder laughed.

“Hm, Did you have to be so detailed with your injuries?” Rarity snapped as she looked as if she were about to pass out. “In a seriousness, Darling, we need you cleaned up.”

“Good thing there are natural hot springs in the forest,” Fluttershy said with a soft smile. “We found them during one of Edward’s Survivalist sessions.”

“Ah just hope everyone still remembers the way,” Aj said as the group headed back to the fort. “We might be on the outskirts of the forest but it’s still Everfree. Best stick close to the group once we go in Thunder.”

“Come on Aj. I mean we’re Edward’s disciples and we also have a bunch of other Displaced with us,” Rainbow pointed out the obvious. “I bet we can take down anything that dares show it’s face to us.”

“Prideful as ever Rainbow Dash,” Edward grabbed the prismatic pegasus by her skull and squeezed a bit. “I trained you yes, but that doesn’t mean you can go off all half-cocked. At best you can each stand against fifteen minotaur raider for twenty minutes. Polearm and Spike were the top combatants among other things. The could easily take all of you down in sheer physical might alone but they’re also quick to analyze and form plans.”

“OWOWOWOW! OK!” Rainbow lamented causing Edward to let go. “Sheesh, you know I’ll listen to you without you squeezing my head.”

“But then you won’t remember if I don’t,” Edward smirked as the others chuckled as they arrived back in the fort. “You all know where your quarters are and where you can change into swimsuits. Alexis and company follow me to my part of the complex.” Edward walked off to one of the larger buildings toward the back of the fort.

Alexis shrugged at Rarity's comment. “I guess I should be glad I didn't mention precisely what I did to that dignitary. I doubt his king was too amused by the overreaction to the unintentional slight,” she deadpanned as they went their separate ways for the moment.

Shang snorted. “If there's one thing that tends generally true of Rarity, it's that she is rarely a fan of gore, though from the sound of it, this incident,” he deadpanned.

“Was roughly a month and a half ago, for me, not long after I met Yang,” Alexis supplied. She saw the sorcerer wince as Lucario darted after them.

“She’s seen worse,” Edward shot back as he opened the door to a modestly sized cabin. “Bathrooms through there. You know the drill by now. Get a suit and get changed. Towels are on the opposite wall.” He went over to a desk in the corner of the room and pulled out the chair an sat down. “Hm. I wonder if she could handle it?” Edward murmured to himself he said looking over some of the papers on the desk before he noticed Shang who looked like he had an annoying ache. “What’s going on with you Shang? You look like you’re in pain.”

“Simply put, one of the Soul Echoes I got stuck with was Goro, so finding him actually alive in my Equus… cases certain things between he and I… namely where I can sense his emotions and rarely, his thoughts through Soul Resonance,” the Displaced sorcerer grimaced.

“Ah, it’s the feedback from his end of the bond that you’re experiencing right now,” Edward said as reach under his shirt hit a few switches before pulling off his arm and placing it in his vault. “I can't tell you how annoying Soul Feedback can be, but it can be very useful if you can learn how to channel it.” He said taking a deep ocean blue sapphire crystalmail arm from the wall and began to do maintenance on it before attaching it to his shoulder. “Yep, that should let me enjoy the hot springs a lot more,” said Edward as he went through a few motions. “ If you need help with Soul Link Control let me know? Resonance blacking is one thing I excel at. Have more than my fair share of resonances.” Edward noticed the latch on the door click and Alexis came out of the bathroom in a white robe. “You two stay here or meet up with the others. I’m going back to Canterlot to get Tia and Luna. I know they’d love to get in the springs. The others know the way so stick with them. See ya in a few” With that Edward teleported away.

Alexis exhaled softly as she kept her pale gray robe on before deciding to find the other ponies, very aware of what she wore beneath, though admittedly she was curious who had made it, unaware of the small diamond logos just below her navel marking it as a Rarity design. She noticed Shang wore a darker gray robe than hers.

Shang, however, had chosen something different. He took a deep breath as he rarely had a chance to truly relax. He glanced at the SSoC resting in a deep golden ring on his left middle finger.

Alexis rested her bare feet on the bench of a picnic table a few dozen yards away as she sat on the actual table part, her robe giving away no sign of what was beneath. She hummed softly, her fingers gliding over the guitar in her grasp.

There was a knock at the door. “Hey in there, ya’ll comin’ or what?” Aj’s voice rang out. “Everyone’s waitin for ya so we can all go to the springs together.”

Alexis glanced up before shrugging as she stood before she exhaled softly. “Let’s go,” she deadpanned, smirking at AJ. “You know, you and Rarity are the only ones of your little group I’ve met so far in my Equus,” she quipped, “you more so than her,” she said with a small shrug.

Shang rolled his eyes as he shifted his weight, his form faded into the air in a gust of pale blue air before he materialized in front of most of the group of ponies, springing from a ring of pale blue light which seemed to ripple almost like water as it faded away.

“Onwards then,” Thunderlane said with eagerness.

“Something tells me he’s ready to say Aj in her swimsuit,” Rainbow nudged Alexis.

“Come on guys,” Polearm said as he rolled his eyes.

“Where Uncle Ed at? Nyx asked tilting her head.

“He’s probably off doing his own thing for right now Nyx,” Twilight answered her daughter as she thought on where the alchemist could be.

The group trudged through the forest for a while and luckily the only wildlife they encountered was a pack of Timberwolves. Before the Displaced could attack Spike stopped them to let them know that the Timberwolves for this area were all bred and trained by them a few months back. It was Edward’s idea to do this in order to have a pair of eyes in the forest. Before long they came to an outcropping of rock in a valley about thirty to forty minutes from the fort.

“Woo, that was a hike,” Thunder commented.

“What took you guys so long?”

Everyone turned their heads to see Edward sitting on a large grey stone with his head resting in his palm. He jumped down from the stone and looked at the group. Everyone was giving him the stink eye.

“So I cheated.” Edward scoffed. “I didn’t want Tia and Luna left out so I went and got them. They’re already inside and waiting on you guys.” Edward pushed the stone he’d been sitting on to reveal a cave that went into the side of the canyon. “After you.”

Alexis snorted a laugh. “Lazy ass,” she muttered wryly, amused as Rainbow smirked at her comment, she noticed from the corner of her eye. “It’s easy to make bodysuits and clothes from the nanites… but things that are fluffy like robes are a bit… harder,” she commented wryly. She noticed Rarity glancing her way with an appraising look

“Let’s go.” Nyx jumped up and down.

“Get over it Alexis,” Edward snarked as he walked into the cave. “Stick close to the other for those who’ve never been here before. It gets rather dark until we get to the main cavern.”

“I still wish you’d let me use some of those crystals in a line of dresses, Ed,” Rarity scowled.

“Nope. These things took thousands of years to grow Rarity. We’re in luck the land has even let us see this place.” Edward pushed another boulder out of the way to reveal a pathway with trees that had crystals growing out of them. Alexis noticed the was a gleam coming from around the base of the trees. She knelt down to get a better look and reached to touch it revealing it the gleam to be a reflection off of a very warm stream. “Just as we left it. Come on let get to the springs.”

Alexis’ eyes slid half-lidded before pale lavender-amethyst lenses formed over her eyes before glowing warmly, allowing her to see in the dark. She noticed with interest that faint ripples in the air from every step flickered through her sight, revealing she was seeing through the resonant sounds of her surroundings rather than true light based sight. She glanced down, noticing that she wore sandals that made very soft clicking sounds that almost blended into the sounds of the footfalls upon the stone. She flicked an outcropping of stone with the tips of her bare fingers, producing a soft musical note that, to her sight, radiated outward like a sonar pulse.

Shang held a sphere of deep golden orange flames in one hand, letting it cast a very soft light, much like that of a candle, upon the surroundings of the tunnel. “That’s one thing most people never truly grasp, that the land and its creatures are just as much alive as its inhabitants, though I did sense a peculiar soul signature watching us… it was constantly shifting, but in a far more controlled manner than that of Discord. Unless I’m mistaken, it was a Changeling… but I don’t know of any Changelings specifically,” he muttered.

Lucario tilted his head. “I sensed her Aura as well… it was a sickly emerald, like the Aura itself had been… twisted… somehow,” he muttered, unknowingly mentioning a very vindictive Changeling Queen.

“That’s just Chrissy. She’s with Tia and Luna. Not much can be done about the vibes she gives off,” Edward looked down in shame. “Kinda gave her some grief at the wedding. She mentally broke apart after seeing Malice. Good news is she’s better but really attached to Tia. She used to scream whenever I was just down the hall though.” He scratched the back of his head a bit. “With the hive mind broken many of the changelings turned into their fairy form and some became whole changelings. Don’t ask the difference.” Edward deadpanned. “Here we are.” Edward motioned to the open cavern where the three others already were.

“Took you long enough to get here,” Chrysalis said flicking her hair out of her face.

“No need to be snarky, ya ken?” Alexis deadpanned, a slight smirk curling the corners of her mouth upward. She heard Lucario snicker as she spoke.

“Enough prattling around, please” Rarity interjected.

“I’m with Rares on this. We don’t get to come down here enough as is.” Rainbow huffed. “I’m pretty busy at the Academy and could really use this time to relax and spend time with you guys and my new friends to.”

“Then strip and do a cannonball,” Edward remarked while everyone turned their heads to give him the stink eye. “What? I didn’t mean stark naked. I know all of you have swimsuits on under your clothes.” The alchemist walked up to the pool where Luna, Celestia, and Chrysalis were in and throwing his clothes off in the process only to be left in a pair of blue trunks his arm and leg now fully visible along with a large angular scar across his chest from his left shoulder to his right thigh. Chrysalis made her way behind Celestia as she was still uncomfortable around Edward. “Relax Chrissy. I’m just gonna float here.”

“As long as you stay away from me I don’t care what you do,” Chrysalis managed to speak with a spark of terror in her voice.

Alexis shrugged as she tossed aside her robe, revealing the black swimsuit and rose gold half belt around the sides of her hips. The burn scars on her body were quite noticeable, especially upon her right arm as well as the new trio of scars above her right hip from Mileena’s sai. Her back and sides had the burn scars quite noticeably, the former far more visibly than the latter. “You know, fear often draws the attention of a predator. If you continue showing fear, then I suspect those more malicious souls will do their damnedest to keep you producing that fear. Hell, for example, fighting that woman Mileena… though I didn’t show it, I was scared out of my mind… but if I’d shown that fear, Mileena would have most likely ended up killing me and then potentially trying to go after others. I couldn’t let that happen,” she said dryly to Chrysalis.

“Sorry, but you try fighting against a demon that wants to devour the souls of every living thing on the planet,” Chrysalis shot back as she held onto Celestia though Edward was on the other side of the pool.

Shang nodded fractionally as he knew that feeling before he snorted a laugh. “Alexis has fought a true demon. Admittedly, she didn’t defeat him, but I have little doubt he will very likely recall it. And I have memories nobody would ever want… namely the memories of every single Kombat Echo in here… every lifetime, every thought, every death,” he said dryly. “Imagine feeling everything you are, every bit of strength drained forcibly from you by someone whom you served loyally for close to eleven hundred years… that was the first thing that crashed into me when I awoke in my Equus…. Not my own life, but the life of another… followed promptly by the life and memories of no less than six others. All different, all strange and almost impossible to me… hell, Hanzo died not once, but three times, and I remember every single one of them. One, he was impaled from behind by what seemed to him to be a sword of ice… which froze him from the inside out… the second time was his head and spine being forcibly torn from his body. The third was…. Well… I’d rather not mention that,” he said dryly. He grimaced. Goro’s, in his own opinion… was the worst. As in his death… he’d been paralyzed, unable to move, unable to do more than breathe or blink… and slowly starved and dehydrated to death, aware of every passing moment, every breath passing in and out of his body, yet unable to do anything no matter how much he tried.

“Need I remind you that the… alchemist … is the one who summoned the Demon you friend fought with,” Chrysalis made here way next to Luna now still staying as far away from Edward as she could manage. “Not to mention the demon I fought was him. And he wasn’t nearly as strong then as he is now.”

Edward barely opened one eye to look around but he merely continued to float on his back in the water. He truly felt horrible for what had happened to the former changeling queen but there was no changing it. Unless you count time travel but Edward never touched that type of magic and never planned to. He just floated and stayed quiet as the others formed their own group in other parts of the hot springs.

“I haven’t forgotten. Besides, I know what it’s like to fight with your demons… trust me, some of the Echoes I’ve encountered…. were true demons… mid-level Oni… one known as the Mad Torturer and the other… the Hungry Gaze… Drahmin and Moloch. And I’m curious about one little thing…. Have you ever asked him if he regretted his actions?” Shang said dryly, cocking an eyebrow before he felt someone shove him hard from behind as Alexis shoved him. He felt the kinetic force launch him almost a dozen feet before he splashed into the water, yelping slightly at the heat.

Alexis grinned before rolling her shoulders as she slid into the water, taking her time doing so.

“Relaxing here,” Edward mentioned as he got to his feet. “And I have told her how I felt about the whole thing. It doesn’t change the fact that she’s scarred, Shang. I’ve done what I can for her and she has accepted it.” Edward looked over his shoulder and let out a huff. “She wouldn’t even stand to be twenty feet away from me at first but now she’s talking to me somewhat normally and we can be in the same room without her freaking out.” Edward sat down letting the water cover up to his shoulders his sapphire arm completely disappearing in the water. “I’ll continue to atone for whatever I do.” His eyes drift over to Celestia and then to Luna. “I want my children to grow up in a world where they can say their father wasn’t a total monster.”

“I call bullshit on the idea that you’re a monster, Edward… if you were, would you assist us, or would you try to help me at all? Hell, if you hadn’t inspired me to face my fears, I’d still be stuck staying awake most of the night, fearing to sleep because of that damn nightmare where my own aunt and uncle tried to burn me alive for shits and giggles repeating in my head like Freddy Krueger’s freaking blooper reel,” Alexis said dryly, her eyes on Edward. “After that incident, my ‘family’ were taken to prison, leaving me in the foster system… though nobody tried to take me in until I found out that my mothers’ side of the family… apparently… found out about my presence. The Kamiya family drew me out of that shell… that darkness… took them years to do it… but I gained some semblance of a ‘normal’ life… then, I end up Displaced, my memories and awareness of self essentially ripped away from me. You gave me something I didn’t even think remotely possible… a little thing called hope… a thought that my mother… mothers… didn’t abandon me… didn’t leave me because they couldn’t stand my presence after my father passed away… on top of that, you gave me back my father in some semblance. A monster wouldn’t do any of those things… I don’t care if they’re trying to draw in prey or whatever… they wouldn’t try to give their prey hope that they might actually have a life,” Alexis snapped, tiny arcs of bluish black flames rising from her skin.

“I have to say I do appreciate what you’ve done for me and the changelings, Alchemist but…” Chrysalis stopped and looked at herself. “I’m still scared of that… demon inside you.”

“Thanks a lot, Alexis. And it’s okay to be scared of me Chrissy,” Edward went back to floating on his back as he bumped into a pair of soft smiling princess he could help but smile back at them. “One thing that scares me more than anything is myself right now,” He raised his left hand up and placed it on Luna's stomach and felt one of the babies kick. “Twins. Who would’ve thought I'd be a father to twins.” Luna smiled even more at him. Chrysalis couldn’t help but smile a little too. Everyone stayed quiet until a small purple headed filly jumped in the spring.

“Nyx, no diving or jumping. You could get seriously hurt,” Twilight scolded her daughter. Polearm only smirked as he shook his head from side to side.

“Yes mam,” Nyx huffed in disagreement. “Hey, Ms. Alexis, what were you talking about when you said ‘Kamiya’? It sounds foreign,” Nyx asked she swam up next to Alexis’ side.

“This is a theory, as they claimed there were records of my birth mother being their father’s sister. I think that my Nightmare Moon, who happens to be one of my two mothers… most likely used genetic material she had already found to create the body from which I was born, whilst my Luna focused on the mental aspect of their shared body. If I’m right, when they took up their life, genetically, they were linked to this family, whose last name was Kamiya, hence why they, genetically speaking, are my cousins, that is, descended from my mother's brother. Of course, I didn't even know they existed until they contacted me shortly after I was taken in by the pair claiming to be my father's brother and wife,” she said softly. She saw her father's head snap up at her words, his eyes narrowing.

Shang's eyes narrowed at Sparda's reaction. “I'm guessing you lack blood siblings,” he commented, fairly certain he was correct.

“Certainly not. The only brother I ever had was a Brother in Arms, Mundus, and he turned out to be pure evil.” Sparda growled. “But Tsuki’s did have a brother. You were supposed to go and live with him and his if anything happened to the two of us.” Sparda let out a saddened sigh. “We’d hoped we could live as a normal family and raise you as a human.” Alexis' head turned toward her father at the mention of her mothers’ name. He smiled at her before saying the full name. “Their full name Akumu Tsuki Kamiya but they preferred to be called by their middle name.”

“That merely confirms the suspicion I had… that those ‘people’ were plants… demons planted, likely watching our family,” Alexis whispered, her voice low, but carrying clearly. Fortunately, there was a reason that they hadn't pursued her… regardless of being in male form. She sighed as she let herself sink up to her shoulders in the heated water. “Enough thinking about the past. It can't be changed…. now… we must look to the future, all of us,” she said quietly, her eyes resting on Chrysalis for several seconds.

“You're right miss… Uh… I’m sorry but I never got your name?” Chrysalis blushed.

Alexis giggled, shrugging. “Alexis Èryuà Taiyōno,” she quipped. “I was born of the Night and Dreams, tempered by the Strength and Fire of Demons… and inspired by the most dangerous things… the Human Will and Heart,” she deadpanned, not seeing the soft aurora shimmering from her Destiny Mark behind her, making her wings glow like burning rainbows.

“So… your just like Edward then… A Displaced,” Chrysalis winced at the mention of this term. “How many of you are here exactly?” She looked to the alchemist with worry. He was sitting next to Luna who was resting her hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry Chrissy. Edward is the only Displaced native to our version of reality, as far as we know of. Alexis and Shang are both from separate alternate realities,” Celestia mentioned as she came over. “You have nothing to fear from them, Chrissy. If you can, please try and get closer to Edward. What Alexis said about him is all true.” She looked to Sparda and Alexis who were talking. “He does more than what anyone asks of him and always puts others ahead of himself.”

“I know Celestia but I’m just not to the point to where I can’t not shake when I’m just in the same room with him. I still have nightmares that not even Luna can stop,” Chrysalis grabbed her shoulders but then paused to think about what she just said. “But lately, I haven’t been having them.”

“Trust me, Chrysalis, I know what you mean all too well. Those nightmares I mentioned of my ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’ trying to burn me alive? They weren’t your normal nightmares… but memories I had worked for a good year and nine months to deliberately suppress because it actually occurred,” Alexis said quietly. She noticed both Celestia and Chrysalis shifting their gazes to her. “I only had barely turned eleven when it happened.” She heard Rarity's gasp at that comment. That was literal foal abuse.

“If I ever get my hands on those demons I’ll-” Sparda growled as he clenched his fist in outrage. Edward quickly shot over and grabbed his face and held him under the water causing the artificial demon to flail his limbs about. Edward pulled Sparda up, partially drowned and hit him in the gut causing him to spit up a lot of water.

“Sorry, Sparda, but I don’t need the cave spirits coming in here and wrecking what peace we’ve managed to achieve,” Edward dropped the demon on the shore. “Stay there for a bit.”

Alexis smirked. “Oh, if they show their faces… especially their demonic ones... to me… they won't like the result. Let's just say that when someone really, really gets on my bad side, I tend to get creative… in ways Pinhead would probably cringe at,” she said in a deadpan so it was difficult to tell if she was completely serious or not. She doubted Pinhead actually existed, though.

“Not a good idea to invoke demonic energy of any kind while in here, dear,” Faust remarked as she swam by. “Didn’t you notice the trees on the way here?”

Alexis cocked her head, as she had noticed some of the trees had held the very faintest levels of energy.

“They’re Ancient Trees of Harmony, Alexis,” Edward explained in a low tone so the others didn’t hear.

Alexis tilted her head, curious. “What, like Ents?” she said curiously. She wasn't sure where that thought came from, perhaps some part of her almost forgotten ‘human’ life.

“What’re those?” Celestia cocked her head to the right looking at Edward.

“I wouldn’t know either,” Edward shrugged, “But the trees here are like the one in the cave in the Everfree but not nearly as concentrated as far as the crystal goes. It ways specifically grow to separate Harmony magic into its individualized components.” Edward pointed out the unconscious Sparda who groaned in response. “Basically, they’re the Original Trees of Harmony but instead of Elements the channel Harmony into Spirits of the Land.”

Alexis hummed softly, thinking. She focused, settling cross-legged on the surface of the water. She leaned close to Nyx. “I have something I think you'll like,” she whispered to the young filly. As she spoke softly, she manipulated her nanites to form an instrument.

She noticed, in the low light, a look of curiosity from more than a few of those gathered.

“That’s a strange looking guitar,” Nyx tilted her head as she touched the instrument. “Ooo, are you gonna sing a song for everyone?” The filly’s eyes lit up with sparkles. “That would be so awesome.”

Alexis smirked a bit. “We all have many talents, and one I developed whilst in the hospital… was songwriting. This one came from a friend of my cousins after a little mistake with a rather… unfriendly ex, shall we say,” she said wryly.

Lucario's ears twitched with interest at this interesting facet of his partner. “Ex? What does that mean?” he said quietly.

Alexis cocked an eyebrow slightly at her partner's question. “If a relationship with the opposite sex does not last, for whatever reason, they are ‘Exes’,” she murmured softly as she inhaled deeply.

Shang looked thoughtful at the young woman's deep breath before her voice flowed freely.

“I'm looking at a masterpiece...
I'm staring at a work of art,
I'm listening to a symphony,
In every beat of your tiny heart.

You used to be a choice to make,
But now I think you've chosen me...
'Cause I see ten fingers, ten toes
Two eyes and I know this is meant to be,

Oh I don't believe in accidents,
Miracles, they don't just happen by chance...
As long as my God holds the world in his hands,
I know that there's no such thing as unplanned…

Broken turns to beautiful,
I see you right before my eyes...
And every single breath you breathe...
Is a destiny love has brought to life,

I thought it was my story's end,
But, now the future's all I see...
Instead of asking who you might've been,
I'm wondering who you're gonna be…

'Cause I don't believe in accidents,
Miracles, they don't just happen by chance...
As long as my God holds the world in his hands...
I know that there's no such thing as unplanned,

Every life deserves a voice...
Every child deserves a chance,
You are more than just a choice...
There's no such thing as unplanned,

Every life deserves a voice...
Every child deserves a chance,
You are more than just a choice...
There's no such thing as unplanned…

Every life deserves a voice,
Every child deserves a chance...You are more than just a choice...
'Cause there's no such thing as unplanned,” she sang softly. Though her voice was rather soft, it carried with clarity.

“Wow,” Nyx smiled at Alexis.

“That’s why you let Nyx come into being, isn’t it Ed?” Polearm asked the Alchemist in a murmur.

“Even if she is a reborn Nightmare Moon, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t deserve a chance Pole. She’s only a child and children are the future but beyond that, we all deserve a chance at life, which Moon never had,” Edward got up from where he the princess had been sitting on the shore. “Alright everyone, I believe we’ve all enjoyed the spring but I think it’s about time we all returned home now.” He clapped and in an instant everyone returned to their respective places from where he had pulled them from.

Next Chapter: Forging the Keys Estimated time remaining: 28 Hours, 56 Minutes