If We Can't Kill You, Then What?

"No, killing you is redundant at very best. You'll find a way to finagle yourself out of the Grim Reaper's clutches... but we can certainly stop you in your tracks," Cynthia confessed with her arms crossed.

With her Dimensional Perceiving Eyes, I knew that Cynthia was capable of danger that I simply couldn't understand. She could see the future and watch every event that led up to it. When she spoke, I was forced to listen out of fear for my own well-being.

"I am the one who created Survival Evolved, and I more or less know that you were the player I imagined to win it all and be the strongest, Sky Asterio. However, I didn't anticipate that you would drag my daughter into it as well. You had the white-haired girl by your side, I didn't think you'd need my daughter as well," Oberon told me. I was stunned to hear that name... 'Survival Evolved'... I had heard it once before, but hearing it again was jarring to me.

"I don't have any memory of the time before if that helps your case at all. I can't vouch for the things I did then, but I can now," I told him. Dani finally brought herself to her feet, using her Eye of Providence to watch the field and see who would be the first to try and attack.

"I know you don't," Oberon mysteriously said. It was the emphasis in his voice that changed my level of confidence, almost as if he consumed it.

"When I took away the memories of the very last Survival Evolved players, I anticipated that they would be the people to advance the Human Species beyond the bounds in which they were created. The Arkians are a product of what I wished to achieve, and you are the fruits of my labor. The Human Sky Asterio has been gone for a long time, but the Arkian Sky is fairly new, isn't he?" Oberon asked. With one finger pointed at my chest, the feeling of an ultimate threat was growing larger and larger.

"You... are the one who took my memories...?" 

"Not just you, Asterio. Everybody. Even the children of all the people standing here," 

Oberon tried to surprise me with the information I already knew, but I could tell that it confused Dani instead. While Oberon was talking, I noticed the parents of the people I knew were beginning to get closer and closer together, once more.

They were doing something.

I charged forward with Golden Strands littering the field, looming underneath their feet, and sprouted the land up in an intricate way to preserve the buildings and structures of The Americas.

My first strike was dedicated toward Netsu before anybody else. I used the illusions I was capable of creating and appeared behind him with a sparking hand, ready for violence.

Then, I was forced backward by a foot heading straight for my face.

Breaking the sound barrier with the sudden speed in front of me, Oberon proved to be much more nimble than I considered originally. I watched him move and blocked his attack again. Once more, my ribs were broken from the pressure of the attack.

I slid backward on my feet, opening my mouth to shout out to Dani.

"Just retreat! I'll find you!" I shouted out to her. As soon as I shouted out to her, more and more people started to corner me.

I could easily counter their strikes. Just jumping straight up into the sky or vanishing with Avie was all I needed to do. 

However...

I was reeled in by a strange gaze. Cynthia's eyes were firing off all sorts of strange colors and peering at me in a curious way, watching my every move.

Novi, Red's Mother, got closer and closer to me, almost touching the ripples in my shirt at the point when I realized Cynthia was beginning to sweat. She was uncertain of something, which gave me hope.

A small, ever so slight, sliver of hope came from the idea that Cynthia couldn't necessarily predict what I was going to do. She couldn't see if I would break the arm of my attacker, or kill somebody. She was unsure.

I summoned a Golden Saber at the very last moment Novi got in close range, and cut three of her fingers off, then twisted my body, kicking Oberon in the throat, and slammed into the ground with my heel to clear all people away from me.

With the settling dirt and dust around my body, I was unaware of who would come after me next. I calmed down, focusing on pushing Strands out all around me and perceiving my attackers.

Straight ahead.

I blocked an attack with a general parry, pushing my Saber and the attacker's hand to the ground with as much strength as I felt necessary.

Above.

I kicked my body above the parrying blade, dodging the attack from above seamlessly and even landing on my feet with a stable stance.

Behind.

I ducked as fast as I could manage, narrowly avoiding the weird weapon from striking me in the back of my head.

Below.

Coming with a swing up, I jumped in the air, placing one hand on my attacker's shoulder and launching myself above his body. Then I was trapped.

With three attackers coming at me at once and smoke billowing up in the center of the field, I clapped my hands and cleared the smoke quickly, only to reveal that a large cube was surrounding me. It was of ethereal origin and was completely transparent, but just like Alexia's Dome, it did an excellent job of trapping me within.

"The answer to my question, little brother, is a simple one. If we can't kill you, then what? This is what happens then. We don't kill you, we just place you into containment. For a long, long time, I bet 'The First Trial' rang fear in your ears because of its composition. What about the other ones? All four trials... what about the second?" Cynthia muttered.

My arms were wrapped behind my back unwillingly, and I was placed to my knees by an unknown force within the cube placed around me. Then, the cube got tighter.

"It will be a long time before you see the light of day again, little brother. While you are in The Second Trial, do me a favor and learn what you must to supply Eirikr with a good Vessel,"

As soon as she confessed her plan, I immediately dispersed Hikari, Umbra, and Avie from my mind, allowing them to roam into Dani's and whoever else may catch them. I couldn't have them trapped with me, as they were the only hope for the Arkians' survival.

Then, the cube was enclosed all the way, and my vision went dark.

They got me.