3rd End

"What do you know about the Blackwoods?" He asked with a serious expression. Waller couldn't help but stay silent for a few seconds, her cold look still showing on her face.

"What business do you have with the Blackwoods?" She asked, to which Issac replied quickly.

"I'm a fan of theirs. Are you going to tell me or not?" Waller, deep in thought, had countless questions running through her mind.

"The Blackwoods are secretive individuals. They like to keep to themselves. But with every generation, comes a new prodigy that shocks the world with their once-in-a-lifetime innovations. No one knows how they do it, but they never cease to make a name for themselves." She said, to which Isaac spoke.

"This is common knowledge. Tell me something I don't know." With another pause, Waller continued.

"I'm getting there. With the Blackwood's talent comes fame and money. With money comes power and in the Blackwood's case, this all equates to control. Despite having the ability to do how they pleased in the world, the Blackwoods weren't known to abuse their power. They never shifted from their 'Good Guy' persona, leaving the world to love them. Until Elijah Blackwood." Isaac contorted his face in confusion after Waller suddenly stopped talking.

"Is that all?"

"It's in your best interest to keep your curiosity under control, Mr Hale. God knows I do." Said Waller, whispering the last sentence but still saying it loud enough so that Isaac could hear. She walked away as her shoes tapped on the ground.

"What's your business with the Blackwoods?" Asked Jay as he laid on his bed, eavesdropping on the previous conversation.

"I'm not too sure, to be honest." He said as he noticed a coffee maker hum in the nearby cell.

"Hey Harley, do you know anything about the Blackwoods?" He asked, prompting Harley to walk to her door

"Nope. We aren't really too bothered about outside affairs in Gotham. Besides, we've got our own controlling, creepy rich people in owl masks." She said dismissively.

"To have such a name for yourself that even people like Amanda Waller don't mess with you? Who are these people?" Thought Isaac as he walked back to his bed. He thought about the information he was given, and if he made the right choice in asking that. Perhaps he should have pressed more on the VitaFlow pills. After all, they could give him a large boost in his cultivation.

As he thought this, he thought of his current progress. He was now in his Foundation Stage of cultivation. He grinned at his achievement, thinking of all the new doors that would be opened for him. Despite his excitement, he couldn't help but stay quiet for a few seconds as he raised an eyebrow.

"Wait a minute. What the hell do I do now?" He said. During his time in the other world, Master Subhuti would only tell Wukong to focus on his current cultivation stage. He wasn't even allowed to utilise his Qi and strengthen himself like Isaac does. Therefore, this left Isaac with many questions. He could just keep cultivating and growing his Qi, however, he knew there was something more to the Foundation Stage and there was no way for him to find out.

Just after thinking this, Isaac suddenly dropped to the ground as a loud thud was heard. His eyes stayed wide open as he failed to comprehend what was happening. His legs had suddenly gone limp. He dropped face-first onto the cold stone ground, suffering a bruise as he winced in pain. His Qi wasn't activated therefore he could feel every inch of pain after falling. He tried to move, however, he felt no strength in his body. His heart started to race as he started to panic. The sudden rush of blood made his heart ache as he had almost forgotten what the MacGregor's Syndrome felt like. Piercing pain erupted inside his body as he tried to activate his Qi, but nothing was working, he still couldn't move a finger.

"What the hell is happening!" he yelled inwardly. Worst of all, he started to feel his consciousness fading. He tried his best to resist the urge to close his eyes, however, whatever he did seemed to be inadequate. As the seconds passed, Isaac was inches away from fully falling unconscious, until he realised something. This feeling. The feeling of helplessness as a cold sensation wrapped around your soul, ready to clasp at your vulnerable self.

It was death.

***

Isaac shot open his eyes as he looked around, scanning his surroundings. He was relieved to see he could finally move again, however, his feeling of anxiety quickly returned after he noticed where he was. He looked around only to be met with an endless dark chasm. Contrary to last time, he could now move around a bit. Granted it wasn't his full range of motion, however, he was happy with what he had.

"I'm back. How? Why?" Isaac had countless questions running through his mind with no answers. He had almost forgotten the torture he had endured in this hell. With no one to speak to, nothing to keep himself busy with and the absence of even the slightest sensation left him alone with his thoughts, soon driving him mad.

However, a lot of time has passed since then. A lot had happened. Isaac wasn't the same weak and sickly kid who struggled to comprehend the situation he was in. Now, Isaac was stronger mentally. He knew there was very little chance of escaping this prison he was in, therefore he mentally prepared himself, knowing he was going to be there for a while. Not to mention, Isaac knew there was more to come after leaving this lifeless abyss. He closed his eyes and relaxed, calming his mind. A few seconds passed as his face started to contort, and soon, he shot his eyes open as he scratched his head violently.

"Ugh, this is so boring. Just hurry up and get me outta here." He whined, flailing his legs like a spoiled child. As he said this, he remembered what he used to do in class whenever he was bored. Cultivate.

He concentrated on whichever part of his body he could feel, searching for the usual flow of soothing energy that pumped through his meridians. After a few seconds, Isaac started to worry as his mind started to race. He couldn't feel a drop of Qi in his body. He noticed it when he first arrived, the absence of the warm feeling within him, but he decided to dismiss it, thinking it was the dark abyss that was interfering with the connection to his Qi.

The more he thought about it, the more he understood. Qi could be found in every living being, however, he currently wasn't living. At least, he thinks he isn't. He deduced the form he was currently in was somewhat of an astral form, the same as when he was watching over Wukong. His body was still in the jail cell in Argus, however, his consciousness was here.

He struggled to put his thoughts into words as he scratched his head. There was too much he didn't know and the cluelessness was frustrating him. He knew that he could theorise all he wanted, however, there was a difference between theories and facts, and he was afraid he would never know the facts. He had countless questions, however, one stood out prominently to the rest.

"Why me? I'm not complaining, after all, Qi has changed my life. Hopefully for the better. But out of everyone in the world, I was chosen to observe the life of Wukong." He said, sighing. He had only been here for what he assumed to be less than an hour and he was already talking to himself.

Just as he thought this, he noticed something change about his surroundings. The endless darkness was quickly starting to disappear as a mysterious light emerged from the distance. Isaac squinted his eyes at the sudden change of scenery. It wasn't long until muffled sounds started to enter his ears. What seemed to be yells and cheers started to become more and more prominent as Isaac seemed to be in the middle of it all. A distinct smell rushed into Isaac's nostrils as he felt a wave of nostalgia. There was only one place he had ever been that had such pure air and a unique aroma, as if one was smelling the most pristine flowers cultivated in the heavens.

"I'm here! Already?" Exclaimed Isaac as he opened his eyes, expecting to have been in the dark abyss much longer. The view became clearer as the surrounding sound also became more prominent. He instantly noticed the clear blue sky and gentle breeze that accompanied the perfect day. Isaac looked around, only to notice he was floating above some sort of arena with hundreds of people surrounding him. In the middle of it all laid a square battleground with squared stone tiles. On it stood a young adult with a mullet and fierce eyes, wearing what Isaac assumed to be a robe of some sort.

It reached to his waist and was wrapped in a belt at the waist. His sleeves were wide and breathable and he also fashioned similarly fashioned pants. The individual stared at the person opposite him with a serious and intense expression.

"You aren't fit to be a pupil of Master Subhuti. You're arrogant, selfish and ungrateful. It's about time someone puts you in your place. I hear you've recently broken through to the Foundation Stage of your cultivation. You'll have no excuse as to why you lost to me then, seeing as how I'm of a similar level." Said the man as he bent his legs, extending one hand forward while the other was placed by his waist in a fist.

Isaac looked over to whom he spoke, and it wasn't long till a large grin appeared on Isaac's face.

"Wukong! How ya been?!" Yelled Isaac with a laugh as he stared at a monkey in similar clothes to the individual opposite him. He knew Wukong couldn't hear him, however, he couldn't help but feel excited to see the Host again. The monkey's golden fur and long tail didn't seem to bother the people as they all looked at him as if he were a normal person, but Isaac knew Wukong was anything but a stranger to these people. He had fit in with them long ago, becoming accepted as one of them, as evidenced by the countless chants for him.

"All I wanted to do was celebrate my breakthrough. You should have come to me when I was still at the Initial Stage. I'm way too powerful for you now, Li Tian." Mocked Wukong in an enthusiastic voice and a cocky smile.

"Kick his ass, Wukong!" Yelled a familiar red-haired girl from the crowd. Isaac recognised her as the girl who rejected Wukong's entry the first time he arrived at Master Subhuti's Mansion. Her small face, big eyes and keenness toward Wukong instantly made Isaac recognize her as a close friend of the monkey.

"Enough talk, Monkey. Prepare yourself." Said Li Tian with an angered expression.

"Bring it on. Just so you know, this monkey is going to rub his faeces on your face when he's done with you."

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You guys already know what I'm gonna say down here. That doesn't mean I'll stop doing it. It's become a tradition. Stopping it would be treason. So...

POWERSTONESSSSSSSSSSSS

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