Realm of Ascension

I gritted my teeth as I gave Erebus a piercing glare. "Just tell us where he is, and we will be on our way." I spat the words with malice and irritation. This conversation is getting annoying now, and all it seems is that everyone underestimates our strength! "Very well. As long as it means this can get resolved and be over quickly, He stepped backward, taking out a portal.

"Come back when you are ready to get some serious business done. No more of this talk about friendship or whatever you morons want to believe; when it comes time to make a move, your leader must not hesitate and make haste towards my location." I took one step toward the portal. Erebus looked away with an expression of uncertainty plastered on his face; the news was not great.

As I entered the portal, a light emitted from its surroundings; a blinding flash forced me to shut my eyes briefly before re-opening them. I found myself standing in an unfamiliar realm. It was cold here, and a distinct scent of blood seemed to be prevalent. Looking down at my boots, there was blood. The sight of blood was not what unnerved me, nor was the eerie quiet of the location itself.

The air itself held no atmosphere, and even when I attempted to look up to the skies, there was a sea of pitch-black clouds above, making it impossible to see anything. There was no sign of life in this place; no one lived in this frozen wasteland. What struck me most was the snow that piled atop the ground below my feet. The white snow stained red as I stepped into an unknown liquid. I thought it was blood at first, but the odor was different. It smelled sweet like perfume, or perfume itself was painted around.

"Who might you be?" asked the voice of the demon. The demon who called himself Rain came walking forward, wearing a casual suit and tie with bloodstains on the fabric and a loose-fitting belt that was missing most of its hardware. The demon's pale skin glowed brightly against the surrounding darkness, giving the monster an aura of insanity.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH SORA?" I shouted angrily. I grabbed onto Rain's jacket with force, feeling my knuckles crack slightly. He was almost twice my height. "Heh..." The creature's gaze met mine, eyes glowering.

"Sora is slowly losing himself from all the torture he has gone through; soon enough, he will be the perfect vessel to eradicate the entirety of humanity. Although there are a few minor setbacks, like the fact that you, his friend, will most certainly perish today," The beast began to chuckle sinisterly, flashing his bright, crimson-colored irises at me while his long, sharp fangs reflected some of my facial features.

"I CAN SAVE HIM!" I yelled, slamming my foot down and clenching my teeth.

Rain just shook his head at the sheer stupidity. "YOU ARE MORTALS THAT WILL EVENTUALLY DIE BY HANDS OF THE VERY BEINGS THEY HOPED TO DEFEAT AND COULDN'T; ITS SO HILARIOUS." Laughing even harder, Rain wiped a tear from his eye. "It was a pleasure having this conversation. Please, die." With that, Rain's eyes seemed to shine even brighter; the man's teeth were fully visible at that point, a horrifying sight that no normal human being would be comfortable looking at.

Within the blink of an eye, Rain was right in front of me; the very sound his fingers made upon being cracked echoed throughout the hollow chamber before me. I could barely manage to let out a simple sigh, my lips quivering from both anger and fear at what Rain would do to me after defeating me so effortlessly.

"FATHER, DON'T DO THIS!" Sora cried out from the distance. The young Katayama seemed almost desperate to stop his father.

"Oh, and I forgot to add this." The man paused and looked directly into the empty space with his glowing eyes, then spoke softly, "I will not hesitate to annihilate the entirety of the universe. Including its inhabitants, both living and dead. Not even their souls will survive." A flash of light shone, creating a wave that impacted everyone standing near.

Sora and I were flung into the air as we couldn't block his sheer pressure. He didn't do anything; he just stood there, and it was enough to send us flying. After getting up from the impact, I brushed some snow off my clothes. Now standing up and brushing the snow off my outfit as well, I look to Sora and inquire if he is alright.

"Don't look at me, why the fuck did you come and try to save me? Rain will absolutely destroy you." Sora spat harshly, "You are just some mortal." Sora took a couple of breaths and stood up straight, adjusting his clothing, staring blankly forward. Then he laughed bitterly at nothing in particular. I realized then and there how beat up he was, he had bruises and scars all over his body and it seemed he was missing one of his arms.

"It was stupid," I admitted with a shrug, but I can't just leave a friend in distress. Despite Sora being the enemy right now and I a bystander who is witnessing his defeat, I want him to know that I won't leave him be because of some past wrongs or crimes. Rain turned toward me with his eerie-looking eyes staring back into my own, flashing a devilish grin. The demon didn't even acknowledge his offspring as he was so focused on the fight at hand.

"What is your name, boy?"

"My name is Enzo," I replied immediately; my response wasn't meant to sound sarcastic, yet somehow Rain didn't seem to appreciate such sassiness. His grin went wider than I thought possible, revealing sharp teeth that reminded me of that monster I read about when I was a child. Rain narrowed his eyes before me, appearing as though he were searching deeply into my brain through mind magic.

"Well, Enzo, you seem quite different from what I originally had in mind when I saw you. Maybe because you are one of the strongest living mortals, yet you still amount to nothing in the grand scheme of the universe." Rain waved his hand, sending an immense wave of energy hurtling toward me. Just as quickly as I recovered from his strike, he sent another pulse that cut through my left shoulder blade, causing blood to pour out of it freely. I grimaced, gritting my teeth tightly from the pain.

"Do not fret too much though; your power will go to waste since everyone will die once I am done with you two."