The Deity War

Reality bent around Providence and she was sent barreling into the ground at high speeds. The floor cracked underneath her as she braced herself. This was Miss Ali's ability again... so, she was alright?

"You two can't be serious... you're still going?!" Providence yelled out.

"You forgot our second half. You ignorant bitch. For all the pain you have caused, and for all the things you have done, you will face the Wrath of Ali Asterio." Ali muttered.

Her voice wasn't normal... it was distorted, something out of a nightmare I used to have. Ali rose her left hand up and Lucas smiled toward her as it looked like Ali was trying to fist bump him.

"We didn't even get to say goodbye... Ali, are you sure this is what you want to do?" Lucas asked her. What were they talking about?

"This is the only way. We would lose in a battle of attrition... I'm sorry I'm doing this without your permission, Lucas, but I want Sky to live. He will beat Providia, and we will hold up our end of the deal and stop Providence." Miss Ali said.

I wanted to talk to them... but they were having some sort of moment. They were silently looking at each other with light tears falling down their face...

"I understand. He will succeed, no matter who the enemy is. Let's do it, Ali." Lucas said. He connected his fist to hers and the two of them turned their heads toward Providence:

"System Sync."

"System Sync."

The same words at the same time came out of their mouths, and to everybody's surprise, Lucas started to disintegrate with a smile toward everybody around me.

"You kids be good... keep my son safe." He told us.

As Lucas disintegrated, Ali picked up what was left of his metallic arm, held it widely, and instantly formed it into a scythe of great proportions. Like something out of a comic book, Ali held it down by her side and the tip of the scythe had the same style of movement and coloring as her saber... except the iridescent color trapped within the golden border was flowing as fast as a waterfall now.

I only got a glimpse at Ali's face... but the marking was there, and it was even more intense now. Now colored golden, as her whole persona began to as well, the marking on her face was solidified, not looking anywhere near as flimsy as it used to.

Her outfit changed as well, with a purple cloak shooting out of her back, her hair gaining golden coloring, with black on the ends, and a straight face that didn't falter.

This was Miss Ali now... a character of great strength that stood against Providence after taking an apparent fatal hit to the head and was now standing as tall and as strong as Providence. I feared what came next.

"Oh come on! Don't think you're strong enough to take me-"

Providence was interrupted by Ali pointing her finger at her bottom lip.

"Shut up," Ali said out loud.

Right after she finished, the bottom half of Providence's jaw was sent to the ground and blood started to gush from her face and pour out onto the floor. Her look changed from confident, to fearful as Ali closed the distance within a millisecond, and slammed her fist into Providence's chest again.

This strike didn't just break bones as the last one did. Ali's hand stuck through Providence's chest, with fragments of bone falling out of opened holes in her legs.

I wasn't sure what I saw, but Ali hit Providence with an attack that made her afraid.

Providence retaliated by recreating all of her limbs, spinning around, and slashing with her saber at Ali.

Ali, however, caught it with her hand, snapped the saber in half, and pulled Providence closer.

Ali wrapped her hand around the opposite edges of her eyes, squeezed, and ripped out part of her brain.

Providence was launched to the ground with one of Ali's gravity attacks and sat there for a moment, coughing up blood and regenerating all of her lost body parts.

Ali hit the floor and walked in a steady motion over to Providence with that look on her face again. The only difference was that she had the eyes that Lucas possessed before, making me queasy as she looked in my direction.

Providence threw up again and her body wouldn't move. Not until Ali forcefully moved her, raising her up into the sky, and slamming her on the ground, again and again, with breakneck speeds.

Providence flipped her body, created distance, and then charged in again.

Ali's gravity abilities were shut off as Providence got closer, but her strikes from her saber weren't connecting.

Briefly, before they slammed into Ali's body, she deflected them with her forearms and summoned the scythe that had been missing from the beginning of the fight.

Ali wrapped the scythe around Providence, jumped over her with an increase in height probably from the gravity ability, and cut her in half - Vertically.

Providence regenerated her body and clashed against Ali's scythe again. The two looked at each other again, but Ali didn't have the same look of concern that Providence had... Ali didn't care about facial expressions... or the drool that was coming out of her mouth.

I couldn't escape the grasp of this weakness I felt, but what good would I do if I got close? I would die, way too fast. I couldn't absorb any of these attacks, and Ali was implanting a sense of fear into me so deep that I was afraid to even talk to her now. Providence and her traded blows, but Ali wasn't bleeding like Providence was. It was as if her strength doubled...

And as I was analyzing the fight, they clashed and I closed my eyes from the shockwave of wind that came from it... and woke up in the Black Lake I once went to a while ago.

The endless water and waves that flowed shallowly covered my ankles in what I thought was water... but felt too thick to be.

"What the hell is going on?! Are you guys watching that fight with Miss Ali and Providence?" Alexia shouted out.

"How were we supposed to compete with that? She's literally like God!" Mitra added on. Why were they all here?

"We're all here right now...?" I asked them. They all nodded, with the same confusion as I had, and looked down to the water.

"Do you think Miss Ali will be okay?!" Boo yelled out to us.

"I don't think that's the right question to ask... will Providence be okay? I mean, Ali was ripping her apart, and she hasn't bled once after doing that thing with Lucas... is Lucas alive?" I asked everybody.

The familiar face of Eo started to walk from the infinite darkness of the void and appeared close by.

"I suppose I owe you all some explanation for my actions... and how we can help in the fight against the Two Deities known as Ali Asterio, and Providence Achamo," Eo told us.

"You do have a lot to explain, what the hell did she mean by Alliance?! You betrayed us?!" Boo yelled out to her. Myth and Mitra put their arms out in front of Boo and as we all looked at Eo, she shook her head.

"It's the only reason Providence didn't attack sooner. We wanted Sky Asterio to ascend to that level, but we couldn't do it so long as Providence ruled over this world. That being said, the alliance Illya and I created with Providence kept you all alive for much longer than we expected, that's why you're still here. Ali threw her life on the line and even performed a rare System Synchronization, meaning both she and the user she Synchronized with will die after the fight. It seems Ali Asterio is going for a suicide mission that would permanently erase her personality from the System." Eo stated.

"What the hell are you saying? I'm not understanding any of the words you're explaining to us right now!" I yelled at Eo, even if she wasn't at fault, and she held her hand up to stop me from complaining.

"System Synchronization is a skill only two people of great proportions that have an unbreakable bond can use. It requires consent from both parties and will result in a destroyed personality, memories, and person by the end of the Synchronization. Ali and Lucas Asterio initiated this process in hopes to take down Providence in time for Sky to kill Providia and return to deal the final blow to Providence, as he's the only one who can." Eo explained again.

"He's the only one who can...? Why?" Boo asked Eo.

"Sky, like Ali and Lucas Asterio, is a powerful being that has latent powers, protected by his unwillingness to dive into the Wrath that gives him his power. Ali has successfully sapped all of her latent power out by using System Synchronization and is using all Wrath available to her." Eo told us.

"Boo, you said that your family has never matched the Asterio family... I don't want you to be upset, but the Achamo name is nowhere near as important as the Asterio family... as Shike Asterio, Belle Asterio, and Alexia Asterio all share the same family name as Sky." Eo told us.

"Asterio...? That's not my last name." I told Eo.

"Yes, it is. You are an Asterio. The three of you are all Asterios, which means you have powers you can contribute to this fight, just by being present. I will teach you the abilities you have learned in previous loops during The First Trial, but I must warn you... if Master Illya wakes up from her slumber, then she will kill whoever she can, and probably me, because I'm not supposed to do this for you." Eo told us.

"Why is she asleep now, of all times... and why are you helping us?" I asked her again.

"She's asleep because of the exertion of power between Ali and Providence. The clash is keeping it difficult for Master Illya to remain conscious, as she has to devote all of her power to keep the landscape intact. And the reason I'm helping you is because of what you have taught me... compassion, to care for my friends, to understand happiness, and even sadness. You six are the only friends I've ever had." Eo told us.

I felt bad for her, knowing she served Illya what looked like unwillingly, and she was trapped, just as we are trapped here... and she wants to help us all out. That could only be appreciated. Everything she said so far makes sense, so I don't doubt her, but I wish that I knew what was really going on as she knew it.

"We'll accept your help... anything to help Miss Ali. So, what can we do, Eo?" I asked her. Her head perked up and she smiled, running past us all to a certain part of the infinite lake.

"Here." She pointed down.

I walked over to her and looked down, to see a landscape underneath us. We were really high up... but I recognize this!

This is... MTG... and Ali and Providence were fighting?

"Shike, Belle, and Alexia. I can only depend on you three. I'm not saying Boo, Myth, and Mitra aren't useful... but I need the abilities of these three more. Please, stay here and heal. I'm not telling you that because I think you're weak... I just care about my friends. You will be safe from all danger, as the only person who can access this space is Sky." Eo told them.

"You will take my hand and I will send you back. From there, you will follow my lead, do you understand?" Eo asked Belle, Alexia, and me.

We all nodded and as we took her hand... we returned to the battlefield.