Sights on Genesis

At this point, I had no idea what was going on. Genesis being present since The First Trial had no effect on me... but Shike and Boo were visibly shaken.

"First Fico... then you... how many of you people invaded our world?!" Boo shouted up to him.

"You accepted me so valiantly though, noting that I knew my sister's weakness... why are you so upset now? What changed?" Genesis asked Boo.

"Huh...? Wait... why can't I place the name...?" Shike mumbled beside me.

"Because you don't have the memory of Eo. It was deleted as soon as I ended up dying. Can you believe that? I got you so good, didn't I?" Genesis asked, clapping his hands together lightly.

"Eo... you were... Eo?" Boo asked again, looking up at him.

"I could be anybody in your life, Boo. You see... my sister and brother weren't so kind as children, but I like to think of myself as one of the kindest. After all, I became the person that others wanted to see again. Dead mothers, fathers, siblings, grandparents, a savior of any sort, an enemy of any sort... I was gifted with the ability to do great things... I helped you defeat your worst enemy, Boo, doesn't that make you happy?" Genesis asked.

Something changed... I was watching Genesis bounce around happily on the top of the hill. He was almost childish...

"You weren't Eo... you couldn't be. She was real, she helped us..." Boo mumbled next.

"Start readying your weapons, something might happen pretty quickly here," Orion said. He tapped me on the back of the shoulder subtly while walking over to Chi-Chi and Asoh.

Alex came up on my right, crouching down underneath a rock in the path, and looking up at me.

"Eo had two bodies... right? What if Genesis was one of them?" Alex suggested.

Another impeccable thought...

"What did you do to me?" Boo rose up both of her hands, clad in one White Stone each, and I could see a creepy shadow smile on Genesis's face.

"Do you know what the White Stones do?" Genesis followed up her question almost immediately after Boo finished, causing her to stumble a little.

"I got this when I exited The First Trial... and then I got another one from you... why? What does it mean now that I have two?" Boo asked again.

"The White Stones are a marking for others, and mean nothing for individual power... that's what you've been told, right? I hate to ruin your fantasy, but each White Stone is unique and different. When a person has two, those two Stones mix in their usefulness and kind of act as a... catalyst for a greater being. You're a smart girl, Boo. Have you ever heard of Avie Asterio?" Genesis asked next.

Now, he was slowly walking down the hill. The grip on my axe's handle tightened as he got closer.

"Avie Asterio is an Artificial Intelligence designed to capture some of Sky's power before his untimely death four hundred years ago. Can you pick up on my wordplay? Did you notice how I said 'some' right then?" Genesis asked again. He was about three-quarters of the way down the hill.

The grip got tighter.

"Only about a third of that power was contained... at least within Avie. She captured all of Sky's speed, but who captured his intelligence and strength? His System Abilities? His most famous one... System Logout?" Genesis asked again.

Halfway down. I was ready.

I was accurate enough to throw the axe and slow him down. After that, I can push his eyeballs into the back of his skull... he was brave, but this was just stupid.

"Hikari Asterio, maybe? All of this information barely means a thing if the vessel cannot contain that power. Ever tried opening a carbonated soda after shaking it? It goes 'POP' in your face! That's what would happen if Hikari and Avie cannot recombine within Sky's body. That Synchronization would kill all four people, Sky, Hikari, Avie, and the other one. He would need a Vessel that can handle that power... and you're two-thirds of the way there, with your Two White Stones," Genesis finally said.

Sky would take Boo's body?

"As long as I don't have a Third Stone... that won't happen. I won't let you hit me with that attack again. The next time that word comes out of your mouth, 'System'... I'll cut your throat and let you roll the rest of the way down that hill. And then, and only then, would I torture you," Boo threatened, but Genesis didn't care yet again.

"Why are you helping Sky restore his power? I thought everybody wanted him dead, not to be the strongest again," I asked him.

He had about a quarter of the way left of the hill now. He couldn't escape once he hit the definitive point where he was level with us.

"Want him dead? Please, that's the leader of my Guild that you're talking about! I swore allegiance to Sky, and all that share the Asterio namesake are in that same boat. I play off of people when I need something done, and I stay in the back the entire time while everybody does my work for me. You guys weakening my sister, you guys taking on the task to stop my brother, and you guys even putting an end to Quake for me... I have nothing left to do besides sit back and enjoy what's left! The ashes of civilization I burned to the ground. Not even Nova could match my intellect, and she's the closest one I've met yet," Genesis commented.

"N-Nova...? Alex... do you think that's the same Nova as Red's sister?" I looked down at him with wide eyes, realizing that Genesis had one last connection that had disappeared from our sight for a long time.

"Nova Eternia, do you mean? Red's sister? Yeah, that's the same Nova," Genesis said.

Something snapped in my mind and my axe came out of the sheathe, and I chucked it at Genesis with scary percision.

I wasn't aiming for his head or limbs, but instead his chest.

It plummeted deep into the exact center of his ribcage, and he shot back from the hit.

Orion, running as close to the wall as he could, came up with frightening speed on Genesis's left side, Shike ran to the right, and Boo vanished with her ability, cornering him in four different directions.

My eyes lit up with passion and I smiled, waiting to get my axe back and cut off his head with it.