Dias Blade, the Legend Returns... (Uncircumsized Version)

(Dias Profile Continued...Part 3/3)

-BACKGROUND INFO-



Occupation: His skills as a warrior have always been his only real selling point. Starting out he did like most other adventurers and took up jobs clearing out vermin, safeguarding merchant caravans, acting as a bounty hunter or general mercenary for hire and exploring ruins or dungeons for treasures.

After being recruited by Captain Lanford De'Linux of the Tyril Kingdom's Azure Knight Squad, Dias recieved regular paychecks and free lodging at the squad's private barracks. When the Velstine Empire seized control it forced Dias to go into hiding, making use of the squad's secret cache to procure enough funds to pay living expenses and later buy his way off the planet to another world outside Velstine territory. He would then resume his old lifestyle of living as a merc and fighting in tournaments for the prize money.

He was always very picky about the kinds of work he would agree to, however, and never really got involved with any groups since he preferred the freedom of working alone. Coming and going as he pleased. He turned down anything involving unarmed civilians and would often find himself turning on those clients, though he had no problems at all with helping to rob the aristocracy or protect crime lords in need of some muscle to beat down competitors. Still, most of the time it was always the case of going out to some hell hole wasteland and clearing out bandit gangs or exterminating monsters. On rare occasions, he would be hired by various factions or corporations to assist with ongoing wars between such organizations during the Clan Wars era.

Currently, Dias is employed by the Aesir Empire as a member of the SOF Crimson Knights, once again dawning a military uniform for the second time in his life.

Personality: Dias’' personality has changed quite a bit since his return from Daemonium. Being reunited with Ferra and having finally achieved his revenge on Rem'’Graf has started a new chapter in his life. He seems to appreciate the little things now and has become a lot more social recently, whereas before he would usually just stay quiet and only speak when spoken to. He still has a flare for righteous indignation and will always be the first to stand up for what’ he feels is right, regardless of what kind of trouble that might cause for himself or others. His past hatred for monsters has also altered somewhat, no longer prone to discrimination or quick to anger.

The biggest change has been his willingness to actually showcase his emotions now. Before, he was very withdrawn and detached from any kind of feeling. Nearly to the point of being apathetic even, just an empty shell of a man going through the motions. But now he is far more open about things and doesn't try to hide it anymore, though this is mainly only true with regards to Ferra.

Other than that, there are two sides. While he is around Ferra, relaxing at home or out with what could be considered his friends, Dias is much more easy going and laid back. Actually demonstrating some sense of people skills. But while during a fight, his overall demeanor transitions to the experienced battlefield veteran, a mindset forged in the flames of war. More silent and analytical, cold and calculative with an aura akin to that of a mass murderer.

A Killer Mentality...

History:



Dias hails from Narria, the Realm of Dreams.
It is not some planet drifting throughout the reaches of space, the night sky devoid of any stars, replaced instead by an enchanting aurora borealis. While most other worlds you're familiar with have a horizon that can be seen in the distance due to the curvature of the planet, Narria is not round but flat. Due to the heavy saturation of particles in the atmosphere called Ether, a fog covers the lands which can be cleared up with certain plants that absorb the energy making it easier to see. Over time, these plants were spread out to open up a large expanse of the realm while maps drawn will show the mist surrounding the outer edges, the unexplored frontier where only the most bravest of adventurers dare venture. Of course, one could travel in a straight line for their entire life and yet always encounter new lands, hence why Narria is more commonly known as the Endless World which stretches on in every direction infinitely.

The sky above is artificial, hiding a stone-like ceiling that covers the entirety of Narria. This is actually the bottom of what the Almah tribe call Celestia, the First World, that which came before the creation of Narria, the Second World. Celestia was once the home of the Eidolons, the Masks of Existence born of Sophixia, the Source of Creation. It is now populated exclusively by the Almah, a race of divine-like beings with paleskin who appear Agnari but with bodies that give off a ghostly silver radiance which has inspired much folklore of phantoms being seen walking about the countryside. The presence of the First World had been kept hidden by a layer of Caefilum, a fabric which absorbs light particles and converts them into Ether, turning blue to blend in with the sky. A series of large Solas Stones formed from the ceiling structure act as miniature suns, providing daylight for all of Narria. These stones expend Ether stored within them to function and gradually fade as they lose their charge, extinguishing their flame. At which point, the stored energy within the Caefilum gets released into the atmosphere causing the beautiful aurora borealis effect. This in turn steadily recharges the stones and causes them to slowly flare up again, giving Narria its day and night cycle.

The man was born in Agia, capital city for the Neros Kingdom, an Agnari nation ruled as a theocracy dedicated to the worship of the Eidolons and considered apart of the Arik Federation which governed most of the known world. The genetic ancestors of Humans found in the Omniverse, Agnari civilization stood as the pinnacle of progress in Narria with their advancements in Machina; a hybrid technology combining Science and Magic. It was home to the Holy Paladin Order which served Nos Latress, the sacred temple dedicated to the worship of Sophixia the All Mother and the Eidolons. Neros has been ruled by the Ethalia Royal Family for generations dating back to the country's founding. The Crown Princess, Serah Ethalia, had left home to join the Federation Army despite her parent's wishes. The kingdom has always maintained a stance of neutrality, refusing to take sides in the political struggles which were slowly tearing apart the lands beyond their borders.

Dias' mother, Yue Astontasia-Blade, was the daughter of Captain Fenix Astontasia, one of the first recorded Ildera in Narrian history who had been conscripted by the military at a young age. As a twist of fate, Serah ended up serving as the Captain's Lieutenant and the two gradually grew romantically close to one another. After Fenix sacrificed herself to save the Federation and the entire world to prevent the Federation from starting a second Dominion War, Serah took the child back home with her to Agia. There, she spent her days raising the miracle child conceived by Fenix without a father while all the chaos sorted itself out. The circumstances of the girl's birth remained a mystery and kept secret from others. When she was old enough, Yue began taking swordsmanship lessons from "Aunt Serah" and trained diligently while listening to the adventurous tales of her mother who she idolized.

That dream of living up to her mother's legacy would eventually lead Yue to enlisting herself as a Paladin of Nos Latress. Of course, with the growing threat posed by the Terrasians who had begun encroaching on their territory, Serah and the rest of her family was against the idea. But like mother like daughter, her mind had already been made up. During one of her missions, she crossed paths with a Vyssin who called himself Alhazard Blade. During the battle, he took a blow for her and ended up badly injured, prompting the woman to bring him back with her to Nos Latress for treatment. As they were already swamped with work and with no one wanting to even get near a Vyssin, Yue took it upon herself to care for him. Though Vyssin appeared Agnari, their white hair and monstrous physical strength made them outcasts of society. They were primarily used in the past as soldiers for the frontline and treated like wild beasts, killing machines to slaughter men. Those not pressed into service made a meager living slaying Diavo, giant creatures that plagued the realm, or hunting down dangerous animals for their rare and valuable parts.

After he had recovered, the situation was revealed to be far worse than anyone realized and they were already woefully short on skilled able bodies. Having inherited her mother's stubborn persistence, Yue managed to convince Alhazard to join the Paladins as well and the two went on more missions together. They faced many challenges and hardships along the way, but it brought them closer. Gradually, they developed feelings for one another and slowly fell in love, leading to the birth of Dias regarded as a 3rd Generation Ildera.

After Dias was born, the two took a leave of absence to spend time raising their son. However, those peaceful days would come to end after the reported tragic loss of Captain Serah who was said to have fallen in battle against a newly revealed, organized Terrasian military force being lead by King Omacron calling themselves the Demon Army. With the ever growing danger posed by the Demon Army, Alhazard decided to leave and join the effort in repelling the monsters to keep his precious family safe. Though Yue wanted to go with him, he lamented the idea saying that their son should at least have one of them in his life. As such, Dias grew up never really knowing his father or the sacrifices he made.

Then came that fateful night when the Demons invaded. They came out of nowhere, striking the Neros Kingdom with waves upon waves of powerful monsters and Diavo that sided with them to purge all Agnari from Narria. Greatly outmatched, villages and towns one after the next were consumed in flame and death. The soldiers could only hope to slow their advance as the streets were flooded with the screams of civilians being torn apart by the vicious beasts. Yue dawned her armor once more and brandished the Ethalia Family's sacred treasure, the holy sword Ekleska which had been passed down to her by Serah. It didn't take long for the horde to reach Agia, alarms sounding. Desperate to save their child, the Paladin battled her way through the mobs as innocent citizens were being mauled and cut down all around them. She witnessed many long time friends being brutally murdered or defiled by the ravenous devils, taken by a rage urging her sword to seek justice. But she resolved to first get Dias to safety above all else, turning her back on them with a heavy heart.

Eventually, the two managed to escape the burning city and reached Nos Latress where many survivors had been gathering. But the people there had lost their minds it seemed, on their hands and knees in prayer crying out to be saved by the Eidolons. Even when the monsters later arrived and began slaughtering them, they wouldn't stop to defend themselves or try and escape. The once pristine temple halls defiled with blood and gore of the faithful. Yue would not resign to this same end. While the Terrasians continued their killing spree inside, the Paladin went out the back with Dias and found her friend, Julia Ravendow, who had joined the temple around the same time she did. Yue begged her to spirit her son away from this place and take him to the Almah Fortress City, Elrick. She then gave them the scarf sewn with Caefilum given to her by Alhazard, saying to show this once they arrived as it would grant them entry. That's what Alhazard had said for them to do should something like this ever happen. The young boy insisted on staying with his mother, but Yue merely smiled and assured him they would meet up later.

Once Dias was out of harm’s way, Yue returned to do what she could to help try and push back the invading armies. Cutting a swath through the legion outside, she pushed her way towards the palace to check on the royal family who would surely have soldiers stationed to protect them. But upon her arrival, all grew silent. She found nothing but corpses of Agnari and Terrasian alike. The fighting inside seemed to have come to an unexpected end with the Demon Army keeping their distance from this place. Swiftly, she moved through the corridors searching for the Queen and the rest of her adopted family. When she reached the throne room, however, she was shocked with a wave of emotion to find all of them dead... Not a single survivor.

Standing over them, covered in blood, was her husband Alhazard. He turned to her with a crazed look in his eyes, radiating with a bright crimson light. Recognizing it as the Vyssin's Nihilus Matia, the Red Eye Virus. A curse said to drive Vyssin insane as they become chaotic berserkers unable to discern between friend or foe. But Alhazard was suppose to be immune to it, or so he said. Even then, his behavior wasn't normal of a typical Vyssin gone mad. There was a clear sign of intelligent thought as he seemingly argued with himself, as if someone else was there with him. But when he recognized her, he immediately lashed out and attacked relentlessly. Yue did her best to fend him off but kept refusing to actually fight back, continuing to call out to him to snap out of it.

Ultimately, as the fires began to cave in the palace around them, Yue dropped her weapon and held out her arms. His claws ripped through her chest, a fatal blow as she coughed up blood, her arms wrapping around him to embrace as they often would years ago. It broke him free of his madness just in time to catch her as she collapsed, smiling at him. Anger filling his lungs, he roared into the night sky as the ceiling fell apart...

The priestess stayed true to her word and fled with the young Dias. She traveled as quickly as she could, sure to avoid the roaming bands of monsters stalking the countryside until finally reaching the enormous bridge leading across the Chasm of Vera Mors, a deep dark pit said to lead to a third and final world located beneath Narria where something in old myths called the Nihilus is said to be held prisoner. The woman rushed her ward across the path to the tall fortress gates where Almah sentinels watched in silence. Begging for help as the monsters came into view after following their tracks from the temple, the warriors rejected her pleas reciting their law to remain neutral and not interfere in the affairs of the other races. Dropping to her knees, she prayed to the Eidolons to grant mercy and save them, but still the Almah would not budge. Even as the beasts boldly crossed the bridge in pursuit. Determined to protect the child, Julia put herself between them as the creatures tore into her body in defilement and claws digging in deep with blood splattering the golden pavement.

As the other demonic soldiers soon turned their attention to Dias, suddenly one Almah dropped down in a burst of light and struck the Terrasians with unfettered fury; Ragir Azariel Aetha. Known as The Guardian Blade, his glistening sword cleaved through the abominations like a hot knife through butter. With the vermin dispatched, he turned to the child and noticed the scarf wrapped around him, appearing somewhat surprised by it. Familiar. The other Almah protested in concern over his actions, only to be scolded by the warrior for allowing such a sinful travesty to happen right in front of them. If only he could have come sooner, the woman might have been spared such suffering, barely clinging to life in her mangled state. Putting an end to her misery with his own blade to give a quick and painless death, the Ragir offered his hand to the boy, swearing on his honor that no harm would befall him. Hesitant at first, Dias soon accepted his hand.

Azariel then took flight, levitating into the air surrounded by ethereal radiance carrying the Ildera child across the threshold and into the safe confines of the Almah city fortress. They were immediately greeted by Azariel's younger sister, Regia Allysiel Aetha, who tended to the boy and took him somewhere to rest. What followed after was a rather lengthy argument between the Regir and his father, Magna Nethiel Aetha who headed the Aetha Tribunal. The old Almah's son proved far more tenacious and managed to secure the right to keep the boy with them, granting him asylum from the war.

Dias would spend the next 7 years growing up in Elrick, living with Allysiel who became something of a big sister to him. She made sure to give him a proper education, having amassed many books obtained from the Neros Kingdom about a wide range of Agnari subjects. His studies would also include Almah teachings as well, such as how to communicate with spirits, a language they called Lingua Affectu which used emotion as a medium to convey meaning and self expression. At night, the boy was constantly plagued by terrible dreams about his mother and what happened to Julia. He was ashamed by his own weakness in not being able to help. As he walked the courtyard to clear his head, he encountered Azariel during his private training session. His skill with a blade reminded Dias of Serah and his mother, nearly identical techniques. He questioned the Ragir about this who went on to explain that the Ethalia Family style of swordsmanship was something they had learned from Magna Nethiel of the Almah which had been passed down through the generations. When Dias insisted on learning as well, at first Azariel was opposed to the idea. But given the boy's determination, he soon conceded and the two began regular practice every evening after that.

There were mixed feelings from their people about allowing an Agnari to live among them. The fact he was an Ildera only made those concerns worse given how the Federation had originally meant to use them against the Almah in the past as Anti-Magic Weapons, their Ether Burn power posing a serious threat. Still, there were also those who grew quite attached to the boy and would often defend him against such crude allegations or insults. Regardless, Dias was largely viewed as a reject of their society and kept isolated from the other children.

Eventually, the complete destruction of the Arik Federation came to an end. The Agnari Genocide was heralded by the Terrasians who declared themselves the superior race and laid claim to all their lands. When word got out that one yet still lived under the protection of the Almah, the Demon King himself came forth and demanded they hand him over. Some of the Magna considered doing just that so as to avoid conflict with them. But it was Nethiel who stood up and rejected the offer outright, calling the monsters a cancer who should never have been allowed to exist in the first place. He agreed that the eradication of the Agnari was their own doing, their own thoughtless actions coming back to haunt them as it had been revealed they were the ones who essentially created these creatures for selfish reasons to start more wars. However, their punishment had been heavy indeed and now it was to be over. The Demon Army was ordered to withdraw from the land and live in peace. But King Omacron merely laughed at such a notion. Seeing these monsters as an even greater danger than the Agnari, Nethiel convinced the other Magna of the Aetha Tribunal to agree with his decision to purge the Terrasian menace.

The Guardian Blade was given the task to lead the Almah forces to reclaim the fallen lands and drive out the invaders. Though Azariel wished they had done so sooner to try and save the Agnari or at least those of the Neros Kingdom, he gleefully unleashed his pent up rage and contempt and began slaying the hordes with his own sword. Seeking vengeance for his people, Dias requested to join the hunts. But the Almah would not have an Agnari with them, protesting such a request. To keep their focus on the enemy legions, Azariel turned down Dias but told his apprentice he was free to do as he pleased. And so, he resolved to head out on his own to do what he could, deciding to travel to Agia first to learn what had become of his mother and try to find any other survivors. Allysiel had been waiting with two packs ready for the adventure, saying she would be joining him on his journey.

Thankful to have a companion for the road, the two set out from Elrick and set off for Agia. They had numerous encounters along the way, meeting others who decided to tag along for their own reasons. Finally, they reached the ruins of what was once the beautiful cerulean city. They discovered Yue's remains at what was left standing of the palace in the throne room, her body having been carefully handled and preserved with a blue rose placed in her hands showing that someone else had already found her. Dias didn't cry or show any sign of sadness. He asked Ally to help carry her to their house on the outskirts of the city. It was there that he asked to be left alone. From a distance, the Regia and their traveling comrades watched as the young man with shovel in hand burying the Paladin, tears streaming down his face... The vibrant shine of his blue hair slowly dimmed until the light faded out entirely. That would be the last time he ever cried.

From there on, the group went about the business of searching for signs of any Agnari survivors. When King Omacron found out that Dias had been sighted at the ruins of Agia, he sent his strongest warriors to kill the Ildera. One by one, the party battled these powerful monsters and managed to defeat them. Their journey continued, taking them all throughout the once thriving Arik Federation, now nothing more than a land of death and decay. Dias didn't have anywhere in particular he could think of to help with his search, so instead the group went about tending to the various personal matters of each party member. They even went underground at one point and for the first time Dias got to see the home of the Daogin as well as the Eldritch Forest to see the Zulherst. Everywhere they went, though, Dias was met with the same harsh criticism as he did growing up around the Almah. The Agnari were truly hated by all the other races of Narria for past crimes against them. It seemed the true legacy of the Agnari was one covered in blood. Perhaps Nethiel was right, that their genocide was deserved all along... Allysiel began to worry about Dias who only became more depressed and distant from the group the more they traveled.

Then, without saying a word, he left them in the middle of the night. Traveling around on his own to get his head sorted out, Dias found himself returning to Agia. He paid a visit to Yue's grave where the Ekleska still stood, the weapon which could only be wielded by an Agnari. While silently pretending to have a conversation with her, he was soon interrupted by Magna Nethiel who had suddenly appeared. Enraged by everything, Dias confronted him about allowing all these deaths to happen when the Almah could have stepped in sooner to prevent such devastation. The two argued back and forth, but ultimately the young man came to his final conclusion. If this world didn't want them so badly, then he would do it a favor and leave. But first, he would seek justice for the fallen innocents.

Claiming the Ekleska, Dias vowed to take the Demon King's head and put an end to this war. Nethiel was inspired by the young man's resolve, remarking that it reminded him of his daughter Argetlahm. It was a suicide mission, but what would the death of one more Agnari matter anyway? The two parted ways and Dias set out to the northern wastes where Azariel's forces had pushed the Demon Army back. Getting closer to the border, he was surprised to find Allysiel there waiting for him. She had seen this day coming and wanted to keep her promise that she had made years ago to keep him safe. Their traveling companions were also there, most seeing this whole endeavor as being foolish. But whether it was because they had grown attached to the young man or for their own selfish reasons, they also decided to join him on his quest. And so the party embarked into the desolate wastes.

The road ahead was long and filled with hardship, but against all odds they eventually reached the Daimos Valley, the main stronghold of the Demon Army. They were eventually joined by Azariel who had left the rest of his knights to keep the enemy's main force distracted while their group would head in to dispatch the evil king. Working their way through the mobs of monsters and breaching the old fortress, Dias and his team assaulted the guards and faced off against Omacron. The Terras Lord was horrifically powerful, but in the end they managed to do the impossible. The beast lay dead, and with him his armies dispersed and scattered. The Demon War had at long last come to an end...

With his friends and family avenged, there was nothing else left for him here. After throwing a celebration for a job well done, the group split up and each member went their own way, saying their goodbyes. Allysiel offered for the young man to continue living with them in Elrick, but that was never really a home for him, more like a gilded cage he had been forced to endure. He could not undo the wrongs of his people and even his deeds in helping to rid Narria of King Omacron would not be enough to change what he was. This world had no place for his kind any longer. It was then he announced his decision to leave, having heard the tales of the mysterious Aether Gates found all throughout the lands. The stories of them leading to new worlds. Sadly, she could not convince him otherwise. All she could do was promise that they would always be here for him. On his way out, his mentor Azariel appeared to see him off, overhearing the entire conversation. He recounted the day they met, admitting his regrets and frustration over being unable to do more to try and save the Agnari. Dias would always respect the man and his sister, the closest thing to family he had. But this was only the beginning of his story. It was up to him to write the pages and determine his own destiny.

Saying one final farewell to his mother's grave, with the Ekleska by his side, Dias took the leap of faith through the vibrant portal knowing he might never be able to return to Narria ever again.
_____



Emerging from a dark cavern hidden away in the side of a cliff wall, Dias found himself in a lush forest of trees all manner of color. The myths were true, he was no longer in Narria. Traversing the wilds, he encountered many unique creatures unlike anything he had ever seen before even in a place as fantastical as the Eldritch Forest. He soon happened across a village with a very unlikely sight, however. The place appeared to be populated by Zulherst. At first they were afraid of the newcomer, weary of the traveler with the local hunters arming themselves. The village elder came out to speak with him and Dias was able to get some much needed answers. Though they certainly seemed like the Zulherst he was familiar with from Narria, their people were instead called the Alby. This village was called E'valon located in the southern region of Ditreland, an Albyian Kingdom founded many eons ago. A relatively small country compared to others in their world. Perhaps more perplexing of all was when Dias gazed up into the night sky and saw stars for the first time in his life.

Eager to learn more about his new surroundings, Dias was directed to Ayenneas, the Emerald City where Queen Melesan Ditre ruled over the Alby people. The locals had a similar reaction to him, though thankfully he was escorted by one of the villagers from E'valon who explained the situation to the guards and helped show him around. His first stop was the library where he immediately began delving into as much as he could possibly find. Unlike Narria, this world known as Laistea was apparently shaped like a sphere, called a planet. It had what they referred to as a sun and moon, giving them their days and nights. The many specks of light he saw in the evening sky were even more worlds like this one. It was all quite fascinating for the out-worlder, overwhelming at first.

Before long, a royal messenger arrived seeking the blue haired stranger. The Queen had requested an audience so as to study the man and judge his character. He was regarded as some sort of alien. Dias told him his tale of how he came here, the story raising concern and equal amounts of intrigue. It was not unlike their ancient fable of the one who helped establish the kingdom so very long ago in a distant time long forgotten. The myth spoke of a woman who suddenly appeared one day wielding a magic sword. She was a total stranger to these lands but looked so similar to the Albyians. Back then, their people were slaves forced to mine for rare minerals and gems, in particular a special ore found only in this region called Dreamulite. The lone warrior brandished her blade and freed the slaves, inspiring them to rise up and fight back. They managed to secure their freedom and thus the Kingdom of Ditreland was born. The rest has been lost to the sands of time. A statue of her was erected at the former capital to the east; Alora. All the Queens to have ruled since then are her direct blood descendants.

If his story was true, then this Narria place he described could very well had been the same world their ancient savior hailed from. For now, he wasn't deemed dangerous and was allowed to stay in the country. Temporary lodgings were prepared for him to stay at the palace as her guest. The next day, he crossed paths with Melesan's daughter, Princess Serenity, who was having her morning sparring session with the palace guards. Soundly defeating all of them, she took notice of Dias nearby who had been silently observing and posed the challenge to him as well. He accepted, borrowing a wooden blade as the two faced off. To her surprise, he disarmed her immediately with a single parry. Their rematch ended in much the same way. His skill with a sword was evident, but there was something more to it. Each time they clashed she could see the lifelessness in those cerulean eyes of his, cold and calculating. He gave off an aura of one who had seen many battles, someone who had killed before. It was an experience most in the kingdom lacked in this modern era with having been blessed with peace for so long. Unlike the Zulherst of Narria, Albyians weren't immortal but gifted with extraordinary long life spans. Though she was roughly the same age as him, very young for their people. Thanking her for the practice, Dias went on his way, leaving a lasting impression.

Little did he know, he wasn't the only one to follow through that Aether Gate. An elite force of Terrasians lead by King Omacron's son, Prince Necron, had followed after Dias swearing to avenge the fallen Demon King and see through the total extermination of all Agnari.

For the next several years, Dias got by doing odd jobs and selling his skills as a mercenary for hire. Starting out he lived at the local inn at Ayenneas but eventually moved out into the wilderness where he built himself a small cabin with the help of the friends he made from E'valon Village. He took on a variety of jobs such as clearing out vermin and helping to escort merchant traders traveling to the neighboring countries where there had been an increase risk of bandits. At one point Dias even directly confronted the bandits and their leader head on, wiping them out to protect Ditreland's border from the criminal scum. He steadily gained renown in the land with many speaking of his reputation. He would regularly run into the princess in between finishing his jobs and the two formed a friendship of sorts. He would even be invited to the palace for sparring sessions so that she could improve her own skills. As the months went by, she slowly began to develop deeper feelings for the man. However, that pain and loneliness he held onto kept her at a distance, her feelings never able to reach him.

Then the unthinkable happened. Ayenneas had suddenly come under attack by an unknown force. Reports of increased sightings of strangers had been cropping up for a while but all investigations never yielded any results. They had even lost contact with several villages. Dias was tasked to aid in these investigations and went to one of the villages in question with Serenity tagging along, insisting it was her duty to do so. Upon arriving, they found the entire place was vacant. Then, suddenly undead began to emerge from the local graveyard and the missing villagers turned up, crazed and deformed like some kind of monsters. During this was when the capital came under siege with Dias away. Him and the princess managed to defeat the creatures and made haste to report their findings. But when they got back it was already too late as they were greeted by the war torn city. The sight reminded Dias of what happened to Agia in the past. What's more, the Queen had been fatally wounded in the attack and was clinging to life. Serenity tried her best to save her, but to no avail...nothing could be done for her... In her final moments, Melesan named Serenity the new Queen of Ditreland and gave her their family's sacred treasure, a pendent containing a magic jewel inside.

A message had been left behind by the attackers, calling out Dias personally to head for the ruins of Alora so that the Agnari disease could be cured once and for all. It made no sense to anyone else who heard as it was read out loud, but he knew perfectly well. Without a word, he left the palace...

Dias returned to his cabin, becoming lost in his own memories and the despair of it all, trying desperately to drink away his sorrow. The princess came by to seek his guidance only to find him in no fit state to help anyone. They argued at first and during the altercation revealed the truth of the scars he carried. Having lost his home and people, treated as an outcast by all others, deemed no better than the vermin he slayed for a pittance to keep a roof over his head. She at least got to say goodbye to her mother, he was denied even that. The princess tried to reach out to him, but he slammed the door shut before she could. Before leaving, she told him this wasn't the end. No one else would die. She would personally see to that. And so Serenity traveled alone to Alora.

Along the way, an ambush had been set in waiting. Managing to escape, she ran into the woods on foot, dodging spears and arrows before getting cornered and trapped by the unknown soldiers clad in black armor. That was when Dias showed up, charging in and cutting down one of the Death Knights. Standing back to back, the two dispatched the remaining enemies. He told her to go back home and leave this to him. He was the one they wanted. But she refused, reminding him that this wasn't all about him, not anymore. She would go regardless of what he said. Not caring to fight her on the matter, they continued onward to Alora where they encountered the newly resurrected Demon Army, their numbers bolstered by Undead and mutated Albyians twisted by forbidden alchemy. They had even enlisted the aid of a foreign nation who saw this as an opportunity to weaken the kingdom and possibly seize control of their natural resources.

The battle was long, Dias finally revealing his crimson gaze as he unleashed the power of his Ether Burn in front of the princess. With the Ekleska in hand, he slayed one enemy after another, carving a path forward as they pushed through. They faced off against the Captain of Necron's forces who proved a terrible foe, having much experience in dealing with Ildera like him. But with Serenity's magic to help even the odds, they were able to defeat the bastard and continued onward to the old castle where they would confront Necron. The Demon Prince was every bit as ferocious as his father and just as obsessed with the eradication of all Agnari at any cost. Necron turned his attention to the princess and attacked, taking her by surprise. Acting quickly, Dias got between them and took the blow instead, collapsing to the floor from the fatal wound.

Left in utter shock, Serenity immediately did all she could to try and heal his injuries as he bled out, but the damage was too severe to treat. As Necron celebrated his victory, the princess clutched the man tightly to herself as he told her to run just as the life faded from him. Then suddenly, her mother's pendent reacted and began to emanate, the jewel releasing its power into Dias' lifeless body. His injuries vanishing in an instant, Necron turned back in disbelief as the dead man revived before their eyes. Vitality and strength returned, he dashed in at the monster and crossed blades with it once more. At which point, Serenity found herself in need of a weapon, having exhausted her own magic. Taking notice of the rusted sword placed at the base of a large statue of some woman, she took hold and drew it out. In that moment, the rust and dirt burned away in a blaze of radiant light, revealing a beautiful glistening blade. The worn letters carved into the stone where it had stood read a single word; "Avalune."

Dias recognized the name from his studies with Allysiel, Avalune being the Sword of Light entrusted to the Zulherst by the Eidolon Uruha at the end of the Dominion War as a symbol of the pact made to bring peace to Narria. A sister sword, the Ekleska, had been given to the Agnari as well.

Fighting together, they pushed Necron back. The Demon Prince was seemingly defeated, dropping to a knee and having reached his own limits. But he refused to accept this outcome, ingesting the same mutagen given to their forces which made him go insane. His body convulsed and tore itself apart, reconstructing him into a blood thirsty Diavo, being called a Dragon by Serenity. Struggling just to avoid being crushed to death, they raced out of the castle as Necron took flight, wrecking havoc upon Alora and devouring his own soldiers in blind rage. It was right around then that they began to realize the two swords seemed to be reacting to one another. Crossing the blades, a pillar of white light manifested around them, piercing the dark clouds above to reveal the sun's rays. The Isograevus had been reforged at long last... Taking hold of the enormous Svardstav bristling with energy, it surged through Dias like a shock to the system. His appearance then changed, transforming into something that could withstand the weapon's power; The Divine Knight.

Taking to the skies, Dias continued the battle against Necron, accessing the Antaklas' true ability to level the playing field. Finally, driving the glorious blade into the monster's skull, he drove the Diavo down into the ruins below and ignited the swath of Ether that was generated to trigger a massive series of explosions. Obliterating the devil in a dazzling spectacle of radiance seen from all across the land. The display could even be witnessed by the surrounding countries like some sort of miracle.

Several months later... Peace had returned to the realm. Ayenneas had been restored to its former beauty and the land was recovery from the whole ordeal. The nation which had been in league with Necron decided against their plans to invade after seeing such strength. The Isograevus, now going by the name Lost Legacy, was left at a special shrine in the gardens of the palace. Dias was honored as the Hero of Ditreland. Queen Serenity took her place on the throne, working hard to stabilize the kingdom. Sometime later, the Narrian stopped by to see her royal highness, saying that this was goodbye. Confused, she questioned him about his reasons. His only explanation was that he was no longer needed here and it was time for him to move on. He had been introduced to a whole new world since leaving his and there were many more out there. The Agnari might have been a plague to Narria and its people, but he would devote his life to redeeming his people by helping others in need. She felt her heart break, asking if he would consider and stay with her instead. But his mind had already been made up, choosing to leave the Lost Legacy behind to act as a deterrent against anyone else who may be dumb enough to attack the country.

Unable to persuade him, the Queen wished him well on his journey, hoping that one day he would find his own peace...
_____



After leaving the Kingdom of Ditreland, Dias began to travel all across Laistea. Sure enough he never encountered any other species that looked like him. He continued his work as a mercenary and even took up bounty hunting for a while. He rarely socialized with anyone, mainly keeping to himself and focusing on honing his skills. One town he stopped by on his journey had a peculiar myth about a God who had seemingly fallen from the sky to the northern wilds. Curiosity getting the better of him, the Narrian set foot to investigate. There he stumbled across a strange rock formation that certainly showed signs of something large having crashed there ages ago. The land retained the scars of some sort of massive explosion. Moving in deeper, the man discovered an oddly shaped cave. He drew the sword crafted for him back in Ditreland, named Moonlight for its ethereal glow as it was forged from the kingdom's Dreamulite Ore.

His exploration turned up a mysterious structure of some kind, grown over with moss and vines. As he approached what looked like a door, it seemed to respond to his presence and opened up. Flashing his blade into the darkened chamber revealed a pristine interior completely metallic. As he progressed further into the metal giant he happened across various skeletons that were Agnari in appearance as the most puzzling sight of all. Coming into a smaller room, he found canisters of a strange blue liquid pulsating like a heartbeat. One of them happened to be installed in some sort of machine. In the back of it there seemed to be a flashing light, a screen displaying language he partially recognized. Stepping in closer to get a better look, the machine suddenly activated, surprising him as everything around him abruptly shifted.

In an instant, Dias was shocked to find himself in an entirely new place. Like before, the chamber's interior was metallic and finely detailed. But there was dust everywhere along with crates, steel chests, weapon racks and suits of armor decorating the joint like some sort of warehouse or armory. The machine he stood in was now dead silent, a few of those canisters laying about, empty. That was when he felt it, the ground shaking like an earthquake. Rushing through the complex he soon found the exit and entered into a thick forest. The familiar sound of battle filled the air and his body acted on pure instinct, swiftly sprinting towards the combat.

Clearing the forest, the Narrian became caught up in a blazing warzone. Flying ships overhead duked it out with explosions igniting the sky while soldiers went head to head with a nearby city turned into their battlefield. Concerned with the safety of civilians, Dias hastily crossed the distance and went to help those who needed it. The buildings were so tall and made of glass, so much more advanced than anything he had encountered previously. The weapons they were using were just as impressive, technology beyond even what the Arik Federation has possessed. That was when Dias met him, a man dressed in casual attire wearing a pair of sunglasses, blowing apart adversaries with a single punch. Captain of the Azure Knight Squad; Lanford De'Linux.

The Narrian charged forward to help protect a family that the man had been escorting to an evacuation point. Recognizing that they were both trying to help save innocent bystanders, Dias and Lanford went back to back to dispatch the enemies. That chance meeting would forever change Dias' life...

Once the fighting had settled down, Lanford introduced himself, giving his thanks. It was surprising to see another Agnari, although Lanford didn't quite understand what he meant. He explained that he was a Human and assumed Dias to be the same. This situation reminded him of when he first arrived in Ditreland and confused the Albyians for Zulherst. So then he wasn't the last of his kind? Were Agnari in this world just called Human? Lanford explained what he could, telling him that this was the Tyril Kingdom, a neutral nation on the planet Leonis that was currently fending off assaults from the aggressive Velstine Empire, invaders from another world. It was a lot to take in all at once, like the fact he was no longer on Laistea. But regardless, he felt compelled to lend his assistance. Together with the Azure Knights, the enemy forces were beaten back with many of their strong fighters slain.

Shortly thereafter, Dias would go on to accept Lanford's offer to join his squad and serve to protect the Human kingdom, what he was unable to do in the past for his own homeland. As it turned out, the place he had first arrived at was a secret cache being put together by the Azure Knights to stockpile supplies and trophies. Some ancient ruins that no one really knew anything about. The group was based out of the kingdom's capital, Daven City, which was built more like a fortress.

He would spend the next few years in the military, working closely with Lanford who became his mentor and a sort of father figure. Every time they sparred, Dias would be soundly defeated by the Captain. His Martial Arts were insanely powerful with hands that could stop the edge of a blade as if made of metal flesh. He had developed his own technique which he called Damaru Chikara to unleash the true potential of the Human species. Over time, he would teach this to Dias who became his student, seeking to further expand upon his own skills. The Azure Knights would engage in many more battles with different aggressors from throughout the universe and gradually the Narrian rose up through their ranks to Lieutenant Major, Lanford's right hand man. (Getting the nickname "The Major" at this time.)

Dias competed in various tournaments and earned himself the prestigious S Rank in the Multiversal Grand Arena, broadening his experience and reputation within the fighting communities. This was when he really began to make a name for himself.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever...

While called away on a mission to defend a colony of an allied nation, the Tyril Kingdom came under heavy assault from several of the largest superpowers at the time who had chosen to join forces. The Velstine Empire was at the forefront, having clashed with the Azure Knights in the past multiple times. The timing for it was terrible as most of their strongest members were wrapped up dealing with other matters. As it turned out, Dias' mission was nothing more than a setup, an ambush laying in wait as the colony was just bait to lure him away from the others. Their enemies were playing dirty, looking to assassinate them individually as the Azure Knights were strongest while working together. Lanford was left to fend off the invaders alone while his squad struggled to survive. Many didn't make it back...

Barely managing to stay alive, Dias killed his assailants and tried to get back to Tyril in time to help. But by then, it was already too late. The kingdom had been seized by Velstine. Captain Lanford was thought to have died after having defeated many other S Rank warriors, though his body was never recovered. With Daven City lost and the royal family murdered, it was like a repeat of what happened back in Narria. Once again he was unable to do anything. After stopping by their secret cache hidden in the forest to drop off his armor and uniform, Dias took some of their horded treasures to pick up supplies and purchase a ticket off world, leaving Leonis and the star system behind, branded as an outlaw with the empire placing a bounty of his head.

From that day on, he had a single minded goal; Get Stronger.

The wars continued to rage on, though Dias tried to avoid getting involved in the conflict. He began to work alone, protecting the innocent civilians from getting dragged into the crossfire. He traveled throughout the Omniverse, visiting many worlds where he continued to go on adventures and face off against characters of all sorts which only furthered word of his exploits and reputation, steadily becoming known as a living legend through word of mouth. Dedicating himself to intensive training and growing more powerful, he would seek to increase his knowledge and acquire new skills from other masters as their student. Over time he began seeking out powerful warriors and challenging them to duels, even entering tournaments where the strongest were said to gather. The man would compete in several top tier tournaments held during this era, defeating all challengers and being named champion. The Tournament of Ages which tested fighters by imposing restrictions for each round on abilities and the types of weapons used. The Dark Tournament which was a Team Battle consisting of four person groups who would fight until being defeated for the next teammate to step in. And the Undefeated of the East which was strictly a Martial Arts contest forbidding the use of any special powers or abilities and only permitting the use of simple or martial melee weapons.

He had become very self-destructive, taking on suicide missions with little to no chance of survival, yet always defying the odds that had been stacked against him. He had met some strange and unique individuals along the way such as Draco Malefic, Auron Neablis, Paramour, BaHamut, Jarvis, Calvin, Emik, Sir Cort Valeric, Victor Karakus, Dragon Master Alex, Kenshin Himura, Red Mage and many others all legends in their own right. He joined plenty of groups and organizations but never for very long, at least not long enough to get attached to any of them for one reason or another.

It was during this time in his life as a drifter that he crossed paths with an eco-terrorist group called AVALANCHE that was at war with a corrupt power company known as Shin-Ra Inc.

The group caught wind of his presence in town and hired him to help liberate the planet from this evil organization. He agreed to join them and, on his own accord, went to Shin-Ra Headquarters and stormed the building, slaying squads of 1st Class SOLDIERs in his assault. He eventually came face to face with a man by the name of Reno Cascade who stood in his way. The two clashed and many watched their fierce battle unfold from afar. But fate would intervene as their fight came to an abrupt end without a clear winner. The combat continued elsewhere and Dias was forced to return to help the others from being wiped out. Though he managed to save most of the rebels, their losses lead to the group ultimately disbanding. But this would not be the last time he crossed paths with Reno. It seemed the fates were determined to keep throwing them back together again, unlike so many others who the man could hardly remember their names anymore. Moreso due to the fact that this Turk was one of the few opponents he was never able to kill, each time their fights ending in draws. Eventually this lead to them forging a friendship out of respect for one another's skills. Which didn't stop them from trying to still kill each other.

On more than one occasion, Dias came up against a secret organization hell bent on causing chaos throughout the Omniverse called MERKAHBAH. Their enforcers were powerful beings gathered from the far corners of creation designated as Pandemonium Knights. (Aptly codenamed the "PKers" as Player Killing is what they did best...) Their actual goals remained a mystery, however. A re-appearing figure that seemed to enjoy stirring up trouble for Dias was their Second in Command, a man with red hair and an eyepatch by the name of Rem'Graf Daemonium, the Bloody Baron.
_____



20 years after the fall of the Tyril Kingdom, Dias returned to Daven City which had been rebuilt and sold off to a major galactic conglomerate serving Velstine's oligarchy. The once proud and prosperous metropolis had been reduced to a slum, a central hub for slave traders, criminal syndicates and all sorts of shady types. Most of the original citizens who had lived there that survived the kingdom's destruction were now lowly peasants forced to work under harsh conditions for starvation wages. The monument erected in memory of the Azure Knights that had been left intact was covered in filth with foreign soldiers making a mockery of it; a sign in front with the words "Where are your heroes now?" to remind the locals that no saviors would come.

Deciding to spend the night, he went to the nearest inn which doubled as a brothel. It was there that he met her for the first time; a woman by the name of Ferra Flora, an enslaved Nymph who was captured after being separated from her kin in the Oakvale Woodlands. Later that night during a stroll down memory lane, Dias found her in an alleyway being attacked by some of the more violent inn patrons that had managed to corner her while alone. Drawing his sword, he quickly dispatched the thugs and sent their young leader running off with moist pants. Dias then used his cloak to cover the woman up and carried her back to his room at the inn where she could rest.

They became very close after that, Dias using the large sum of money he had earned from his work as a mercenary to pay for her services for an extended period of time much to the dismay of her owner. She was...a unique woman, to say the least. He could tell that she wore a mask much like him, two kindred spirits. The gang leader he had allowed to escape before eventually came back with greater numbers and attacked the both of them, shooting the place up. Dias then emerged from the smoke and proceeded to make short work of the gang which set the gears of revolution in motion. He then proceeded to kill Ferra's master who had tipped off the thugs about which room they were staying in, freeing her and the other women from captivity.

Afterwards, Dias went on a man hunt, rooting out the soldiers stationed in the city and assaulting their barracks which he set ablaze. Ferra went around and organized the people to join together and rise up and soon a rebellion had begun as Daven City was liberated from the tyrants. The Azure Knight Memorial was restored to its former glory while the citizens began the long road to recovery for their once majestic home. Knowing this was far from over as it was only a matter of time before Velstine caught wind of things and would no doubt retaliate, Dias made the decision to instead take the fight to them and divert their wrath away from the newly liberated city. They were later contacted by the resistance forces gathered up from different worlds which had been conquered, looking to enlist the aid of the hero in their efforts to strike down the dictators.

Saying goodbye to Ferra, he promised to return once the fighting was over. On that day, he would give her his answer. Over the next year, Ferra took over leading Daven City and its reconstruction. She opened a flower shop that became quite popular, waiting for him to come back to her. Dias never once forgot about the promise he made. The thought of seeing her again kept him going through all the tough times, even as morale dropped for the others as their desperate rebellion persisted in open defiance of such overwhelming odds. He couldn't die now. He had somewhere to go back to and nothing would stand in his way. One by one, he dispatched their strongest and risked everything in a last ditch effort to put an end to this bloody war. Taking on an entire army by himself, Dias cleaved his way to the heart of the empire, slaying the emperor on live television in the man's own throne room. The resistance hijacked the broadcast, using it to their advantage in stirring others to fight back against their oppressors. It triggered a chain reaction that eventually resulted in toppling the oligarchy as the empire crumbled.

True to his word, the hero came back to Daven City which was now part of the newly established Leonis Republic. The people were swept up in celebration over Velstine's destruction and the end of their tyranny. But that was the farthest thing from his mind. He didn't care about any of that, only getting to see her face again. To hear her voice. Asking around, he tracked down the flower shop and went inside, the feelings inside starting to boil over as the shine began to spark through his hair again.

However, there was no one in sight. As he checked around, walking into the backroom, his heart sank into the pit of his stomach. There she lay on the floor, surrounded by a pool of her own blood. His body instantly went numb, unable to register the sensation of touching her lifeless body as he dropped down to his knees, picking her up in his arms. None of this made any sense. What was the point in all of his suffering? That sweet scent filled his lungs as he held Ferra close, body shivering uncontrollably. The light from his hair extinguished, smothering by despair as he could feel something break within him. Just when he had begun to open himself up again, daring to allow himself to feel happiness...

He left Daven City, having won them their freedom, but in the end he had failed to protect the one that truly mattered to him the most. And with that, he vanished once more never to be heard from again.
_____



Dias resurfaced years later on a world where a new Shin-Ra Company had appeared. More dangerous and larger than the previous one, he learned of a group of renegades who were working to bring down the organization; a rebel faction known as the Aethera State. An old friend of his from the past, Sir Cort Valeric, tracked down the Narrian to a remote village in the wasteland where a Shin-Ra Research Facility was located. After a few drinks, he finally convinced Dias to tag along and join up with their rag tag crew of freedom fighters which included another blast from the past; Draco Malefic who was joined by a crazy Necromancer named Leon Richter and his undead boyfriend Kevin, a female werewolf Otaku called Rufu along with her rock band. There was also a former executive officer who used to work for this new Shin-Ra, Mitsu Mazono and a battle android named Amaterasu who was basically the brains of the outfit.

The Aethera State turned out to be an experimental warship designed by Shin-Ra Inc. R&D Division that had been hijacked by the rag tag group. Flying off with it, they left the wastelands and took to the skies, making the ship their personal home and base of operations for months while running covert missions to disrupt Shin-Ra's plans while bombing many of their facilities. Televising their accomplishments to get the word out, they were gradually rallying support from the masses as open protests and boycotts against the corporation grew more frequent and intense. With the company pouring all manner of resources into finding them, the State ship was forced to dock at the Skyborn Nation, Del Ciello.

While there, Dias came across another old friend from his past; Reno Cascade, who was going by the new name of Crim El Furaga for some odd reason. The man was now leading a band of pirates dubbed the Ygg Crew who commanded a rather sizable ship of their own that was also docked at port. Little did the Aethera State crew know that the Governor of Del Ciello had sold them out to Shin-Ra who were already amassing a massive fleet to block off all escape routes. Meanwhile, Crim had a run in with one of Dias' past enemies, the Pandemonium Knight known as Rem'Graf, who had caused a rather fair bit of destruction which was ultimately blamed on the man and the rest of the Yggdrasil Pirates.

The situation only got worse from there when Shin-Ra began to air drop their newly enhanced SOLDIERs into the city to hunt down the rebels who were already being recalled back to the ship that had come under attack in the hangar. Dias and the others battled their way through the enemies across the city and jumped back onboard the vessel which had to forcibly exit the port to beat a hasty getaway. Flying straight through the blockade, they were suddenly being chased by a massive black ship that seemed to be generating strange monsters from its hull that latched onto the Aethera. Within moments the decks were being flooded by the creatures that just phased right through the floors and walls like ghosts, spreading a black, corrupting substance.

Dias climbed to the top of the Aethera to buy everyone else enough time to evacuate, fending off the rest of the monsters that kept trying to get onboard. It was hard enough dealing with the ones that had already gotten inside. As the crew were boarding the shuttle, Dias found himself starring down Rem'Graf who had dropped down to greet the Narrian. The two clashed, fighting fiercely despite the ship itself beginning to free fall. It was then that Remy removed his eyepatch, revealing the demonic inverted eye which seemingly froze time, opening a rift in the fabric of reality. It was then at that moment Rem'Graf leaned in close, a coy smirk on his face as he confessed that he was the one who killed Ferra. Those words made Dias snap, a pulse shooting through his chest as his rage flared, actually managing to slowly break free of whatever the man had done to freeze everything. But before he could, Remy kicked him through the open rift which promptly slammed shut...

Afterwards, the PKer disappeared along with the black ship, the Aethera crew survivors believing that Dias had died in the ship's explosion.
_____



But Dias was not dead, at least not yet. He awoke to find himself in a desolate cityscape devoid of life. The sky was blood red with dark clouds above where a black sun hung in eternal eclipse. Confused, the Narrian began to explore his new surroundings when suddenly encountering a pack of what looked like wild dogs. As they grew closer upon taking notice of the man, he could see clearer that they were not normal, flesh like rubber and several extra pairs of red eyes. More startling was the fact he couldn't see Ether anywhere, the entire city was just utter darkness to his Ildera perception. Thankfully, his weapon the Moonlight could serve as a temporary source of energy for him to burn, the Dreamulite putting out small amounts radiating from the luminescent blade.

Reacting fast, the man defended himself, cutting down the monstrous creatures in an instant. However, just as he thought they were dead, their dismembered bodies steadily put themselves back together. Unleashing his Sword Magic to strike them with a blast of electricity, he was taken aback as the beasts shrugged off the attack, having no effect. Dias would swiftly come to understand that they were seemingly immune to most elemental attacks; impossible to burn or even freeze. It was exactly the same as those monsters that attacked the Aethera. The only thing that worked were physical strikes. Finding himself quickly being outnumbered, the warrior had no other choice than to run.

As he made his escape, he started to see even more of all different shapes and sizes literally coming out of the wood works, spawning from the environment all around him. Some of the buildings turned into giant faces with razor sharp teeth. The place was a true living terror, relentlessly obsessed with trying to devour him. For what seemed like days, Dias battled non-stop just to survive; fueled by the hatred of the man who had trapped him here which only served to beckon more of the monsters. More perplexing was how the scenery would change so rapidly, like the entire world was just an unending patchwork of different locations stitched together. Just like back in Narria, there was no horizon but a hazy mist filling the atmosphere that made it difficult to see past a certain distance from where one stood.

Then, the horde was wiped away by a single, lone figure. Standing clad in armor and face wreathed in shadows, the stranger looked upon him and held out its hand, manifesting a massive claymore made from the very same black material as the monsters. The method itself was similar to the Ildera Ether Burn ability. In a man's voice it spoke a single word; "Zulwarn." Like a warrior giving their name before a duel, the knightly figure didn't hesitate to charge forward and lash out. Its swing barely missed the Narrian, but the sheer force of it crackec a nearby building in half. Dias was immediately pushed back, outmatched by the raw speed and crippling strength behind each blow. There seemed to be no limit to how powerful this foe was, growing increasingly more aggressive with each strike. Finally, Dias was knocked down with a single kick to the gut, already having been exhausted for days of non-stop running and lack of sleep... The beast towered over him, ruby red eyes peering out from the veil of darkness gazing upon the Narrian with a condescending stare. It could have finished him off right there and then, but instead chose to walk off...the battle coming to an abrupt end.

As his vision blurred, watching the strange assailant leave, he thought he could hear other foot steps nearby. Resigning himself to the blissful peace of death, he closed his eyes and passed out.

But this would not be the end of his tale. Waking up in a drab room laying in a makeshift bed, his injuries had been tended to and clothes folded up on the table along with his sword. Getting dressed, Dias stepped out into a large compound of tents and various buildings put together using what would normally be considered junk. The place was located in the courtyard of a sizable fortress with high black walls. More importantly, there were people seen living here. That was about when he was greeted by a man dressed in casual attire introducing himself as Phallanx. He had been tasked with watching over the Narrian who had been asleep for days. Apparently they used an elaborate construction of hour glasses to keep track of time in this world, which he further elaborated as they walked to meet with their leader.

Phallanx explained that this dimension was called Daemonium, the Realm of Nightmares. It was completely disconnected from the rest of existence. The monsters he encountered were known as the Kabos Ghyr or just Ghyr for short. Nightmares. They were made from all the negative thoughts and feelings of every sentient lifeform in the Omniverse with Daemonium acting as a mass reservoir for all the things people reject about themselves and what they fear most. Everything that you tell yourself isn't real or true, they manifest here. This was the ugly side of Creation, a reality that people try to avoid acknowledging. Each Ghyr here is born from a living counterpart in the real world from a core which acts like a heart, their central nerve center and brain all in one. Destroying the core will cause the body to become inert, becoming just an empty husk. But so long as their counterpart lives the core will eventually be remade and so breaking them only causes a temporary state of death as they will always gradually reform a new body around the new core. Furthermore, nothing in Daemonium consists of physical matter, just a black amorphous substance that imitates aspects of things found in existence they refer to as Ghyrphite.

As it logically followed, this also meant that the living couldn't survive in this realm. Daemonium was a toxic place where it was impossible for life to thrive. All of the food and water here was made of this black substance which was like poison to anything that consumed it, provided you had a strong enough spirit to resist being assimilated by the dimension itself after making contact with its corruption. Even the air was no different, composed of the same material to function the same way as oxygen. It explained why it was so difficult to breathe for him, but the fact he wasn't dead yet just proved how resiliant Dias was to the infection. Everyone residing in this compound, including Phallanx, had all been stranded here for one reason or another and unable to find a way out. They all eventually gave in and were forced to eat the blight. For many it proved too much and they died, losing all sense of self and turned into monsters. Meanwhile, the lucky ones survived the experience and became a hybrid of Ghyr known as Gnosis, their physical bodies infused with the corruption. It granted them newfound strength, abilities and eternal life, as well as allowing them to subsist off this tainted land by being able to eat the fruit and creatures and drink from the waters. They did what they could for others who ended up trapped here, keeping a stockpile of whatever medical supplies and provisions that they stumbled across that found their way here as well, though such things were a very rare commodity.

The Gnosis weren't entirely safe from the Nightmares, either. What remained of their former selves contained Ether and their souls were still intact, both of which attracted Ghyr who instinctively lusted over devouring. But this fortress was a safe place for them, shielded by their patron, the Baron of Daemonium who could mask their presence.

That was certainly a lot to chew on, pun not intended, but the surprises weren't done there. Phallanx lead Dias into the keep where he came face to face with their tribe's leader. The Narrian completely froze up and turned pale as if seeing a ghost. Standing before him was his former mentor, Captain Lanford De'Linux, who smiled and waved to his old student. The two sat down to have a very long talk and get caught up with one another. As it turned out, the man revealed that it was a secret organization who had orchestrated the assault on Tyril. They went by the name MERKAHBAH which was served by a militant group that made direct action for them called the Pandemonium Knights. That struck a cord with the Narrian who had crossed paths with their lot multiple times, one of them being the cause for him getting exiled in this realm. Lanford knew of who it was he spoke about, the red head in question belonging to an elite force within the PKers; the Real Numbers. Rem'Graf Daemonium. He was their Number Two, the second most powerful among them.

In the past, during the siege of Daven City, Lanford was near death after facing off against so many strong opponents. He did his best to protect the Crown Prince, Jericho Luminere Tyrilian, but there were just too many and his wounds had begun to take their toll. That was when Remy appeared. He opened a rift to this realm and sent both of them to this hellish prison. They were later discovered by Phallanx who fed the Captain tainted fruit, turning him into one of the Gnosis but likewise saving his life. One thing lead to another after that and once he defeated this region's Archon, Lord Sovereign, he became the new leader of the tribe through unanimous vote.

After exchanging their stories, Dias spent the next few days staying with them at the fortress. The Gnosis hunted the Ghyr to make weapons and armor from their husks but also seemed to be gathering the bodies for some other purpose, though no one would say why. He met many unique characters during this time but never once saw that armored figure who had defeated him. They certainly knew of the creature, though. Zulwarn was a menace to the realm possessing some strange power that could dissolve and absorb whatever Ghyrphite he made contact with. It definitely seemed similar to his Ether Burn ability. Apparently the knight never bothered with the Gnosis, instead only ever seen terrorizing the other Archons.

Through their talks, Lanford easily noticed that his former student wasn't the same as before. Something was wrong. He wore a mask to hide his pain, like a broken wind up doll. Dias was never able to move beyond what happened to Ferra, the first woman he had ever loved. That scar he held close to the vest, afraid to let anyone see. Being this vulnerable made him feel so uncomfortable. He couldn't keep living this way, though. Just a corpse walking around and acting to uphold values he didn't really find much worth in anymore. He probably would have preferred death at this point.

With their low stores of actual food, it was important that they return Dias back to the real world as soon as possible, less he suffer the same fate and become one of them. Dressed in Ghyrphite gear to make Daemonium blind to his presence, the Narrian embared with the others on an expedition to seek out an escape from this hellish domain. During their trek through the twisted landscape, Zulwarn appeared once more and launched a fierce assault. The Gnosis were pushed back and separated from Dias, as if that were the knight's intention all along, turning all of its attention on the Narrian. Despite being in better condition than last time, it was still a struggle to fend off the beast who only seemed to get stronger the more he resisted. As the fierce battle raged on, he couldn't help but shake this feeling of familarity. That was when Zulwarn revealed itself to actually be HIS Nightmare, the manifestation of what he feared most. No matter how hard he tried to fight back, he would never win. Zulwarn was the inescapable reminder that no matter how strong he became, it would never be enough, he would always be weak. And that weakness made Zulwarn bitter towards its living counterpart which looked upon the man with disgust. The monster told him that it was his savior, that which he secretly prayed for in the back of his subconscious, wishing for the freedom of death to end his miserable suffering.

Dias was thrown to the ground, the armored warrior towering over him menacingly. Yet again here they were, and yet again it backed off. Zulwarn told him that it would not allowed the Narrian to die, for doing so would mean its own end. But as he was now, the swordsman was worthless. His suicidal desire would be the undoing of them both, something the creature refused to accept. In most other instances, the Ghyr in this situation would devour its counterpart to become a whole entity. But the very thought of having this weakling as apart of itself was too revulting. Zulwarn was everything Dias was not, everything the man wanted to be. To have that kind of power. If he did, perhaps he could have somehow saved Ferra.

Once again, Zulwarn walked off across the wasteland after having defeated the Narrian.

After being retrieved by Phallanx, the party returned to the Gnosis compound to recover. Dias was in even worse shape than before. His battle with his other self had left him in a state of despair, its words repeating over and over again in his head. He became bed ridden and even stopped eating, seeming to just give up on life altogether, just slowly wasting away.

Lanford made the decision to put an end to this. The old Captain forcibly dragged Dias out of bed and the two went out on an expedition alone. He never explained what the reason was, only the instruction to follow along. They headed out into the baren wasteland of black sand and scarlet rocks, far from the fortress with nothing else around them to be seen for miles. Then, out of nowhere, Lanford ordered Dias to defend himself. At first he was confused by the demand, only be taken aback as the Captain rushed in and laid into him hard. The Narrian picked himself back up and questioned what was going on, to which Lanford only remarked that this would be his final lesson as the mans's teacher. Then he charged forward once more, letting loose with a lethal fury. De'Linux was seriously not holding back, each strike carried with intent to kill.

Beaten and bloody, Dias could hardly believe this was really happening. How could he ever defeat the Captain? The whole thing just felt hopeless. They clashed again, this time Lanford shattering the Moonlight into hundreds of tiny pieces, leaving the Ildera with no more source of Ether to burn. Lanford asked if this was really alright for him, if this was where everything came to an end. At the hands of his own mentor. What the point to everything up until now if this is where it all came to an end?

He knew that. He knew all that. Dias found himself seeing his life flash before his eyes. His time spent growing up in Agia with his mother. Allysiel and Azariel. The companions he made during their quest in Narria. Slaying the Demon King Omacron. The days spent with Queen Serenity in Ditreland and their victory over the Demon Prince Necron. His arrivel on Leonis and meeting Captain Lanford and joining the Azure Knights. His fellow comrades in their squad. The fall of the Tyril Kingdom and surviving through that ordeal. All of his travels and adventures throughout the limitless Omniverse and the people he had met. Freeing the former kingdom from the Velstine Empire. The days he spent living with Ferra... All of his thoughts focused on the woman, recalling their time with one another. The joy he felt just from being around her.

It was then that Lanford took notice of the man's hair beginning to spark, lighting up with ethereal radiance. Kicking off the ground, the Captain rushed in to deliver the final blow. But a mere second before he could, Dias' entire body ignited in a violent blaze of blue flame. Rising up, hand held to his chest, Dias' eyes turned crimson. Time seemingly came to a stop, everything around them freezing in a state of suspended animation as a voice from wtihin began to speak. The Bane of Creation itself...

The Nihilus...

The two exchanged words, Dias' red eyes allowing him to see the enormous monster grinning at him from the shadows of his own mind. It offered him the power he so longed for. Power to destroy any obstacle that stood in his way. But in exchange it asked for his existence as payment. To grant it the freedom it so lusted for. But Dias rejected the offer, declaring this power was his and his alone. The monster had always been with him, using its eyes as the source of his Ether Burn ability. If it wanted to keep living viacariously through him, it would shut up and do as he said, or else they both lose. Finding his stubborn determination to be so entertaining, launghing at the man's boldness, the Nihilus consented to share more of its forbidden knowledge.

Back in the present, time resumed as everything went back to normal, Lanford standing there in shock as he watched Dias proceed to Ether Burn his very own existence. SOUL BURN... Erasing his weakness, removing the limiters to allow the full release of his power's potential, Dias had a foot in both doors of the material and spiritual. The state of his existence had purposefully been turned unstable, maintained through sheer force of will, becoming the embodiment of his own resolve. His injuries gone, fully revitalized, the Narrian unleashed his counterattack and swiftly put Lanford on the defensive. The Captain had never been pushed like this before, proceeding to unload the full extent of his own abilities as well. Their clash could be felt all throughout the region.

Finally, it all came to an end with Lanford impaled. Coughing up black blood, he flashed a grin to his former student as the man stood there still flared up in his radiant state. He apologized for doing this, but he couldn't see any other way to help Dias reclaim what he had lost. This was the most he could do for him. Sadness welled up within the Narrian who gazed upon the smiling face of the man he had grown so attached to, killed by his own hands... His last request was for Dias to keep living. To never give up and do whatever he could to put an end to MERKAHBAH and their Pandemonium Knights. For everyone's sake, he had to survive.

And so with a heavy heart, survive is what he would do. Unleashing the full potential of his Soul Burn, Dias erected a massive barrier field to create a sphere of influence with this tainted space, shutting out Daemonium's corruption. Afterwards, the man entered into a deep slumber, allowing his mind to wander...

All the while, Zulwarn would watch over him, ensuring nothing would dare try to disturb him.
_____



Dias would remain in this state of suspended animation for several years, warding off the ravenous monsters the entire time as a mass congregation had formed in the region drawn to his radiance. Phallanx and the Gnosis could barely get close enough without exciting the enormous horde stalking about. Then one day, the red skies of Daemonium were torn asunder by golden pillars of light as Rei the Eidolon of Miracles defied the Realm of Nightmares. Alone, the Goddess unleashed her power and waylaid the monsters, appearing before the man in a flash. Taking hold of him, the two swiftly escaped just as the wicked dimension awakened to the Eidolon's presence and violently recoiled in rage as it failed to block their exit.

The wayward Narrian was brought to the world of Nerthus to Rei's palace located atop the Mana Tree where Ethlos, the Eidolon of Imagination, waited for their safe return. With him another unlikely familiar face was waiting, rushing out to be the first to greet them. Ferra Flora... The same woman whom Dias had learned was murdered by Rem'Graf all those years ago back in Daven City. A series of events had lead to her being revived by Rei who she had been living with ever since. It was thanks to her connection to the man that Rei was able to locate and save him in the first place. However, they would quickly learn a terrible reality. Dias wasn't moving. Despite Ferra pleading for him to open his eyes, he continued to remain as he was in that Soul Burn form which had kept him alive in that hell.

Ethlos immediately set about examining him. Enacting his own powers, the Eidolon managed to restore his physical body at least, but when those cerulean eyes opened they were devoid of life. Everything which makes a soul; Memory, Thought, Emotion, Identity... It was all fragmented, disjointed pieces of a very complex puzzle. Worse still, it appeared that some of those pieces were missing. The Eidolon went on to explain that what Dias did was unravel his very own existence, dismantling everything while retaining his sense of self through sheer willpower to carry out his resolve. Such a form would give him unparalleled might but at a very steep cost. Only be truly having mastered yourself is such a feat even possible for an Ildera, Dias being the only known instance of such a case. In other words, you end up having to lose yourself and then somehow manage to find yourself again and still retain that level of cognitive understanding to then recreate what you once were. Something which would obviously become much more difficult the longer you stay that way.

And so, there was seemingly nothing that could be done. Even for Eidolons, reconstructing a living soul is no simple task. Dias' current condition was the result of his mind trying to put itself back together. He was left in a near vegetative state, utterly helpless. During those days at the palace, Ferra cared for him. The ressurrected Nymph did everything she could for the man, tending to him day and night; helping to feed him, sleeping together to give comfort, bathing his scarred body. It didn't seem fair that they would finally get to reunite after being apart for so long only for things to end up like this. Then, while helping to wash him and overcome by the sinking despair, she went to leave the room only to be stopped suddenly. For some unknown reason, his hand had reached out to take hold of her arm. That was when it become apparent that he was still in there. The bond they shared was the only thing he seemed to recognize, not wanting to be away from her.

Once the Eidolons were informed of this development, a plan was concocted for them to channel their powers and temporarily merge the woman's mind with his so as to try and repair the damage which had been done. Accepting the task, Ferra was soon projected into the man's soul, finding herself in a memory of Daemonium. That was when she encountered a startling figure looming over her. Zulwarn...

The Ebon Knight claimed to know who she was from having seen Dias' memories. He assured her that his intentions were not hostile, this was merely a piece of himself which had taken root in the "weakling's" soul through the connection they shared between them. Zulwarn was everything Dias wanted to be, yet at the same time also rejected. HIS Nightmare. It was for that same reason that the creature refused her asking for help in restoring the man's soul as he wouldn't be able to do anything. Only her bond was capable of reclaiming the lost fragments. And so she set off to do just that, but with a stern warning given; the cost of saving a lost soul can be steep. Regardless, she pressed forward, traveling through a vast landscape of different memories. She traveled through Dias' life, as though walking beside him through it all. Ferra saw everything, the good and the bad... The worst of it was following after her death. It was painful to watch him suffering, agonizing on the inside and always wearing a mask to hide that vulnerability from others.

Finally, she managed to guide Dias through the twisting labyrinth, but there was a problem. Pieces were missing. She had noticed it before, thinking it was just skips in their story, but no. That which had caused him the most pain were the memories and feelings of happiness the two of them had shared together. Memories she herself had... The only way to complete the puzzle was to fill the gaps. And so, Ferra made the sacrifice, even though Zulwarn said what the risks could be for her doing so.

Back in the palace, only a few minutes had passed in what had been years experienced by Ferra. After a moment, Dias began to stir, eyes slowly opening. Life steadily came back to his azure hair which illuminated with a faint glow once more. His existence had been restored. He remembered Ferra being there with him in the mindscape, thinking it to only be a dream. Yet his eyes went wide as he saw her laying there beside him. Ignoring everything else, he gently shook her arm to wake her up. As she came to, the girl sat up and recognized Rei and Ethlos, apologizing for having fallen asleep. Dias embraced her, hugging tightly as if never wanting to let go. That was, till she asked the question "Who are you?"

The response could not be properly explained with words alone. Dias turned pale with disbelief, explaining who he was. But she had no memory of ever meeting him before. She couldn't remember anything about herself, even her own past. She had completely lost her identity. As it turned out, the poor woman had developed a serious case of amnesia. Her mind had constructed a new identity as a defense mechanism to shield her psyche from the traumatic blow, that she had always been living at the Mana Tree as a servant of Rei.

Dias demanded that the Eidolons do something to fix this, grabbing Ethlos by his collar roughly. But they couldn't. They were only able to restore him thanks to the sacrifice she made. The man's denial soon wavered into defeat, as if having experienced losing her for the second time in his life now. It wasn't worth it to bring him back if this was the price. And so he began to break down and start to cry... Seeing his grief, Ferra brought her arms around him to comfort the man. Though she had lost her memories, somehow she still felt as though she knew him, a strong emotional attachment. The warmth of her touch did seem to ease the pain, taking solace in the face she was at least still alive. Rei then interjected by saying its possible she could one day regain her lost identity. Anything was possible. Those fragments were now apart of him and so they still remained intact, shared by them.

The next few days were given as time to recover. Ferra went about her business in taking care of him, though Dias kept refusing the help and instead wanted to do things for himself so she wouldn't have to. It was almost the reverse situation they were in before, though all he did was basically just like the cooking and cleaning.

Eventually, Ethlos called him away so that the two could speak in private. They discussed everything which had happened up until now. Dias never did care much for the Eidolons ever since the Demon War saw the complete genocide of all Agnari leaving him as the only survivor. But there were more serious matters that needed to be addressed now that he was back in the real world. It was concerning the organization Dias had crossed paths with numerous times. MERKAHBAH. The man immediately recalled the name and his discussion with Lanford, how they were the ones involved with the destruction of Tyril and the Azure Knights. Apparently, the Eidolon had become aware that they were close to achieving one of their major goals in a world called Fantasia Earth where they were seeking to capture another of their kind.

Ethlos further elaborated, explaining the lost history of Narria. He talked about how each Eidolon was born from an aspect of Sophixia, the All Mother and Source of Creation who slept in a never ending dream. She would come to experience life through separate incarnations of herself, different masks with each having their own unique identities, memories, feelings and thoughts. These were the Eidolons.
-Adayah of Desire.
-Ethlos of Imagination.
-Nethos of Reason.
-Theros of Time.
-Lomedia of Order.
-Uruha of Balance.
-Pragma of Form.
-Manah of Life.
-Sensia of Cognition.
-Rei of Miracles.

In the beginning, the first Eidolon to exist was the Alpha who represented the Purpose of Creation itself. But as complex as it were, the Alpha later divided and splintered into three individual Eidolons from whom all the others stemmed. Those three were Adayah the Sovreign, Nethos the Philosopher and Ethlos the Architect. Three parts of the same whole. The near apocalyptic devastation which caused the sky to fall and crash into Narria, known to historians as The Catastrophe, was brought about by a tragic chain of events set in motion by Nethos. The Eidolon of Reason held the power and authority to define the understanding and concepts of everything which exists as apart of Creation, making sense of things where there is none. This stubborn tenacity was his greatest strength and most damning weakness as he soon drove himself utterly insane while trying to discern a true sense of Nothing, the origins of Sophixia. He isolated himself from the rest as the madness took hold and soon manifested into the First Nightmare, Daemonium, who tore out the Eidolon's eyes and made them its own.

Meanwhile, the divine nature of Nethos which defined him as an Eidolon became warped, his purpose becoming inverted to do the opposite. His power became the Bane of Creation, seeking to find his answer by becoming the antithesis to Sophixia. The Nihilus...

If Sophixia was the Purpose of Creation, then a true Nothing would be the opposite, a force which only seeks to undo all that has been made. Yes, the same kind of power Dias and the other Ildera wielded. Their Ether Burn was only made possible by the Red Eye Virus they were born with, the connection all natives of Narria share with the abyss. Ildera are special in that they have a natural immunity to the monster's madness and can remain in control of who they are. As due to the blessings bestowed upon all Agnari by Ethlos himself, the Creative Soul, Ildera wield both; the Nihilus Paradox, the Counter Formula to dismantle and erase existence. As well as the Estus Paradox which had given birth to Sophixia, the Formula for Creation to construct and compose existence.

Daemonium and the Nihilus brought destruction to Celestia, the First World, forcing the Eidolons to come together and fight them off to protect the Dreamer. Uruha called upon her creations, the Almah Tribe, to help dispose of the abominations spawning from Daemonium's body and keep them from getting down into Narria. During the fierce battle, Uruha defeated the Nightmare by applying her own aspect of Balance to redefine the nature of Daemonium, casting it out into the Void as the opposite of existence where it has since become its own dimension separate from everything born of Creation, a sentient realm forever reflecting that which it can never be. In all of this, it was believed she had sacrificed herself while trying to save Nethos by reclaiming what had been stolen away and corrupted. Taking the poison into herself in exchange, the Warrior Eidolon rescued one of his pieces which fell to Narria. His Mind, tattered and broken from the madness, took the form of an Agnari man who suffered from amnesia. With Daemonium being his corrupted Soul and the Nihilus his Body.

The Nihilus was later imprisoned by the others combining their aspects, creating a third world beneath Narria to act as its eternal prison; Vera Mors. But what became of Uruha is what mattered most in their current situation. As it turned out, that wasn't the end of the Eidolon who fled into the Omniverse to keep the corruption away from Sophixia. As countless eons passed, her will began to break until the poison became too much to restrain within herself. She found herself on a world called Earth where a woman known as Moriea, one of the Wiccan species, made contact with her. In order to save them all, Uruha became a Dreamer and took Moriea's world in as the framework for a completely new Omniverse to contain the evil. Moriea became its ruler, a custodian who acquired the Eidolon's powers. This is what MERKAHBAH was after. Ethlos revealed that the organization had discovered this separate Omniverse and found a means to enter it. And if something wasn't done soon, there was no telling what would happen.

It was a lot to take in all at once, but Dias understood the severity of these circumstances. He had plenty of reason enough already to oppose them after what Lanford had said along with everything else he's been through thanks to their lot. The Narrian agreed to help but only under the condition that they make sure no harm comes to Ferra. Of course, said Nymph in question had been eavesdropping the entire time and promptly interjected at that moment, insisted that she be allowed to join him. It wasn't something she entirely understood the reasons for but there was an intense anxiety at the thought of him going off on his own and leaving her there. She wanted to stay by his side, a sentiment he could sympathize with. But he couldn't risk anything happening to her again, refusing to take her along with him which only made her upset.

After preparations were finished, Dias was presented with a new weapon; the Krydesa.
And with that, Ethlos sent the man on his way to the next battlefield...
_____



Appearing in a modern day Tokyo, he was greeted by explosions in the background and smoke rising throughout the city. He had arrived in the middle of a massive battle being waged by multiple forces. One side appeared dressed in black uniforms, soldiers bearing a crest that he recognized as belonging to MERKAHBAH's Pandemonium Knights along with sightings of Ghyr. They were assisting a larger military decked out in what looked like cybernetic exoskeletons, well organized and outfitted with serious hardware. The third faction seemed to be an alliance of different armies banded together that possessed elemental powers and were heavily engaged with the other two forces. He was soon joined by Ethlos who pointed them out as being the Wiccan Tribes, Moriea's people. The local Human authorities had been overwhelmed with those that remained working to keep the civilians safe.

The Wiccans struggled against the PKers and their Ghyr slaves. Swiftly, the Narrian took to the field and began cutting a swath through the city streets. After dispatching one calling herself ATOMOS, Dias found himself staring down that familiar smirk...Rem'Graf having appeared. Triggering years of hatred and regret, his rage became an unstoppable force as the Narrian gave chase, slashing through obstacles and enemies daring to get in his way. This high speed chase came to an abrupt end when the two reached Tokyo Tower and Remy turned to cross blades with the man. This resulting shockwave took most by surprise as the fighting came to a temporary standstill, attention turning to their fierce battle. The Narrian was certainly much stronger from the last time they fought, which was oddly pleasing to the red head. But the true test was when the Real Number removed his eyepatch as he had back then, once again causing the entire universe to freeze up. This time however, Dias was able to move, breaking free from that inverted eye's grip enough to at least defend against the incoming assault. But it wouldn't be enough, barely managing to keep standing his ground.

It was in that moment Remy revealed his secret; that demonic eye belonged to Daemonium itself. When the patch was removed, its gaze could be felt by the entire universe, causing a displacement of time-space that went unnoticed by others except for anyone aware of it. Its was remarkable that the Narrian could move around as much as he was, breaking free of its paralyzing influence. The PKer then struck Dias across the chest, cutting deep as blood gushed out. Disappointed with this outcome, the red head had such high hopes for the swordsman. Just another failure.

But then that voice spoke... Zulwarn...
In an instant, Dias' right arm lashed out, sending Remy careening across the sky and crashing through multiple buildings. Having lost himself to his emotions, his blood pouring out turned black, the subtance animating to wrap around his body. Emerging from the shell was the Ebon Knight who now stood in Dias' place. The armored creature raised its hand just in time to block a full frontal attack at point blank range from Rem'Graf who was honestly shocked by such power, Zulwarn utterly unphased by it. Despite the effects of Daemonium's eye, the Nightmare defied the influence pressing upon it, moving without hindrance as it tore into the man with reckless abandon. Its own unique form of Ether Burn proved damning for Remy as it practically nullified his powers and dissolved most anything he threw at the beast. Using his ability, Remy replicated its Ghyr Burn power to level the playing field, the fight coming down to a battle of sheer physical might.

After sustaining serious damage, Rem'Graf was pinned down as Zulwarn pierced his skull, ripping the eye out of its socket. The dimensional stasis effect immediately came to an end, everyone taken aback but the sudden skip in events as Dias was nowhere to be seen and his opponent badly injured. Then, as the Ebon Knight raised its weapon to slay the man, Ferra's voice could be heard shouting out to him. Called by name. The armored beast hesitated, feeling the Narrian's presence reacting and seeking to wrestle back control of his body. Protesting its counterpart, the Nightmare stumbled backwards in pain, the armor cracking before blowing apart to reveal Dias once more. The gash in his chest was gone but Remy was still standing, hoisting himself up with a laugh and scolding the Narrian about how it was cheating to get outside help. Reclaiming Daemonium's Eye, the PKer swallowed it in a final bid for victory, the corruption infecting him to his very core and causing an alarming mutation.

Exhausted from the strain put on him by Zulwarn, Dias took one final look at Ferra before unleashing the power of his Soul Burn.

His resolve to protect everyone and defeat MERKAHBAH's menace manifested, transcending the physical and spiritual divide once more just as he did against Lanford. Even with all the strength of Daemonium coursing through him, Neo-Remy was no match for the unrelenting will as a non-stop barrage of devastating attacks were let loose upon the abomination. Carving the red out from his demonic outer flesh to expose him, the man offered a few last words just moments before being utterly obliterated, a smile on his face the entire time...

The loss of a Real Number was a serious blow, the PKer ranks becoming disorganized. Their Ghyr slaves were systematically dissolving as they faded from the world, their presence only being sustained by Remy's power. Not long after, something else must have happened as the call to withdraw was sent out to all remaining forces. It was in that moment that the universe seemingly cracked. Ethlos, who had been with Ferra the entire time, remarked that Uruha was on the verge of awakening. With the immediate threat over, Dias fell to the ground and shifted back to normal. The two rushed over to check on him, but the Eidolon assured her that his soul was still intact and he was merely unconscious.

As the Dream was coming to an end, the denizens of the world watched as their universe became enveloped by a wave of ethereal light, the dimension merging with Sophixia's Omniverse. The Earth that once existed had now been overwritten by Fantasia, the Goddess Moriea reverting back to her original self. That was when Ferra noticed Ethlos had also vanished. In their state of confusion, no one took notice of Daemonium's Eye laying on the ground with corruption spreading out from it. The inverted eye slowly sank down into the darkness and disappeared, but the Ghyrphite continued to spread, infecting all the physical matter around it. Some Wiccan warriors discovered Ferra trying to carry Dias to somewhere safe and quickly went to offer their aid, taking the man to their established base camp. The last vestiges of those Human soldiers who had been working with MERKAHBAH were still holding out in various points throughout the city, but the Japanese Self Defense Force could finally enter the region after having been kept out by a barrier field erected around Tokyo.

Moriea and King Adam Shaishimo of the Wiccan Time Domain joined up with the rest of their people along with a Human woman by the name of Aisaka Harima and her companions; Wolfgang Uldrich Von Reginherat, Shizuku Ginjo, Elsa Vinberg, Clair Barker and her partner Takamichi Shiba as well as Aya Satomi. Aisaka was the founder of ADIA, the Anti-Demon Investigation Agency, who were working in alliance with the Wiccans to oppose the twisted machinations of the powerful international corporation HARIMA Industries controlled by her older brother, Soichiro Harima. He was using the company's vast resources to assist the real matermind behind all these terrible events, the mysterious Lord Ashura who was obsessed with Moriea. The fiend had been recieving aid from MERKAHBAH for years to help speed up his plans to awaken Uruha, although both Ashura and Soichiro had their own agendas and personal reasons for joining forces.

ADIA clashed with Soichiro's Elite Task Force, Eszett, who were the backbone of the corporation's private army. They managed to defeat all of Eszett's members, but not without taking heavy losses...the deaths of close friends leaving a bitter taste for those that survived.

The ongoing conflict with HARIMA Industries and the existence of Wiccans was something which had been kept hidden away from the rest of Human society for years. So when the JSDF arrived it was cause for alarm. Humans had a history of fearing that which they do not understand and so the Wiccans found themselves in a difficult situation. Things only got worse however when gunfire erupted, soldiers making contact with Nightmares which were flooding into Tokyo as Daemonium's corruption only grew quicker, seeping through the planet into the core and branching out into other countries. Reports started to come in of the same monsters appearing throughout every continent like some sort of pandemic. Entire city blocks became dead zones, the environment visibly altered by the infection which turned physical matter pitch black. Ferra tried everything to wake up Dias, but to no avail. Holding him tightly, the Nymph braced herself for the inevitable, swearing not to let go.

Just as all hope seemed lost, a fleet of ships appeared overhead. Jumping down from one of the shuttles was a woman covered in short pink fur with large bunny ears and a cotton tail decked out in what looked like full combat gear opening up with a volley from dual LMGs. The explosive rounds punched holes through the monsters like swiss cheese, soon joined by others who dropped down to offer assistance. Then a burst of light nearby caught their attention, another female demi-human appearing before them, this one much taller with a muscular physique and the features of a Dragon. Addressing the group's leaders, the woman introduced herself as Chief Commander Aeon Ergo of the Aesir Empire. Explaining that time was short, she immediately cut to the chase in dishing out instructions to get as many people as they could onto the dropships they were bringing in to evacuate the area. When the JSDF Army General demanded an explanation at gun point, the dragon lady promptly marched over to him despite his orders to stay where she was. Pulling the trigger, his bullet made contact with a shimmering energy field surrounding her body, doing absolutely nothing. In one motion, she snatched the gun from his hands and proceeded to crush it right in front of him, tossing the mangled piece of metal on the road before repeating her instructions citing that anyone who stays behind is as good as dead.

Without question, King Adam and Moriea directed their people to board the transports with haste. Division among those in the JSDF and Tokyo's remaining local law enforcement resulted in many choosing to stay and do what they could to put down the monster hordes while the smarter Humans chose to follow Aeon's lead and evacuate. Ferra and Dias were among the first group to dust up and escape, meeting up with the empire's infamous 9th Orbital Fleet lead by Admiral Janicia Huxley who was helping to manage their efforts from the flagship supercarrier OSF-CALDRI.

Aeon remained planetside, stepping up alongside the pink rabbit girl from earlier, Simca Koneli, as they began unleashing a hailstorm of artillery into the ever mounting numbers of ravenous Ghyr filling the streets. Once they had gathered up all of the Wiccans and willing Human civilians and JSDF soldiers tasked with protecting them, the Chief gave the order for all units to fall back. When questioned about what they were going to do about the rest of the world, Aeon's only response was that it was already too late to save them. At one point the monster swarm broke through the perimeter and attacked Aisaka who had ran back to help a mother and child. Saved by Wolfgang, he held the Ghyr back while the others escaped, despite protests from Aisaka who kept yelling for him. Thanks to his sacrifice, the ship managed to take off safely. As the transports returned to the carriers holding orbit around the planet, they watched as the blue globe gradually turned black...poisoned by the corruption which now began to rise up from the surface into the atmosphere and space. It wouldn't stop until the entire universe was consumed...

And with that, the Aesir Fleet was on their way, warping out of the dimension and traveling through the Omniverse away from the doomed world.
_____



Dias woke up after having been asleep for nearly a month, finding himself stiff and laying in a hospital bed. To his surprise, Ferra was sleeping beside him as well, feeling much more at ease knowing she was at least safe. But it left the question of where exactly were they? Carefully, he got out the bed, locating his traveling clothes which had been washed and folded up on the table nearby. Peering through the metal shutters on the window, he could see what looked like a rather extensive school campus of sorts with men and women of different species walking around dressed in matching black and red military uniforms. It was right around there that the door opened and he was greeted by a woman with long raven hair, dressed casually with large angelic wings folded up behind her. He had come across many different kinds of creatures during his travels so seeing something like this wasn't all that crazy for him, but he had never seen so many different breeds gathered in one place before. In fact Humans appeared to be the minority around here.

She introduced herself as Sabriel Atoli, a member of the SOF Crimson Knights, an independant branch of the Aesir Empire's military forces. This was the Medical Ward at Ashrum Academy, the Central Headquarters and training facility for SOF personnel and potential candidates. He was told that, according to the report compiled, after he had passed out from his battle the world they were on became tainted by an evil dimension. Of course, he knew exactly what that was without her needing to go into any further details. On their end, they had detected a strange dimensional anomaly in the Omniverse and the order was sent out to investigate. When their forces arrived, the corruption had already taken firm root and could no longer be stopped. They did what they could to save as many as possible.

The Aesir Empire was a Transuniversal Planetary Nation which spanned many worlds throughout the Omniverse. It was a military superpower with highly advanced technology far surpassing anything the Narrian had ever seen, possessing the means to easily jump between multiple universes in an instant. They were currently in Babylon, the Capital City on planet Gaea. The sprawling mega metropolis covered a third of the world's total surface area, a practical country in its own right as it dwarfed all the other native kingdoms in the land. Its various geographical regions were organized for specific purposes and designated as districts;
-The Military District, reserved space for all armed forces, training and testing grounds, government conducted R&D, administrative offices, weapon depots, etc.
-The Residental District, the ever expanding sector which provided living accommodations for all citizens and visiters, mostly apartment complexes with skyline luxury suites and hotel chains.
-The Industrial District, land set aside for mass production factories, assembly plants, aggriculture, resource refineries, consumer manufacturing firms, etc.
-The Commerical District, the center hub of commerce where one can find damn near anything they could think of from a wide range of industries and services.

All refugees taken in from Fantasia Earth were provided with temporary housing and relief aid to ease tensions and help make the transition to their new lives as painless as possible. The Wiccans seemed to integrate relatively quickly into Babylon's multicultural society, many of their warriors volunteering to enlist with the army. Aeon saw fit to establish a special division especially for them. The Humans brought over however were having the hardest go of it with those from the JSDF still asserting their authority and the sovreignty of their people. They were willing to grant their requests and provide any supplies requested. Aeon was still hammering out the politics on all that, though it seemed they were likely going to be establishing a colony of sorts rather than stay in Babylon.

They had plenty of experience with disaster relief, having gone through a similar situation of their own a number of years ago. As it turned out, they also knew about MERKAHBAH as their Pandemonium Knights had attacked them in the past and triggered the same corruption to spread throughout Gaea as well. It threatened to devour not only this world but also spread to every other world in the empire. Many planets suffered mass casaulties with a death toll no one wanted to think about. That tragic incident which lasted for over a month would forever be known as the Daemonium War...

After the war had ended, the royal family had been lost and the previous head of the military was dead. It was Aeon who took charge in the aftermath, restoring order to the chaos. She was voted overwhelmingly by the people in their very first democratic elections to become the next ruler of Aesir, given the official title of Empress. Though being the old soldier that she was, she prefers her rank instead, having been field promoted during the war to the new Chief Commander of the Imperial Military. Most just simply referred to her as the Chief since she wasn't much for formalities.

Now that he was awake, a meeting was arranged for him to join Aeon, King Adam, Moriea and Aisaka. It was important for them to share notes on everything that happened and about what they knew regarding the ones responsible for the devastation. They determined that MERKAHBAH was an organization which worked from the shadows and didn't seem to have any real set infrastructure that they could attack. Their overall goals were still unknown but they had been directly implicated in many incidents throughout the Omniverse ranging from the completel genocide of entire species, subjecting underdeveloped worlds to cruel experimentation, instigating global and planetary conflicts, the spread of viral contagions, pulling the strings of powerful organizations and secret societies, the destruction of entire worlds, supplying weapons to terrorist groups... They ran the gamut when it came to evil villainy.

MERKAHBAH commands an unrecognized military force called the Pandemonium Knights. These troops seem to work independently from each other, operating in a similar fashion to sleeper cells all throughout the Omniverse. Many among their ranks are known to possess powerful abilities, though as was observed at the Battle of Tokyo, the majority seem to rely on strange weapons and technology supplied by the organization through some kind of distribution method. All PKers are designated as Imaginary Numbers, with the only exception being their strongest members whose ranks are an actual measurement of their relative combat abilities. Those elites are called Real Numbers. According to Aeon's own anonymous source, there are eight in total. Their Second and Seventh are confirmed dead with the Fifth having gone missing for some time now. When pressed about who this source was, the Chief opted to keep that a secret for their sake.

In addition, PKers had bodies created from the husks of Ghyr harvested in Daemonium, though they weren't sure how this was possible. This gave them similar characteristics, which meant they were immune to any kind of directed energy weapons (DEWs) and elemental attacks. Only physical strikes and kinetic based ammunition had any effect. Dias added that they don't give off a spiritual presence, either. That only further complicated matters, though it could at least give them a means to identify their members.

With all that on the table, Aeon went on to explain that apparently their leaders had possessed knowledge of Daemonium since the empire was first founded. The First Emperor and at the time Head Advisor Marduk Leingod, had apparently been building up the nation and expanding its territory throughout the Omniverse for the purpose of countering the threat posed by the transdimensional terror. For generations of rulers, the nation had been geared towards conquest and devoted to a military culture and technological advancement. Each world they seized was done so for a specific reason, each containing ancient ruins belonging to a lost civilization known as the Ixians. However, what they were specifically after remains a mystery as the royal family had been lost when the previous capital city of Avalon was destroyed in the war. Likewise, Chief Director Marduk had also gone missing at the start of said incident. Yes, the same Marduk who helped to establish the empire. From their investigation, it seemed he was the lynchpin of it all, including the one who provided their knowledge database of Daemonium and all known locations of potential Ixian sites.

Dias recalled stumbling across one such ruin what seemed like ages ago now back on Laistea. He vaguely remembered coming across containers filled with a blue glowing fluid with one plugged into a machine that he accidentally activated which sent him to another ruin on Leonis. Neither world Aeon was familiar with, even doing a search of the directory didn't yield any results. All the relics and tech recovered by the Ixian Archaeology Department at Ashrum were inert with their attempts to reactivate them proving a failure time and again. Whatever was inside those containers must be the key, but none have yet to be found by them. Unfortunately, there was no way for them to get back to this place Dias had been. Their only option was to continue the project in searching each location on file, a task that was made more difficult in recent years as a result of the war. The empire's freedom to act beyond its borders had been severely restricted by Aeon herself, to appease the various worlds taken by them in the past who had since formed their own opposing government body; the United Federation of Worlds. (UFW)

Though they could have been crushed outright by Aesir's sheer military might, to avoid having to deal with a rebellion and anymore loss of life, the Chief officially recognized them and signed a treaty that would renegotiate the terms forced upon them by previous administrations. This gave them more political power and involved withdrawing imperial forces stationed on their worlds, as well as the freedom to establish their own military force. Likewise, the UFW Senate would have to approve the use of military assets outside of imperial territory with restrictions on military operations within UFW space. The only reason she wasn't getting yelled at by them for taking the 9th Fleet to Fantasia Earth was because the situation had been deemed an emergency which called for immdiate action. In other words, it was all a giant pain in the ass now for them to do damn near anything.

Aeon went on to explain that the SOF Crimson Knights had been originally formed by Chief Director Marduk as an Anti-Daemonium Defensive Measure. The CK Program was intended to search out candidates who possessed the qualities that would make them immune to the corruption of Daemonium which would normally infect and consume most others instantly upon making contact with the stuff. Now, she had repurposed them with the task of hunting down Pandemonium Knights and putting an end to MERKAHBAH. It was then she presented them all with an offer. They needed to bolster their numbers and was always looking for those suited for this line of work. It didn't take much convincing past that, Dias being the first one to respond by accepting.

Aisaka also wanted to help given everything they had been through. But joining as one of their soldiers really wasn't her style, instead opting to do things her own way. Moriea likewise offered her assistance in the form of knowledge and science craft, electing to join the team at Ashrum. King Adam had his people to worry about for the time being which would be his main focus, though he would be sure to inform their warriors.

Granted the official status as a member of the SOF, Dias once again dawned a military uniform, remembering his time spent with Lanford in the Tyril Kingdom. Him and Ferra were given permanent housing reserved for soldiers and their family in the Residential District, a decent sized apartment with everything they would need. The Narrian gradually got to meet the Psilos Dreamhare, Simca Koneli, who had helped out with the evacuation at Tokyo. She introduced him to Deon Laurant Gustave, a Crimson Knight easily confused for a Human who was somewhat retired these days in the sense he wasn't actively accepting mission assignments, having used his savings to open up a tavern he named The Hanged Man. It was a popular gathering spot for SOF members with items on the menu that were hard to find anywhere else, mainly due to his connections with the Black Market.

Even with all these unique races walking about the streets, Dias still managed to stand out in the crowds and attract all sorts of unwanted attention from the locals with his glowing azure hair. It really put into perspective the fact he was literally an endangered species. To help hide this, the team over at Ashrum with the assistance of Moriea developed an invention dubbed an Ether Siphon which served as a hair clip, catching the energy particles being put off and removing the illuminating effect while turning the color black. Of course, if his emotions got too intense it would overload the small device and break it. Fortunately they provided him with plenty of replacements.

The Narrian didn't really travel about, stickiny to Babylon and spending time with Ferra as they both adjusted to their new lives. He made regular use of the specialized training facilities at Ashrum Academy where students and even some veterans would observe his sessions, curious to learn more about the strange new recruit who had been automatically accepted into the SOF without having to deal with attending classes at the prestigious military school. The man quickly earned a reputation, bolstered by having easily defeated one of the academy's top ranked students.

In those first few months, the Wiccan people were relocated to the Popolia Kingdom, the second largest nation found on Gaea which had been allowed to retain their sovereignty by allying themselves with the Aesir Empire upon their arrival in the distant past. It was the homeland for the world's Demi-Human races, ruled by the Psilos Dreamhare Primarch, Serilla Koneli, Simca's mother. Their two cultures shared the most in common and so King Adam worked with Serilla to build a new life while the search continued for a world they could call their own. To build stronger relations with the Wiccan people a political marriage was held for Aeon and Moriea, joining their nations together in accordance with ancient tradition.

Meanwhile, those of the JSDF and Tokyo Refugees were given their own Space Colony and granted the freedom to govern themselves with the Aesir Empire contiuning to provide supplies and resources until they could become self-sufficient. Former JSDF Lieutenant General Ryohei Kuroiwa, who had been tasked with safeguarding the refugees, established the Provisional Neo Tokyo Government. The large orbital colony was renamed New Nihon, a haven for those Human survivors of Fantasia Earth. Aisaka Harima took up residence in the city and opened a cafe with her maid bodyguard, Elsa Vinberg and ADIA's Wizard Class Hacker, Aya Satomi. Shizuku Ginjo got a place nearby but took up a job working as a teacher instead for the newly founded Neo Tokyo Highschool. The small developing country would later be approached by UFW representatives and welcomed into the Federation. The other two remaining ADIA members, Takamichi Shiba and Clair Barker, joined the Neo Tokyo Law Enforcement lead by Police Chief Kanae Izumi.

In Babylon, a man by the name of Relius staged a coup with malcontents he had been putting together in secret for a while. The traitor had thought it would be a smart idea to put a sizable bounty on Dias which attracted the Pirate Queen Cee, a highly advanced Combat Android who was part of Crim El Furaga's Ygg Crew. At around the same time, their apartment was attacked by assassins and one of Relius' comrades, the Crimson Knight Godhart, who Ferra gave a stern lecture to for having wrecked the place. Before the giant of a man could even lay a finger on her, he was swiftly dispatched by the Narrian who was quite cross at his shower being interrupted and breakfast ruined. While Dias went about slaughtering the assailants, Cee got swept up in affairs elsewhere with Relius himself. It all came to an end when the IAF Phantom Division's Geister Company lead by former SOF Kurau Concha, her team executing a simultaneous precision strike on all terrorist safehouses, having waited for the dissidants to expose themselves to catch all the traitors in a single sweep.

Sometime after, another incident took place in Babylon when alarms sounded concerning the detection of Daemonium just like during the war. It brought back past trauma for many as automated defense protocols activated to cordon off the target area and keep the threat contained. Public Security and Military Forces were dispatched as well with Aeon soon joining them on scene where a man by the name of Amadeus had appeared and opened a rift through the fabric of reality. Aisaka, who happened to be paying a visit to Babylon to meet with Aeon, rushed over to see what was happening. Right about then, one after another, Gnosis and Wiccans alike began to emerge carrying wounded survivors who had been found after the loss of Fantasia Earth. A number of Human civilians from Tokyo as well as JSDF soldiers, exhausted and in need of immediate medical attention. Dias arrived on scene just in case along with Simca. They were surprised when Aisaka blew past them through the dividers, tackling Wolfgang who was also among the survivors. Having finished their task, Amadeus ordered the Gnosis to pull back, having replaced Lanford as their leader. Phallanx, taking notice of the Narrian, gave a friendly wave before disappearing back through the rift along with the rest of his kin. After being properly treated, the recovered Humans from Tokyo who had been struggling to survive in Daemonium were transfered to New Nihon. A celebration was held on the colony for their safe return, many reunited with their friends and family who they thought were dead with Wolfgang moving in with Aisaka.

A couple months later, Aeon requested Dias' assistance for what was supposed to be a covert mission to the war torn planet of Vestusio. The world had become occupied by forces from the Dimensional Federation's 44th Frontier Fleet as part of an operation to root out the Yggdrasil Pirates. He was given the task of infiltrating the federation army stationed there to determine whether or not they were working with MERKAHBAH.

Using the distraction provided by the return of Captain Crim El Furaga and his band of space pirates aboard their new Yggdurandal starship, along with another Crimson Knight known as Raikar who came acting as his guide, Dias arrived on Vestusio and managed to get into a U-TIC Organization stronghold formerly used as a base for Crim and the gang. Inside, Dias became separated from Raikar and ended up finding some of his old rival's crew locked up. Freeing the prisoners, he met Vaughn and they quickly made their escape.

However, they encountered the sentient tome called Delabraxias. All the others save for Dias and Vaughn were able to survive the battle and made it outside after defeating the wicked entity. Parting ways with his new found friend, Dias could suddenly detect a mass gathering of conflicting powers off in the distance. Realizing it had appeared where Crim and all the others were gathered, the Narrian rushed off to join the fight. But when he arrived, the group was struggling to defend themselves, beaten badly by the one revealing himself as Malphisto Cichol, the First and dubbed primavera of MERKAHBAH's elite Real Numbers.

A duel to the death ensued with Dias unleashing everything that he had upon the man only to be pushed back at every turn. Just when all hope seemed lost, divine intervention appeared in the form of the Eidolons. The Narrian recognized one as Ethlos, who was joined by Lomedia of Order and the newly revived Uruha of Balance who was wielding the Isograevus which Dias had left behind in Ditreland so very long ago. With their help, Malphisto was quickly reigned in. But before victory could be realized, another appeared whose mere presence caused the three divines of Sophixia to falter in their assault. Dias heard them refer to the man as a traitor, the Rogue Eidolon. More startling was when the seemingly invincible Malphisto bowed his head and called him Master. Thus all was revealed. THIS was the true puppetmaster pulling the strings behind MERKAHBAH and the Pandemonium Knights. The one responsible for everything wrong that has happened, all the lives lost and tragic misery endured. He then went on to greet the crowd, introducing himself with a coy expression as Adayah, the Eidolon of Desire.

Lomedia struck first but was halted in his tracks, pausing for some unknown reason but a few inches away from connecting. Malphisto intervened in a flash, crossing the distance and literally cracking the Eidolon of Order's face with a single punch. Uruha jumped in but was knocked back effortlessly by Adayah who then suddenly stood before Ethlos. The two exchanged words before the Master of MERKAHBAH snapped his fingers causing his fellow Eidolons to abruptly vanish in an instant.

Refusing to miss this opportunity, the injured Dias charged in poised to cut down the bastard. But while in mid stride, he slowly came to a standstill and dropped to his knees, having lost all motivation or will to carry through with his attack, the hatred somehow sapped from him entirely. Adayah smirked at the Narrian before turning his back on him.

Though it was apparent he could have simply killed them all, Adayah instead chose to leave while taking Malphisto along with him. But in his absence came the looming threat of MERKAHBAH's wrath. An unending horde of Nightmares poured out from Daemonium and infested the planet, attacking anything alive. The unholy alliance between them and U-TIC was revealed as the two forces joined together for a counterattack on the Ygg Crew. The instant Adayah was gone, Dias returned to normal, though the experience had severely messed with his head over the thought of having his will taken away like that. But there wasn't time for that as the situation only grew worse by the moment.

Doing what he could to help out, the Narrian had been going around the last city where Crim's people were still holding out against the enemy, slaying U-TIC and PK troops alike while assisting survivors who were gathering others at a makeshift safehouse. The group couldn't stay there for much longer however and so the decision was made to load everyone up into a fortified truck and make a break for the pirate's stronghold. Dias went along to escort them and provide cover, fighting off enemies as they traveled the highway. They were eventually trapped by an ambush and pinned down. Against all odds, Dias stood between the survivors and a hailstorm of bullets, deflecting the shots away from the truck to keep those inside safe even as his body was hit multiple times, losing an arm and leg. With Ether Burn, he used his own blood to replace the lost limbs with blades as he launched his own counterattack, charging in like a demon and violently carving through the soldiers even as his vision began to blur.

During the onslaught, a miracle came in the form of the young girl who had been in a kind of dimensional stasis, given to the care of Crim years ago. The Eikona, Genesis.

With the heroes knocking on death's door, the secret buried along with Gene came out as she called forth a weapon of mythic proportions, a cosmic device so big that it physically encased the entire solar system they were in. The ARKOS. It forcibly seized total control of the universe itself and purged all traces of MERKAHBAH and Daemonium from the realm like an Admin's banhammer, swiftly putting an end to the chaos. Just before it vanished back into the nothing from whence it came, Gene used the godlike powers of this machine to restore the damage inflicted upon Vestusio and all those that were still living, Dias' body being put back together with both limbs back to normal and his wounds healed as though they never happened.

The battle finally over, Dias took it upon himself for some personal R&R, saying goodbye once again to Captain Crim and his pirates as he left Vestusio to return home to Ferra sure not to tell her about his near death experience...

Feeling the lasting effects of having Adayah literally toy with him on an existential level, Dias suffered terrible dreams each night which began to concern Ferra. The man focused more on his training, seeking to perfect a powerful technique created by Lanford. It served to get his mind off of that anxious feeling. He also started spending time with one of Crim's crewmembers, Josh Melidan, who had been staying on Gaea while Vaughn recieved medical treatment for his worsening condition. The two were out getting a bite to eat at a well known taco shop, Los Burritos, when all hell broke loose in Babylon, something of a common occurrance it seemed like when Crim showed up in a literal blaze which had manifested nearby out of nowhere. With him was a very old acquaintance he met years ago during his aimless travels through the Omniverse, Frost, who he had met as a young boy while saving his village from bandits. While Josh went off to keep the peace and have a word with his Captain, Frost met with Dias and the two conversed, catching up with one another.

After that fiasco was over with, Frost had decided to stay in Babylon with his old friend and mentor who resumed their training, getting the man accepted into the Crimson Knights as well.