[PP-F06] Dark seeks light

[Freyd 0]

Eyes like stormy seas gazed upon her from behind familiar frames, even as the rage poured out through the piecing of flesh into his chest,  She tore the robe with spoken bile, unleashing a lifetime of anguish that the banner readily absorbed.  That was its purpose, after all.  That was the mantle it represented.  The person wearing it was just a vessel.  Their measure of resolve lay in donning it in the first place.  Freyd's eyes showed the same commitment as Raidou's - the same calming serenity readily accepting all that sorrow.

Even as the last vestigial dregs of Juiblex peeled themselves from her flesh and sunk into the new Wanderer's form, those eyes remained open and accepting.  Most importantly, they held no hint or semblance of judgment. Gone was the harsh gaze she'd come to expect from the man; mirrors filled with plans within plans within plans, all layered into labyrinthine schemes that would have made Machiavelli proud.   It wasn't his role anymore. If he could change to such an extent, why couldn't she?

"You cannot save the ones you care about by remaining hidden."  Wisdom bled from the words, gushing in the same manner as she had come to expect from her own cast barbs.  "Eventually, to avoid becoming lost, you must step into the light. The glare is always harsh and blinding, at first, but only there can you find new hope to rekindle your spirit and fill the void that will linger so long as you remain in darkness.  Raidou,  Freyd, or whoever comes to don this mantle in the future, they have all had to face the same choice, and overcome it."

The vision blurred, even as smooth, crimson-coloured cloth pressed itself against her face, soaking up her tears even as it had her anger.

"You are only alone because you choose to be."

[Hidden 1]

A Shadow pressed into the robe, drawn to the very beacon that would burn it away. A Whisper spoke, its voice pushing the Shadow into a direction unknown to it. Where was it that the Shadow had heard these words before? Had it been from a Wanderer in passing? Had it been the melody of a Songstress? Maybe in the smoke cast from a Seer? Perhaps from the one branded in Orange just as herself? Had they all been simply repeating the same words, fallen entirely onto deafened ears?

A hand unclenched, a flower as white as snow would hit the ground. The stinging cold would be relieved from her grasp. The freezing herb would lay there, slowly wilting away. Hands tugged at the hem of the Red Robe one last time seeking the shelter it had once provided. 

"You are only alone because you choose to be."

The words brought on a sudden fierce wind, the robe ripped from her fingertips. Teary eyes, widened with shock, would watch as the Robe flew high into an empty air until she could see it no longer. 'Freyd' was gone and the boss room with him. All that remained was a white void, her, and a black flower that had taken root and bloomed with a purple glow. With a frown, the assassin knelt to the plant. It was... familiar. It was the same flower that she had been surrounded by on her first visit to the waterfall. The same flower that she used as a hairpiece. 

An understanding reached her as the last thought crossed her mind. Her flower had wilted and fallen off long ago. Grasping the flower by its stem, she would rip it from the ground that it had sprouted from.

[Hidden 1]

The cold stone would dig into her knees as she knelt into it. A white mist was visible as she exhaled. Looking up, she would find herself staring down the hallway once again. Now, however; the hallway was perfectly illuminated in light blue. The Shadow could see a frost that covered the walls, only growing thicker as it continued. Unlike before, she could see the epilogue to the never-ending story. It existed as a harsh light at the end of the hall. 

Standing to full height, Hidden would take a confident step in a direction: Forward. Whatever was there, it was waiting for her. No matter how long she would try to hide from it, it would still be there waiting. The Shadow would have to take it head-on. 

Pressing forward, the light only would become harsher as she came closer. Pushing into it, she would become engulfed by the light. Laughter would be heard followed by the words:

"Face Yourself"

[Hidden 1]

Chapter Four: Autophobia
"Face Yourself"

The sudden light was stinging but no more stinging than the fierce cold that existed inside of the room. Her teeth chattered for a moment before her survival skill began to activate. Violet eyes traced the frosted ground until they would meet a figure. Standing there was her own figure, a disgruntled look plastered on her face. It was obvious who the scowl was aimed at... her. 

The large room floor was made of marble, covered in frost from the dreary cold. Colored glass pane windows lined the longer two walls of the room, sunlight shining through the western glass and casting their colors onto the floor. A dark doorway hung far behind not-Hidden, leading to whatever the assassin assumed was 'forward'. 

A voice as cold as the room spoke, 'I'm surprised you made it here. Every single one of those rooms should have prevented you from proceeding. I had hoped you would have gotten lost inside, but it doesn't look like I get things that easily.'  Eyes narrowing, Hidden would recognize the voice pattern of the figure. While it was her, it wasn't at the same time. "It's been you that has been talking to me, hasn't it? You've been around since..." A memory of the last time she had visited the waterfall had surfaced. Before the memory had been fuzzy but now it was crystal clear. A lot of things had become crystal clear, like that dream about NIGHT.

'I've been talking... not that you listen,'  the voice returned spitefully. This served to anger Hidden a bit. "I shouldn't have to hear you, do you understand how much trouble you have-" Not-Hidden wasn't even facing her. "Are you even listening to ME?" The words were venomous. The words would earn her the attention of the figure. "You want me to listen to you? THEN GET ON YOUR KNEES AND BEG!"  Black hands would reach out from behind Hidden's enemy, launching out.

[Hidden 1]

The hands... they were the same as before. Their cold grasps had been the one to drag her to drown before. Violet eyes widened as the White Silence retreated with a leap in the opposite direction. The hands of shadows continued forward, having a seemingly infinite reach. An orange light flared as a dagger slashed through the air and ripped through one of the hands. Unlike last time, Hidden was absolutely confident in her ability. This monster inside of her wouldn't be standing any chance. Another quick stroke followed by a few more would quickly see the hands dispatched. Now, the assassin would simply need to kill her assailant before she had time to make more. Pushing off the ground, she would dash forward at a blinding speed before the hands even had time to fade completely. If only she had known that hands weren't going to disappear. 

Instead, the limbs she had spliced would regrow their hands nearly a second later and began latching onto the unsuspecting woman. First, her weapon hand would be latched onto followed by her legs. Finally, her last hand and neck would tightly grasped. The grip of these shadows brought an unbelievable cold along with a feeling of sickness. It was slight, but the grips of these hands began to slowly reduce her health. Struggling would come to no avail as she second would sap her strength even more. 

"You actually thought you amounted to something? You're just a spineless coward that relies on others to accomplish things. I on the other hand know what I'm capable of and don't need others getting in my way."

Hidden gave one more struggle before breathing, "If that's the case then stop getting in my way." A smirk rested on the doppelganger's face as she slowly stepped forward. "No no, it is you that is in mine." A weapon would form in the doppelganger's hand, a ninjato. From what Hidden could see, each face of the blade was different. One was marred and unclear while the other had a brilliant sheen, mirroring with a perfect reflection. A sadistic look was cast on Hidden, followed by a nearly untraceable strike which would sever head from shoulders. 

[Hidden 1]

The cold metal slashed through her throat sending Hidden's head from her shoulders. In an instant, the world became dark and silent. Was she dead? Was this the afterlife? It was so... void of anything. 

Sudden light blinded her along with an intense cold. Slowly opening her eyes from a squint, she once again found herself in that very same room. Her own figure stood there, foot resting on a now fading corpse that also belonged to her. 'If I just died, how come I am alive now?' Hidden would ask herself. The white-haired woman wouldn't even be able to take a step forward before the doppelganger began to speak.

'It seems you still cling to life. After you managed to get through those tests I didn't figure it would be that easy. You faced the past and worked up the courage to speak up to Father. You discarded a world built with your desires in mind. You even watched the world crumble away and still managed to overcome it. You could have given in and gave everything to me, but annoyingly you persist.' 

It was this woman that had put her through all that? That didn't make her happy. "Who the hell do you think you are?" The doppelganger rolled her eyes. 'Isn't it obvious? I mean, I already told you long ago. I'm you. We are the same. The difference is I'm not weak-minded like you. I know what I want and I take it.'  Hidden grit her teeth. It was a lie. The two women were obviously different. "What do you call yourself?" The question seemed to confused the doppelganger for a moment. "I've never thought about that... I would never go by the same name as you, I wouldn't stoop to that level." Still patronizing her? What was the deal with this thing? "Hokori. I like that.' 

A flick of her hand would send her dagger from a sheath in her sleeve to her hand. "Well 'Hokori', I hope you enjoy getting your ass kicked." Hidden surged forward, her weapon aimed for the throat just as Hokori had. An orange flare would switch to a hue of white as holy power imbued her attacks. 

It was so sudden, one moment Hidden was attacking and the next she was disarmed and knocked to the ground. Hokori's attack had been unseen as if she had managed to instantly enter stealth and strike at the same time. It was almost as if Hidden blinked and missed the whole thing. "Don't feel bad, you never stood a chance. I will kill you however many times it takes. I'll try not to have too much fun with it." Hands sudden ripped out from behind Hokori, reached for Hidden. On the ground, there wasn't anyway she could fend off the sudden ambush. A tug on her hair would suspend her in the air before Hokori. "This makes two." That very same ninjato would lash out, slicing Hidden perfectly down the middle 

 

[Hidden 1]

Light shone in through the colored glass, painting their colors on the marble floor stained with red. Hidden's eyes bore forward into Hokori. Twice the monster had managed to completely best her without breaking a sweat. If Hokori was just her... how was she so refined. It seemed that every movement was honed to its maximum, each strike aimed to kill. 

"Have you noticed yet?" Hidden was suddenly brought back from her thoughts. "What are you talking about now?" The way Hokori spoke and acted, was that how others perceived her? It was nearly unbearable. "Each time I kill you, you become just a little fainter. Soon enough, you'll disappear completely. I won't be able to even see you anymore. You won't exist." 

Unconsciously, Hidden's gaze fell to her hands. Her skin tone was always deathly pale but now it seemed to somehow exceed even that. Was it true? Was she going to stop existing? "You don't stand much of a chance here. Not only am I the better fighter, but I can also manipulate each of these hands to my will. Honestly, what do you even have that compares?"

That was a good question. What did she have to face this behemoth with? Only one way to find out. Activating Vanish, a shrill scream would pierce the air along with a blinding flash of light. Hidden would enter stealth at this moment as half of her opponent's senses were dampened.