We open on Husk, left on a bench, motionless, he tries to lift his hand but cannot. We look deeper into his mind.

  ___: Why can’t we move?

  Husk: You’re trying to go against me, thus we’re immobilized until we can actually agree on something

  ___: Why damn you

  Husk: This is your fault ya know, we spooked all those friends you care so much about

  ___: I know…but like…I don’t want to be you

  Husk: Sure you don’t

  ___: Husk…is a lie…built over time

  Husk: It’s our name that has been gifted to us by others

  ___: No…our name is Hyane

  Husk: Well tell me Hyane, is everyone gonna start magically going back to the old days if you just told them your name was Hyane

  Hyane: …..

  Husk: That’s what I thought

  Hyane: It won’t be easy, but we can transition

  Husk: You’re selfish ya know

  Hyane: And you’re cynical

  Husk: Well I’ve been eating people and killing them violently, I might as well be the devil

  Hyane: I have to bear for all your sins don’t I…

  We leave Hyane’s Mind, and go to the Century Corps Guild, where two new people are entering

  Juni: Hey Xen, sorry we got back here so late

  Zaylee: Yeah, should have told us the whole city is under attack

  Xen: It’s fine, you are here now

  Iseri: We need all the hands we get here

  Xen: Oh Iseri, you can probably go home now

  Iseri: No, I chose to stay

  Xen: Are you sure?

  Iseri: Yes

  Zaylee: Well sweet, more hands are always good

  Suddenly a massive surge of light emerges from Acantha’s old room

  Iseri: What the hell was that

  Xen: Oh yeah, there’s an entrance to The White World in Acantha’s old office

  Zaylee: We should investigate

  Cosma: There’s no need for that Zaylee, it’s just us

  Indica’s Group emerged from Acantha’s Office, looking really shaken up

  Xen: You are back

  Hudson: Yup us in the flesh

  Viridian: Good to see you Juni and Zaylee

  Juni: Thanks, the feeling is mutual

  Zaylee: How’s the White World?

  Hudson: Not fun

  Iseri: Oh and wasn’t Husk with you?

  Cosma: We had to leave him somewhere here, re-enter The White World because a Bell-Spider attacked us and come back through here

  Falconer: By the way, he is in a comatose state so he’s of no help to us right now

  Xen: I see

  Atlantic: Anyway, what’s the game plan?

  Iseri: We should probably destroy that room so they can’t get into our world from there

  Juni: That would probably be smart

  Indica: Prevent any unwanted visitors

  Cosma: I could cast a spell

  Viridian: Alright everyone stand back

  Suddenly a lot of Light Monsters begin emerging from the Room

  Iseri: What the hell

  Cosma: Huh, did us coming back enable this attack

  Suddenly Optica herself appears with the army

  Optica: I’m afraid that’s not the case, it’s that Acantha’s little stunt with those room is actually anchoring the White World to this realm, and if you destroy it, it’ll mess up my plans.

  Atlantic: So that’s what this is…

  Xen: Manipulating our fates so we have to follow your plans

  Optica: What do they say, “one step ahead”, I’m more like an entire staircase ahead.

  Atlantic: We’re gonna get you for this

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Optica: No you won’t

  Optica vanishes and The Light Monsters attack

  Indica: Well, fight on shall we?

  Juni: We don’t really have a choice do we.,

  Fight a Light Monster Wave

  When you win

  Iseri: We just gotta destroy this room

  Indica: So focus our attacks on the foundation of it

  Cosma: The monsters are really just fodder huh

  Hudson: I’ll play decoy if it’s what you need

  Falconer: Me too

  Atlantic: Me three

  Fight Acantha’s Room

  When the room is at 75% health, a massive wave of Light Monsters appears, this happens at any health interval

  Iseri: Optica wasn’t lying about this room’s importance, and that’s why it must be destroyed

  Indica: I kind of feel bad destroying some that is part of the guild we worked so hard to be a part of

  Zaylee: Well, we can replace it

  Juni: Well the sentiment is still there

  Falconer: Yeah…

  Xen: I don’t mind, I trained you so you’d do anything to save a city you cared so much about..

  Resume against Acantha’s Room

  When the room is at 50% health….

  Zaylee: How important is the Guild to Optica’s plans even

  Xen: Very, she manipulated Acantha and Gladian in the past, and put her anchor for her grand evil plan right here in plain view.

  Juni: She’s had a history of messing with us…in all the wrong ways….

  Hudson: We have to stop her plans, anyway we can

  Atlantic: I don’t want a powerful Light Witch to rule the world.

  Indica: She won’t if we have anything to say about it

  Resume against Acantha’s Room

  When the room is at 25% health…

  Falconer: This is certainly more dangerous than our previous escapades together, Juni and Zaylee

  Juni: Certainly, if only a certain someone was here with us

  Zaylee: Husk?

  Juni: No, the person he was before…

  Zaylee: Hyane…then…

  Indica: Can we save the sentiment for later, we’ve almost won here.

  Viridian: Harsh words..Indica..

  Resume against Acantha’s Room

  When it has been destroyed, a horde of light monsters appear and attack the party trying to drag them into the glowing pit of light

  Cosma: Brace yourselves, (she makes a protection bubble around everyone).

  The monsters keep attacking and even chip the bubble

  Viridian: How do we stop them…

  Zaylee: Maybe we destroy that pool of light?

  Juni: But how…

  Cosma: I have no idea..how…

  Xen: I’ll do it

  Iseri: What?

  Xen: I have to, if no one else can..

  Without saying another word, the party looks on horrified as Xen runs out of the bubble and begins sprinting towards the pool of light, taking down light monsters on the way before jumping into the pool

  Suddenly, it explodes with furious force and the pool is annihilated and the Light Monsters are slain, with a frothy smoke appearing from the remains of the pool…

  The Party rushes out of Cosma’s bubble to see Xen, a battered and bloodied mess.

  Xen: Hey..don’t cry…you still got the day to win…

  Iseri: Friend…

  Xen: Death…is just another part of life…we all have the moment where we have to go…

  Iseri: I understand…

  Cosma: I want to be sad, but we can’t allow ourselves the chance to mourn, if we have nothing to come back too

  Xen: Yeah…please…bury me among the flowers…

  Xen’s breathing gives out, and The Party surrounds Xen’s dead body and they load him into a spare casket they have as protection from natural decay.

  Indica: I don’t want him to rest in peace?

  Iseri: Huh

  Indica: He wouldn’t want that, he would want to keep fighting for everyone, even in death…

  Iseri: That..makes sense, you know my old friend well

  Cosma: He’s our friend too…

  Zaylee: Goodbye…

  We move over to Gladian’s Group at the elevator door, opening it and entering the tower of fate

  Gladian: This is the point of no return guys, Optica must die.

  Atoll: How are even gonna lure her out

  Zkn: Isn’t it obvious, we’re intruders so she’ll head home to ward off the home invasion

  Vendil: Well, we have a goal

  Ehl: Let’s get this done

  Beline: If you’re so sure of this…

  Olivia: I will be free

  Begin Climbing The Tower of Fate

  When you reach floor 5

  Olivia: Where is she…

  Beline: Her absence worries me

  Ehl: Maybe she has bigger problems?

  Gladian: Bigger problems then us crashing her place?

  Zkn: She’s an all powerful witch, the possibility is there

  Ehl: Well still, she’ll have to notice us eventually

  Resume

  When you reach floor 10

  Zkn: Her absence means she probably isn’t home

  Atoll: The Optica I know wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to goad us

  Vendil: Still, we have to keep going or else she’ll never notice our intrusion.

  Gladian: Maybe we’ll destroy some stuff on the way up

  Resume

  When you reach floor 15

  Olivia: This place is more drab and boring then I thought

  Zkn: This is your first time?

  Olivia: First time I’ve seen it with my own eyes, it’s certainly ugly and disgusting.

  Zkn: All powerful witches have bad taste in decor, who would have thought?

  Beline: Zkn, your benign attempt at humor is not amusing.

  Zkn: Eh. It was Worth a shot

  Resume

  When you reach floor 20

  Vendil: Ok, this is ridiculous, we’re raiding her massive doomsday tower and she can’t even be bothered to show up for her guests?

  Zkn: Maybe she’s already dead?

  Olivia: No, if she was already dead I would know

  Atoll: The longer she’s not here, the more I worry

  Gladian: I can feel that something’s not right

  Beline: But it doesn’t seem to be a trap….

  Resume

  When you reach floor 25, Optica is sitting down at a table musing to herself, The Party moves slowly around her

  Optica (Musing her thoughts): They destroyed my anchor to the Earth, I’m gonna need something else if I need my plan to work…

  Gladian (Whispering): Go

  Optica: Maybe if I

  A dart from Atoll rips through Optica’s concentration as it penetrates her arm, Olivia deflects her counterattack as Gladian stabs her in the back

  Optica (Surprised): An Ambush! Here!

  Gladian: That’s right, you’ve met your maker

  Beline thrusts her spear into Optica’s side but she dislodges it and throws it at the ground.

  Olivia: Once you die, I’ll be free to be who I want to be

  Optica: Shut up child, You ARE Me, We are one in the same

  Olivia: Shut up, Shut up, SHUT UP, we are nothing like…

  Optica: Denial will get you nowhere darling…

  Vendil reverts the ground Optica is standing on into cement, nailing her there, she jumps up

  Optica: You fools really brought my soul back to me on a silver platter..with your lives no less

  Ehl: I don’t get it, is she saying this was a trap?

  Zkn: No..it’s more like, she’s gearing up for a fight

  Zkn then manifests a cage around Optica which she tries to break out of, Atoll barrages her with darts but she evades most of them. Optica escapes The Cage

  Optica: If a brawl to the death is what you want…

  Beline: I’ll give it to you

  Fight against Optica

  The fight is a scripted loss, when you lose…

  Vendil: Uh, I don’t understand, we jumped her in her own home, how is she winning?

  Zkn: Clearly we didn’t prepare a battle strategy…

  Olivia: No this can’t be how it ends!!

  Optica: Oh sweet child, you’re part of me, we’re meant to be together…

  Atoll: I won’t let you

  Atoll fires a dart directly at Olivia who deflects it into Optica’s eyes

  Optica (Actually Hurt): HRAAAH, I don’t CARE what you want

  Optica begins absorbing Olivia, suddenly Beline’s spear begins to glow with a piercing energy

  Beline: I was always running out of time, I could feel my life slowly…slip away

  Gladian: Hey what are you saying…

  Beline: I will have to say goodbye again

  Beline grabs her spear and throws it at the walls of The Tower of Fate, causing it to collapse

  Optica: NO!

  Optica continues to absorb Olivia but Beline jumps infront of her instead and stabs Optica in the stomach. The rest of Gladian’s Group runs away as Beline duels Optica alone in the collapsing Tower of Fate

  Fight against Optica

  The fight is a scripted loss, when you lose

  Optica: Your sacrifice achieves NOTHING

  Beline: But I’m grateful I had another life to give…

  Beline’s cipher explodes killing her and heavily wounding Optica

  At the base of the collapsing tower of fate, a crack opens that leads to the city

  Olivia: I wish…I could say goodbye to my friend…

  Atoll: We’re still your friends…

  Olivia: I couldn’t do it….

  Gladian: I know…but we have bigger problems right now…

  Tower debris falls at an increasingly fast rate

  Zkn: Brace yourselves

  Zkn creates an astral basket and loads everyone into it as The Tower’s base collapses