[Without any further delay, Penumbra heads for the academy of geological research at the heart of Haven. It is late in the afternoon and the scholars just finished their daily lecture from Wegner. Penumbra spots one of the seniors, Avelan Renkens, a geo knight who is only a week before his graduation test.]

Avelan: *panics, flipping through his notes* "Oh man, this is so not good!!! I still needed those samples for my final exam!!!"

Penumbra: "...What ills you Avelan? Stucked again on your research?"

[Avelan instanly recognizes the voice, it was the old knightess. Penumbra might have been a soldier, but wegner often invite her to history lectures where she recalls the details of the first and second Isoran civil war. Avelan is one of those boys who is fascinated with history and geography, Penumbra wouldn't find a better man for this job, Necropolis is big, and this mystery man won't be easy to find, someone who can analyse his surroundings quickly would definately come in handy. And not to mention the fact that Avelan is an expert in Almirian text.]

Avelan: "Oh, miss Penumbra, the acadamy is closed for the night, the history lecture is in next week."

Penumbra: *chuckles* "I know, I am only here to see if you are intrested in a field trip..."

Avelan: "Field trip? Where are we going Miss Penumbra? And please don't go to those abandoned compounds again, those dust bunny bites are so painful."

Penumbra: "Ever heard of Necropolis, I heard that you still needed some 'samples' for your final exam."

Avelan: *flusters* "Oh, so you heard me back there... yeah, I still needed some Almirian artifacts to pass my almirian history paper."

Penumbra: *raises her eye brow* "Is that so? How about we go down there and actually find what you need? I am sure Wegner's jaw would reach the ground if we could find a fully intact Almire shield."

Avelan: *checks his watch* "Ugh, okay, I guess my parents won't mind as long as I am companied by someone as experienced as you are, old knightess." *chuckles* "Hold on, just let me get some research equipments, hold on for one moment!!!" *runs back into his personal locker back inside the acadamy*

[After a wave of wierd noises, Avelan reappeared outside the acadamy door. Armed with everything needed for a geographer: binocular, scanner and all sorts of strange tools. They dangled on Avelan's nimble body like the candles of a chandelier, "Ugh... this boy is really not the soldier type..." thought Penumbra, "maybe blindly digging holes in necropolis is better off than trying to protect him...". Without critisizing Avelan's outfit, the knightess headed the arcade. But before the necropolis, Penumbra stopped briefly at a depth 13 grave yard to pay tribute to her deceased husband, Nowen Greyionne. Penumbra, now a widow, presented to her deceased husband a white flower, the same flower she left here every weekend. While resting her old legs, Penumbra recalled the face of her estranged, wayward son, he was responsible for the destruction of the city she once oath to protect, she can still feel the pain on her belly, the pain of giving birth to that boy and ultimately receive the end of his blade years later. Avelan, without Penumbra's permission, rudely started to gather sample from the graves nearby.]

Penumbra: *annoyed by the Avelan's 'tomb raiding'* “What are you doing… this grave belongs to the fallen knights...”

Avelan: *smirks* “Ohh… madam, I just need some of this soil for my end of the year geo test. Just a tiny bit!”

Penumbra: *sighs* “These soils belong to those who dwell here, haven’t your mother told you not to take what isn’t belonged to you?”

Avelan: “But old knightess, these people are dead, what are these grave soils to them? They don’t need them anymore…”

Penumbra: *becomes agitated* “How do you know they won’t come back?!”

Avelan: *backs away from the old lady* “Ugh, ma’m, I am a man of science, when a person’s brain dies, the rest of the body will soon follow. There is no way that these bodies are coming…” *feels a tremor on the ground* “…what was that?!”

Penumbra: *lightens up her tone* “Avelan… do you believe in magic?”

Avelan: *shrugs* “Magic… ugh, no…”

Penumbra: *chuckles* “You will be soon enough…”

[The tremor revealed itself out of the ground, it was a horde of dust zombies. Penumbra chopped off the head of the first one that managed to emerge from the ground and quickly dispatched the rest with a few effortless swings. Avelan fearfully retreated him self to the corner of the grave yard, without any warning, a dust zombie ambushes him from behind. Luckily, Penumbra tossed her thin leviathan blade into the zombie's head at the last moment before Avelan could be harmed.]

Avelan: *recovers from the shock* “Woah, what in the sweet skylark was THAT? Zombies?! I thought those bastards only belong to a cheap horror comic book!”

Penumbra: *shakes her head* “… This is not Isora anymore, this cradle, this planet is more beautiful than I ever dreamed, and more dangerous than I ever imagined… if this isn’t magic, then tell me, what is it?”

Avelan: *clears his throat* "Okay, hold on, old knightess, I know I have an answer for this, some kind of virus, controlling the brain stem! Yeah, that is right, a virus!"

Penumbra: *retrieves her sword from the zombie's skull* "These bodies have been dead for thousands of years, their brain stems were long gone... so how do you explain that?"

Avelan: "Ugh-" *sighs* "-Well, you got me, I may not have the answer now, but one day, I promise old knightess, I will find it..." *takes up some brain matter from the zombie skull* "Right, I will do a substance test when I get back. Hmm, should we move on to the Necropolis now? The sun is setting, I don't want to walk through there at night!"

Penumbra: "Right... necropolis, I almost forgot... come, we don't have much time..."

[Penumbra smiled as she returned to the elevator, Avelan may not be a fighter, but his mind is stronger than his body. His pursue for the ultimate truth is what kept him in the top of the class and that is exactly the reason why she chose him for this task. Penumbra almost wished that Avelan was her son, because unlike her real biological son, Avelan knows exactly what he set out to do with his life, and never give up in the proccess...]

ps. you can go back to Skylark down RP to find out the true identity of Penumbra's son

Edit: done some changes

New Message

Chris sighed, then put the Owlite time down. Now what? He pulled up the message interface. As he read the message his eyes widened. The Dragon Princess needs his help. He typed a small message back.

I will research the properties of the magic line of armors to see if I can find any sort of connection to the swarm.
Chris A.

He tucked the scripture under his arm and headed to the lift. Exiting the Scarlet Fortress.When he arrived in Haven, he delivered the Time to the other Historians and made a short stop at the Hall Of Heroes. He had to pay a visit to an old friend.

"Well look at that! The bookworm is back!" Archilus waved at Chris.

"Yes, the Bookworm needs some help." He replied, walking up to the Elemental Defender. "I need everything you know on your cloaks. Especially the Divine Set."

Archilus raised an eyebrow, "Oh? I thought you already knew everything about these guys. Your wearing a piece too."

"Yeah, I just discovered something and I need to review my facts. I need a copy of your book."

"Oh all right. No time for storytelling?" Archilus feigned an offended face. He pulled out a book and held it out, "You owe me one."

"Yeah see you later." Chris took the book and headed to his apartment. He had some reading to do.

[Nish finds his usual entrance into the underground area without much fuss from the beasts of the wildwoods. Beasts usually left him alone due to his common presence in the area, and familair smell. Moving the grass mat hidding it aside, he opens the small vault door, and heads inside.]

"Somthin' magical she says, well if we're lookin' fer magic, i could just toss her a pebble, tell her it gets huge when you aint lookin'!"

Nash said, kicking a few loose rocks as he made his way deeper inside.

"Supposin' course she ain't gonna test it or some such nonsense"

He said, with a small frown, looks like he'd have to find something of acctual value. But there wasn't much he could classify as "magical" down here. A few pretty rocks worth maybe a crown apeice, and plenty of space ahead of him before he reached the mineral layer. Then again, why even head into the mineral layer? He had been there loads of times, and sure it was full of precious (And extreamly heavy) gems, none of them held any real power or magic, beyond the power of greed that is, so what would be a better alternative? Nash began talking with himself to weigh his options

"Well we could just bring 'er back some of the ol' crimson er lumen crystals, nothing wrong with that. But she already knows about that stuff, she wants somfin' new now! What about the abandon mine we found? Collapsed, full o' spiders, 'member that? Right, cross that one off. Well what about the black city way down there?"

Nash couldn't think of anything against the city, besides that he had always avoided it for some reason. The place just felt...wrong. But the money it could hold would feel great! He kept the place well barricaded for reasons he didn't even know, but they were easily past, and served more as a warning anyway.

"Let's see what she has to offer..."

[Torin shows a sign of relieve when he sees the old knightess draws her weapon, as if he has been anticipating this duel for centuries. Without holding back any longer, Torin’s ghost charges toward Penumbra with a powerful thrust from his spear. Penumbra parries the attack with her shield and quickly rolls out of the way before regaining her poise, the knightess’s breath is deepened as she realize that the Almirian ghost could harm her directly.]

Torin’s ghost: *congratulates Penumbra in Almirian* “[I am impressed… few can evade my attack like that…]”

[Avelan stood by and watched as the two clashed. Torin takes out his shield and rapidly pokes his spear toward the old knightess through his cover, Penumbra manages to successfully parry most of them, but some of the thrusts manages to make through and leave behind new scratch marks on Penumbra’s armour. Torin’s fighting style is highly aggressive and it is almost impossible to find a gap between his attacks to strike back. Penumbra is left with no choice but to parry as many attacks as she can, knowing that Torin will soon break her defence. The old knightess takes a step back and hopes Torin perform another charge, luckily, Torin took the bait and left himself wide open while performing his finishing move.]

Torin’s ghost: *aims for Penumbra’s chest* “[This fight is over!]”

[Penumbra pays close attention at Torin’s spear, she waits till the moment that the spear is at five paces away from her. Penumbra swiftly brushes the spear away with the hilt of her sword and disarmed Torin. The almirian general runs pass Penumbra only to realize that his spear has been taken away from him and he never landed the killing blow.]

Avelan: *gasps* “Wow, that was amazing grandma Penumbra! You totally rule!”

Penumbra: *pants* “He was good, really good, if I miscalculated just by one less pace and he would have pierced my heart out…”

Torin’s ghost: *chuckles and claps* “[You win, old knightess, I shouldn’t have underestimated you… the key is yours…]” *takes the gate key off his neck and passes it onto Penumbra*

Penumbra: *takes the key* “Thank you, sir Torin…”

Torin’s ghost: “[There are many sentinels guarding the inner sanctum… heed my warnings, outsiders… they will not be in the mood of challenging trespassers to duels…]” *fades away* “[My duty as the gate keeper is complete, now I shall return to my legion… they still need my command…]”

Penumbra: “What did he say?”

Avelan: “Well, Sir Torin just told us that there are still sentinels within the sanctum, he just wants us to watch out for those guys.”

[After unlocking the steel gate, the old knightess and the scholar ventured deeper into the necropolis. For a while they did not encounter the fabled sentinels and the old knightess slows down a bit to catch a breath.]

Penumbra: *feels an agonizing pain on her chest* “ARGH!!!” *leans onto a stone wall*

Avelan: “Hey, grandma Penumbra, what is wrong?”

Penumbra: “I am fine, just stay alert…” *takes a look at the old photo of her son* “…okay, the pain has subsided… for now…” *recovers*

Avelan: “Hmm, you are suffering from stroke aren’t you… maybe I can use my school allowance to get you a pacemaker.”

Penumbra: *shakes her head* “Save your allowance for something else… I still need this heart to cherish the things I cared the most…” *checks the photo of her son* “Don’t worry Affraiel… I will make this world a better place just like I promised…”

[The temples around the stony paths were well decorated with tile painting of the heroic exploits of the Almirian armies. Many marble statues were also erected to commemorate famous Almirian generals, strangely, not a single of one of them is Torin’s, the only one that seems to be his was knocked down and defiled beyond recognition.]

Penumbra: “Strange… why didn’t the Almirians honour Sir Torin? He was a distinguished Almirian general wasn’t he?”

Avelan: “Heh heh, sorry to burst the bubble, old knightess, but the reason why Sir Torin was denied of his recognition was because he had a secret love affair with the Almirian princess, who already had a suitor at the time. In fact, she was meant to marry the prince of another kingdom, and the fact she ‘cheated’ on the suitor resulted in a full out war.”

Penumbra: *crosses her arm and sighs* “So, Torin’s reputation was ruined because of an act of love, no wonder his soul was condemned to guard the inner sanctum…”

[Penumbra now felt deep sympathy for Sir Torin, because she remembers the day when she was forced to confront the man she loved. Nowen Greyionne, who was also a renounced Isoran general, during a one night encounter, they fell in love and soon Penumbra was pregnant with Nowen’s child. Sadly, the grey guards will have none of it, a knightess of Nowensgrad was meant to have both purity of mind as well as body, knowing that their marriage was forbidden, Penumbra was forced by the grey guard officials to assassinate Nowen in order to protect her career as a knightess as well as giving the grey guards more control over the city. The baby in her womb was also snatched away from her soon after he was born, the baby boy, Penumbra remembered naming him after 'Affraiel', a fairy tale hero who had the strength to lift planets away from their orbits to save the people from astroids.]

Avelan: *sees that Penumbra is spacing out* “Ugh, Grandma Penumbra, I know you had a traumatic past, but now it is not the time to cling on to it. We really need to find the tomb of this mystery man before the sun goes down!”

Penumbra: “You are right…” *points at the tomb straight ahead* “Is that it? That must be the one…”

Avelan: “Wai-Wait, the codex here indicates that the tomb you were pointing at is the grave of Almirian princess. Her exact name is Resulis II, who was renounced for her unrivalled beauty and she was in possession of one of the most finely made tiara back in her day.”

Penumbra: *crosses her arms and considers* “Even though her tomb are not a part of the reasons why we are here, we can still inform the Dragon princess about this…”

[Dear Mawashimono,
We have reached the inner sanctum and the tomb of the mystery man is within my reach. However, it seems even the ghost we encountered refused to mention his name, that is, if he had a name to begin with.
We also discovered the tomb of Resulis II, an Almirian princess who was renounced for her unrivalled beauty, but the beauty should be the least of your worries since she was long dead, she was cut down at her youth due to unforeseen accident. However, she was in possession of a priceless tiara which should be buried along with her, if you or any of the other investigators are interested in some tomb raiding, be sure to check it out.
Yours,
Penumbra Greyionne]

Edit: done some changes and rename

The leather cover clapped shut as Chris shut the book. He had finished re-reading it and had taken notes on the more important parts. Says here that the Divine Mantle and Hoods were worn by 'Celestial Sages' I wonder if these are high ranking Owlite's or not. He fingered the cloth of his Divine Mantle.

"What secrets are you hiding?" He whispered. A thought occurred to him, Celestial Sages, if they might be high ranking Owlite Scholars, maybe they have some sort of Living quarters in the Owlite High Academy.

He put the book down on his desk and went to his closet. Inside were his two weapons, CrossWay and NightHawk. He picked them both up and holstered them. He walked out into the Arcade, picked the correct depth, and went down. He was heading to the same Owlite keep where one knight had brought back an Owlite time that spoke of Almire.

The lift creaked to a halt and Chris stepped out into the darkness. He brought out a lantern, and lit it with an Owlite Candlestick. The light would ward off Grimalkin's and allow him to study his work in peace.

He navigated his way to the living quarters, and read the labels on each door. Once he found a room that was labeled with the highest ranking Owlite, he entered the dusty room. Inside, there was a book stand with multiple shelves. There was a few dusty Status Vials, and a bookshelf full of scrolls. Chris peered at the shelves, wondering which one to start with. In his research, he found that Owlite's order things in least important to important. He selected the last scroll and set the lantern down. He sat near it and rolled open the scroll.

More reading. This will be interesting.

Penumbra: “Fine, and that is that for Vanaduke… So Lord Inceptron, you made the swarm didn’t you? Then you should know swarm’s weakness!”

???:*echoes* “With light, there must be darkness, if you want to destroy the swarm, you will have to sacrifice the core itself to neutralize all the negative energy… and without the core, this planet will die… I will not allow you to destroy the swarm, the only thing that I can offer is a temporary solution…”

Penumbra: “Then let’s hear that solution!”

???:*echoes*“Then come deeper into the tomb, my final resting place is near… once you freed me from this prison… I will show you how…”
Penumbra: *crosses her arms* “Fine, but one last thing, lord Inceptron, how did you manage to speak Isoran so fluently without ever come into contact with us?”

???:*echoes*“I have been surveying you ever since you first fell from the stars, old knightess… I know everything about you… also Avelan Renkens, the young scholar next to you…”

Avelan: *feeling lucky and chuckles* “Alright then, Mister ‘GOD’, what is the colour of my underwear?”

???:*echoes* “Hmm, let’s see… it is pink isn’t it… with so called ‘laces’…”

Penumbra: *gasps and shakes her head in disbelief* “How could a man wear pink lace underwear?”

???:*echoes* “…Avelan Renkens, you stole your older sister’s underwear and used it for yourself… of course it is designed for the females of your kind…”

Avelan: *blushes and panics* “Ugh, hey, it wasn’t my fault! All my pants went into the washing machine this morning and I have to go to my lecture on time! I can’t go to the academy without underwear now can’t I?” *turns to Penumbra* “Come on, old knightess, cut me some slack!”

Penumbra: *face palms* “Just change it back when you got home, okay?”

[While Penumbra and Avelan were caught in the chatter, the echoing stopped and the ghastly wind retreated back into the deeper section of the tomb. It seems now there is no choice but to venture further into the grave of lord Inceptron. After a while, Penumbra stops and leans back against the wall to catch some rest, she is after all, not the same woman she used to be.]

Avelan: *takes out another glow worm and discards the old one* “Hey, are you okay there Grandma Penumbra?”

Penumbra: “Yeah… I am fine, I just needed a rest that is all…” *sniffs* “…” *sniffs* “Avelan… did you smell that?” *sniffs* “There is something… aromatic in the air…”

Avelan: *sniffs* “Hmm, what in the devil? Is someone using perfume all the way down in this tomb?”

Penumbra: *feeling dazed* “Ugh… Avelan…” *stands back up and stares seductively at Avelan* “Do you… like… old women?”

Avelan: *steps back from Penumbra* “What is wrong old knightess? Why ask something like that all over a sudden?”

Penumbra: *sweats and loosens up her armour* “Oh, I don’t know… just wondering if you are interested in… me…” *takes off her breast plate* “…It is getting hot down here… why don’t you take off that clumsy lab coat of yours?”

Avelan: *sniffs the air again* “Oh no, the perfume in the air, it is some kind of aphrodisiac isn’t it! Damn it Mister ‘God’! Why didn’t you tell us that the tomb is trapped?”

???:*echoes* “…. I didn’t make this tomb, so why should I know? And even if I did know, why should I help you and the knightess…”

Avelan: “She is old enough to be my grandmother, and been flirted by a woman of her age is just down right creepy!”

Penumbra: *in a daze* “I beg you Avelan… no man has ever laid a finger on me ever since I became a knightess, please…” *grabs onto Avelan’s arm* “… make me feel like a woman again…” *tries to kiss Avelan*

Avelan: *struggles* “Eeeeek!!!!”

[Suddenly, the pungent aroma fades away and Penumbra returns to her senses, it is then when she realizes that she is clinging to Avelan with her armour taken off. Ashamed by her adultery, Penumbra backs away from the scholar and quickly puts her armours back on.]

Penumbra: *blushes* “I apologize… I didn’t realize that the aroma was a trap until it was too late… did I cross the line?”

Avelan: *rubs away the sweat on his forehead* “…Thankfully no… I just scanned the aroma and did a substance test, and strangely enough, the perfume you inhaled doesn’t contain any aphrodisiac chemical… so does that mean…”

???: *echoes* “You mortals play your game… I play mine…” *chuckles* “Heh, heh, heh…”

Avelan: *sneers* “Well, at least now we know that this Mister ‘God’ has a very strange sense of humour…”

[The seemingly endless rows of dark coloums that make up the dark city seemed to congregate into various pillars of seemingly impossible geometry, with each spire becoming more profound than the last. however, the magesty is lost on Nish's greedy eyes as he makes his way into the nearest tower. immeadiatly upon entering a small item giving off a beacon at the centre of the spire catches his eye.]

"Well now, what have we got for lil' ol' Nish eh?"

He said, leaning over to the gleaming object. Picking it up, it's pedistal slid into the earth with surprising speed as if the building itself was angry at him, yet no other traps arose. Moving the shining item over in his hands, and touching its surface, it's became apparent that the object was acctually a mirror. Beautifully crafted and adorned with sometype of odd symbols, the item gave Nish a calm feeling as he looked into it. As he slid his fingers across the surface, the glass showed no smudge marks, but instead removed the filth from Nish's fingers. Looking up from the glass, nish jumped back in fright to find a transparent, smokery looking version of himself standing in front of him.

"WHOAH WHO DA FUuuuuh what even is-"

Nish said, with his fright fleeting, he took a moment to examine the odd wisp further. It seemed to mimic his every move in unison as if it knew what Nish was going to do. pointing his finger out (with the doppelganger doing the same) Nish anxiously poked at his opposite. To his surprise, the creature fell into the floor leaving a stark black shadow that moved into Nish's own. Hearing a faint hissing sound, Nish turned around quickly to find...nothing. looking over his shoulder, he saw the familiar transparent outline of himself, still mimicing his actions.

"Bah whatever, hope yer comfey back there, cuz this is magic enough for anyone!"

He said, stowing the little mirror triumphantly into his pack, Nish felt a sharp gust of wind against the back of his neck. looking back, he found his spectre being impaled by a crude blade held by a Cloaked figure. As the shade fizzled, so too did the blade crumble into dust in the attackers hand. As it looked over to Nish, it's confusion was apparent as it tilted it's head. It's life ended quickly, and brutally as Nish buried his weapon into the cloth covered head of the attacker. Without a second thought, Nish began his journey back to the princess to uncover what he had found.

[Now with no going back, Avelan plants down the thermite explosives onto the final granite wall. With a powerful blast, the stone barrier crumbled to the ground, Avelan knows all too well that he couldn’t possibly take on an immortal king, the only option left is to negotiate. The scholar takes a deep breath and climb through the hole left behind by the bombs, what he sees was jaw dropping. A man, who is roughly three times as tall as Avelan, sits silently on his stone throne with a finely crafted buster sword leaning beside him, this is it, there is no doubt now that this man is none other than lord Inceptron himself. Lord inceptron is wearing a thick stone armor, so heavy to a point that it must be difficult for him to move, nothing but shadow could be seen inside the vents of his helmet. Avelan scans Inceptron’s whole body with his thermo sensor, Inceptron’s body is stone cold, devoid of life. Now an equal cold rose up Avelan’s spine as he realizes that the man in front of him is nothing more than a hollowed out shell of his former self.]

Inceptron: *stands up from his throne* “…Greetings, Avelan Renkens… I am Lord Inceptron, the forgotten king of cradle… I have been expecting you since the very beginning…”

Avelan: *scorns in discontent* “You knew this would happen didn’t you?!”

Inceptron: *picks up his buster sword* “Don’t think of me as a God, young scholar, I never saw this coming, I predicted, you know all too well that there is no such a thing as god in this world… I am only a man… a man like you, one with a dream…”

Avelan: *frowns* “What do you mean?”

Inceptron: “…I want you to take over my throne… inherit my legacy… become the will of Cradle… we don’t have much time… the old knightess’s life is hanging on the thread and your Gremlin allies will soon get overwhelmed… I originally intended for the old knightess to take over my throne, but you will do just fine, young scholar…”

Avelan: “What happens if I inherit your throne and become the new Inceptron?

Inceptron: *stroke his own armour* “Inside this armour, there is no flesh nor blood, only a broken dream, corroded by the stains of time… I forgot what I was and I lost my way, and that was when the swarm run wild… now this vessel needs a new dream… pure and pristine… a dream like yours…”

Avelan: “!!!”

Inceptron: “I know you, you studied hard in order to unlock the secrets of cradle… by becoming like me, you will be able to see everything that you ever dreamed of… your dream can revive the old knightess, stop the swarm’s advance… and save this world…”

Avelan: *considers and frowns* “Fine… I will do anything to save grandma Penumbra, and I will take stopping the swarm as a bonus! Now Mister ‘God’, take my dream…”

Inceptron: *pauses* “Before I take your dream… you must know this… your body will not be able to survive without it… a dream will be all that is left of you… and soon, even your dream will have to stand up against the tide of time… is this, your final decision?”

Avelan: “Yes…”

[Inceptron reaches out his hand, waiting for Avelan to touch it. As Avelan’s hand comes contact with Inceptron’s, his whole body starts to disintegrate into nothingness, Avelan knows fully what he is sacrificing here, his life as a successful geographer, a loving man and eventually a husband, but now he must leave them all behind and become something more than just a puny knight. He can feel it now, the soothing wind in the aurora isles and the cry of the beasts in the wildwood, the sun rise and the tide fall, all within Avelan’s eyes. Now fully assimilated into Incceptron’s stony armour, Avelan takes up his enormous buster sword and comes to Penumbra’s rescue. With his new found power, Avelan channels a mist of pure energy into the old knightess’s dying heart and revived her. The sentinels, seeing the presence of their new lord, retreated back into their dormant state.]

Penumbra: *gets revived* “Argh!” *gasps* “What… I came back from death… how?” *sees Avelan in his new outfit* “What! Who in the hell are you!” *picks up her sword*

Avelan: *echoes from inside the stony armour* “Heh heh, grandma Penumbra, you never saw this coming did you? Inceptron set this up… he was expecting someone to take over his throne…”

Xera: *frowns* “…No… don’t tell me…”

Zaith: *sneers* “So you are now the new lord Inceptron?! Great, Tinkinzar was counting on us to kill him!”

Avelan: *echoes from inside the stony armour* “Seems like it… I can’t feel my body anymore… but I can see everything now… the sky islands… the star drizzled plateau-”

Penumbra: *enraged* “-HOW COULD YOU AVELAN?! How could you wasted your youth trying inherit the dream of a forgotten god? You had a whole life ahead of you! How could you have ended up like THIS?!”

Avelan: *echoes from inside the stony armour* “But if I don't inherit his legacy… you will die grandma Penumbra… and I don’t want that to happen…”

Penumbra: *voice cracks* “No, I would have died gladly to stop the swarm from spreading! Why Avelan… WHY?!”

Avelan: “It is okay, old knightess, now that I am the new lord Inceptron… I can push back the swarm with my will alone… and here…” *passes his buster sword to Penumbra* “Take this blade to the dragon princess, it is called the edge of genesis… from what I can tell, Inceptron forged this sword to ward off both the light and the darkness… it will prove useful in the future, take it… I am not a big fan sword…”

Penumbra: *takes the buster sword* “How am I supposed to break this Wegner?”

Avelan: *echoes from inside the stony armour* “Just tell him that I died in a cave in…”

Zaith: “So what now Egghead? We leave the tomb and you stop swarm? How can we trust you?”

Avelan: *echoes from inside the stony armour* “You don’t have to… the reason why swarm was spreading was due to Inceptron’s own deteriorating will… now that I am here, my new will can keep the swarm in order again. For a while that is…”

Xera: “What are we talking about here, a year, a decade or a century?”

Avelan: *echoes from inside the stony armour* “I don’t know… but I will try my best to hold off the swarm…” *turns to Penumbra* “I am sorry old knightess, people make mistakes sometimes, I guess today I made a terrible blunder…”

Penumbra: *shakes her head* “It wasn’t you fault, it was mine, if I didn’t let you tag along in the first place, you would never have ended up like this…” *sobs*

Avelan: *echoes from inside the stony armour* “It is okay old knightess, there is no reason to be sad… with this new power, I can make a difference in this world… I think you should all leave now… before I become a madman… Heh heh…”

WHO ARE YOU?!
I am Avelan Renkens... your new lord...
HAH! You are even weaker than the one before you!
Perhaps... but there is something I have that the former didn't...
WHAT?!
And that is why I will succeed where he failed...
...
I have a heart... a heart big enough to contain the good and evil of this world...

[Another man, another man Penumbra loved is lost to cruel fate, first, her husband, second, her wayward son and now, Avelan. His body was never found in the throne of Inceptron, only his geo lab coat and research equipments remained. Penumbra left the Necropolis with a striken heart, feeling upset over her inability to protect those she cherished. The edge of genesis, the blade Avelan passed onto her is now the solution to the ever consuming swarm. Penumbra glanced back at the two crimson elites who came to her rescue, she couldn't help but to stay on guard and hope that the two Gremlins don't steal the blade from her.]

Penumbra: *walks pass the gate of Necropolis* "...So what are the two of you going to say to Tinkinzar now that it is over?"

Zaith: *shrugs* "Well, the mission was a success!"

Penumbra: *frowns* "Success?"

Xera: *sighs* "Yeah... the truth is, at the beginning, Tinkinzar ordered one of us to sacrifice ourselves to Lord Inceptron so that Cradle can survive. But then you and that scholar came along, so the plan changed..."

Penumbra: *frowns in disgust* "So that is your true nature! Filthy Gremlins! Avelan died because of you!"*swings her sword at Xera*

Zaith: *parries Penumbra's blade with his bowie knife* "Hey! Stop that knightess, I know he meant alot to you, but what is done is done... I think we will leave you to your own disposal now..."

Xera: "I guess we all make bad decisions in life, I will keep this one in mind next time..."

[The two crimson elites cloaked and disappeared into the shadow, leaving Penumbra behind to mourn for the death of a young man. On the way to surface, Penumbra reconsidered the whole situation, the crimson elites clinged to life for a reason, they knew all too well what is going to happen if they inherited Inceptron's legacy. Avelan Renkens is the true hero here, not her. After wrapping the edge of genesis inside a leather cloth, Penumbra leaves the blade on the stairs of the lionheart guild hall, with a letter attached to it.]

Dear Mawashimono

Inside this leather cloth lies the edge of genesis, a blade forged by Inceptron himself to sever disparity inside the fabrics of nothingness, use it in your quest to vanquish the swarm. But be noted, dragon princess, that there is no end to the swarm, if the core is to survive, then so must the swarm, just like how light cannot exist without darkness. The struggle against the swarm must go on, and you must teach those who might later enter your guild that this fight will last for an eternity and they must not give in to dispair like I did. Hope is the strongest weapon we have, stronger than the blade that I am about to give you.

And as for me, I think it is probably time for me to retire and let the next generation take over. I have done bad things in life, enough to generate a tremandous amount of guilt that could have killed a lesser woman, but I lived on, somehow. Now I must come in term with the things I did in life. My investigation is now complete, I hope things are doing good on your end, good luck.

Yours,
Penumbra Greyionne

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Avelan...
What is it, Grandma Penumbra?
When you inherited Lord Inceptron's legacy, have you ever thought that there might be other people like you, who came to this tomb before? And did the same thing as you?
That is highly probable, considering the bad security in Necropolis...
If so, then that explains everything...
Huh?
I get it now, the reason why this planet has so many diverse terrains, they are not the work of one god, they are in fact the dreams of hundreds of men and women who sacrificed their lives in the creation of this planet... Lord Inceptron is not a man, he was the manifestation of many... many beauitful and different dreams...
So at the end, there is no God... only the hearts of men... I like it, it explains everything... I will miss you old knightess... I can still see you, out there on the surface... in the fleeting wind... I hope you won't forget me...
Avelan Renkens, to me, you will never be... just a memory...

-THE END-

(weapon unlocked: edge of genesis, powerful two swing blade that deals pure normal damage and has a VH damage bonus against swarm enemies)