Prologue: Countdown to the End (31,382:00)

The light of the amethyst moon filled the Cloud Garden revealing five youths who sat quietly. And though almost all the seats were empty. They each sat in the seat they first took.

A light flashed, and a tall, muscular man appeared in the center of the room.

"Oh, if the venerated leader of our armies has come to report. Does that mean we won?"

The man ignored the cynical joke and inclined his head.

"Crystal Phoenix, Vengeful Tiger, Wayfaring Saint, White Sun, Northern Fox. The Living Forest greets you."

"There's no need to greet us, Senior. Or use our titles that no longer mean anything."

"You should always remember your title. It's a weight made up of others' expectations of you. Xuan Yi, Ning Yao, Liu Wenji, Feng Yue, Wu Chen. Duo Wen greets you."

Xuan Yi laughed a little at being greeted twice.

"Greetings go by so quickly when there is so few of us."

"Indeed, I suppose back then making greetings mandatory was a little punishment. If you were the last one to arrive you had to call out thirty-six titles."

"Well, it's the least you can do for making the other thirty-six most powerful people wait."

"It has been a few months but it feels like a few years and at the same time it feels like a few moments."

A lone tired chuckle echoed out. Xuan Yi motioned for Duo Wen to sit and the last six leaders of the world were gathered together.

"Wu Chen, the battle was a loss from the beginning. We considered every stalemate a victory. Every day we could hold the tide against the swarm was a victory. There was and is no true victory to be had down on that battlefield. The only way this war could be won is by choices made in this garden."

The plump northern fox laughed. A deep laugh that one would expect from the mouth of a fox.

Then his eyes grew serious and his gaze pierced Duo Wen. Not looking at him but pass him.

"No, it was one that was steadily loss by error after error, mistake after mistake. Foolishness and pride allowed our world to fall in less than a year. This, 'Undaunted Cloud,' did not form until both the Divine Lands and the Barren Lands had fallen. And only a third of the Greater Lands remained unconquered. Duo Wen, we are not here to win but preserve some fragment of our shattered world."

As if it never existed Wu Chen's serious expression disappeared. His face the old fox smile once more.

"So, Duo Wen, why aren't you out there buying us more time."

"I called him. I wanted those of us who remained to decide just how far we will go for our… survival."

Liu Wenji waited for all eyes to turn to her. Then she sunk into her chair. Stretching her body, she gave a hopeless sigh, reminiscent of the old man of light.

"By now we've dug through everything we could, and we couldn't figure out where this "swarm" came from. Nor have we discovered any ancient powers or treasures or a hero we could call upon for salvation."

Returning to her original position her eyes grew clear as she said what they all knew.

"There is no winning this. Killing a member of the swarm isn't that hard. However, in a few breaths, you could find the creature you killed in a new body. As if nothing happened. Our deepest scouts couldn't find a spawning area or discover how they're born or come about. They tend to appear out of thin air."

Liu Wenji began to knead her brows as the pace of her voice increased.

"Maybe they have some form of communication. They seem to just stand next to each other for a nonsensical amount of time. If they're not communicating somehow or breathing each other's air. Then I can't guess what they're doing. Ten Hells I can't guess any of their actions. No matter what we say to them, no matter what we do. The only thing they have ever shown interest in is killing us and looting our corpse."

After running her hands through her black hair. Liu Wenji laid lifelessly on the pristine white table before her. For some reason, her eyes met Xuan Yi and she felt… odd. Her intuition was warning her. There was something she wasn't noticing.

"Why mention facts that we already know?"

The sudden question jolted Liu Wenji and she shook off the feeling. Then turned her head to look at Feng Yue.

"Because it's all we know. A mortal could look out the window and see the battlefield. And yet though they near our doorstep. The only thing we've known is a pattern."

"Ah, I believe it's the fact that there are obviously always members of the swarm. But the size of the swarm itself fluctuates depending on the time. With the actual members of it never being constant. Some disappearing never to return or new ones appearing without reason. Others just disappearing at various times and reappearing at various times."

Liu Wenji sent Wu Chen a scolding glance until the other helplessly shrugged.

"Don't interrupt me. But that's it the only useful piece of information we have."

"And I suppose, all six of us are gathered here because our venerated Saint has a solution."

A flicker of power broke out in the moonlit room. And all over the room cracking sounds occurred as two invisible powers clashed. Immediately after a stronger power washed over those two and all was silent.

"Brother do not tease our sister too much. Our seniors are no longer here to clean up after our venting."

After Xuan Yi interfered Wu Chen relented. His expression a mock seriousness. Liu Wenji relented as well, and she continued, her tone dry and solemn.

"We'll reverse the time of our world. One of us will go back and do all they can to ensure a time like this never occurs."

"And I suppose we won't tell anyone. None of those who have fought so hard, for so long. That we'll be wiping them all away."

"It's not as if they will die! Its better than dying like this."

"Venerated sister please correct me if I'm wrong, but I imagine as we perused the same things as we looked for "hope." We probably ran across a few of the same thing. See you say they won't die that we won't be wiping them away. But I know of only one complete method to do this kind of time jump. This little formation that was used way back when."

"The one used against the entity Akura?"

"See even our young, White Sun, knows it. Venerated Saint is this the formation you're talking of?"

Her lie exposed, Liu Wenji nodded her head solemnly. Wu Chen smiled viciously and then laughed till tears were in his eye.

"I'm surprised your justice would allow it. When my corruption would not."

After saying those words Wu Chen closed his eyes and fell silent.

"Tell us."

"Xuan Yi?"

"Go on, sister. It seems brother Ning nor I know of it."

"If it must be spoken of, let me. I will be able to tell of it much more accurately than any book."

After seeing Xuan Yi nod. Duo Wen got up.

The space around the six shivered and they were transported. Not just the six but the thirty-one empty chairs as well.

They were teleported to the inside of a massive but desiccated library.

For a while, Duo Wen's pupils faded away. And a massive forest could be seen within his eyes. As time drifted by Duo Wen outstretched his hand and a jade slip appeared. Then as if it was never there the forest in his eyes disappeared.

Slowly with great care as if it was the most precious treasure in the world. Duo Wen rubbed the jade slip. And a long drawn out spark resounded. The six and the empty chairs were transported once more to a barren land. Where the outline of a creature stood.

"Akura was not of our world. One day he appeared, and all living things were doomed to suffer. Nothing was untouched, nothing was sacred to him. If a world could be considered to have been molested. Then under Akura, it was brutally raped until it was on the verge of death."

The image changed, the outline sat upon a throne and a myriad of creatures came to attack it. Though the one on the throne was merely an outline. The throne and the hall it sat in was the most resplendent to ever grace the world. And those who came to attack the outline. Were all solid forms and on the several types of mortals that came forward, wielding their myriad of treasures and artifacts. One could see their frosted breath. Feel the cold sweat that graced their skin. And if a viewer wished, they could even hold the treasures and artifacts they bore, for a time.

"As you can see many came to challenge Akura. And all failed none could wound him. And the world and all on it seemed fated to suffer under Akura. Until a man known as Arthurius Blackwell."

The scene changed to reveal a white-haired youth with green eyes alone in a laboratory. Soon others began to gather around him and the lab expanded.

"They planned to go back in time. Just like us our ancestors were able to meddle with the powers of time. And with none able to stop Akura it seemed the best solution. And so, they worked together and completed a ritual, a formation to do such a thing."

Arthurius surrounded by several other people in silver cloaks. Focused on and worked around an incomplete symbol in the ground. Slowly after many successes and failures, the symbol was complete.

"Arthurius was the one chosen to travel. As he was considered to be the most intelligent of those that had gathered. However, there was a problem with that choice.

To reach a point before Akura's arrival, Arthurius had to go far back in time. Long before he was born, and such had no choice but to send his whole self back. As such, the cost to go back was higher."

Emaciated corpses and foreign contraptions surrounded the now complete symbol.

"But they were determined…"

Light flowed out from the illusionary formation and Arthurius Blackwell was transported back in time. Though it might have seemed instantaneous to others. Everyone who was watching was powerful enough to feel the slow recession of time.

"…And so, they succeeded. Arthurius had made it back to a time before Akura had entered our world."

The silver-haired youth stood on lush grass in a meadow surrounded by forests. The clear blue sky and the fresh air brought tears to his eyes.

His expression then turned into one of pure horror. He choked, audibly and fell backward. Scrambling back his mouth opened and closed with no sound coming from it.

A shadowy outline had appeared from out of the forest. Pleasure and delight radiated off of it as it slowly stalked to the youth.

The outline spoke but its word could not be carried. The space around them cracked, unable to bear the weight and broke under the pressure.

The six were returned to the desiccated library and the luster of the jade slip faded in and out. Duo Wen let out a sigh and stroked the slip once more. Slowly helping it retain its luster.

"Akura resisted it, no, it's better to say he was completely unaffected. The house was destroyed but he remained untouched."

The scenery returned, and the outline held Arthurius by the throat. Then reaching out with one hand. The outline then seemingly grabbed the air. His fist tightening around what he held onto. And then the air, space, began to wrinkle like a piece of cloth in a strongman's grip. And with a sharp tug, the world changed. So quickly that even for the six who were watching on it seemed instantaneous.

Once more in the lab, the outline laughed. Its mouth opened but the scenery could not bear it much less replicate it. The scenery shook, and the jade creaked, but Duo Wen held it firm.

The outline held Arthurius in the sky and held Arthurius' jaw forcing him to look around. The scenery's gaze followed Arthurius and all one could see beneath the broken sky was death.

Then the outline laughed once more, and the jade went murky. Duo Wen once more began stroking it. After a while, a small bit of luster returned.

"The formation that Arthurius used. The one Liu Wenji suggested using. Does return an individual to the past. And it can send an individual back even farther than when they were born. But it kills everything in the present and the past up to the point the individual is sent back."

Using the jade, Duo Wen showed a cartoonish example as he explained.

"It's like burning a bridge after one has crossed. However, in this case, there will be an immense amount of people who will be going down with that bridge."

Ning Yao's eyes flickered as they watched the cartoonish people burn with the falling bridge.

"People who believed and trusted in us."

"You say that Akura was immune to it and I supposed he shared that immunity with what he felt like saving."

Seeing Duo Wen affirm his guess, Xuan Yi continued.

"So, then what if the swarm is immune as well?"

Liu Wenji's mad laughter met Xuan Yi's question.

"Then we would have killed those we swore to protect and ourselves. I guess we could call it a forced mass suicide."

"Leave the jokes to me, venerated sister."

"Your ones aren't much better, fatty fox."

"A round belly is the only proper bearing for a cultured man."

Saner laughter escaped Liu Wenji and Wu Chen returned to his fox-like smile.

As the others spoke Duo Wen had been trying to get the jade to cooperate a bit more. However, there was little he could do so with a twist he snapped it. The last bit of luster within escaped and he placed his long fingers in it. Gently cajoling it until the six and their accompanying chairs were transported once more.

The outline sat on its throne once more. Its frame larger and in its grip was Arthurius. His screams rang out as the outline pinched his skin and flesh as it slowly skinned the youth. The youth screamed until his voice left him but even then, he did not die. Even when all his blood was drained from him he still lived.

When he was nothing more than a pile of exposed meat the outline dropped him. And though the pain seemed to crawl into the skin of the six watching. The pile of exposed meat had no way to express it.

As it lay twitching, pulsating and suffering on the ground. The outline played with it. Grabbed, squeeze and tore a piece of meat from the pile. And the six could tell. Though they could not figure out how it was done. That pile of meat could feel everything done to it. Every touch to those exposed nerves could be felt cleanly and clearly throughout the fibers of Arthurius' being.

The tiny bit of luster finally faded and so did the scenery.

"Even after Akura was defeated. No one knew how to end Arthurius' misery. Now that I think of it he may be alive even now. But if the swarm can kill us who also considered ourselves immortal. Maybe they have long found him and ended him."

His story ended Duo Wen took the six back to the Cloud Garden.

"So, these are the choices that we have? Death at our hands or at the hand of the others."

"Even if we found a way to put them down for good now. We no longer have the strength or numbers. And even if we wanted to beg for our lives. We still don't understand how to communicate with anything from the swarm."

"Sister, what does the formation need?"

"Xuan Yi?"

"It seems not only our Saint has revealed her black heart. But the one we all believed to have a clear heart unstained by evil. Has replaced his own with a heart just as black."

"I've never intended to go quietly into death. If I'm to bear the weight of my title. Bear the expectations set on me. Then as the Crystal Phoenix, I cannot let death be the end of me and my kin. Even though this formation will thrust us into death. What is there to fear when we will reincarnate."

"To think of it as reincarnation."

A deep laugh rang out in the garden. And a few faces found light smiles.

"Brothers and sisters, should we vote on it."

"I agree to the mutual suicide of ourselves and those who follow us."

"Wu Chen! As the one who proposed the plan. I suppose I have to say I'm for it."

"For."

"You could say a little more, White Sun, anyways what remains of the Ning Empire is in accord with the plan of the Wayfaring Saint."

"Ah, are we following the old customs, Ning Yao? Then I Duo Wen the Living Forest and the chief representative of the Divine Lands am in full accord with the plan of the Wayfaring Saint, Liu Wenji."

As varying complaints and private conversations began to occur. A particularly gentle smile crossed Xuan Yi's face.