Memories

Theia landed on the scene. Its glass wings flapping across the air, it's fizzled out diamond dust sprinkling across the city of Paris.

It landed in front of Eurus's headless corpse, its blood, and feathers scattered across the shattered road.

"Humans... Humans..." (Theia)

Thirty seconds later another X-Class Monster approached the scene, landing with a sonic boom, with its arms and legs covered in golden rings and holes, a sponge-like consistency to its skin.

Its name was Pan, the Monster of sound and silence. And it stood taller than the other monsters, its highest infatuated with its long spiraling legs covered in rings and holes. It leaned over Theia, looking down on Eurus's headless corpse.

"It is too late Theia. Volcan is dead, Pan is dead, and Phanes... Phanes is far too gone, lost in a mysterious magic, cycling death over and over again. Phanes is beyond repair." (Pan)

"So we've lost... We lost..." (Theia)

Pan held out its riddled hand, its humanoid shape turning and contorting into a spiral of sounds.

"They will all be revived, but not for another ten thousand years, so losing isn't possible for us monsters." (Pan)

"But their memories, they will never remember us. We are all that is left in the human world." (Theia)

Pan looked confused at Theia's glassy cracked face.

"Are you sad Theia?" (Pan)

"No! No no no! Sadness... Humans... Monsters... They are all so pitiful... If Eurus and Volcan couldn't defeat a mere human, then they are weaker than weak. Not worthy of our name! Of our title!" (Theia)

"Yes, our title... The Gods of The Divine!" (Pan)

"Yes, Gods! To die by a mere mortal, then they are no god!" (Theia)

"Indeed, but they still pose a threat. The humans and their stolen magic. And to take over this world we have to get rid of them all... No... Not all... We must get rid of one..." (Pan)

"The man in white!" (Theia)

Suddenly a playing card appeared from thin air. A King of Spades.

It slowly started to fold in on itself. Spinning in circles, creating layer after layer of cards, one after the other until a man appeared from thin air. A man in a white cloth mask, with a white suit, and white shoes, and white gloves.

He stepped up.

The two X-Class Monster turned around. Their faces filled with anger, with pain, with hatred, all at the color white.

But they knew this man wasn't the one in white, that this man wasn't the one they needed to kill.

"You are not the man in white. Who are you?" (Pan)

Theia turned in a stiff mannequin-like action.

"That magic... Sinister... I've felt it... You're the one who summoned us." (Theia)

"Indeed I am." (White Mask)

He pulled out a Jester of Hearts.

"I was listening in on your plan and I agree. I want to help." (White Mask)

Pan held out its twisted hand of holes and sounds.

"Why should we listen to a human?" (Pan)

Theia looked off into the sea of destruction, the thousands of dead Monsters, their corpses compressed by the curtain of blood, the see-through buildings, crumbled and destroyed, the death all around.

"Was this was your plan?" (Theia)

"Yes, but this is just the beginning my monster friends... You know them as men and women in black and white uniform suits, but they have a name. They are called the Magic Force. And I plan to kill the Magic Force." (White Mask)

Pan retracted its arm.

"I am listening." (Pan)

"You're monster forces killed two of the greatest Sorcerers to ever live on this planet. And many many more. This will rile up the world and force the Magic Force to allocate a lot to most of its resources in protecting North America and most to all of Europe." (White Mask)

The White Masked Man held up his playing card.

"My plan is simple, my monster friends. All I want is for the Magic Force to die. And this is just the first step. The beginning of the end. And I summoned you here today to make a deal. To get you on my side." (White Mask)

The White Masked Man released the tiniest amount of his aura. Theia picked it up immediately.

"Pan look at this humans magic..." (Theia)

Pan looked closer at the playing card magic. At the aura. At the White Masked Man's sinister nature.

"So this one's a Far Gone One." (Pan)

"It seems so. This human was lost a long time ago..." (Theia)

"So should we trust the human?" (Pan)

Theia slowly walked over to the man in white. It looked at his silver eyes, at his perfectly clean suit, at his focused seriousness, his intensity.

"How much do you want to kill the ones in white, the Sorcerers?" (Theia)

The White Masked Man leaned forward. His silvery eyes glistening in the soft purple night sky.

"I want them all dead. All of them. Every human on this planet." (White Mask)

Theia's cracked glass face grinned.

"Pan this human is trustworthy. Every time I stare at their soal. All I see is hatred and pain." (Theia)

Theia smirked harder. Its stiff body strutting back to the headless Eurus.

"Human. We will go along with your plan. We trust you... But listen here, and listen close. We are to call the shots. We are the supreme. The gods. The ones in-" (Theia)

The X-Class Monsters both fell forward at the same exact time. Their magic was empty. They couldn't stand or move. They were immobilized in seconds.

The White Masked Man stood silently, his presence overshadowing the fierce dominance of the powerful god-like monsters below him. He held out his playing card, its axis slowly spinning in circles.

"I've done my research on you Monsters. On the monster world, you come from. I know about your King. The leader of the monsters. About The Competitor. What you need it for. I've been to your world as well. I've seen your lands, your cities, your misery. I know your in and outs." (White Mask)

He turned around stopping his Jester of Hearts from sucking out the magic from the X-Class Monsters.

"I am sorry for my sorrowful impressions on you two. But you seemed to not understand the picture I set for you. I don't care for your lives. For your world. I don't care for any world. For any life or any time. All I want is the Magic Force dead and for the world to fall to ash." (White Mask)

Theia jumped up ready to kill in seconds.

"How close am I...?" (White Mask)

Theia stopped.

"What do you mean human?!" (Theia)

"How close am I to death...?" (White Mask)

Pan sat up. Its spring-like body creating an eerie screech as it looked to the fading purple sky.

"Theia, we will listen to this human. Follow their lead." (Pan)

"But why?!" (Theia)

"We have no choice. The King... They know about The Competitor. What choice do we have... They are human. They know this world we do not. Our chances of survival..." (Pan)

Theia looked off into the distance as airships and helicopters filled to the brim with Magic Force Sorcerers flew in.

"Fine..." (Theia)

They disappeared into a portal.

---

Meanwhile, as the sky faded from purple to black, Jack ran throughout the city of Paris. He ran with his breath against the cold breeze, the fire and storm raging across, his body shaking, exhausted from using his new magic ability. All while carrying Red on his back.

He ran past the crumbling buildings of glass, past the rivers of blood, past the screaming innocents praying to the gods above. He ran past destroyed military tanks and police cars, he ran past the deathly stares of strangers, the fear in their eyes, as the children cried, as the sirens raging in silence.

He ran to the Eiffel Tower. Its beauty still standing in the city of hell around him.

He ran until he reached an empty plot of grass.

"Red, we'll wait over there!" (Jack)

He ran to the empty field. It's grass still untainted by the curtain of blood or the glassy curse that spread across the city.

He sat down exhausted, his breath running dry.

He fell back, his head in the grass.

He looked up to the massive Black Level A Rift in the distance. As its glow dimmed, slowly disappearing.

"Is it over...? Already?" (Jack)

He watched as helicopters spread across the sky. As blimps and airships filled with Sorcerers of all different ranks descended in parachutes, coming to save the day.

He watched as they took care of the extra leftover monsters. As they escorted civilians to safety. As they-

He watched as the skylights flickered. As the stars came out to play. As the shooting lights turned to happy thunder. As the rain poured on the city below.

Five minutes passed.

The rain stopped suddenly and abruptly.

He then watched as the night turned deeper and darker. As the Eiffel Tower lit up the pitch-black night sky. Making everything brighter. Making the world brighter.

And all Jack could think about was his new power. His new Yin and Yang.

All he could think about was his friends. The ones waiting for him. The ones he made.

All he could think about was what he was going to eat for lunch the next day. What his next mission would be. What he's going to say to Emma when he meets back up with her.

All he could think about was his mysterious past. The ones stuck in his head. The puzzle that he tried to keep locked away, hidden. How it didn't matter anymore. That he realized that it was all meaningless. That he didn't care. As long as he had friends, food, fun, days, every day.

He was now himself. The Jack that he-

"Jack...?" (Sofia)

A girl in the distance.

"Sofia!" (Jack)

He sat up! He looked in all directions, but no one was there. There was no girl. No- He looked to his left, to his right. He looked down to the grass, to see Red laying next to him, all curled up, sleeping, warm and snug.

He looked down at his own palms. His own identity. His own magic.

"What was that-" (Jack)

Purple...

Purple sky...

Purple mask...

Frankenstein appeared. His hands old and withered. His face stitched and mismatched.

He looked straight at Jack. Their eyes meeting.

Purple and green.

Jack immediately tried to jump up to fight, but his body was too stiff, too tired. He sat back. His hand covering Red, trying to protect her at all costs.

"Why?! Why are you here?! What was this all about?!" (Jack)

Frankenstein sat down in the grass. He pulled out two vials of black blood.

"It was all for her." (Frankenstein)

"Her...?" (Jack)

"Back then, at my secret base, the one you destroyed. When we met, I tried to release you, but you weren't ready yet." (Frankenstein)

"I wasn't ready?" (Jack)

"She really did mess you up, you know? And I'm guessing she also blocked your magic." (Frankenstein)

"My magic? My Yin and Yang..." (Jack)

"Jack, this probably doesn't make any sense, but I planted the seed, and not it is ready to hatch." (Frankenstein)

"What are you talking about?" (Jack)

"Your yin. I awoke your yin but it seemed to go dormant again. So I'll need to wake him up once more." (Frankenstein)

"What are you-" (Jack)

"Sofia." (Frankenstein)

Jack went into a trance.