The One Thing To Scare Sky Asterio

"What the hell was that? Why did that house explode?" Cole asked, watching over it as the planks frozen in time started to fall down to the floor.

"Just used a trick of mine," Cynthia said. She walked toward me, her hair turning purple, and her eyes shifting back into that same blue. Two black triangles appeared facing in opposite directions from each other in both of her eyes, and golden strands came out of her hands.

"What I explained to you, what Aether is... do you know why it's important?" Cynthia asked me.

I stayed ready for anything, watching closer for Fico and Cole to watch their positions... but they only stood still, watching me.

"Why don't you remind me, for old time's sake?" I asked her. She scoffed and bounced her body lightly as she put one hand on her hip.

"Aether is all around us on Earth... it's what kept you from awakening on an Isle. However, as I'm sure it's obvious by now, that didn't work out. Somebody picked you up from Earth and moved you to The Pinnacle, or as you called it, The Isle," Cynthia said to me again. She wasn't making any sense again. She often did that, didn't she?

"Point is, Aether is a shield around Earth meant to combat you... which means, that both you from four hundred years ago, and you from The Isle are here right now. I saw your adversity, your insecurity, your weakness, I saw it everywhere. How people pop up in your head to save your ass when the clock strikes eleven... there's nobody left up there, luckily," Cynthia told me next, tapping her head lightly while looking back toward Cole.

"I think I get it... my spirit from four hundred years ago, whatever the hell that means, is stuck on Earth. But, that doesn't make any sense, since it was stolen from there and I was put up on the Isle. That means I couldn't be in both places at once," I told Cynthia. She raised one eyebrow at me and pointed toward my White Stone.

"You dumbass. Hey, what's there? Your old friend, Avie, right? She's gone dark, hasn't she? Hasn't talked in... ten minutes by now at least... Avie was a Vessel, meant to contain your speed in the worst-case scenario. She has your previous power in her, just as Umbra and Hikari do... do you understand where I'm going with this?" Cynthia asked me again. Fico got jumpy with the mystery that's been kept from me, but I still couldn't catch on.

"Avie has your speed, Umbra has your strength, Hikari has your intelligence..." Cynthia pointed at me. I had flashbacks to the way Illya pointed at me, and she dropped the bomb on me that shattered my entire world.

"And you are the one who held onto Sky Asterio's emotions," She told me. It took a second for it to click in my head, but sure enough, it did.

I woke up without my memories, but I had hints of them. I woke up an angry kid and used that anger to push me this far. Zeal tried to stop me for so long for unknown reasons, so I didn't 'Start The Apocalypse' but this entire time... I have been the Apocalypse.

I'm not even Sky Asterio...? No... that can't be right... my System told me I was Sky. That was my name...

Asterio isn't my last name. I'm not an Asterio... am I?

It seemed like my world collapsed in front of me, folding in on itself as I realized the entire time I've been alive, it's meant nothing.

The black climbed up to my left shoulder, now possessing my entire arm.

[This isn't your head, Sky. It is mine.]

The voice from the previous me echoed in my mind. This body... it was never mine...? My power... it wasn't mine...?

The black strands ate away at my chest and legs, turning them pitch black, leaving only my head and right arm available to see the sun without being shrouded in black strands.

"I told you that you would lose yourself. You are not powerful enough to fight who you were four hundred years ago. The God of Strands is coming back, and you can't do a thing about it," Cynthia told me, as my body was completely shrouded in Strands.

From the blackness that choked out the sunlight, a body emerged from mine, replicating all of my details, down to every last strand of hair.

He held up his hand, summoning the Mahina Armament out of the sheathe on my hip, and using it to slice through his long hair to make it thinner and shorter.

"That's more like it... you spent all that time collecting the pieces to revive me, and Sky did nothing. Unbelievable, right?" The copy of me said. It was perfect to his voice, matching the tone, the deepness, and the nonchalant tone that he possessed.

"Hey, maybe you'll get this piece of the puzzle too. Do you know why my buddy Eirikr wanted Avie?" The copy of me asked.

He didn't even have to say it. I figured it out immediately.

"To prevent you from getting everything back..." I mentioned, and he snapped his fingers to affirm my statement.

"Bingo! Now, the plan was to kill you and re-obtain the emotions of my memories. You see, what I have are events, not feelings. I have old memories that tell me how to act in situations... but I can't understand anything as of right now. Hence the monotone voice. You've been burdened with the things I've felt, and they reappear randomly. You have my emotions, and I will get them back... will you willingly die so I may have them?" The copy of me asked, holding his hand out and curling his fingers.

"Sky..." Avie's weak voice emitted out of my left arm. The white stone was turned off, and no blue symbolized her presence... but she was talking.

"We... will... fight..." She muttered.

I nodded, even though nobody else could hear her, and summoned my golden saber and black strands.

"Yes, we will," I told her.