I watched as more and more creatures phased through the closed door, gravitating and circling around Isaiah, who looked exactly like me. Even while I couldn't move my body, the bug-like limbs on my sides twitched feebly.
"Umbridge ...where the hell are you?" I grumbled in my mind.
At this moment, shadows began to collect in the corner of the room. They revealed a pair of illusory, worm-hole like eyes that ebbed with unstable crimson energy. The Umbridge, now standing the height of a regular person, stepped out of the corner, looking directly at me.
"Quite the predicament you find yourself in," Their voice carried an uncharacteristic amount of amusement.
They leaned in closer to gaze at me, their robe composed of shadows fraying and conjoining with the darkness.
"And you've got yourself a new appearance."
I gritted my teeth, trying not to spit at the enigmatic figure. "I can't move..."
"Well..." The Umbridge fell silent before scoffing.
"...that's your problem."
My eyes widened upon hearing that, and my fists habitually clenched—the only movement I could struggle to do.
"Y-you're not gonna help me?" I gritted out in my mind, my voice partially layered.
The illusory figure stepped back, nodding their head. "I wasn't there when you fought your father, right? I only did so because I knew you could handle him on your own. But your rogue spirit body ...not so much."
I recalled how the Umbridge had restrained my spirit body before it could attack me. I could only guess it entered a state of blinded rage and fury after finally finishing off my father for good. His mental imprint may have left my consciousness, but his memory hasn't. Memory isn't something one can erase, nor alter.
It always sticks with you, because a memory—even a fragment—makes you who you are.
My mind quickly dislodged those thoughts, fixating on my friends restrained to the medical beds, who were now howling and shrieking in their guttural, monstrous appearances.
"Cut the sentimental crap; I literally can't move. Isaiah's like ...so much more powerful than me."
"He actually isn't; his body can only take so much of your own power."
"W-what?" I felt a sudden rush of confusion as my gaze drifted to Isaiah.
His lips stretched ear-to-ear as he laughed, allowing more demonic creatures into the room. They too laughed, circling around the man as their bodies dissipated, turning grainy and ethereal as they sifted into Isaiah's palms.
The way he was smiling so proudly—even laughing as he did this—only made me shiver. It was at this moment when I completely disregarded the Umbridge's words.
"He seems to be doing a good job there."
"Yes, but only for a short while. The Apocalypse and Puppeteer pathways aren't neighboring; none are to the Apocalypse pathway. His body is only adjusting to these changes, shielding itself under the illusion of safety."
It was at this moment when the illusory crimson energy emerged on the lower half of their face, rippling upwards to form a glowing smile, lined with sharp teeth.
"He thinks he's a God, but he's only a mortal playing with God's toys."
Their boney hand found my forehead, tapping it softly. "You, on the other hand, are a mortal too—among the more resistant I've seen. Yes, your abilities can stumble, and so have you, but I'm not diminishing the efforts you've put in. The Apocalypse pathway is dedicated to those who want power, chaos, and destruction. You, on the other hand, are the antithesis of such a pathway."
Hearing his words, my brows habitually furrowed. "If I didn't want all that stuff, why did that man in the tent say it was only compatible with my spirituality?"
The Umbridge took a step back, their illusory crimson smile twitching slightly. "Think of your emotions back then. The resentment for your father, conflicting views on life, love you could reach but not grasp in its entirety. You were always confused—and you still are to this day."
The illusory, shadowy figure glanced towards Isaiah, their expression hardening a little on the edges. "The person I knew was actually a lot like you in many ways ...they desired love, compassion, yet what dwelled beneath their skin held them back. They were bound by restraints out of their control, forced to vanquish all they cared about in a dance with fate."
"...I don't possess mortal feelings, but some layered feeling within myself churns when such destruction is brought about."
At this moment, the illusory strings above my body turned iron-black with energy, before shattering like glass. The numbness in my body gradually loosened, and I could feel my limbs once again. Looking back to the Umbridge, my expression quickly turned complex.
"I may not know who your friend is, or what they were like, but ...we sound quite similar."
The Umbridge nodded, pointing towards Isaiah Walls, who bore my exact appearance and previous attire. By now, hundreds—if not thousands of small spirits swirled around him, laughing and cackling as if this was an opportunity of rapture.
Isaiah Walls turned his head to look at me, his brows clenching upon noticing my current condition. "You broke free."
I didn't respond, my gaze fixated on my friends strapped to the medical beds. By now, they had gone feral, screaming and clawing at anything they saw.
"Why bring the wraiths to begin with?" I crossed my arms, an unusual sense of calmness surging through my veins.
"They're the one thing slowing me down. If it weren't for you triggering the Blood Moon early due to your little fit, I would've calmly waited for your friends to transform back and give them the cure."
Isaiah responded with my exact voice.
"W-what?" Hearing his words, I felt my stomach plummet.
I had caused the Blood Moon to happen early? Aren't I only Order 9—the weakest Order of the pathway? I turned my head to the Umbridge, my mouth agape slightly. The enigmatic figure in the corner of the room didn't know how to respond, but something about their aura and illusory facial features told me they knew this detail to a certain extent.
"So ...you know about my power? Why take it if you'd only use it to harness the wraiths? Also, it's not compatible with your pathway, which can also screw you over."
The man with my appearance smirked, extending their hand. At this moment, the Apocalypse sigil on my forehead exploded with a surge of bright, painful energy. A pair of crimson horns emerged from my skull, bearing radiant light.
"Oscar called you the Armageddon King for a reason, Isaac, but that title can do to anyone with the right qualifications."
Isaiah took a step forward, smiling. "Conquest, famine, war, and death. Those four figures signal the return of God, the end of everything."
He yanked me by my collar, pulling me to eye-level. "I'm a soldier of our lord, doing His work. You, on the other hand, are reluctant to undergo divine processes. You have the power of eons, but you refuse to use it for mortal reasons."
"Enough!" A surge of crimson energy suddenly pulsed through the room, sending Isaiah back a few steps.
He only took a short moment to recover his equilibrium and keep speaking. "You're bound by love and mortal emotions. You drank the potion for mortal reasons, you walked into a world where the strong trample the weak for mortal reasons."
Isaiah turned around, the countless spirits now circling around his body. "Now tell me, Isaac. If I told you that the power within your bones is meant to kill, yet it can give you all you desire ...would you accept my guidance and allow me to guide you along the way?"
"Sorry on your end, I'd have to say no." I responded, my lips twitching only a millimeter. My gaze shifted to the Umbridge as I smiled.
"I already have someone willing to help me, and they've done an ample job so far. You, on the other hand, had never actually used this power."
I took a step forward, and the moment I did so, a few wraiths circling Isaiah suddenly flew in my direction, flying around me in circles. This time, they didn't laugh, but they seemed to whisper something.
"Yes, this power may have me confront demons, something I was scared to do. But with the right help and support, I'm sure it'll go as planned."
As I kept speaking, more and more wraiths circled around my body, whispering and mumbling in ancient languages.
"I've heard whispers and myths of Angels and Gods who exist somewhere in this universe. So, I'll just say one thing ...if they want to stop me in my tracks, they'll have a lot more than just me to stop."
Isaiah Walls suddenly opened his mouth, laughing loudly. "You really think divinity can be outpaced by mortal whims? You have no idea what you just did, Isaac."
Black, illusory cracks began to slither up Isaiah's neck as he let out a low, painstricken growl. A pair of surreal horns formed atop his head, flickering and phasing in and out of existence. I watched, my expression turning slightly pale as the skin on Isaiah's face began to chip and wrinkle, slithering and slipping off in a grotesque manner.
At this moment, the demons circling around him all turned to gaze at his flickering horns, their laughing growing more insistent.
"Fool!"
"One who bears no power!"
"Fraudulent, insolent fraud!"
The wraiths and ghouls all mocked him, spinning faster and faster as they continued to laugh.
Seeing this, I took a step back as most of the wraiths flew in my direction, circling around me. The pain in my forehead continued to grow, yet I attempted to ignore it for the most part.
"Did you know this would happen?" I asked with a smile.
Isaiah Walls let out a low growl as his face caved in, revealing his flesh and skeleton underneath his face. His skull unhinged in a silent scream as the wraith soured into his body, slowly lifting him into the air. I watched as the metallic card fell from Isaiah's grip, landing on the floor with a clutter. The surface of the card rippled, revealing the faces of numerous allies and people I knew.
"Rapture is a lie, only darkness and desolation lie for you! One that bears no fruit!" A wraith called out in an illusory, layered voice.
Isaiah's mutilated body suddenly contorted, compressing and converting into a spherical object. Its surface was a purplish, semi-transparent hue. Within the object, I saw illusory tentacles and wraiths souring around, their cackles and laughs muffled.
"What ...is this?" I knelt down and picked up the sphere. Turning to the Umbridge, I arched an eyebrow.
In an instant, a black and crimson tongue shot out from the darkness of the Umbridge's cloak, wrapping around the tentacled artifact and swallowing it whole.
"A meal for me," They replied, their stringy smile twitching as they licked their lips.
After the object diffused within the figure's stomach, they kept explaining. "After a Seeker dies, their body mutates and transforms into a Pathway Fragment."
"A Pathway Fragment? I habitually dug into my pockets, taking out the Blood-Moon Charm and Whisper-Wishing Bone.
"The Whisper-Wishing Bone is for the Reaper Pathway, while the Blood-Moon Charm is for your own pathway. They also double as Sealed Relics to a certain extent, but consuming them would also bestow the effects of the artifact. After all, the relic corresponding to a pathway has its abilities."
A moment of deliberation coursed through my body as I turned to look at the door, which was now left open. I then gazed towards Oscar, Ruth, and Daisy, still strapped to the beds.
"How can I help them?"
The Umbridge fell silent for a moment as they walked over to the trio, who still growled and thrashed, but their movements had grown slightly lethargic. They shifted their attention to me and nodded their head.
"Only time will tell. The wraith that supplied them with this curse has been extracted by Isaiah, as it was among the ones he dragged..."
I recalled the encounter I had, and that Damien was still huddled under the bed, trembling like a leaf. If Isaiah had extracted the wraith that turned them into monsters at night, could this be the last time such a thing could occur?
"Anyways ...I believe your friends need your help."
The Umbridge conjured an illusory sphere of rippling, crimson energy. They held it in their palm for me to see. Within the object, I saw Mr. Ryujin, Ayumi, Carter, Carterine, Shinso, the Pollinators, Aizawa, Aaron, and Oboro all fighting the wraiths now.
"Damn..." I couldn't help but chuckle self deprecatingly.
"As for this." I walked over to the metallic card on the floor, picking it up and blowing the dust and debris off of it.
"I should probably destroy this."
"Actually..." The Umbridge hissed between their imaginary teeth.
They grabbed the object from me with their boney hands, holding it up to the lights. "Destroying the card would also destroy the identities stolen within it. Each identity within this card is a fragment of the original owner. So destroying it would also destroy a portion of the identity as a whole."
The Umbridge turned to me, frowning. "Hundreds, if not thousands of souls would perish if you did that."
"Alright ...then what should I do?" I asked, glancing at the card. My face flushed a little from embarrassment.
The towering, enigmatic figure flipped the card over, showing me the other side. A symbol was inscribed within the metal, one similar to mine. It emitted a slightly purplish-blue hue, much reminiscent of the serum within Isaiah's syringe. The Umbridge sighed as they kept speaking.
"This is a Sealed Relic of the Puppeteer pathway, I can see why Isaiah could use it with such proficiency."
Without saying anything else, illusory, blood-red tendrils protruded from in between the nimble fingers of the Spiritual Creature. They coiled around the card, pulsing and contracting with energy. The wormhole-like eyes of the Umbridge closed shut as an illusory, layered sigh reverberated through the room.
"Hmm ...quite some old people..."
"What do you mean by that?" I arched an eyebrow, feeling an eerie wave of confusion and curiosity.
"Isaiah's stolen the identities of thousands of people, alongside their vitality. With the given knowledge embedded within the spirituality, I can say he's lived about three-hundred years, constantly regressing his age and appearance in some sort of viscous, inhuman cycle."
"Damn...should I tell Aaron and the others?"
"It's best to refrain from such things. The shock would likely stop his old heart, if the revelation that he's a cold-blooded lobotomizer didn't already do that."
The Umbridge chuckled darkly, prompting me to jab them in the side. Unfortunately, this didn't seem to do anything, as I stumbled forward and phased to the floor. Luckily, my other appendages on my sides saved me from the impending collision.
"Right ...what about this? I look like a walking grasshopper."
The impending figure, clad in an illusory dark load, gazed into me with their worm-hole like eyes.
"We can always remove them, your spiritually and physically enhanced body will handle the rest of the malformations. It's like a habitual cycle."
"Like ...surgery? Hell no." I shook my head, instantly rejecting the proposition.
"Anways, should we ...help my friends?"
The Umbridge nodded, pointing to the door. "Are you sure you can handle everything outside?"
I scoffed as a smile formed on my face. "Did you see what I did to Isaiah? The demons and ghouls wanted me more than him after they realized he wasn't able to properly use my power. Perhaps this reaction is embedded in the demons from the beginning. They'll either want to be with me, or they'll fear me like what happened to them while they were in their monstrous forms."
I turned back to look at the mangled forms on the medical beds, letting out a long, deep sigh. "Your pain is over, now, I have to help my friends."
I have to end this damn Blood Moon, perhaps for the rest of time!
I felt my stomach and soul bubble as I ascended up the stairs, my bug-like limbs twitching as I stepped into the crimson-bathed moonlight. Outside, dark clouds circled and rumbled as they spat down torrents of lightning. Wraiths and ghouls soured through the sky, wrecking havoc.
The hallway was still lined with the carnage of what happened. Bloodied and mangled corpses painted the scene as if used as macabre accessories. Blood stained the wooden walls and floors, appearing ink-black in hue under the dim illumination. A nurse or two were on the scene, eyes clammed shut as they gloved hands moved to remove the corpses and clean the blood and bodily organs splayed around.
Letting out a low huff, I made my way towards another exit away from view.