"It took you long enough." The young Midas smiled, glancing beside him to see the friend he'd supposedly lost.
Tension was still in the air, but something was different about it. Despite the strong pressure the Nether exuded, it felt like nothing when these two stood side by side.
"Well, better late than never."
Both The white being and Kuzon remained unscathed from the implosion that would have ultimately killed them. And now, they were both smiling.
"I made sure to destroy your soul. Ah… I see… Aether intervened. Why is she so invested in you?" The Nether's eyes narrowed, and he seemed to be clenching his teeth.
He didn't look too pleased, and the climbing rate of his power was enough to attest to that fact.
"He's stronger than I remember." The being in white light muttered, the energy within and around him coalescing in one spot as it grew more and more stable.
"Of course. And you know why." Kuzon replied.
A brief moment of silence, mixed with uncertainty spread into the air. Both sides—light and darkness—stood still to observe the one opposite them.
"Are you ready?" Kuzon spoke, his eyes still on the Nether, as his friend cracked his knuckles.
"Haha… that's a strange question."
A grimoire suddenly appeared in front of him, and what seemed to be a staff of pure light manifested in his hand. A large mage cloak covered his body, and a hat of the same aesthetic floated on his head.
All were in pure white, with golden designs marking and outlining the edges and centre.
Jared Leonard, in this form, was heightened beyond imagination.
"Why else would I be back?"
*
*
*
[MOMENTS EARLIER]
Within the world that transcended description or comprehension, Jared—in the form of his past self, Lewis—stood before Aether.
He had just been told to make a choice; one that could ultimately destroy him due to the intensity of the power he would have to channel
"If I do this… does it guarantee everyone's survival?" He asked the celestial entity before him.
"It all depends on you, and how much power you can control."
According to her explanation, even the Nether only possessed a fraction of his true strength. However thanks to his body constantly acclimating, he would always increase in strength.
The same applied to her, even if she chose Jared to represent her.
"If you work together with Kuzon, though, the chances of your success will increase."
"Then, how do we stop the Nether for good?" Jared asked, curious.
"You'll need to possess more energy than him, and then pry open his dense body to retrieve all the Arcanas. Finally, you'll have to reopen the gate and send him back to where he came from. As long as he returns to the Nether Realm, this world will be safe."
It sounded difficult, and it was going to be his hardest mission yet. However, Jared felt a little uncomfortable with the plan as a whole.
"Is there really no way to destroy him? He's a constant threat to this world. Destroying him for good seems like the most reasonable solution."
"It's impossible to destroy him. You'd be better off sealing him off." Aether sighed, shaking her head slightly.
If this was what the God of his world said, Jared had no choice but to concede. Still, one other thing remained on his mind.
"This plan of yours… is it possible for me to revamp it?"
"Revamp in what way?"
A smile formed on Jared's face. He looked like someone who had just found the perfect plan.
"Instead of struggling to pry open the Nether to gain access to the Arcanas… Why don't I just make new ones?"
Since Ciel was able to make them, nothing was stopping him from doing the same.
"You know their structure, and you also have the power. If you use me as a channel, we can create new Arcanas."
"I understand that. However, the time and strain it'll place on your body is too much. Although, I admit that your plan has some merit to it." Aether replied, ushering a moment of silence as both parties fell into deep thought.
After barely any time passed—not that the concept existed in this realm—Aether's eyes glimmered with inspiration and a smile formed on her face. She had gotten the perfect solution to the problem.
"How about we reach a compromise?"
***
And with this compromise reached, both parties decided it was time to begin Jared's comeback, as well as the power of Aether in its purest form.
The comeback of Aether Herself!
*
*
*
"What's the plan? Aether told me you both cooked up something." Kuzon said, prepared for any moment when the Nether would choose to strike.
"I do. And it'll require all of us." Jared's gaze moved towards his friends and allies who were too busy fighting Ciel to even notice his return.
They must have had quite a decent amount of trust in Kuzon—or complete immersion in their battle—to have missed his resurrection.
"Don't tell me… it's the power of friendship?" Kuzon slightly raised his brow, confused by Jared's vague terms.
"No… not that. It's the power of Arcanas. Just trust me."
"Fair enough."
With both of them prepared to take on the Nether, Jared's grimoire flipped its own pages, and suddenly another copy of him appeared out of nowhere.
"Neat trick." Kuzon commented.
"Thanks. Picked up a few things on my way back. Now then… let us begin."
>WHOOOOOSSSSSHHHHH!!!<
Both the false Jared and Kuzon charged directly at the Nether, who was already preparing multiple copies of the orb he'd used moments earlier.
The original Jared—that is, I—stayed back and closed my eyes while focusing on the task ahead.
Remembering the words Aether told me…
"Rather than create new Arcanas, you can simply attract all of the existing Arcanas, and create the missing ones."
… I began the process.
