PERSONIFICATION OF EXISTENCE.

1774, NOVEMBER 27th, SUNDAY 11:00 pm.

Noche leaned forward as Boots held everyone's attention.

"If we're going to save my sister, then you all need to know what we're going up against."

"The Personification of Existence," Noche said.

"The POE, "Boots nodded. "Long before DeathTech, long before Create, there was another world war... The apocalypse war."

Over six hundred years ago.

Edward stood before a table full of maps. Rain pelted the boat, thunder deafened his ears, and waves threatened to capsize his vessel.

"I won't lose. I refuse to lose — I started the apocalypse war. I'm gonna end it... On my terms," he said. "The myth has to be true. I will find you."

A wave slammed into the boat. Edward slammed into the wall as a few soldiers were thrown overboard. More came to their rescue as boxes slid towards the railing.

"Ignore them!" Edward shouted. "Secure the cargo!"

There was a moment of hesitation before they moved towards the crates. The ocean consumed the drowning soldiers as the cargo was tied back down. Edward sighed as a weight lifted from his chest.

"A being that surpasses the gods... An omnipotent being, composed of all realities — one of such magnitude, it contains all matter, energy, and everything unfathomable... The POE," Edward grinned. "Imagine what I can do when I make that power my own."

"Damn... That's so, boooooring," Vida interrupted.

Boots stared at Vida.

"Language," Shaylin said.

The blind girl grinned. "Fuck."

"That's it! You're grounded — Straight to baby jail! Right now!"

"Are you two idiots done interrupting?' Boots asked.

Shaylin nodded; Vida shrugged.

"Basically, the POE is existence itself given human form," Boots said. "Now where was I?"

Edward's ship docked on the sand. This was the spot — a small island to the north. His soldiers carried the cargo towards the hills covered in cattails. Days later they found what they were looking for.

Wires covered the ground and stifled the grass. Radio antennas, consoles, and dozens of lights were all centered on one spot. The machines were turned on and began to work. Luring a mysterious object out of its hiding spot.

Edward uncovered a pure white orb with a microscopic crack.

Noche's eyes widened.

Pain overwhelmed her head. The sensation of DeJaVu washed over her again and again. Hands grabbed her temples as her face rested on her knees. A cracked white orb flashed in her mind over and over again. Each time it appeared the damage was greater.

Dia's grinning face appeared.

The memory of Noche's fight against Boots resurfaced in her mind. Dia held a sightly cracked white orb — When Noche peered inside there were dozens of shifting images.

"Careful now. That's a lot of alternate timelines to experience... Wouldn't want your mind to break," the memory of Dia grinned. "Don't worry about the Personification of Existence... All you have to do is crack the Poe's orb... Then I can help you."

That day — the day Noche made a deal with Dia. It involved damaging a white orb with her Omni-Oar.

Damaging an already cracked white orb.

Noche's eyes snapped open.

Tak was at her side; she didn't know when he got there. Boots was staring with wide eyes. Her eyes darted left and right. Everyone was staring at her.

"I-I'm fine," Noche lied.

Boots coughed. "I'll continue the story."

Edward spent months researching the orb. Day after day he experimented and ran tests. The results were fruitless. He hadn't taken a single step closer to becoming like the POE. The apocalypse war was nearing its end — he was losing.

One night, he lost his temper. Edward grabbed a wooden rowing oar and slammed it into the white orb. The impact was enough to damage the microscopic cracks. They enlarged into the size of the tiniest hole.

Drive energy exploded out — like air from a balloon.

Edward was flung back as Drive washed over the entire island. When he awoke two beings stood over him.

>>> ADD ARTWORK OF GALLOWAY AND CREEPS STANDING ABOVE EDWARD (Only show his hat) <<<

"Galloway and Creeps." Boots paused.

"Bruh. Galloway? Like, founder of Cross Galloway?" Mary asked. "Same dude who dresses like the grim reaper and jumped out a window for a piece of hard candy?"

Boots nodded. "Correct."

"Gee golly gosh, then whose the other one?" Shaylin asked.

DeJaVu wracked Noche's senses again.

Another memory entered her mind. That day where she searched for clues that Hectare cheated in the Cross entrance exam.

The day the door to the VR room was open and a light flickered inside. She walked in and before her was a giant crow's nest with a white egg.

But it wasn't an egg... It was an orb.

A partially cracked white orb.

That day, when Noche peered through the crack — she witnessed the infinite expanse of the cosmos within.

"The POE... Personification Of Existence," a VR recording of Galloway said. "Since it's a personification, that means it is a human. That means it has a subconscious... If the POE represents all of existence, then what if — due to its almighty power, its subconscious thoughts came to life?"

Noche's mind struggled to piece together the clues from her various memories.

"What form do you think the POE's subconscious fear would take?"

Something clicked — A lightbulb went off inside Noche's brain.

"That is what the monster is. Fear given flesh. It has only one instinct... To consume. With all this in mind, what would happen to reality if the Personification Of Existence was consumed by this monster?" Galloway said. "What would happen to reality if it was consumed by fear?"

"Creeps," Noche said.

Everyone turned to her. She paused and licked her lips.

"The other one is Creeps?"

"Correct," Boots nodded. "Galloway the grim reaper, and Creeps... The monster."

Everyone went silent for a moment. The cart wheels screeching on the tracks were the sole noise to be heard as the party descended deeper into the darkness.

"S-Sounds familiar," Tak stuttered.

"It should... Watch out for Crows," Boots chanted.

Everyone paused.

"Hide in the light." Shaylin spoke up.

"Or Creeps will get you in the night," Mary whispered.

"It'll eat... You up." Alice said.

"And when you're dead," Vida grinned.

Noche's hand raised to her neck. "It'll go and eat you once again."

A cold knife forced Noche's eyes to flicker to the shadows on the wall. Whether it was a trick of the mind or not — Noche swore, that for a moment, there was a big grinning maw full of jagged teeth in the darkness.

She gulped; her eyes fell to the goosebumps on her skin. All the hair on her arm stood up.

"Shut up — it's all in your head," she thought.

"Galloway the Grim reaper and his twin, the monster, are the same two creatures from a green book titled The Fairytale of Creeps," Boots said.

Noche's eyes snapped up. She received that book as a gift from Varen — that time they went out on a date.

"Golly, I thought Galloway adopted the Grim reaper appearance because of that story," Shaylin said. "Are you telling me he's actually the same dude?"

"I am," Boots nodded. "But my story isn't over yet... Let's continue."

Edward froze — paralyzed with fear from the eldritch horror that stood before him. Overwhelmed by intense dread he became inspired. He became envious.

Creeps exploded into a murder of crows. Galloway vanished into a flash of gold surrounded by black mist. Without delay, he chased after the crows. He took the boat back into the ocean, following the birds for night after night until he reached shore.

He arrived on land as the crows reformed into Creeps. The monster raised its hand and a forest sprouted in an instant. It dissolved into shadows and slithered into the dark depths.

"The NeverAfter forest!" Shaylin shouted.

"I wasn't lying when I said this was a cursed forest made by a dark god," Boots said. "The reason even generals are cautious here is because they know this place is supernatural."

"What happened next?" Noche asked.

"My story is done — I don't know what happened to Creeps... But I do know Edward gave up on his world war," Boots said. "Instead, he formed DeathTech deep beneath the soil of these haunted woods."

"Earlier, you said Drive exploded from the orb?" Shaylin asked.

"Yes — Drive energy leaked out of the cracked seal and flooded the world. Which lead to Create being discovered shortly afterwards, followed by the blackout age, and ending with Galloway forming Cross," he said. "But there was one more thing that escaped as well... Vessels of important power."

"The VIPs!" The blonde shouted.

"Thank you... Noche," Boots sighed. "Yes, VIPs are humans who've absorbed the unique abilities of the POE."

He stared at Noche

"Abilities like corruption," Boots turned away. "Time travel—"

Alice grimaced.

"— and immortality."

Tak's eyes widened; he stood up. "I'm a VIP?"

"Correct, but you got your powers by random chance. You could say VIPs are born lucky," Boots said. "That is not the case for the birds of death. They borrow their powers from Edward."

"Bruh, explain."

"With all the research Edward has done on the white orb, it was child's play for him to become a VIP," Boots said. "In fact, he has so many powers he's as close to the POE as a human can get... If you can still call him that."

"He lends his powers to the Birds?" Shaylin muttered. "But the power is inherently his."

"And he can only lend as much power as their Augment can withstand," Boots said.

"Golly! Does that mean there is a limit on their VIPs?"

"Yes – these abilities are mostly unknown," Boots nodded. "Create is understood, we know its limits... But if a VIP user is not careful, there can be consequences."

Alice looked away and frowned. Mary's eyebrows lowered, her eyes softened, and she placed her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. The violet hair girl turned towards her.

"I was a kid... My recklessness cost me," Alice whispered. "Now I can't control the glitches."

Mary frowned and pulled Alice in closer.

"This is why you need to be aware of the POE," Boots said. "Cause it is not some sort of false god or idol. This is a REAL being with reality-defying powers."

"Powers that Edward lends to his birds of death," Noche murmured.

"You know what the POE is, the history of DeathTech, and the validity of VIPs," Boots said. "Now that we've covered the past... Let's prepare for the future."

Boots moved to the front of the cart, sat on the edge, and stared at everyone one by one.

"Each bird guards a floor, except for floor one," he said. "That floor is now abandoned."

Noche grabbed her head as a wave of pain rolled over her.

"I – remember running past an abandoned floor," Noche said. "Like... A massive room left in disrepair for some time. Rotting banners, crumbling pillars... I think there was plant life?"

"It used to be where all the slaves worked. Scientists, factory lines, repair men," Boots said. "Now it's one-hundred square miles of abandoned crap."

"What happened?" Mary asked.

"Everyone was moved deeper into the base around last January," he said. "Only people still on this floor are those with work to do – like security guards and soldiers."

"First floor empty! Yay!" Shaylin cheered.

Boots rolled his eyes. "The second floor is Owl's. His ability is energy manipulation. His limitation is he can only manipulate Drive energy."

"Wait – he can steal our Drive!" Noche shouted.

"Yes. Floor three belongs to Dove. Her ability is omniscience," Boots said. "Her limitation is she has to make an active, mental request for the information she wants... Think of her as a living Gaggle search engine."

"So she shouldn't know we're here unless she had reason to check!" Shaylin said. "So simple, and yet so deep. Mama likes it."

Boots and Noche groaned.

"Fourth floor is Vulture. His VIP is flesh manipulation. His limit is his intelligence – he's a mindless beast."

"Bruh – How does that make him different from a DeathTech soldier?"

"Because while DeathTech soldiers need Drive to regenerate, he doesn't. Think of the soldiers like Vulture's children," Boots said. "If anything, he's more like Tak... Immortal in every sense of the word."

Tak frowned.

"On floor five is Falcon. She can make inter-dimensional portals. Her limit is she can only taking living organic matter through them."

"Wait. Are you saying anyone who uses her portals, end up... Naked?" Shaylin grinned.

Boots stared at the ginger for a long time.

"Yes."

Shaylin exploded with laughter.

"Sixth floor is Magpie. VIP is matter manipulation. Limit is she's unconscious pretty much all day," he said. "Seventh is Albatross. His ability is –"

"— STOP! Not another word," Vida shouted.

Everyone turned towards the blind girl.

"Alba. Is. Mine!" Vida didn't smile. "I don't want to hear a damn thing about his strengths or weaknesses... It'll ruin my fight."

Boots stared at her. "Are you insane? This isn't about you. My sister is –"

Vida grabbed Boots by the collar and lifted him a foot off the ground.

"Spoil anything about Alba... And I'll kill you," she said.

"If Spark so much as gets a scratch, I'll make you suffer forever," Boots spoke in a low tone.

A crushing presence sent everyone to their knees – as if the ocean fell atop them. Vida release her drive outside her body and the sheer, atmospheric weight caused everyone to kneel.

"Dreg was being kind with his Drive – he didn't want to suffocate anyone," Vida grinned. "I won't be so merciful if you ruin my fight... But if you think you can kill me, go ahead."

The pressure was too great – the weight was too immense, no one could stand. Except for Noche, who struggled to her feet. She placed her hand on Vida's shoulder.

"Drop it Boots," the blonde said. "Vida can handle him."

The blind girl tilted her head to Noche, released the pressure, and dropped the orange-haired boy.

"Thanks Nachos... Let me make one thing clear to everyone!" Vida shouted. "The only reason I came down here is to fight Alba! And I will remove anyone who gets in my way."

Vida walked back towards her seat, but paused when she was side by side with Noche.

"I have no intentions of fighting weaker opponents," Vida said. "Don't expect my help with the birds of death."

Noche scoffed. "Like I need your help."

Vida chuckled and pat Noche's shoulder.

"Respect," the blind girl whispered.

Noche blinked; her gaze followed Vida for a moment. Boots calmed the twitching on his face, took in a deep breath, and stood up.

"The last floor we need to worry about is floor eight... Raven's floor," he said. "His power is corruption. He has no limits – he's the only bird to have full mastery over his VIP."

Boots paused for a long time.

"He's as strong as a Cross General – he fought Dreg to a standstill... If we encounter him, then we've failed."

Noche scowled at the word.

"S-Sorry, but h-he sounds terrifying," Tak said.

"He's actually the friendliest guy I know," Boots said.

Everyone stared at him.

Boots sighed. "He's like myself. He puts his family's safety first."

"O-Oh, then maybe he'll –"

"— Don't misunderstand," Boots interrupted. "If Edward threatens the people he loves... Raven will not hesitate to destroy us."

"Look, this is nice and all, but why do we need to know about all these floors?" Noche crossed her arms. "Why can't we just focus on the floor Spark's on?"

"Because all important hostages are on the penultimate floor... The one right above Edward's throne room," Boots said. "Spark is on Raven's floor – the same floor they kept you on when your grandfather first came here."

Time stopped to Noche.

She had to force her lungs to breath – for sound to return to her ears. She blinked the light back into her eyes.

"My... Grandfather?"

"Yes, Professor Grim."

Shaylin shot to her feet, Alice's eyes widened, Mary's jaw dropped, Tak appeared confused, and Vida was uninterested. Multiple voices shouted at once – Noche ignored them all. Tears welled in her eyes.

"I have family?" She muttered.

Noche wiped away the signs of liquid weakness before anyone saw her.

"THE PROFESSOR GRIM!" Shaylin shouted "He's the prodigy of our time! The man's a genius amongst geniuses! Everyone thought he was dead!"

"DeathTech is good at making people disappear," Boots said. "Edward needed his Grim Gel formula to bind Vulture's DNA into the new generation of DeathTech fetuses... Needless to say, it worked."

"Oh my gee golly gosh! This is – I just – oh wow," Shaylin took a few breaths. "Wait... Wait, something is bothering me."

She stood up and placed her cybernetic hand on her chin; her eyes widened a tad.

"Why would Edward lead Cross to his home base?" She said. "Why lie about teleporting away, and make the first-floor look abandoned, only to have each subsequent floor be guarded by a bird of death?"

"That... Makes no sense," Mary agreed.

Boots shrugged. "I can't claim to understand that madness that is Edward's dark mind... But after having, many, up close and personal interactions with him... I can say one thing with certainty."

The lad paused as Shaylin and Mary leaned in.

"Edward is not taking this war seriously," Boots said. "He's treating it more like a game."

"What! Why!" Shaylin and Mary shouted.

"I can't explain it... He... He craves fear," Boots said. "It's almost like he has a physical hunger for it."

Noche was pulled from her thoughts; she looked up.

"Edward doesn't care where he gets his next... Meal," Boots said. "Enemies, allies, innocent bystanders... If he can make someone afraid. He will."

There was a long pause before he spoke again.

"Letting Cross stay uncertain about the validity of his statements and plans."

"Ordering the Birds of Death to stay trapped in a place where a Cross general could invade at any moment."

"Moving all the workers deeper into DeathTech and forcing people to abandon what they've known all their lives."

"Forcing me to watch my sister get hurt every time I failed a mission."

Seconds passed before Boots resumed speaking.

"These are all things that make people nervous," Boots said. "And when that anxiety intensifies – it turns into fear."

"No matter how this war plays out, someone will end up afraid," Noche muttered. "Edward will always win in the end – he'll get his meal, one way, or another."

Boots closed his eyes and nodded.

Noche took in a deep breath.

"WHATEVER! Doesn't matter!" She shouted. "To summarize – we need to get past every bird of death, except Raven!"

Boots opened one eye and stared at Noche. He raised his head and blinked.

"Have you heard nothing of what I said – this is impossible. It's a death sentence!" He said. "Noche... You will fail."

The blonde scowled.

"I don't even expect use to get past Dove," he said. "If we get caught, then the best-case scenario is we sacrifice a party member while the rest of us escape."

She frowned and crossed her arms.

Boot's eyes softened. "And you were right..."

Noche raised an eyebrow.

"When you told Medusa that I'd do anything to protect Spark, you were right," he said. "If I have to betray you for her safety... I will."

There was a moment of silence amongst the group.

"Ok," Noche whispered.

Boots sighed and sat back down/ "I recommend you all forcefully recover your drive and rest... We have a long, impossible, suicidal mission ahead of us."

After a few moments passed, everyone did just that.

Tak slide next to Noche as the blonde crossed her legs and meditated.

"S-Sorry Noche, but what does Boots mean – forcefully recover your drive?"

"Trio didn't teach you?"

The immortal shook his head no; Noche grinned.

"Well you've come to the best person to ask about forced drive recovery," Noche said. "I'm something of an expert at it myself."

"Bruh! You're an expert at blowing yourself up!" Mary said. "Buuuumbkla, it's a miracle you never had internal bleeding with how often ya fucked up with forced recovery."

Noche stuck her tongue out at Mary. Who in turn raised her middle finger at the blonde.

"Ignore her Tak," she said. "I'll show you have to regenerate your drive faster."

Tak smiled and Noche began the lesson.

Once the immortal had a grasp of the concept, which took a single attempt to master, Noche turned towards the dark tunnel ahead.

"I'm coming for you Edward," she thought. "I'm coming... For my revenge."