Kaiser walked toward Piers, his grip tightening on his weapon. "I want Rei back," he said, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and grief. "No... I want my friend back. The friend who has always been by my side."
As he moved, memories flashed through Kaiser's mind. He remembered the long hours they spent sparring back in Orville Village, and the endless stacks of paperwork they tackled together. Even though Kaiser usually won their practice fights, he always knew deep down that if Rei ever used real sorcery, he would lose.
Kaiser had big dreams. He wanted to make his mark on history alongside Rei. He planned to become one of the top three strongest people in all of Astria—a title only granted once every ten years. He wanted to prove his father wrong, finally earn his praise, and be strong enough to stand as Rei's equal.
But Piers had ruined everything. Piers wasn't just stronger; he was on a level Kaiser couldn't even imagine. Kaiser realized that if he couldn't defeat this monster, he would be forgotten by history, rotting in mediocrity.
Kaiser raised his Erebus Sword Scepter. "Either leave Rei alone, or face my fury!"
Piers said. "Who is afraid of your fury?"
In a blur of motion, Piers vanished and reappeared at Kaiser's side. He swung the Phantom Insignia, but Kaiser was ready. He charged his scepter with lightning and blocked the strike. Thunder roared as the two blades met, the sheer heat of the collision scorching the trees around them. Kaiser pushed back and fired a bolt of lightning, but Piers dodged it effortlessly. Even with his body covered in wounds, Piers moved like the wind, shrugging off Kaiser's best attacks.
Desperate, Kaiser ran toward the massive waterfall nearby. He reached out to the crashing water, calling upon a new technique he had seen in Rei's books in Midgard.
"Water Dragon's Fury!" Kaiser roared. The water from the falls rose, twisting into a giant, serpentine dragon that merged with his blade. "Water Dragon's Slash!"
Piers didn't flinch. He covered his sword in Hellsfire. The Phantom Insignia whispered, Get ready, buddy. Piers swung his flaming blade against Kaiser's water dragon. The collision triggered a massive explosion that shook the earth. When the smoke cleared, a body was sent skidding across the ground, stopping just at the edge of the waterfall's drop.
It was Kaiser. He coughed, looking up in disbelief. "How...?"
"What?" Piers asked, walking toward him.
"How... can someone... be this strong?" Kaiser gasped.
"It doesn't matter to you anymore," Piers said coldly, raising his sword for the kill. "Because you are going to die."
Deep within the ocean of Piers's mind, Rei lay trapped. He found himself sitting on the floor of a cold prison cell. In front of him stood a figure that looked like his past self.
"There is no way you can escape this prison," the past self said. "You know that, right?"
Rei stayed silent. He had almost accepted his fate, even though a part of him still screamed for freedom.
"Look," the old man continued, pointing to a vision of the outside world. "Even your friends couldn't save you."
Rei sighed in resignation, his spirit breaking. "Maybe it's better to stay here," he muttered.
Suddenly, the prison bars shattered. A new figure stepped into the cell. He looked exactly like Rei, but his face was filled with a burning determination. It was the True Rei Alenshade.
"You..." the old man stammered, his face twisting in fear. "Shouldn't your soul have passed? Why are you here?"
"And you," the True Rei said, pointing a finger at the old man, "should stop playing tricks. Reveal yourself!"
The prison vanished, turning into a world of swirling mental chaos. The old man transformed into a woman with a calculating gaze.
"Who are you?" Rei asked, stunned.
"She is Sitem, the Goddess of Wisdom and Thoughts," the True Rei explained. "She manipulated you into staying in this cage because your will alone was enough to suppress Piers. Now, go! Suppress Piers and run away!"
But Rei sat back down, his eyes dull. "No. I am nothing."
Sitem smiled. "Well told. You are nothing, Rei."
"What do you mean you're nothing?" the True Rei shouted. "You are more than anyone else! You are above everyone!"
"You are Rei," Rei whispered, looking at the True Rei. "He is Piers. Then who am I?"
Sitem sent a wave of mental energy to crush him, but the True Rei created a wall to block it. "It doesn't matter who you are! Only that you are here!"
"No," Rei repeated, a dark storm beginning to form around him. "I am nothing."
Sitem grinned. "He will be sucked into the darkness forever."
But then, a picture of the outside world flickered into view. Rei saw Piers standing over Kaiser, ready to deliver the final blow. The sight hit him like a lightning bolt. The dark storm around him instantly transformed into memories—practicing with Kaiser and Lyla, doing paperwork, building things together.
Rei reached out toward the scene. "No!"
"Stop!" Sitem screamed.
The True Rei fired waves of energy to keep the Goddess back. "Go save your friend, Rei!"
Back at the waterfall, just as Piers was about to slash Kaiser, his eyes suddenly flashed a brilliant blue. His legs began to shake as if they were fighting against him.
"What are you doing?!" Piers growled, his own body resisting him.
"My eyes... Kaiser, my eyes!"
Both voices came from the same mouth, overlapping and confused. Kaiser realized this was his only chance. He grabbed the Erebus scepter and slashed upward, striking toward Piers's eyes to blind the dark personality. Then, he put everything he had into a massive punch to Piers's jaw.
The blow was so powerful it sent Piers flying was launched up from the malovalent toward the benovalent God statue at the top.
As he soared through the air, his hair began to change. The jet-black color faded, turning back to a bright blonde. He hit the ground at the top of the waterfall, right between the two paths.