A World Of Decree: And The Seven Laws

Back at Princewood, Calvin realized they were all gone. He headed towards the grandmaster headquarters to hopefully receive instructions to follow a lead. As he approached the grandmaster confined within the walls of his private library, he stopped to think the situation over once more. Calvin realized it might be his fault for sharing information too harsh for such young students to witness.

As he decided to turn back around, the grandmaster stopped him dead in his tracks, "Professor Pride! What brings you here today!?"

"It's.. nothing Grandmaster. But, I do believe I have a fault in perhaps another -"

"It's about the laws isn't it?" The Grandmaster interrupted him, receiving a nod in response, "I figured they would investigate the disappearance of those dear to them at some point. I just didn't know when."

"What should I do? Please, I can't lose anyone anymore!" Calvin was on the verge of tears, finally able to understand where they had gone.

"I'm afraid there's only one thing you can do professor. Go after them, stop this nonsense and avenge those you lost. This isn't a fairy tale, no one can save them but you. LEAVE!"

Calvin bolted out the door, rushing quickly to his office to obtain the paper and navigate to the Tetrad mountains, the cause of this violence.

Back to the group, the further they continued down the hall, the wider the hallway stretched. There was an uneasy feeling creeping up everyone's spine, a feeling that wasn't unexpected. After a few minutes of traversing down the hall, the hallway split into opposite directions. Both identical to the n.a.k.e.d eye.

One person would of course suggest to split up to cover more ground. In this scenario, Leo was the culprit, "We should spli-"

"Stop," Paris gestured, "Do you seriously believe, that after everything we know, that splitting up is the best idea?"

"Well then which direction do we go?"

It took a few moments for them to determine their plan of action. Concluding they would traverse to the left, decided by a simple coin toss. One by one they hustled down the rocky hall, picking up their pace as the whispers became louder the further they progressed.

They walked for at least a mile until a clearing was finally visible in the distance ahead. It wasn't the stereotypical white light at the end of a tunnel, but rather just something else besides an endless hallway covered in mysterious fluids and sounds.

As they approached the end of the hallway, a large, dimly-lit clearing was starting to form. However, it didn't signal any sort of normal cave-like environment. In fact, the atmosphere shifted to an apprehensive feeling.

The clearing was split into a dome-like structure, only the ground they stood on was flat as if the dome was split in half. Seven obsidian walls stood tall in formation across the clearing. Each anywhere between 10 and 20 meters tall. Neon blue markings scattered across the surface of the walls, written in a language unknown to anyone. However, peaked at the summit of the walls were markings that seemed as if they were meant to glow in the neon light, but something was preventing it from doing so.

Once Atlas decided to take the first step forward to explore the surrounding area, his foot was instantly halted by an unknown force. Dark, mysterios vines thrusted from the ground, trapping not only his foot, but everyone else's movement as well.

Trying to break free deemed unsuccessful, and the darkness began seeping under their skin until a man in robes appeared in front of them. It was the same man from the festival, Abbadon Sylver. The hideous marks on his face matched the darkness that trapped everyone's movement, making them witness his entrance from thin air.

"Welcome! I am so glad you all could finally arrive. I was getting worried the cold might have stopped you from coming," Abbadon howled in laughter. Waiting for a response from his trapped victims.

"IT'S YOU!" Rina shouted at him, "You're that disgusting man from the festival."

Abbadon exploded in excitement, "My My, you do remember me indeed. How utterly delightful. I believe I have yet to introduce myself to the other three I didn't get a chance to meet. Abbadon Sylver, the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e is all mine."

"What do you want from us!" Atlas yelled at him in anger.

"What do I want? Well, for you to join me for your execution of course. The reason I made you immobile is to simply show you I can execute you all at any moment. However, my friends want a slice of the cake as well."

He laughed again, snapping his fingers and set them all free from the chains that bound them to darkness. Atlas and Rina were the first to get a firm grip of the rocky floor, and lunge at Abbadon. Nonetheless, before they could even take another step, Abbadon snapped his pale fingers, forcing each and every one of them except Atlas to a new location.

Faibel, Rina, Paris, Laena, Leo and Cartuja were all stunned with confusion, Each of them were transported to a large, chamber-like space, deep within a cave with no exits in sight. Each chamber had a replica of one of the seven walls, planted towards the opposite end of where they were standing. The chamber was abnormous, with large rocky spikes hanging from the ceiling above, and light emitting from cracks in the walls to make the atmosphere visible without the assistance of a light source.

The ground resembled the hallway they walked on, rocky, covered in dirt, and unstable. The walls had an absurd amount of darkness corrupted on the edges of the cracks, similar to the ones Abbadon used to paralyze everyone just moments ago.

Atlas was the only one that wasn't taken away to the chambers, but instead, left alone with Abbaddon in the clearing. However, he was pulled against one of the rocky walls behind him by the darkness Abbadon unleashed from what seemed like his sleeve.

Atlas grunted in anger, "What happened… WHAT DID YOU DO!"

"Why I simply sent them off to their long awaited deaths. You see, we here are the laws of the universe. Well, I disposed of the last ones in manners that might be too harsh for you to understand," Abbadon roared in laughter as pure disgust brimmed Atlas. "You see, One person cannot have the power of all laws. I learned that the hard way," He said as he pointed towards the darkness corrupting parts of his body in a blackness too fowl to put into words.

"I was overflowing with power, but power I couldn't handle. So, slowly and slowly, year by year, I would create a simple sheet of paper, with a riddle written in my own blood. Therefore, only those I choose will be able to see it. The reason you couldn't read it dear Atlas, is because I already knew young Rina would tell you."

"But.. this doesn't make any sense. Why us? Why do you want us?"

"You know, I was asking myself the same question. Becoming a law is the most tenacious power one can achieve. A power given to those who show excellence in trials bestowed upon them." Abbadon was beginning to yell in rage, "And yet, all of you are here now, somehow able to harness those powers. Nothing in this world makes me more frustrated that this pure bullshit."

"I DON'T CARE!" Atlas screamed at him in responce, "Just take our stupid powers and leave us alone. We came here to find out about those close to us that went missing years ago, not your power schemes."

Abbadon stared at him for a moment before unleashing another wave of annoying laughter, "Atlas! Don't you understand by now? We need your life to continue to grow, or else we will perish into oblivion. We only have a few years to live at most, but taking your lives greatly adds another century of fuel to our fire! As for your friends, I simply sent them off to the other six, they will do with them as they please."

Atlas was overflowing with information, and questions he needed answers to. However, before he could ask more, He was released from the darkness entrapping him on the wall, making him fall on his knees on the ground below.

"Well Atlas, I'd love to chat all day but I'm afraid I need your life at the moment. If you prefer a painless death then I strongly encourage you to step alongside this wall. It is the one I'll remember you by. Mentalism." He turned to his side as he motioned his hand against the first of the seven walls behind him.

Atlas began to get emotional, knowing all his friends were most likely witnessing the same thing, faced with the same decisions, and no guardian angel to save them.

He knew emotions alone weren't gonna save him, but his will power and all of his training had to pay off for this moment alone. He knew his friends weren't going down without a fight, and he wasn't planning on falling victim to the words spraying out of this monster's mouth.

Atlas didn't have to hesitate to make quick motions anymore. His mind was set to fight at this moment and to set aside all those memories that might hold him back. Atlas gripped the ground with his soft, beaten up boots as Abbadon realized he would be in a brawl quite shortly with him, sending a putrid smile across his devilish face.

In the heat of the moment, Abbadon's smile was quickly erased by the sheer hatred in Atlas's eyes. Atlas stared down the monster in front of him, ready to leap at the darkness that would be thrown at him with intentions of mortality. There was only one thing racing through his mind, "All is one and one is all."